Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE: PLANNING FOR EVENT AND EVENT PROPOSAL

5.1 Event Planning

5.2 Tools for Event Planning
5.3 Strategic Event Planning
5.4 Role of Event Planner
5.5 Preparation for Event Proposal
5.6 Corporate Event Planning Ideas and Tips
5.7 Conference Planning
 5.1 Event Planning
• The first and foremost thing to do while planning an event is to know
about the client’s expectations.
• When a client first approaches an event management company for
assigning a task, the first step is to sit with them and find out what he
wants and how he wants it
• Keep in mind the fact that the client has a very hazy idea of what he
wants. He expects you to change that hazy/cloudy/ idea into a reality.
• Once you know his expectations you can start giving your inputs.
• Since you are a professional event planner, he is bound to believe
that you have a better knowledge about these things and will respect
your judgment.
The first step to planning an event is determining its purpose,
whether it is for a wedding, company, birthday, festival, graduation
or any other event requiring extensive planning. From this the
event planner needs to choose entertainment, location, guest list,
speakers, and content.
5.1.1 Following steps are involved in producing an event-
1. Do Market Research.
2. Prepare Event Plan.
3. Thoroughly Test market your event plan. (i.e. discuss your event
plan with other people to know their opinions and suggestions.)
4. Get organizers for your event.
5. Prepare your Event Calendar.

5.1.2 Event Market Research

Following steps are involved in event market research-
1. Determine your business potential through SWOT and Competitors’
analysis.
2. Determine market for your intended event.
3. Do the target audience research
4. Prepare Market Research Report
5.1.3 Steps involved in event planning
Following five steps are involved in Planning an Event-
Why- (i.e. event objective) Why you want to organise the event?
What is your purpose of organizing the event? What do you want to
get through the event?
What- What you are going to do in the event? (i.e. decide event
name, event profile, event highlights, program menu, Food and
beverage menu, Guest Profile, Service providers, Entry Information,
Promotional Campaign and event budget).
1. Is the event a good idea?
2. Are we in the right community?
3. Who would be the spectators/audience/?
4. About the venue
5. About the media of advertising
6. Fund stream
When- When you are going to organise the event i.e. date and time?
Where- Where you are going to organise the event i.e. venue?
Who- Who will be your organizers, sponsors, partners, clients and
the target audience? How many target audience you are expecting to
visit the event and why?
 5.2 Tools used for Event Planning
• As the demand for resources is high, It is recommended to begin planning an
event as soon as possible.
• To ensure an event is executed correctly, an event planners need
some basic information such as-
• Department/Agency/Organization name
• Key contact/meeting coordinator's name, address, phone number, and email
Bill to contact name, address, phone number and email
• Preferred date(s) of your event
• Nature of your event
• Estimated attendance
• Goals for your meeting/event Technical support needs
• Food service/catering requirements
• Preferred location(s) (classrooms will be assigned based on size and needs)
• Room set-ups/configurations
• Parking needs
• Need for overnight accommodations Need for registration services
• Need for professional meeting planning service.
• From the first stages of planning through post event follow up,
there are tools for every detail. The following list offers a taste of
some of the best resources out there.
You can think of it as a toolkit for planning events of all shapes and
sizes.
1. Invitations- For most events, invitations are an important step.
Whether it is an internal company meeting, a birthday happy
hour, or your next city-wide tweetup, there are endless
invitation platforms available. Each is unique and works best for
different scenarios.
2. Organization Tools- Events can overload us with information
and logistics, from planning the location to organizing
information for attendees. Fortunately, there is a tool out there
for pretty much every organizational task you'll come across.
• Whether you need to work with people around the world to plan
your event or you just want to gather resources for your attendees in
one, easy-to-find location, there is an online resource designed for
the task.
Wikis- For events that are organized by multiple people or in
multiple cities by volunteers, a wiki can provide an easy
communication and organizational platform.
Google Maps- If your event involves multiple venues or a city that is
away from home for your attendees, consider creating a custom
Google map as a visual guide of useful places and addresses. For
people that have concerns about the area, especially looking for the
right hotel, this can be a great resource.
