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Confessions of an Event Planner: Finish Off the Event

So you did it, you made it to the end of your event!  It was a huge success and people will be talking about it for years to come (or at least that is what I’m assuming if you have followed our awesome guide).  But believe it or not, we still have a bit of work to do on the other side now the event is done.  Now I know you are tired, but trust me this is important and have no fear we are going to walk you through it and provide you with a simple to follow check list.  Let’s do it!

 

Get Feedback

Whether your event was for 10 people or 1,000 people, asking for attendee feedback is an invaluable resource that will help you shape future events.  This could come in the shape of an onsite paper survey the attendees complete before they leave, or an online version that is sent out post event via email.  You could consider offering a random draw prize, if you think people need incentive to fill it out, after all who doesn’t love winning a prize!?

 

Say Thank You!

Everyone likes to feel appreciated, so it is important that you say thank you to those that have helped you out in the lead up and on the day.  Whether they are your staff, a supplier or a venue a quick email or a phone call to say thank you is the lovely gesture.  If you want to take it a step further, you could send a hand written card or small gift if appropriate.

 

Do A Debrief

Now unless you are magic (which if you are, super cool!) there is no way that you could have been everywhere at once on the day of your event, which means that there is a high chance that something happened during the event that you missed.  This is why it is so important to do a post event debriefing with your onsite staff to get a fresh perspective on the event and everything that happened.  It is also a great chance for your team to share their thoughts and ideas on how this could work better.

 

Report It

Taking everything you have learnt from your various debriefs, your own observations and also any information gathered through post event surveys from attendees you will create a report that overviews the event.  It should include details such as what worked well, what didn’t and provide recommendations for future events.  Depending on the size and style of the event this could be presented in an email or you could put together a formal report.

 

Dollars and Cents

I’m sure you have been keeping track of this along the way, but now is the time to put it all together and reconcile your event.  It is a great time to double check how you did sticking to your event budget and take a closer look at where you might be able to make budget improvements for future events.  Keep a digital folder with all your receipts in it for easy reference.

 

Make Records

Again, hopefully you have been doing this along the way, but if you haven’t don’t forget to put together a list of suppliers and venue contacts for your record so that you will have easy access and a point of contact should you have an event with similar requirements again.  Need a place to store the information? Check out our supplier tracker here.

 

And that’s it, you did it!  You have successfully taken your event from start to finish and now that you have crossed your t’s and dotted your I’s, you can relax and reflect on the process.  Not only that, but you are now in the best position to plan future events, and like most things, we promise it gets easier with practice, and if in doubt these guides aren’t going anywhere.  Happy Event Planning!