Event ideas can come together through the support of a committee or even the vision of one, but when it comes to the execution of the event it requires many hands. Selecting those helpful hands is crucial in the success of the event. It involves picking reliable vendors to deliver their services, volunteers and staff to get everything prepared and, of course, the attendees to bring the event to life.
When to recruit helpful hands:
Planning: Look to others to take a step back and think outside the box to see what’s trending in the event world. Fresh ideas will provide a memorable, unique and new experience for your guests, but make sure to plan with someone who understands event architecture on how to implement them. Having reliable vendors is important, but be open to trying new vendors too, through trustworthy referrals. Save time with enlisting the help of movers and shakers who can tackle the long list of to-do’s. It’s great to have a person on the committee with ideas, but be sure to enlist reliable leaders to hold the group accountable to bring the vision together.
Prepping: Aligning all the details and pieces for the event takes a lot of time and energy. Thinking about a silent auction? There are so many steps involved; from creating a donor letter, asking for donations, re-asking, picking up donations, packaging the donation, adding the donation to software, creating collateral for the donation at the event, and then transporting the donation to the event…that is a lot of steps before the event even happens! And let’s not overlook the prep work for nametags; one of the most important pieces to setup correctly as it directly impacts your guests’ experience. Working with the right team that knows event standards and shortcuts can minimize the time and energy spent on prep and will limit mistakes.
Staffing: Event fatigue is real, and often those who have worked on an event for months are just ready for it to be over. Make sure your day-of team is robust and ready for high energy action. Volunteers are a wonderful resource for keeping costs down and can bring new energy to the event. Many volunteers are connected to the mission, but they might not necessarily understand the key transitions or how to troubleshoot through emergencies. Be sure to give the correct amount of training or bring a team of experts on board to not miss those important impact moments and have the best brand ambassadors as possible!
Wrap-Up: The event is done, but there are still many to-do’s! From communicating with winners and mailing certificates to packing up supplies to use for a future event. Wrap up thank yous are also very important for attendees as well as donors and sponsors. Make sure to have a team in place to support the week after the event to take care of those action items. Remember, it’s the last impression your guests and donors will have with their overall experience!
Not only is it important to have the right amount of hands to help, but having knowledgeable and experienced hands can minimize the planning process and maximize the results of the event. At Do Good Events, we have recently launched a staffing division that works with groups that are looking for energetic, reliable, and seasoned event professionals. Whether you need support in planning, prepping materials, managing your event software or event execution, we can match those support needs. To learn more, email us at Info@DoGoodEvents.com.