Plan your event

Having a well-thought-out plan and plenty of support can eliminate much of the stress when you’re organizing an important event

Business people mingle to chat and gather information at this corporate training conference. — Photo courtesy photos.com

It makes sense that a successful event—even if it’s just a trip to the grocery store—begins with a good plan. And if you’re putting together a big-deal event like a corporate meeting or a wedding, a clear and detailed plan is of the utmost importance.

Most facilities that have space available for group meetings have an experienced event co-ordinator who can tell you what services and furnishings they can provide. As the success of your event depends to a great extent on your plan, you will need to know some basic information when researching the rental of space for your event.

Your checklist

“Make a checklist of your requirements,” said Hersh Segal of the Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort in Cranbrook, B.C., “and if you’re going to shop around, understand that you get what you pay for.”

Beyond the basics of date, time of day, number of guests or participants and the all-important budget, here are some items to be considered.

• Is this to be an indoor event or an outdoor event?
• Do you require catering and/or liquor service?
• Will you need special equipment? Possible extras include: a tent, a stage, a podium, sound, light, audiovisual equipment, supplemental heat or air conditioning and wireless Internet.
• Who is responsible for setting up and cleaning up the room?
• Does the facility provide overnight security for multiple-day events?
• Is there adequate parking available?
• Depending on your venue, you may require special permits or insurance. It can take months to obtain these, so make your applications in plenty of time; non-compliance is a deal-breaker.

Each event and each venue will have its own peculiarities, so don’t take anything for granted. Ask lots of questions and be clear about any extra charges.

Advice from the experts

Lucinda Dupee, co-owner of WildWays Adventure Sports in Christina Lake, B.C., owned her own special events business in the U.S. at one time. She has produced many events, including some for such high-profile personalities as Martha Stewart. Dupee recommends that if you are going to hire an event planner, you should know that planner’s history.

“Ask for references, and check them out. They should have a portfolio of what they’ve done, and you should study it,” Dupee said. “Ask for a walk-through of everything that the planner provides, and compare that to what you will need, so that you know what you are responsible for.”

Incidentally, it seems to be agreed that annual business events are the easiest to produce, because they usually have a well-worn track to follow. Weddings, on the other hand, are the most challenging, partly because they’re a one-off and partly because there are often many opinions vying for favouritism.

“Weddings are really cool because you’re working with people who are really excited,” said Dupee, “but they often don’t have a clue because they haven’t done it before.”

Segal added another word of advice: “Communicate! If there are changes to what has been agreed upon (numbers, dietary needs, etc.), let the facility know.”