Smart Tips For Planning Your Meeting Or Wedding

• Tips for Planning a Meeting
• Tips for Planning a Wedding

Tips for Planning a Meeting

• Get Organized - Set up folders, calendars, and spreadsheets. Draft a timeline and set up your personal checklist. Gather past in-house materials such as invitations, correspondence, and previous quotes. This is especially worth it when you are a first timer. Prepare your budget and set up a detailed budget list.
• Brainstorm Sessions - Decide who should be involved in the planning process, and then schedule several sessions to ensure you cover off everything. In your sessions you should evaluate past events paying attention to what didn't work last time. Avoid making those same mistakes again and remember that sometimes an event fails simply because it was held on the wrong day or the wrong month. With a little adjusting it could be a winner the second time around.
• Submit Request For Proposal - Once you have determined and outlined your goals, objectives and agenda, it's time to write a request for proposal (RFP). Your RFP should be as detailed as possible and cover everything you need from the venue or supplier. Follow up with site inspections if necessary. Ensure you check on the service as well as on audio visual equipment.
• Confirm Dates, Rates and Details with Suppliers - Make sure to double-check all dates, rates and details with suppliers in advance of your event. Getting confirmation (in writing) on all details prevents nasty surprises the day of event.
• Promote Your Event - Publicity for an event has to be planned well in advance since it always takes some time for your audience to receive the message. Think of all available media … including newsletters, bulletins and flyers. Make announcements at meetings of the organizations you want to involve or at related events.
• Assign Tasks - Form a team to support your planning from the beginning to the end. Assign different tasks to one or more people. Make sure people are capable of their tasks and know what they can decide on their own and what not. When there are several people working on a task, select a supervisor. Organize regular group meetings to keep track as the work progresses.
• Reconfirm Everything - When the days get closer to your event take some time to confirm everything from A to Z. Don't hesitate to contact everybody involved with your event. The most important people should be contacted first. Allow yourself time to come up with "Plan B" should something have changed dramatically.
• Train and Brief Staff - Well-briefed staff are essential for a successful event. Tell them what the aim of your event is and what message should be spread. Make them familiar with the location by providing them with photographs or the floor plan of the property. Give each staff member a highly detailed running sheet of the day's events, including who is responsible for each activity and timings.
• On the Day - Remember that something usually does, and probably will, go wrong. However, also remember, it's usually only the event organizer who knows about it. Keep a running sheet handy to stay one or two steps ahead of the schedule.
• Evaluate, Debrief and Follow up - Request feedback from attendees wherever possible. To gather data, prepare a short survey for all participants. Schedule a meeting with your meeting committee for the week after the event. Discuss what went well and where there was room for improvement. The post-event phase can also include the publication of press bulletins and all kinds of other documentation on the event. Consider a thank-you letter to all participants.

Tips for Planning a Wedding

• Always get a proof (a sample print) of your wedding invitations before having them printed up. Check through the proof very carefully to ensure there are no printing errors and that times and venues are correct.
• Make sure you have more items on your wedding present list than you have wedding guests. It can be awkward if you get the same present from two or more people. It also allows for gifts from people who cannot attend.
• Always keep a constantly updated list of who's coming to your wedding. Make sure these have several contact numbers for each person, so you can make quick, pain-free re-arrangements. Try keeping all of the wedding details on your computer so they can be quickly updated and printed.
• A good map. We've all been to enough weddings to know that some venues are impossible to find. A good map with well thought-out and clear instructions is an absolute must to ensure that everyone arrives on time.
• Thank You cards. In the post wedding day rush, it may escape your mind to send these out. If you want them done in the same style as your invitations, they should be ordered at the same time.
• Double check details with your photographer. Once you have gone through the business of booking a photographer, ensure that you send him or her your requirements in writing and get a confirmation slip from them.
• Don't forget your luggage. If you are leaving immediately for the honeymoon, then don't forget to pack your luggage properly. This takes thought and effort at the best of times, but when you are also getting married things can be overlooked. Double check these three essentials - passport, money, and plane tickets!
• Before booking a reception at a hotel or restaurant, try the food for yourself. A nicely laid-out menu does not guarantee good food. This is also a good excuse for the bride and groom to go out for a few romantic meals before their big day.
• Parking. Almost as important as the quality of the food is the availability of parking - especially if the reception is held away from the ceremony. Don't forget to check the parking facilities before you book and make sure that, at the time of your reception, the parking lot won't be full of cars attending another event.
• Finally, don't forget to enjoy yourself. If little things go wrong, don't worry. This is your special day, so there should be plenty of people around to put things right. Relax, have a good time, and enjoy the start of your new life together.