Slideshare- It is a must use site if your event utilizes presentations at
all. Especially if you have multiples presentations. Create an account
for your event and gather all the presenters' presentations in one
place.
 3. Online Marketing
Marketing your event to the masses is probably the most wide open
category for online event planning tools. Almost any social network
or community presents marketing opportunities. Find the one that
fits your event and target audience the best and try to use the tools
creatively.
Facebook Events offers an "invite your friends" feature that is one
of the easiest share opportunities online. This allows people that
may not be attending the physical event to participate in the invite
process and promote for you.
Ustream: Livestreaming of events is becoming more and more
common, and streaming your content for free is a great marketing
tool.
[Link] allows attendees to champion your event with very
valuable real estate: their avatars. The site lowers the barrier for
people to be able to support your event in a very visible way.
4. Communities, Connecting
If you have multiple or repeating events, you need to try and
organize the community that will inevitably form around them.
These resources range from loose affiliations that allow you to
browse groups to more complete social networks.
Publicize the list and help attendees connect before and after the
event.
This is also an easy way for people to see what attendees are talking
about the day of the event.
5. Conversation Tracking
Spotlighting and monitoring the ideas, discussions, and debates
that take place at your event is very useful. Being able to show
everyone the conversations others are having about the event
makes introductions easier, broadens conversations, and generally
opens people up to more of the content.
Monitoring this conversation can also alert you to opportunities to
improve an event.
6. Full-Featured Event Planning
If you know you need long term event planning management, you
need to take a close look at some of the more robust, full-featured
tools.
From ticketing, to social tools, to managing attendee databases,
these resources can be a life saver for any business or group looking
to plan multiple events.
They also allow very easy setup for affiliate marketing opportunities,
letting others promote your event for you while earning money for
themselves.
 5.3 Strategic Event Planning

• Event Strategic Plan (ESP) provides the definition for event

stakeholders of the steps, people, time frame, and other critical
elements needed to ensure that an event reaches a successful
outcome.
• Without a workable plan an event cannot achieve the optimum
outcome and arrive at the destination that you and the
stakeholder's desire.
• The planning phase is a direct result of the data collected during
research and the color, luster, and texture mixed into the process
during design.
• The plan must be reasonable (as confirmed during the research
phase) and match the expectations of the stakeholders (as
identified during the design phase).
• The planning phase involves the key informants or leading
stakeholders who will manage the event. The plan will reflect those
decisions, and these important stakeholders must be included to
ensure that they take ownership in the creation of the plan. The
following key informants should be involved (actual persons in the
planning process .
• Advertising coordinator
• Assistant event manager
• Audiovisual coordinator Caterer
• Decorator
• Entertainment coordinator
• Event manager
• Exposition coordinator Facility manager
• Fire department
• Food and beverage coordinator
• Insurance coordinator
• Legal advisor
• Lighting, sound, and technical production coordinator Logistics
coordinator
• Marketing coordinator
• Medical coordinator
• Municipal, state, and federal officials Police
• Public relations coordinator
• Registration coordinator
• Risk management coordinator
• Safety coordinator
• Security coordinator
• Sponsorship coordinator
• Transportation coordinator Ushering coordinator
• Volunteer coordinator
5.3.1 Planning to Plan
• It is suggested that prior to any meeting the participants should be
assigned pre-work to prepare them to participate actively in the
meeting.
• The scope and level of the pre-work is determined by the event
manager based on the skills and responsibilities of the planning
team members.
• The planning team members should, however, be prepared to
contribute empirical information in addition to their opinions as a
result of their preparation.
• The planning process begins with the announcement of the
planning meeting.
• This announcement should include a time and date for the meeting
that is convenient for the planning team members.
5.3.2 Confirming Validity, Reliability and Security
• After the planning meeting or meetings, conclude that the event
manager must make certain that the event plan is valid, reliable,
and easily communicated to a wider group of stakeholders.
• Prior to distribution of the plan, make certain that your event plan
passes the “grandmother test.”
• Show the plan to those stakeholders who were not directly
involved in the planning process.
• Ask these stakeholders pointed questions, such as: “Is this logical?
What is missing? Does the plan support the goals and objectives of
the event?”
