The ultimate guide to event management: From planning to post-event success

“Event coordinator” is consistently ranked as one of the most stressful jobs in existence—just under firefighters, pilots, and military personnel.

When you consider the responsibilities, it makes sense.

Event organizers are quasi-accountants managing event budgets, interior designers setting up venues, guest relations overseeing attendee satisfaction, and occasionally mock therapists talking keynote speakers down from a panic attack. 

The best event professionals understand event management and how to apply it to throw memorable events. And you can, too.

This guide will explain the importance of event management, the event planning process, and how to use event feedback to inform future event planning.

Event management is the process of planning, organizing, and executing events of all types and sizes. It encompasses everything from initial concept development through post-event evaluation and requires skills in logistics, budgeting, marketing, and guest experience management.

Event management is a strategic approach that emphasizes enhancing the attendee experience.

Event managers can create memorable and engaging experiences by focusing on attendees' needs and preferences. This attention to detail fosters positive interactions among attendees and plays a crucial role in ensuring a favorable brand image.

A well-executed event, where attendees feel valued and satisfied, reinforces brand loyalty and encourages positive word-of-mouth publicity, ultimately contributing to the organization's long-term success.

Event management also provides a framework that event planners can use to address common challenges, including:

We will cover eight stages of event management in depth. These stages are equally important to organizing a successful event for your business. 

The initial step in event management is to set event goals. 

Clearly defining your objectives from the outset provides a guiding principle as you develop your event roadmap. These goals may encompass lead generation, attendee engagement, or achieving a revenue target.

Remember you can have multiple event goals. For instance, a high school reunion might aim to reconnect with former classmates while seeking donations for a new music program.

There are three primary formats for hosting events: in-person, virtual, and hybrid. Each format presents unique characteristics that can significantly influence various aspects of event planning and execution. 

Regardless of the format you choose, it’s essential to carefully consider your target audience and specific objectives during the selection process. This thoughtful approach will enable you to implement effective strategies for engagement and ensure your event achieves its desired outcomes. 

The initial research phase is critically important in the event planning process, laying the foundation for the entire project. During this phase, the event coordinator conducts thorough investigations to:

Overall, close collaboration with the host during this phase is essential, as the event manager works diligently to evaluate what is feasible within the allocated budget while maximizing the event's quality and experience. 

Next, an event manager will meticulously draft a comprehensive timeline that outlines all key milestones and deadlines for effective logistics planning.

This timeline may include critical milestones such as:

Each milestone will be carefully scheduled to ensure a seamless flow of activities leading up to the event, allowing ample time for adjustments as needed. 

A comprehensive and detailed event plan serves as the foundation for executing a successful event.

It should clearly define the scope, outlining the event’s purpose, target audience, format, and key objectives. The schedule must include important dates, milestones, deadlines, and a well-structured timeline for pre-event planning, event day logistics, and post-event follow-ups.

Additionally, the activities section should detail the program agenda, sessions or presentations, entertainment, networking opportunities, and any supplementary elements such as workshops or exhibitions.

When planning an event for your organization, you must assemble a team of experts. Some of the key roles you may call on include:

Related: 10 tips for improving your event management skills

Large-scale events may require permits or licenses to comply with local regulations. These regulations can vary significantly depending on the event's location and nature.

Contacting your local government office or municipal authority proactively will help you navigate the specific requirements that apply to your event.

Additionally, allow ample time in your planning process to secure these permits, as certain approvals may take several weeks or even months to obtain.

Despite the best event planning efforts, sometimes things go awry. A speaker may get food poisoning, or rain may dampen your outdoor event. A contingency plan sets your event up for success.

For example, when considering vendor cancellations, it is beneficial to find backup vendor options and evaluate alternatives ahead of time. Furthermore, if your event is hosted outdoors, you should find a reliable alternative venue in inclement weather.

These proactive steps can significantly reduce stress and ensure a memorable experience for you and your attendees. 

When selecting a venue for your event, consider your objectives and target audience.

For example, a corporate conference may require a professional setting with advanced AV capabilities, while a community fundraiser might benefit from a more casual, community-oriented atmosphere.

Assess each venue option on set criteria, such as capacity, location, amenities, and accessibility. Understanding the tone, purpose, and expected outcomes of your event will help narrow down venue options that best support your goals.

You will likely partner with outside vendors to secure catering, AV equipment, and décor contracts.

To streamline coordination and manage logistics efficiently, use a vendor registration form to collect important details (e.g., contact information, services provided, insurance, and permits).

Additionally, implementing a vendor payment form helps track payments, manage budgets, and ensure timely compensation. These administrative tools help reduce confusion, improve communication, and keep the back-end operations running smoothly.

An online registration platform is one of the most efficient ways to streamline the process and manage guest information in real time.

Online forms simplify the collection of essential attendee details, such as contact information, dietary preferences, and session selections, aiding in accurate planning and logistics.

You don't know what you don't know; despite your experience, gathering event planning feedback is always valuable.

An event planning survey can help you understand attendee expectations and needs. For example, you can gauge accessibility requirements and dietary restrictions.

Integrating surveys in your pre-event activities is good event management.

While not the most exciting, the budgeting aspect of event planning is crucial for ensuring the event's overall success. Budget line items include:

To keep costs in check, prioritize essential expenses and identify potential areas for cost savings. Cost estimation lets you see the whole picture of your budget's performance. It’s important to cover the essential expenses before considering extraneous expenses. 

To manage your event's finances, leverage specialized event management software to track and monitor your expenditures meticulously.

Implementing rigorous expense tracking fosters transparency, which builds trust with sponsors and stakeholders and empowers you to identify potential cost-saving opportunities.

Additionally, analyzing past expenses can help in forecasting and improving budget accuracy for subsequent events.

