Part of planning an event is planning for disaster. As an event planner, it is important to be organised and detail oriented, but also prepared for the worst possible scenario. Don’t cross your heart and hope for the best, but rather embrace Murphy’s law – what can go wrong, will go wrong.
You can eliminate stress and frustration for you and your attendees by preparing ahead of time. Having a survival kit ensures you have a safety blanket when things don’t go according to plan. We have put together a list of several suggestions that work in most scenarios, but ultimately you are the one that decides what goes inside your survival kit. Hint: you should sort out your personalised clothing beforehand.
I’m running a conference and don’t know where to even begin!
Are you looking for basic, intuitive tools to plan your conference, manage schedules and communicate with speakers and the public? No, you’re not asking too much. BusyConf is your solution. Their approach is to focus on the event’s early planning stages, allowing you to have everything in place and ahead of time. Registration and ticketing are part of the solution to ensure you have the turnout your require.
How can I foster networking and engagement on my event?
Wouldn’t it be great if you could extend the networking and engagement of your event beyond the scheduled date? If making new contacts is an important aspect of your event, consider Whova. This platform helps event planners provide attendees with an experience focused on the meetings, workshops and sessions they’re interested in. With Whova, networking begins before your event even does.
I don’t have a social app for my event!
Now a days, any event requires a native app experience. Take a look at AppMyDay. This tool provides a platform for events where planners can create a custom, branded app. You can incorporate the look and feel of your business either as a white label solution or a standalone app. Users get a social stream with posts, chats, and media, while you as organiser get real-time access to analytics. Watch the video to learn more.
How can I automatise recurring, repetitive tasks?
Before, during or after your event – there are probably countless simple tasks you’ll find yourself doing over and over again. Tweeting blog posts? Adding new attendees to a spreadsheet? Posting photos on Facebook? You can automate all of these and much more with If This Then That, or IFTTT for short. It’s free to use and you’ll probably keep using it, long after your event is over.
I need help with all the organisational work!
Have you buried yourself too deep in excel? Can’t keep track of all the post-its? Is managing all of your speakers, attendees, partners and suppliers overwhelming? Just STOP. Stop what you’re doing and head over to Eventbrite. You can use their all-in-one platform to set up, promote and manage every detail of your event.
[content_band bg_color=”#E8F6D2″ border=”all”] [container]Need merchandise for an upcoming event? We can help. Printsome’s T-shirts are produced locally ?? and from the best-quality garments. Our delivery services work all over the UK and can adapt to most deadlines. Learn more![/container] [/content_band]How can I learn what my attendees are interested in?
In order to get the ROI you desire for your event, you need to know what really matters to your attendees, and you need the numbers to prove it. DoubleDutch keeps track of all that for you during your event. Post-event analytics, surveys, ratings, registration system integration and sponsorship opportunities all in a branded app.
I need to find a venue or supplier for my event!
Don’t know where to look for vendors? Look no further than Eventopedia. Think of it as sort of Trip Advisor for the events industry. Event planners use the platform to quickly and efficiently find the most suitable suppliers or venues. Detailed reviews and ratings help you make an informed decision.
How can I get my event on listing sites?
By all means, don’t manually add your event to listing websites. It’s repetitive and your time is better spent on other tasks. Evvnt is there for event organisers to submit the details of their event to relevant listing sites. You only enter your information once and have their site do the rest. If you’re using Eventbrite, be smart and further automate with their Evvnt integration. There are free and paid plans available for using Evvnt.
I need a powerful platform to manage everything!
Try EventScribe. They aim to be with you every step of the way with fully integrated products. Call for abstracts, data management, apps, microsites, audio recordings, event proceedings, poster galleries are all part of the solution they offer.
How can I monitor social media around my event?
Hootsuite lets you keep track of what your audience is talking about. Sort by hashtags, keywords, followers or lists and schedule your social media posts to sync with your event.
What are project management platforms I can use for events?
- Planning Pod: It was created specifically for planning events, supporting multiple events and keeping track of contracts, proposals and finances. It’s a paid tool with a 30 day free trial available.
- Asana: Combining project and task management for teams of any size, Asana is a powerful web and smartphone application with a free version available. You can use Asana both for huge task management as well as focusing on the tiny details.
- Trello: Is a to-do management system that works with cards and lists and is highly customisable. You can create boards (such as Kanban) and share it among teams so every member can quickly see where each task is at, thanks to Trello’s strong visual focus.
- Basecamp: The strong point of Basecamp is the sharing and tracking of tasks and files, with simple built-in communication tools.
- Smartsheet: Is basically Excel with a bit more muscles to flex: powerful spreadsheets with built-in collaboration and communication tools. As a paid tool, it offers a free 30 day trial.
- Slack: Want more communication and less management? Slack is the tool for you. If you’re part of a team, choose Slack and its mobile app for sharing and discussing on the go.
- Google Drive: For the sake of completeness, let’s include Google Drive. Documents, folders, spreadsheets and presentations can help you collaborate around content and ideas. For event purposes, you’ll need something more advanced, unless your spreadsheet skills are out of this world.
Survival of the smartest
Pack only the tools you need into your Event Survival Kit. Try them out and figure out what works for you. To survive the planning and managing of an event, remember to work smarter, not harder and leverage the power of these tools.
What tools are you packing in your Event Survival Kit? Share them in the comments! For more awesome content keep reading the Printsome Blog.
T-shirt Printing for Events
Thanks to our five years of experience in the apparel-printing industry, we were able to design a platform catered towards the needs of event planners and brand managers who need efficient solutions. Printsome’s T-shirts are produced locally and from the best-quality garments.
From the moment you get in touch, one of our printing experts in either London or Glasgow will answer all of your questions and find efficient solutions to your needs. It is our mission to help you reach your goals.
We ship all over the UK with flexible delivery services that can adapt to most deadlines. Fast T-shirt printing has never been this easy. Need to to print in bulk? We got you covered. Why worry about inventory or logistics when we can take care of that? To find out more, simply visit our website by clicking on the banner below.
Printsome is a T-shirt printing agency in the UK based in London that delivers all across the UK, from printing T-shirts in Brighton to York and anywhere in between. So, if you’re after a T-shirt or custom clothing, get in touch for a quote and indulge yourself in some awesome customer service.