• Once the plan is validated and prior to distribution to a wider
group of stakeholders, make certain that there are no security
implications of this release
5.3.3 Timeline
• The tracks that your event train will travel to reach its successful
destination are reflected in the instrument known as the event timeline.
The event timeline literally reduces to writing the major decisions that
will be included in the event from the beginning of research through the
final tasks involved in evaluation.
 5.4 Role of Event Planner
• Many business-to-business trade publications exist to help event
planning and production professionals become educated about the
issues and trends in their industry.
• Many are controlled circulation publications available at no cost to
qualified event professionals.
• In the interest of creating an excellent event experience for
exhibitors, speakers and attendees following few important points
should be borne in mind of the planner.
1. Send a Countdown to Hotel Sell Out: Every conference has a
preferred hotel with reserved room. Most attendees are
procrastinators on booking the hotel. With a regular email tell them
how many rooms are left.
2. Send a “To Bring” Reminder to Attendees and Speakers: No one
does this. But why not send an email a couple days before the show
reminding attendees to bring cards, a bathing suit if it’s a warm area
with a pool, sunglasses, etc. Send the expected weather forecast. And
send logistics of the event (hotel address, conference address, etc.).
This creates goodwill, excitement, and is a little thing that prior to the
3. 20 Feet Badge Layout Test: Whether you’re an attendee or an
exhibitor, everyone is looking at badges to find someone they want
to meet or talk to. And this is the biggest motivator for coming to
conferences. Can I see the name of the person and company on the
badge from 20 feet away? Make the name and company name
larger, and include the location of attendee.
4. Prepare Speakers on the Phone: Get on the phone with speakers
to discuss how presentations should go, expectations, guidelines,
templates, etc. This creates a high quality show and content.
Reinforce what the audience wants to hear, show examples of high
rated presentations, require case studies and examples, and
reinforce no selling. An email won’t do this...make the speakers
accountable to the content organizer – lest they not be asked back.
5. Hand out a Pocket Agenda: Make it easy for attendees to see
what’s next without carrying a big book, reaching in the bag, and
looking for page 5 in the big book. If you have a large badge holder,
put it in the badge or on the back of name tags.
6. Separate Content and Exhibitor Fees: Should exhibitors be able to
pay their way to speak? Would this create great content? Good
magazines separate editorial from advertising. Conferences should
do the same. If part of a conference’s product are great speakers and
topics, the event organizer should find the best speakers and topics.
7. Give Feedback to Speakers: Want great speakers to come back?
Give them feedback. Send them video or audio of their presentation.
Send them the scores from the session feedback survey. Great
speakers always want to improve and they’ll look forward to
speaking at your conference next year if you give them feedback.
8. Thank the Speakers: For the same reason you want to give
feedback to speakers, thank speakers after the conferences.
Speakers are your product and they’re your influencers for driving
word of mouth attendance.
9. Select Speakers Based on Feedback and Topic Popularity:
Conference excellence is based on logistics (facilities, organization,
etc.), participants (networking) and speakers (content). So, great
content is based on the right topics and the best speakers
presenting them. Select next year speakers based on previous
years’ feedback, attendee feedback and input on great speakers,
and topic popularity. Topic popularity can be gauged by attendance
to previous conference topics, most popular article topics online,
attendance to other shows and its topics, and attendee surveys.
10. Bring in Speakers with Wisdom, Emotion and Perspective: In
addition to selecting speakers that have good feedback and the
right topic or brand, consider seeking out speakers that present
wisdom, not just knowledge. What makes a keynote a keynote?
Typically a great keynote makes you think, stretches your
perspective, and is emotional and memorable. Certain speakers,
perhaps not keynote-level, present their topics from a more
strategic perspective. They can tell good stories. They simplify the
complex. They share how knowledge is applied, and how things fit
in a broader perspective.
11. Create Roundtables: There should be a section in the conference
where brand leaders, sometimes with their agencies and vendors,
present topical case studies. Roundtables are popular because they
are targeted, small enough to allow Q&A and discussion, and they
are great for networking. It’s also a great way to find out what topics
are most popular! One roundtable on organization issues had to put
two roundtables together to meet the demand.
