Most Common Event Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Warning!Planning a large event is a major endeavor and it can be hard to avoid small mistakes. Such events atkes a lot of time and budget to handle big events. Even handeling such major events through a mobile event app is a major challenge if we miss the practical factors of event management. But if you can avoid these big (and common) mistakes, you’re more likely to avoid the issues that can ruin what would have otherwise been a successful event.

Competing with another large event

Know the events you have to compete with for your participants’ attention. Don’t plan your inaugural event for the same weekend as an established event’s 20th iteration – attracting the right participants may be difficult if they’ve had another event on their calendar for the last year.

Sharing a venue with others

Be aware of what other events are scheduled in your venue and whether they will be accommodating of your needs. Scheduling your event for the same hotel as Harley-Davidson’s Biker rally could be distracting to your participants and speakers.

Inefficient Registration

Don’t make your participants fax, scan, or mail registration forms in. Use technology! Whether you’re using Grupio’s efficient and streamlined registration platform, or some other technology package, make it quick and easy for participants to register. The best event app features help you meet these challenges.

Not allowing yourself time to set up

There are few more stressful things than trying to finish your preparation while your valued participants or speakers are tapping their feet waiting to get seated. Even if it means you need to rent the venue for an extra hour or two, make sure you have enough time to set up – it’s professional and far less stressful.

Refuse to delegate

Organizing large events takes countless hours of preparation, communication, and planning, and while we know challenges can arise with larger teams, delegation and help are invaluable. Find people you trust to do the work well, give them tasks to do, and then let them go to work. The best way to coordinate the event will be using a conference app.

Not hiring enough help on event day

So you thought you could handle doing your walkthrough of the venue, setting up the tables and chairs, welcoming the speakers, and live-Tweeting your event without any help? Think again. While we know that labor costs are a significant portion of any event budget, not having enough help can cause much bigger problems then the several hundred dollars you spent on extra labor.

Not having a backup plan

Know what you are going to do if certain parts of your schedule fall through. Whether it’s bad weather for an outdoor segment, travel delays for a majority of your participants, a venue cancellation, or a speaker cancellation. Know how to move forward in as quick, efficient, and painless a way as possible. Under estimating event app cost can also restrict your growth of your event promotion inistiative.

Missing your walkthrough

Pictures, descriptions, and video tours are great, but never miss the opportunity to do an in-person walkthrough of your venue. Go through the entire event as if it was taking place in front of you, with your clients present, and make sure this venue will work for your needs.

Overlooking the opportunity for pre-event networking

Whether you are organizing a large pharmaceutical conference, a regional political event, or a model trains enthusiasts club meeting, expect your participants to network early and often, and give them the means to do so in a way that helps your event. We’ve written in detail about Creating A Social Buzz at Your Event, but in short – use the tools at your disposal and encourage participants to connect before, during, and after the event.

Forgetting how technology can modernize your event

Make use of the technology to engage attendees and also the people who might attend next time. Use live streams to broadcast engaging speakers, turn a great instructional series into a webinar, and keep your users engaged throughout your event with a great event planning app.

Big mistakes can cripple your event before the first speaker even arrives at the venue. Avoid these common errors to increase our attendance, decrease your stress, and make your event work like a well-oiled machine.

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