A lot of time and effort goes into the planning of an event. The culmination of which is the event day itself. While it’s imperative the pre-event planning goes without a hitch, the on-site management and delivery is even more crucial. It’s important to think ahead and plan what you’ll need when you’re there. Here we take a look at some of the essentials you’ll need.
With so many items to remember, it makes sense to split these out into two categories: Physical and Personal. Physical items are those which you can move, purchase and use on-site whilst the Personal category are the essentials you should not forget for your mind and body. When organising your next event, don’t forget these key tips:
So, let’s get started with Physical Items:
Extension Cables – How many times have you gone to sit down, plug in your laptop, or registration printer and there either hasn’t been enough sockets available or all the sockets are too far away? Extension cables, especially those which convert to multiple sockets are an absolute godsend. Gone are the days of having to drag tables around just to plug in!
A Stationary Box – At Hippo this is our favourite item. We actually have a large toolbox (with wheels!) we use for on-site events. It’s packed full of every type of stationary you can dream of – white tack, pens, permanent markers, staplers, rulers, coloured dots, glue dots, envelopes, cue cards, paper, scissors, elastic bands and even string to name a just few…basically Ryman’s in a box. It’s so frustrating not having easy access to items like these and you don’t realise how much you use them until you don’t have it.
Printer – Having to rely on a venue to print out items for you is frustrating. If someone isn’t in the Business Centre costing you 30p a page then it’s their printer not working, you waiting for ages or not being able to print A3. Clients often require printing, and they don’t want to wait, so having a printer to whip off what you need at the click of a button takes the stress off things.
Spare Boxes – At the end of an event there’s always items left over. It’s usually client material they need sending back to their offices, but coming prepared with a couple of spare boxes will only have a positive effect. It’ll also save you and the venue hours of searching through backstage areas or bins to find some old cardboard that is no longer being used. More so, when sweeping the venue of any confidential materials that need to be removed where were you planning on putting it before shredding? Let me guess…in a box?
Operations Document – The lifeline of any planner on-site. A minute-by-minute play of how the event will run, containing all the crucial information from contact numbers to floor plans. Often supported by a clipboard and pen this document is found glued to your hand at all times!
Walkie Talkies – No matter how big or small the venue, it’s extremely important to have instant access to your team. WhatsApp groups look unprofessional and it makes you look like you’re texting your mates or checking the football scores in the middle of an event, plus you have to keep your phone on silent at all times so don’t know when a message comes through. Walkie Talkies are the easiest form of instant communication between your team and will help in the smooth running of your event.
Tape – From taping up boxes and taping down cables we always seem to get asked for tape on-site. Heavy duty, parcel tape, duct tape or scotch tape, it’s completely up to you, but we suggest all four! More so, you can keep it in your stationary box tucked away from the tape thief’s that lurk.
A Folding Dolly – Hauling boxes of goods around can get physically exhausting, especially if you’re in a large venue. When arriving at the venue the first thing you tend to do is move boxes from A to B, so having your own folding dolly works wonders. It’s also hugely valuable throughout the event if needed too.
And what about the Personal Items?
Comfy Shoes – Aching soles, blisters and worn out shoes; the sign of a successful event! The amount of walking done on-site can be huge – I think my personal record is 75,000 steps in 3 days, and that was at a pretty small venue. It takes it’s toll, so make sure you come well equipped with comfy shoes.
Hydration – Don’t forget to drink water. It’s so easy to forget to eat (or not have time to do so) but even easier to forget to drink. Keep yourself hydrated and you’ll maintain the energy you need.
A smile – Internally we call this our “conference smile”, in other words no matter how stressed, busy or tired we are there’s still a smile on our face! Every Event Planner has one. Truthfully though, the smile comes naturally, after all we’re doing what we love and what our passion is – this is where we get a real buzz.
A cool head – Don’t worry, I’m not literally asking you to put a cold towel on your face, I mean internally a cool head to deal with the millions of things you need to think about. So many factors can add to your stress and it’s easy for these to pile up and get on top of you. Try and delegate, take a step back and keep calm.
Your voice – Communicate. Plain and simple. Communicate to your team, to the venue, to your client. Keep talking and use your voice. Get the maximum out of those walkie talkies!
Hopefully you found the above relatively helpful. If I see you when I’m on-site and you don’t know what I look like then just look out for the guy with a the headset, holding a cup of water in one hand, clipboard in the other, smiling, looking cool, handing out tape whilst plugging in my printer to the extension cable looking like I could stand on my comfy shoes for days.
Hippo offer Event Project Management and Global Venue Finding services. Please feel free to contact us today on 01372 460 100 or email on enquiries@hippoevents.co.uk