12. Leave Time for Q&A: General rule is that the audience would
rather they spend 1/2 time presenting and 1/2 time for Q&A. This is
why roundtables are so popular. Format the session and instruct the
speakers to leave adequate time for Q&A. Have someone in the room
give the speaker 10 and 5 minute warnings. And make sure every
topic ends on time so that next topics are not running behind,
squeezing out Q&A time
 5.5 Preparation for Event Proposal
• An event proposal is a written proposal presented from a vendor
that is intended to elicit business from a prospective buyer.
• It differs from a business plan, which is primarily constructed to
obtain start-up capital by detailing the organization and operational
aspects of the business to demonstrate its profit potential.
Writing an Event Proposal
The amount of detail required in the event proposal will depend on
the scale and importance of the event. However, event proposals
generally share many common components. The information that
event proposals should convey includes but is not limited to the
following:
A. Experience of the Event Bidder
B. Venue and facilities offered
C. The event program
D. Request for Proposal (RFP)
 A. Experience of the Event Bidder
• The organisation or entity bidding for the event should extol its
experience and capability. It is crucial that whoever assesses the
bids firmly believes the bidding organisation will be able to put on
a good show.
• The proposal should contain succinct/brief/ information about the
event management experience of the proposed event team.
• If experience in staging events is limited then it is useful to mention
any managerial, project management or coordination experience in
any other field. Qualifications of persons in the event management
team may also prove useful to mention.
 B. Venue and Facilities offered
• The reader of the proposal will want to know whether the venue is
suitable for the event. The proposal should outline all facilities
available at the venue, everything from toilets to car-parking.
• For indoor events, the type of surface, lighting, air-conditioning,
seating, electronic equipment should be well described.
• For outdoor events, the level of maintenance on turf, seating and
shading for spectators, fencing, drainage and floodlighting is worthy
of mention.
• There needs to be a detailed description of what would be attractive
to event goers and how the venue will fully cater for the needs of the
event, including performers, officials and spectators.
• Don’t forget to include information about public transport to the
venue, and car parking for those who arrive by car.
 C. The Event Program
• At the initial stage of bidding, the event proposal may suggest a
competition program in terms of the number of days, and the start
and finish times each day.
• It is important for decision makers to know how many hours a day the
venue is available.
• The program should also include ceremonial events with visiting
dignitaries who may make speeches or present awards Furthermore
the event bidding team can propose entertainment ‘extras’ that may
start or finish the program or fill any gaps.
D. Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document that an organization
posts to elicit bids from potential vendors for a product or service.
For example, a new business or a business moving from a paper-based
system to a computer-based system might request proposals for all
the hardware, software, and user training required to establish and
integrate the new system into the organization.
This model RFP is designed to help agencies in the preparation of the
body of the RFP.
Detailed information on how to develop an RFP. The following is a typical
RFP layout-
[Link] Letter: The cover letter contains instructions to vendors such as
the RFP closing/opening date and time, procedures and requirements
for vendor questions, number of RFP copies required, state of domicile
information, information regarding trade secrets, F.O.B. (Free on board)
requirements, and. Information regarding Proposal Discussions (Best and
Final Offers) and Negotiations are also supplied by the Division of
Purchasing in the cover letter.
2. Signature Page: While some RFP’s issued by the Division of Purchasing
may be responded to electronically via the internet-based system, the
majority of the proposals are submitted manually.
The Division of Purchasing includes a signature page that an offeror must
manually sign, in ink, and return with the proposal response. Manually
submitted RFP’s without a signature page are rejected. RFP’s submitted
electronically via Purchasing internet-based system possess a digitally
encrypted signature and are acceptable without the signature page.
3. Title Pages: A simple, single page that identifies the title of the RFP
and issuing entity.
4. Table of Contents: A Table of Contents should be supplied with the
RFP that outlines information included within.
