Event Planning Overview

These steps can help you plan a successful event.

SUGGESTED PLANNING PROCEDURE

1. Assess Needs:What kind of program do students want or need? Conduct a brief survey, ask classmates, or talk to a staff member/advisor.
    
2. Set Goals:What are you trying to accomplish by having this event?
    
3. Brainstorm Ideas:Discuss issues like event feasibility, available resources/funding options, logistics, inclusivity, accessibility.
    
4. Initial Planning: Determine the date, anticipated attendance, location, staffing, specific needs for the event, paperwork, space, food/catering, and risk management.
    
5. Develop a Budget:Consider site/facility fees, food costs, movie rights, electrical/lighting, decorations, entertainment, advertising.
    
6. Submit a Proposal:Obtain funding by submitting a proposal.
    
7. Book Your Space:Be sure to reserve your event space, if necessary.
    
8. Publicize Your Event: Get the word out by marketing your event.
    
9. Finalize Plans:Determine set up needs, staffing, confirmations.
    
10. Execution: Execute your event.
     
11. Evaluation:Assess how the event went. Be honest as group. Survey your participants and your members. Adjust for next time or eliminate the event altogehter. The risk should not outweigh the reward.

Tips for Running a Meetings 

• Have an Agenda:Having an agenda can help guide and focus a remote meeting. Set expectations if you’d like other to contribute to the agenda ahead of time.  
• Practice Active Facilitation:Encourage individuals to speak up during these meetings and also facilitate equal airtime to those that may not feel as if they are being heard.  
• Silence Doesn’t Always Equal Understanding/Agreement:There are some great apps available that allow participants to vote in real time to help facilitators gauge consensus.  
• Use Video (if virtual or hybrid): Although we have the ability to disable the video feature; it can be interpreted as one being disengaged. Therefore, use it when you can. If you cannot, it is also ok to use the chat function to share that information with the meeting host.
• Use the Chat Function (if virtual or hybrid):This can be a great way to have members ask questions or share important information and links throughout a meeting without interrupting.
• Get Feedback from Members: Encourage members to provide feedback on the meeting and how things be made better for the future. 
• ELMO: The ELMO feature working for remote meetings. ELMO stands for “Enough! Let's Move On.” It is a ritual or organizational norm that can used during meetings to avoid unnecessary discussions that don't support the meeting objectives.
• Rules of Engagement: Meetings are meant to save time and increase productivity, so they shouldn’t just go on forever. Having a virtual document repository is helpful to your members: Minutes from last meeting, Org. Constitution, other governing documents such as: University policies and procedures and Roberts Rules of Order.

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