For large events, sponsors and partners can offset the event's costs. Sponsors can also often enhance the event’s value and serve as name recognition. You also need to determine how your event will generate additional revenue. 

After selecting a venue, you will arrange the layout and design of the space. This involves optimizing the environment to facilitate smooth crowd movement, effective seating arrangements, and clearly defined activity areas. 

To achieve this, the manager should consider several key factors. 

Ultimately, the goal is to create an inviting atmosphere where guests feel at ease, can navigate the space comfortably, and participate fully in the event’s offerings.

The event technology will vary depending on its format.

For in-person or hybrid events, you may need audiovisual (AV) equipment, Wi-Fi, a stage setup, and lighting features. Virtual events, among other technical aspects, require a reliable internet connection.

Hiring a vendor to provide the necessary equipment and manage the technical setup for your event is advisable.

Ensure you have on-site services for in-person events, including a registration or check-in desk and signage to welcome and guide guests upon arrival.

Additionally, accommodate guests with disabilities or other accessibility needs. This may involve providing wheelchair ramps and designated seating areas.

The safety of your participants and vendors should be your top priority. Ensure that emergency protocols are established, first aid supplies are available, and a crowd control plan is in place. Additionally, consider hiring a private security service for your event to enhance safety.

You want your event to be a success, right? That means you must drive attendance and engagement through a tailored marketing strategy.

To promote your upcoming event, you should consider:

There’s nothing worse than planning an entire event only to realize your missed key opportunities to promote it. A promotion timeline should include pre-launch teasers that excite your target audience, official announcements, and final reminders. A promotion timeline keeps your communications on schedule to encourage engagement. 

Create eye-catching event pages to promote your event. You can even include promotional videos on these pages and social media. Hire a graphic designer to create custom social graphics to share online and excite attendees. Sharing engaging visuals is key to spreading awareness and building excitement around your upcoming event. 

To ensure a high conversion rate and a positive first impression, use registration forms that are user-friendly and minimize friction during the sign-up process. 

SurveyMonkey makes it easy to create online registration forms that capture key attendee information. You can share forms quickly via email, SMS, or embedded directly on your event website for broader visibility. These forms are also mobile-responsive, making it convenient for users to register from any device.

By reducing barriers to entry and offering flexible sharing options, you can boost registration numbers and simplify attendee management.

A day-of coordinator oversees setup and manages the registration and event flow. This professional leads the team, assigning staff to key areas for smooth operations. Day-of coordination can be stressful but is made easier when an event is well-planned. Work with someone you trust to delegate tasks and organize a great event. 

Work with a technical support team on the day of the event to ensure that the AV equipment, Wi-Fi, and presentation tech run smoothly. Backup equipment should be on standby in case anything stops working properly. It's better to be safe than sorry. 

You should assign a team to manage the check-in process and offer assistance in getting guests seated. Ensure you invest in clear signage that labels the different spaces at the venue. Additionally, a guest experience manager can work to gauge guests’ initial reactions to the event. 

Real-time adjustments may need to be made. Avoid stress when addressing last-minute issues like schedule changes or weather concerns. Inevitably, unexpected things pop up that require quick thinking. 

Event management is not done after the last vendor packs up. Post-event activities are important to planning the next event. After your event, you should use post-event surveys to measure guest satisfaction and gather insights on what attendees liked. Include questions on the quality of promotional content, the venue, and the overall guest experience to see what could be improved for future events. 

Use this Event Feedback Survey Template to collect data on guest engagement and identify areas for improvement.  

Additionally, you should track metrics from your events, such as attendance, engagement, and lead conversions. These metrics will help you iterate on your approach to make future events even more successful. Data analysis and reporting enables teams to see how well an event went and plan for the future. 

After your event, share highlights on social media, including photos and video recordings. You should also distribute the link to any professional photos taken at the event for guests to download. Send follow-up emails to guests with key takeaways or resources from the event and a link to the photo gallery.   

Holding a post-mortem meeting with your team allows you to assess what worked and what didn’t to make targeted improvements. You can even survey your event staff and vendors you worked with to gather their insights for behind-the-scenes improvements. 

Event planners should prioritize the attendee experience. To this end, they should offer guests clear navigation, comfortable spaces, and engaging activities. Feedback from attendees can help refine the event experience continuously. 

Use event management software for streamlined registration and data collection. With this technology, you can simplify collecting guest data to analyze later. Today’s technology makes data collection easier than ever before. 

Event managers must keep staff, vendors, and attendees informed at all stages of the process. To build excitement for the event, managers should communicate progress toward milestones internally and share updates on social media. 

Preparing backup plans and extra resources is best, especially for large events. Unexpected issues always seem to pop up when hosting an event. By preparing for possible issues, you can be ready if they arise. 

Once you’ve collected feedback from guests, analyze it to distill insights and optimize future events. Using SurveyMonkey, you can analyze data without the data analytics credentials. 

Create word clouds for open-ended responses to identify trends. Further, use AI-powered sentiment analysis to automatically categorize responses based on criteria. 

Maybe you discover through word clouds that the prevailing opinion of the catering service was “five star.” You can earmark the service for future events. Or maybe guests wanted an increased use of technology. You may want to bolster your technical team to support greater digital experiences.

Analytics tools help turn data into actionable insights for event management.

From pre-planning to post-event evaluation, event management is key to hosting successful events. Prepare well before your event to get the most out of your budget and ensure a smooth guest experience. Event managers should focus on continuously improving by learning from each event experience. 

Sending post-event feedback surveys is vital to learning what needs improvement. With SurveyMonkey, you can make simple event registration forms to help organize your events. You can also send event feedback surveys swiftly to gather guest data.  

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