The Table of Contents should include at the minimum the following
information:
(i) Schedule of Events
(ii) Standard and Special Terms and Conditions
(iii) General Information:
(a) Definitions
(b) Purpose or Intent
(c) Background
(d) Method of Payment
(e) Contract Term
(f) Presentations or Demonstrations
(g) Pre-Proposal Conference
(iv) Technical Specifications:
(a) Specifications (goods) or Scope of Work (services)
(b) Scope of Activity (projects)
(c) Project Management
(d) Deliverables Schedule
(e) Support, Training, or Maintenance
(v) Vendor Requirements:
(a) Mandatory Requirements
(b) Vendor Organization
(c) Vendor Qualifications and Experience
(d) References
(e) Financials
(f) Resumes
 (vi) Proposal Response Format
(vii) Cost Proposal
(viii) Method of Evaluation and Award:
(a) Evaluation Criteria
(b) Discussions and Best and Final Offer
(c) Negotiations
(ix) Attachments
5. Schedule of Events: A schedule of events is valuable
information for potential proposers. It outlines the expected
timetable for the procurement process.
6. Standard and Special Terms and Conditions: Special Terms
and Conditions that are specific to the individual RFP being
issued such as those for janitorial contracts, lease/time
purchases, vehicle leases, price agreements, and/or other
miscellaneous terms and conditions are provided by the Division
of Purchasing.
 7. General Information:
Definitions: List any terms or definitions that are specific to the RFP
that may not be clear to all offers.
Purpose or Intent: A statement of intent or purpose relating to the
general type of service or goods required the location, and any
requirement for specialized personnel, equipment or tools.
• Background: Description of the function of the agency that requires
the service or goods. Explain why the service or goods are needed
and the objectives of the agency. If applicable, describe the current
method or system in use and its deficiencies.
• Method of Payment: The agency should address how payment will
be made to the contractor, whether monthly, quarterly, upon specific
deliverables, or at completion of project. If applicable, the agency
should outline any information required on the invoice or statement,
to whom and where it is to be submitted, at what date and time it is
due, and any other relative information.
• Contract Term: Specify exactly the term of the contract, when it
begins and when it expires, along with any provisions for renewal.
• Presentations or Demonstrations: If required, explain in detail the
format, time, and any other relevant information that offers would
need to know to prepare a presentation or demonstration.
• Pre-Proposal Conference: Consider whether a pre-proposal
conference for potential offers is needed to further explain, clarify, or
identify areas of concern in the RFP
8. Technical Specifications
(i) Specifications: Used for goods, specifications should list the
minimum characteristics and objectives required by the user. They
should include issues such as environmental concerns, product-testing
requirements, or other specific concerns relative to the RFP.
(ii) Scope of Work: Used for services, this is a detailed, step-by-step
description of the work to be performed by the contractor, organized
to reflect the order in which the work is to be performed. Identify the
major task headings and subtasks for performing the work.
iii) Scope of Activity: For long-term projects, this is a comprehensive
definition of the exact area(s) to be addressed during the project.
Define the working environment.
(iv) Project Management: Outline how the agency and the contractor
will monitor timetables and deliverables or measurable standards for
completion specified in the RFP.
(v) Deliverable Summary and Schedule: If applicable, establish a
general schedule of events or estimated timetable that lists the
deliverables or measurable standards for completion in sequential
order, beginning with issuance of the RFP to the final expected date of
completion of the contract.
(vi) Support, Training and Maintenance: If required, identify in detail
any support, raining, and maintenance required.
 5.6 Corporate Event Planning Ideas and Tips

• Corporate events should always be light yet appealing.

Concentrate on the motive of even and accordingly set your plan.
The event should be more of informative that does not mean you
would ignore the entertainment stuff. Following are some of the
corporate planning ideas and tips:
1. Corporate event planning ideas
Events play a crucial role in corporate team building, networking, and
promoting a positive company environment. When planning corporate
events, it's essential to consider the goals of the organization, the
preferences of the employees, and the overall company culture to
create meaningful and impactful experiences.
2. Opt for some change in location
Research about the past events of company and inquire about their
locations. If the location is office or any hotel then try to change the
location by selecting some beautiful place like resorts, water parks, etc.
even if you are selecting some spacious hall then make sure you make
it look elegant by giving it new theme and decoration.
