Event Planning Forms – Organizing Your Way to a Great Event

Photo courtesy of Ampersand Duck

There are a lot of qualities that a successful event planner requires; multitasking, creativity and enjoying working with people are all near the top of the list. But one of the most important qualities that any successful event planner requires is organization, organization, organization. Yes, it’s so important that we say it three times.

Everyone has their own methods to being and staying organized. In this electronic age many use smart phones, laptops and tablets to help them remember what has to be done (and what has been done). But no matter how much technology I use (and I like to use it all) I find what helps keep me organized is old school event planning forms.

Event Planning Forms – What is Out There?

If you Google Event Planning Forms there is a plethora of information available. And the organized event planner certainly knows how to use them. We don’t even have to create our own forms but are able to take what is already out there and modify it to suit our requirements.

Thanks to the internet there are event planning companies, event planning ideas, event planning templates and event planning forms out there waiting for us to access them and make them our own.

Event Planning Forms – What I Use the Most

Event Time Line – An Event Time Line basically helps you keep all your ducks in a row. This checklist has absolutely everything on it from the attendee guest list to budget making to committee meetings to staffing (and so much more!!). You can take an existing Event Time Line (usually done on Excel) and amend it to suit your needs. And while I always use an online version, I also print it up and have a hard copy on hand at all times. It helps me ensure that there is not a single detail that I have missed. And every event planner knows how important that is.

Event Vendors Sheet – Yes, all of your vendors are already listed on your Event Time Line but it’s a great idea to have them all on one easy sheet. It should include the vendor name, contact info (phone and email) your contact’s name, the scope of their responsibility and setup times. By distributing this list to your team you can ensure everyone has the contact info that they need without having to call you 82 times (not that there`s anything wrong with communication).

Event Summary Form – I absolutely love this one. I’d like to say that I remember everything, but it’s been a few years since I could make that claim. Event Planning Forms help keep me organized and on the ball. The Event Summary is for after your event and, for best results, is filled out as soon as possible after your event, when everything is still clear in your (and your team’s) mind. The trick is to be completely honest with yourself. It’s a great way to remind yourself what went right and what didn’t. What will you do differently next time and what you’ll do exactly the same.

Event Planning Forms are a great way to help event planners stay organized and track, before, during and after their event. They help you know exactly what’s going on and what you should and shouldn’t do differently for your next event!