Logistics are as important to an event as the event itself. The moment your attendees arrive, any little detail that seems off will be noticed. And given this day and age of the Internet, you can bet that your little mistake will be magnified when it gets posted on social media. This is the reason why event organizers need to get logistics right — down to the minutest detail. From the place itself to the staff and your emergency plans, these five tips will help ensure that everything flows smoothly.
1. Make your venue rock solid.
When looking for the right venue for your event, think about a place that would help boost your brand. You can go for the non-traditional spaces, such as greenhouses or airport hangars, to attract attendees. Unique venues are also more likely to get shared on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram because of their novelty. More than anything on your list, the venue should be top priority because some spaces take some time to book or require paperwork to be accomplished first. Without a rock solid venue, there’s no party to speak of.
2. Study your venue and map the site out.
Know what your event needs exactly so you can map out where things should be. If you’re organizing an outdoor concert that requires a large screen, you need to consider the amount of vertical and horizontal space it will occupy. Know where to position the speakers, how to secure the wirings so they don’t accidentally get dislodged, where people should be hanging out or dancing and more.
You should also consider where the entrances and exits will be. If you’re using a generator, figure out where it should be positioned. Get a ballpark figure of how many people are attending your event so you can plan how many entry and exit points you have to set up. Also, specify a strategy in case an emergency happens to plan crowd flow.
3. Motivate your staff.
When the actual event come, much of the logistics will depend on your staff. You simply can’t be at all places at once and you have to brief your people so they know what to do. This is why it’s important that before the event begins, you meet with your staff and set them up to succeed.
This not only means motivating them so they all drive towards success but also establishing a clear chain of command so everybody knows who’s in charge of what. The last thing you need during an event is a team of headless chickens who don’t know who to run to and what to do when in the field. Having an official point-of-contact and briefing everyone about it at the start will help solve problems faster and more efficiently.
4. Be ready with a contingency plan.
Even if you’re confident that things will go absolutely hitch-free, you still have to plan for the unexpected. Traffic issues, electrical problems and other emergencies should be on your list of “what ifs” to be ready for. Once you have an action plan in place, inform your team and brief them about how things are to be done in case X happens.
5. Communicate important details clearly.
Know what you want to happen at your event and how you want to get things done — and make sure your team knows every little detail about this. For the benefit of your attendees, you can also set up a webpage of frequently asked questions, which cuts the amount of time and energy spent into answering every question from every person. You can do this by leaving a link to FAQs as part of your email signature or by ending every communication with the page’s address.
Important details include the location (and map), dates, times, prices, list of sponsors, event activities and schedules and more. Your event itself should also have clear directional signages to direct the flow of traffic smoothly.
