We’ve all heard the old phrase “two heads are better than one”! And it still rings true today. Planning a large conference or company event is a huge task to take on and will almost always need more than one person planning. So, how do you manage it in an organized way?
Introducing…..committees. Committees are appointed for a specific function and can help your daunting task list become more segmented and task-specific. Planning an event goes much more smoothly with a proper team in place and this basic framework can be applied to any kind of event, no matter the size or budget.
1) Administration committee. This team will handle the logistical and larger details such as budget, venue, catering, attendance, etc. These will be the go-to’s for all of the smaller committees that are about to be formed and will be making most of the big decisions. They will set up the sub-committee meetings and make sure that at least one of them attends each meeting to ensure the conference or event is heading in the right direction.
A few committee duties:
- Maintaining event budget
- Managing food and beverage (if needed)
- Overseeing each committee and their meetings
- Securing entertainment, speakers, papers, etc.
- Building out a detailed agenda and run-of-show
2) Next, you’re going to need a marketing and promotions committee whose goal is to sell, sell, sell that amazing event you’re planning. How are they going to get those attendees to register? We suggest making their involvement fun and creative.
A few committee duties:
- Creating a promotion schedule
- Setting up and managing online event registration
- Curating an internal employee “push program” and incentives
- Mentioning the event to customers or prospects face-to-face
- Creating social media “sales pitches” for event
3) You’ll want a separate sponsorship committee dedicated to finding strategic partners for your event. Their focus should be organizations attendees value and that are willing to add some personality to the event.
A few committee duties:
- Researching potential sponsors
- Developing sponsorship levels
- Securing sponsorships
- Communicating with sponsor reps
- Managing sponsors on-site
4) Nowadays, you’ll definitely want a technology committee. Whether you’ll be all on-site, all online, or a combination of the two, events are starting to become a little more technical than one person can handle.
A few committee duties:
- Sourcing all equipment and systems
- Liaison with tech vendors
- Managing logistics and setup
- Scheduling and managing test runs
- Day-of production and troubleshooting
5) Attendee engagement committee. The sole purpose of hosting your event? For the attendees, of course! This committee will be solely responsible for designing the attendee experience — and that’s a huge responsibility!
A few committee duties:
- Developing networking opportunities
- Planning a kick-off or other celebration event for attendees to meet and mingle
- Curating unique ice-breakers
- Designing sponsor engagement with attendees through pop-up activities
- Brainstorming ways to surprise and delight attendees along the way
All this to say, event planning is not a joke! There is a lot that goes into the event as a whole. When you begin to dissect every piece that goes into planning, you’ll soon see that committees are a necessity. You can’t do it alone! Which is why an event planning software can help.
Planning an event and not sure where to start? Check out our guide: 6 Steps to Virtual Event Planning.
This article was originally published on 10/9/2019; updated on 7/29/2020 for clarity and added value.