How to Find the Perfect Event Planning Template

The perfect event planning template is one that takes care of your event management needs time and time again. It doesn’t mean that you have to spend hundreds of dollars to purchase event planning software or project management kits but it does mean that you have to know exactly what you need to plan the perfect event.

Using the Right Event Planning Template:
Things really depend on how many events you plan, the size of your events and the type of event management you do (corporate event management or wedding planning for example.) Also I don’t believe that there is one perfect event planning template specifically because event planning covers so many aspects. Below you will find information of what event planning templates and event planning services are a must have and some examples of standard and custom made templates.

Event Management Tip: Take a look at big players like Microsoft and Google who offer standard templates for event planning and budgets but also do your research to find templates that are not as general and fit you and your planning needs.

Here are some event management tools and templates that should definitely be part of every event manager’s toolkit:

Event Planning Checklist – there are lots of checklists out there. You can find a checklist for everything: a venue inspection checklist, catering checklist, meeting checklist, keynote speaker checklist and on and on. But sometimes these detail oriented checklist will prevent you from seeing the big picture.

It’s important to have a general checklist that will give you a sense of the workload, give you direction and create focus in your work. Once your work is broken down into section there are different tools that you can use for each section to make sure the job is done right. If you don’t know where to start you can purchase a basic checklist and then modify it by adding or removing items to the list. Or you can find a free checklist online – just make sure that the checklist that you find reflects the type of event planning that you do. A corporate event manager’s checklist will look very different from an event planner organizing birthday parties. Here’s an example of an event planning checklist that has been created by the event organizers themselves.

Event Management Tip: add deadlines and estimated time for completion for each item on your checklist.

Event Budget Template – probably the most important event planning template but also one that isn’t as complicated as people make it out to be. It really depends on you and your ability to visualize numbers and understand where you are right now and where you are heading (and how fast.) This template usually comes as part of an event planning software like this one and comes in a package with balance sheets, invoice templates, budget proposal templates etc. Find or create a template that will present your event budget in a clear manner so that you are ready to pull it out at any moment and show it to your client…and of course so that you yourself know where you are in your budget at all times.

Event Management Tip: when working with your budget go from the most expensive items on your list (venue, transportation, speakers, catering etc) to the least expensive items. Here are some additional event management tips that I hope you find useful.

Event Review and Evaluation – event evaluation forms are extremely important because they bring closure to the event organizers, the event attendees and the service provides that were involves in the event production. My favorite way to evaluate an event is through online feedback forms or event evaluation templates. These can be created really easily using Google Forms and can also be printed out and handed out if there’s no way for you to reach your attendees online. What I like about Google Forms is that, with some forward thinking, you can arrange the feedback from the forms in spreadsheets and graphs really easily and with minimal efforts. This makes presenting this information and summarizing your work super easy and fun.

Here’s a great introductory video to using Google Forms:

Event E-mail Template – email and social media have become inseparable with event management. Although it seems that this sort of advertising should be done by marketing departments or a marketing agency, it often falls on the shoulders of the corporate event manager and event planners in general. If you still haven’t mastered the art of email marketing it’s time to do so. Evites, e-mail campaigns and online event invitations are a natural part of the event planning process just like food or keynote speakers and play a huge role in event registration and RSVP etiquette.

To Summarize: The main difference that you will notice about event planning templates is the price. Some are free, some are available through event planning websites and some cost a fortune. Keep in mind that usually one product doesn’t cover all bases, and that’s o.k because it’s better to shop and custom make your own event planning package that works for you, just make sure to spend some time doing your research and ask lots of questions.