Hosting A Live Event Offline: Event Planning Tips and Tools

Are you ready to host your own meet up, workshop, or conference? As an event planner “in training”, I have learned several tips and discovered several web tools that can help you get started.

This post is from the Socials and Sales Issue of SistaSense Magazine.

If you have experienced event planners in your circle or know of others who have hosted successful events, give them call. Using their know-how you can get answers to your most pressing questions and discover essential aspects of planning that you might not have considered.

Use Google as a resource to research “event planning” / “hosting your own meet up”. In the event that you do not have people you can directly call or if you just want more insight, Google is a great place to start.

On the topic of using Google, specifically search for local organizations or meet up groups in your area that are self-run or featured on meetup.com. With this list you can find people or groups you should join or use as case studies in your research. This list can also help you discover local locations that are commonly used for hosting meetups, workshops, or other group events.

On the topic of event locations, consider searching for different types of venues in your area that generally offer space for events like restaurants, hotels, art galleries, books stores, cafes and country clubs. Some spaces may have websites that include floor plans and pricing to give you a sense of what would work within you budget.

Its a good idea to sit down and think about your budget. Consider the following questions:

1. Do you plan on providing food?
2. How much can you spend on space?
3. How long do you need the space (hours vs days)?
4. How many rooms do you need?
5. Are hotel and travel options required?
6. Do you need promotional items (flyers, video, etc)?
7. Will you offer materials or promo gifts to guests?
8. Do you need to pay for speakers?
9. Do you need tech support – mics, projector, laptops, wi-fi?
10. Do you need a team for setup and event support?

Recommended Event Planning Web Tools

GOOGLE CALENDAR
www.google.com/calendar
Organize your schedule and share events with colleagues and clients. With Google’s free online calendar, it’s easy to keep track of life’s important events all in one place.

EVENTBRITE
www.eventbrite.com
EventBrite gives you all the online tools you need to bring people together for an event and easily sell tickets online.

SCHED
www.sched.org
Conference and festival organizers use SCHED to manage their website’s schedule of events, seamlessly integrate social networking and provide their attendees with tools like personal agenda builders, dynamic attendee directories and mobile applications.

FACEBOOK EVENTS
www.facebook.com
Create, share, and exchange events with your Facebook friends and followers.

PLANCAST
www.plancast.com
Plancast is the best way to discover events and share plans with friends.

MEETUP
www.meetup.com
Helps groups of people with shared interests plan meetings and form offline clubs in local communities around the world.

NICHE NETWORKS
Are you a member of any ning.com social networks? My business network is BBWO. Did you know that most networks have a special page to post your events and/or find events of interest to attend? On my network I also offer eBlast services, to send out promotional updates to the community. For example, here is a promotional post I shared for Oprah’s annual Oh You! Event.

Would you like to learn more? Read this:
How to Host Webinars for Profit or Promotion?
Socials and Sales Issue of SistaSense Magazine