Templates Archives - PlanAnEvent.org

Meeting Planning Template Tips

December 7, 2011 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

A meeting planning template is something that you either design yourself or you use an existing template to help you organize the various components of your meeting. There are many meeting planning templates and checklists available. Which one is the right one for you really depends on your needs. You could spend a small fortune and have a template that’s automated with you just needing to fill in the various blanks and presto your budgets and timelines are done. You can also develop your own using Microsoft Excel.

Think of the Meeting and Event Planning Template As a Blueprint of Your Meeting

If you want to develop your own meeting planning and event template you just need to think of your overall meeting needs. For this post were going to walk through a very simple meeting and talk about how you would set that up on your template – an Excel spreadsheet.

First you need to outline the dates of your meeting. This will give you the visual on the spreadsheet of the times you need to fill in with your meetings’ particulars. Next fill in your meeting times. This will start to block off times that you know ahead of time are devoted to meetings or sessions themselves. Next, determined if you’re going to be providing transportation to and from the meeting location for your delegates. If so, how far in advance will you provide transportation (i.e. a day or two days before the meeting) and for how long you will offer return transportation. And plot those times on your spreadsheet.

Once you have your meetings and sessions filled in you now can see, at a glance, the free times or rather times where you need to fill in with either food and beverage functions, sightseeing tours, off-site events, etc. Of course how many of these functions you’re going to offer will be determined by the budget of your overall meeting. For example if you only have budget for one breakfast perhaps consider scheduling that breakfast at the beginning so that you can have all of your attendees come together before the first meeting starts. If your meeting delegates have spouses you may want to offer sightseeing tours for them while the meetings themselves are occurring.

A Meeting and Event Planning Checklist Helps You Develop a Budget

Once you have filled in your non-meeting activities you should have a blueprint of how your meetings will unfold. If you’re determining the budget at the same time you may want to start putting some cost beside the various components on your template. For example if you know the hotel’s breakfast cost you $20 per person, you can quickly calculate how much that will cost you. If your meetings are held within the hotel or a conference center it’s also very easy to put in the room rental cost beside each of the meeting times as well. The same goes for coffee breaks and/or any other food and beverage will be offering during the meetings. Once you have filled in all of your costs beside your activities you be able to quickly add up your total meeting cost to see if you are coming in on budget. As is often the case, if you’re over budget you may have to go back and review your meeting planning template to see where you can cut items from your meeting.

The above outline is for a very basic meeting planning template. Another website that I would recommend is Corbin Ball and Associates. In particular, Corbin Ball has an excellent page with Excel spreadsheets for you to review for your specific needs and save as needed. Corbin has taken the time to review each and has provided some comment beside each one for you to determine if it’s the right one for you.

An event planning checklist, or template, comes in all shapes and sizes. It’s very easy to create your own using Excel or you can also choose a meeting and event planning checklist template that has already been designed by professionals in the industry. Whichever template you choose one thing is certain – a meeting planning template will help you focus on the various components to your meeting as well as allotting budgets and schedules to keep you on track.

Planning Tips – The Importance of a Budget (plananevent.org)
Meeting Planning Tip-Save Money by Selecting the Right Venue (plananevent.org)
Use a Template to Help with Event Planning Ideas (plananevent.org)
What Event Planning Supplies Do You Need for Your Conference (plananevent.org)

Filed Under: Planning An Event, Tools & Guides Tagged With: budgets, checklist, event planning template, meeting planning, Templates

Planning Tips – The Importance of a Budget

November 21, 2011 By Randy Markus Comments

Photo courtesy of Finsec on flickr

We are all conscious of it and we continually hear about it. There isn’t a day we don’t think about it. But still, the powers that be constantly pontificate about it. And so do the majority of our clients.

About what, you ask?

The significance and importance of budget, budget, budget. And these days, not only is it essential to create and utilize a budget, but it is equally (and I mean equally) as important to stick to it.

The times have definitely changed in the meeting and event planning industry. Gone are the glory days of the non-existent or unlimited budget when planning meetings, events and conferences. Put together a group of meeting planners and inevitably, the conversation tends to go to the”good old days”. The days of what I call the “fun” event and meeting planning days. The days when the sky really was the limit.

Planning Tips – Budgets, Budgets, Budgets!

