The Ultimate Event Planning Cheat Sheet

The world of event planning is exciting and varied, attracting the most energetic, lively and charismatic people – people who also aren’t afraid of working long hours whilst trying to juggle the motives of many: caterers, venue owners, guests, clients, staff – the list goes on. As strong and organised as they may be, event planners sometimes need a little help if not from a friend, then from technology or a go-to checklist.  Mashable’s event planning cheat sheet infographic is a useful and informative checklist summarising the event planning basics you probably already know, but sometimes forget during the event planning maelstrom. In this blog we’ll elaborate on some of the points.

Mobile continues to be one of the hottest trends out there, especially in events

You could increase engagement by up to 33% if you incorporate mobile apps at your next event, according to the infographic. That’s a huge increase and highlights just how popular and pervasive mobile is becoming. While you might not have the budget or resources to have a custom app for your event made, there are others ways to harness the power of mobile for event planning.

Your invitations need to look stunning on a smartphone

Your event invitation is the first bit of personalised contact you have with your guests. A significant portion of those guests will be accessing this invite through their smartphones or tablets rather than on a laptop. It’s essential that your invites are mobile friendly and can be viewed in their entirety on these devices. There’s little point investing in a beautiful design if it gets distorted on an iPhone.

QR codes make controlling access to your event as easy as scanning a barcode

QR codes are another mobile-centric tool that can be exploited at corporate events. Not dissimilar to a barcode, a QR code can be provided in your invitation and act as a personalised entry pass for each of your guests. Your attendees simply present their QR codes at the entrance of your event, VIP or parking area and your welcome staff’s QR reader app will scan them. No more confusion about who is on what list.

Use mobile for those all-important

Thank You messages Event follows ups are not just essential from a customer service point of view; they provide you with the perfect chance to get feedback about how your guests enjoyed the event, allowing you to create future events that will feel tailor-made for each and every guest. Make sure these thank you messages and surveys are sent out within 24 hours of the event – either by SMS or through social media. According to the infographic, guests are a whopping 150% more likely to respond to a thank you message or post-event survey if you send one out no less than 24 hours after the event has ended. After 25 hours that percentage plummets: amazing what a single hour can do.

Time is of the essence, especially for event planners

Time, or lack thereof, is the event planner’s Achilles heel. We all know that event planners work some of the longest hours and have to survive on very little sleep, but Mashable’s statistics bring the reality into sharp focus. 42% of event planners work between 15-20 hours a day and the average night’s sleep is about 5-6 hours – although, that would sound like an indulgent night’s sleep to many! Believe it or not, there is a way to buy back hours in the day – without sacrificing the quality of your event.

Technology has made it possible to literally buy time

It’s clear from the infographic that technology is having a huge impact on how events are planned. Large guest lists and the pressure of delivering those crucial brand messages amplify the stress of planning corporate events: a lot more than disgruntled guests is at stake. Automating as many tasks as possible – sending out of invitations, collecting and managing guest contact info – means you not only save time on manually managing guest lists and RSVPs, but you’ll eliminate any potential human error too.

For more information about how technology can be your trusty assistant in the RSVP process, contact The RSVP Agency.