3. Add fun loving elements to event (Humor)
Corporate events usually have tag of boring as the activities carried out
here are mainly related to business and this is the motive of event. But
while doing so do not ignore the humor factor as nothing in life is
perfect without humor. Try to make the environment lighter by adding
some fun loving elements to the event.
4. Recognize the efforts of employee
Corporate events are the best place to reward your employees and
make them feel special. During such events make list of employees who
have performed excellently and reward them with best gifts. As an
event manager you have to make sure that gifts provided are properly
wrapped and arranged in a proper order.
5. Look for best caterer
Food is important part of all types of events. Arrange the food which is
finger licking and people attending event go with smiling face. For this
you need to look for best caterer and do not compromise on quality.
Discuss the food menu with concerned authority and suggest
something from on your part in the menu.
6. Make use of curtains and flowers
For decoration purpose you can make use of curtains which
creates professional environment and flowers which lighten the
mood giving fresh feeling. Make use of these two things which
can create the perfect ambiance for corporate event. See to it
that you do not screw up the surrounding by selecting some
bright or dull colors of curtain.
7. Give change in arrangement of desk and chairs
Arrange the desks and chairs in such a way that people should
feel comfortable and overall it should give good appearance.
People sitting in front and those sitting in back should also get
clear view without any hindrances. Make arrangements of water,
pen, notepad, tissue paper, etc on every table.
 5.7 Conference Planning

What is the reason behind organizing conference? It is very

important for event manager to understand the purpose of organizing
conference so that he can start with planning procedure accordingly.
Conference planning has to be accurate as it relates with business
and so here you cannot compromise on any of the aspect. Good
organization of conference can highly work in any organization favor
and can allow them to crack many profitable deals.
For attendees as a planner you need to make arrangements keeping
in mind their comfort level and the motive of conference should
clearly be displayed.
Following are some of the aspects where any organization need to
focus while making conference planning:
Procedure that leads to precise conference
Budget Planning
Formation of Conference Committee
Conference Planning Checklist
Procedure that leads to precise conference
You need to put complete efforts in training staff while planning
conference in order to avoid future circumstances. Any work in
relation to event management can be successfully done only when
there is involvement of complete team work. Following is the
procedure to be followed by conference management planner:
• Making arrangement of conference planning committee to prepare
the list of speakers.
• Getting in touch with speakers and inviting them to participate in
meeting.
• Look after traveling and accommodation facility of speaker.
• See to it that rooms arranged for them have all basic amenities
required for a business person.
• Give speakers the detail of meeting and other activities.
• Make proper budget plan.
• See to it that your planned work is executed properly.
• Make arrangements depending on the purpose of conference and
negotiate with concerned parties as and when required.
Budget Planning
• Budget is the most important factor involved in conference
planning as going over budget can minimize your profit level.
• The budget prepared by you on paper is your estimation which is
many times different as compared to real expenses.
• Don’t rely on estimated budget because requirements of speakers
can force you to spend more.
• So always be ready with backup plan and curtail expenses as and
when necessary.
• Select the hotel after carrying out proper research work in order
to save some bucks.
Formation of Conference Committee
Appoint conference coordinator who can serve the purpose of
meeting and his team can make best arrangements.
Conference committee should have people with proper
knowledge related to the meeting subject and have good
networking skills.
With such skills making arrangements become easy and you
can also take care of your budget properly.
Committee should comprise of people having skills like:
Quick decision making power
Qualified enough to deal with different situation
Experienced people who have ability to handle more
number of people
Team building ability
People understanding responsibility of work.
Conference Planning Checklist
• All your plans related to conference cannot be stored in mind and so
it is important to plan conference with the help of checklist.
• Checklist includes every minor detail which relates with the
arrangement of conference.
• From budget planning to number of speakers attending conference,
everything should be determined in your checklist.
• With the help of conference planning checklist there are least
chances of conducting any kind of mistakes.
• Also you can modify the existing checklist as and when required. See
to it that your list is prepared in chronological order so that nothing
can get skipped in the process of completing work.
• This makes it easy to work as a team and every member of
committee can easily follow it. You are organizing conference for the
purpose of enhancing business so make sure you pay attention on
needs of clients.
• They should get proper treatment so that you can win chances of
gaining positive results.
Thank You