So it’s been established that, for the best use of our time, energy and resources, we must put together a budget and use it. But how you go about putting it together is really the question on the table.

For years, when working with clients, I would be given a total sum (bottom line) that had been set aside to spend on the event, meeting or conference. I would then use my expertise to plan, coordinate and execute our combined (the clients and mine) vision. I remember once, when I was almost finished planning a huge welcome reception event, I was told by the client that I would have to reduce the event by $25,000.00. Internally I panicked, as my budget was sketchy at best. I worked, reworked and then reworked the numbers again and while I knew I would be able to cut the twenty five grand off the event, it would be impossible to say where or how. So I told the client I guaranteed her I could do it and she would just have to trust me. Shockingly, she did. I came through and fifteen years later we’re still working together on her events.

For me, the major lesson was if I was working with a proper budget with all the line items outlined, it would have been easy peasy for me to trim where required, speak with my suppliers and then report back to the client.

Planning Tips – What To Do Next

Budgets can be complicated, depending on our own abilities. We are the drivers and can make it as difficult or as basic as needed. When putting a budget together there are a couple of ways to go.

Do it Yourself – If you are the kind of person that has no problem with numbers and has the ability to work with figures, then kudos to you! You can easily put a workable budget together.

Years ago, I worked with a client who required a budget for every single event. Anytime we had a conversation, she made me forward a copy of the budget for the specific event we happened to be discussing. During the annual conference, I literally had about twenty budgets going at one time. And in the end those “office made” budgets saved my skin, making it that much easier to work the meetings and events and eventually plough through all the invoices and material when the conference was done.

It really was pretty basic and easy. All I did was type out and create a budget, with one column outlining all the actual line item costs. And next to it, the second column had all the budget line costs outlined. A very simple way to keep a continuous tally that showed me where I was over and under budget, while at the same time highlighting where I could borrow dollars from.

Templates – There are so many great examples and templates available to choose from, with the majority online that can simply be downloaded and then immediately utilized.

Budgets are likely one of the most necessary templates in the meeting, event and conference industry. If you are the creative sort and not the numbers type, don’t fight it and don’t fret! If you (like most of us) truly don’t have a knack for numbers and aren’t able to envision and comprehend figures, then a template is definitely the way to go.

A template will provide you with the tools to manage the financial side of each and every event and meeting. At the same time, it will give you peace of mind so you know where you are from an economic perspective at every single step.

Don’t agonize about the stuff you can’t control! Budgets will always be an important part of event planning. If you aren’t a numbers person, jump online, download a template and get going. Don’t stress, because there is always an easy solution available.

Meeting and Conference Planning – The Funny World of Budgeting (plananevent.org)
Use a Template to Help with Event Planning Ideas (plananevent.org)
3 Event Planning Websites Worth Visiting (plananevent.org)

Filed Under: Planning An Event Tagged With: budgets, event planning, event planning industry, meeting planning, planning meeting, planning tips, Templates

Microsoft Office’s Free Event Planning Template

July 12, 2011 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

Like event planning checklists there are many event planning templates for you to choose. Understanding the needs of today’s meeting planner, Microsoft Office offers a free event planning templates downloads page. Of course when choosing any event plan template you must first determine what it is you want the event planning template to do for you.

An event planning template is designed to assist you, the planner. Whether it’s to organize your “to do” list, provide time management or to assist with a marketing schedule, an event planning proposal template is an important part of event planning. Organizational templates are generally used to keep you to a schedule. They are also important to make sure that every aspect of your event is being addressed. An event marketing plan template can be used to promote your events and draw attendees which contribute to the financial success of your event.

Choose the Event Planning Checklist Template That Best Fits Your Planning Needs

Recognizing the meetings and events industry’s use of templates, Microsoft Office offers an event planning template page covering many industry topics. For example, some planners may prefer to use an event planning budget template to keep their program within the school goals and other planners may prefer an event planning contract template that keeps them aware of what stages they are with the various suppliers. An event planning timeline template is one of the more common types. Of course like any template the ability to customize is important. The goal of any event planning template should be to organize you and make the job of planning the event easier. If you find your event planning template takes more time to set up and understand perhaps you could benefit from a simpler template. Like everything, over time you’ll develop a workflow that runs like clockwork. That certainly should be your goal. Getting to that stage will take a bit of planning up front.