The Event Organizer’s Pre-Event, De-Stress Checklist

The days leading up to your event can be hectic. After months of hard work and planning, you still have a million loose ends to tie up — and the clock is ticking.

While not everything will go exactly to plan at your event (is that even possible?), you’ll rest easier if you can stay organized. This handy checklist will help you do just that.

You’ll get the steps you need to:

• Tighten up your day-of timeline
• Confirm your communication plan
• Put together “emergency” kits to get your team through the day

PREVIEW

The days leading up to your event can be hectic. Your months of hard work and planning have all lead up to this. You have a million loose ends to tie up, and the clock is ticking.

While we can’t guarantee that everything will go exactly to plan at your event (is that even possible?), we can help you rest a little easier with this essential pre-event checklist. Set aside a few hours to go through these items one by one to set yourself up for (de-stressed) success.

Tighten up your timeline

Review your ideal timeline for the day: What time should trucks be done unloading? When should attendees be through the door/gates? When do you need to be packed up and off-site? Keep your hour-by-hour timeline on hand throughout the day, so you know when you’re behind (or ahead of) schedule.

Review roles and responsibilities

Take one last look at who on your team is handling what during the event. Make sure you’ve designated a point person for even the seemingly small things — like stocking up on water and ice. What seems like a small task now could become a huge problem if you don’t have a coverage plan.

Confirm your communication plan

Make sure you and everyone on your team knows how you will communicate on the day of your event. Will you be using radios, or relying on WiFi? What happens if the WiFi goes down, or something goes wrong? Make a plan for escalating and resolving unforeseen issues. And it never hurts to bring along a couple of MiFis just in case the internet goes down.

Put together “emergency” kits for your team

Everyone working your event will appreciate a day-of “emergency” kit. Pack bags with essential items like phone chargers and printed contact numbers, granola bars, aspirin, earplugs, or whatever else will help your team make it through the day.