Confessions of an Event Planner: It’s Reporting Time!

Congratulations, you are so close to pulling off the event of the year!  But before you pop the champagne, have you thought about your event reporting and what you will need with you onsite? Now before you all fall asleep on me, I promise you the event reporting is your MOST important tool on the day of your event.  So with that in mind, please see below the reporting I believe is a necessity to keep you relaxed and confident on the day!  You can thank me later.

 

Report 1: Run Sheet

Without a doubt this is the most important piece of event reporting you will have with you on the day.  The key to pulling off a good event is all in the details and in the timing, and a good run sheet will capture both.

Create a Great Run Sheet

• Be precise – down to the minute, detail what is happening when and where throughout the whole event.
• Assign tasks – assign tasks to individuals on your onsite team. Just make sure you brief them prior to the event so they fully understand what is required from them.
• Add detail – the devil is in the detail and you need to be as detailed as you possibly can. Add in the menu items, the names of the presentations or AV details, what should be on the registration desk; whatever you feel will help you on the day.

 

Report 2: Contact List

You will always need to contact someone at a minutes notice when you are onsite, it could be a supplier, the venue, a speaker or even the client.  Either way having a list of all your key contacts on hand is an invaluable resource that just might save you a lot of stress and searching through countless emails and paperwork on the day.

Create a Flawless Contact List

• Separate it out – group all of your contacts into categories e.g. Clients/Staff, Suppliers, Speakers, etc.
• Source the best contact number – make sure you ask for this from each person on the list prior to the day.

 

Report 3: Registration List

Who is coming to your event?  The registration list is a helpful tool to monitor event attendance and also avoid un-registered guests from entering the event.  It is also a great way to cross check name badges (if you are using them) and accurately advise final numbers.

Create the Perfect Delegate List

• List delegates alphabetically – this will make it easy to find someone if you need to check them off or confirm their registration.
• Include their registration details – this will help you quickly identify if they are a VIP, speaker or delegate.
• Allow extra space – we always aim to have the reporting printed at least 2 days out from the event. So in the very likely occurrence that you have last minute registrations or cancelations allow yourself space to adjust the reporting accordingly.

 

Report 4: Special Dietary Requirements

It is pretty much impossible to host an event without at least one delegate having some sort of special dietary requirement.  A special dietary requirements report will help you clearly identify the people who have requested anything that you need to be aware of, and will also help you communicate this with the venue.

Create a Detailed Special Dietary Requirements Report

• List the name and the requirement – you need to make sure this is super clear and precise. This will help not only yourself, but also the venue clearly track what is required.
• Understand how it will be managed – will there be a special table? Will the special meals be labeled with delegates names? Write this at the top of the report so that whoever is managing this onsite has a clear understanding of how it will run and can pass this information on to the delegates.

 

Report 5: Risk Assessment

What could possibly go wrong?  Well for this report we want you to think of anything and everything that could.  By running through all possible hazards, this allows you to come up with means to prevent or minimise as many of these as you can and also come up with a plan should the worst case scenario happen.

Create a Thorough Risk Assessment

• Nothing is too silly – it could be as simple as tripping stepping off the bus. If it could cause a risk no matter how small or how unlikely, write it down.
• Have a ranking system – follow a ranking system like this one or use your company’s, to make sure you have evaluated each risk appropriately. This will help determine whether further measures need to be taken to avoid or minimize this risk.
• Include an incident report form – just in case!

 

Report 6:  Site Plan

By now you have spent hours putting together your event, so to ensure that your vision really comes to life, create a thorough site plan.  This is also a great way to make sure everyone is on the same page and the venue understands exactly what you want.

Create an Excellent Site Plan

• Make sure elements are to scale – to avoid a major headache on the day of your event, make sure that each element within the plan is to scale.
• Get a template from the venue – majority of venues will have a floor plan of the space that you can use as a starting point for creating the most accurate site plan.
• Use it as a tool – Use this as a visual for bump in/out points and emergency exits. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and include foyers (registration), toilets and car park/drop off zones as well.

 

Bonus Tip: Don’t Forget Your Signage!

Often forgotten or left to the last minute, don’t forget to think about what signage you will need to provide.  It might even be a good idea to pack some additional spare signs in case you need to make any additional signs on the day.

Top Tips for Signage

• Write a list – run through your run sheet and make a list of every possible piece of signage that you might require during the event, then check it off as you create it.
• Can you use digital? – most venues will have the capabilities to do digital signage, if this is the case, make sure you find out the specifications and send it through to them prior to the day.

 

I know reporting may seem boring, but I promise you it is important!  The key thing to remember is to create each report in a format that works well for you and is easy for you to access on the day.  Each event’s reporting requirements will be different so you may use all of or some of the above with a few extras thrown in.  To help you keep on top of it, we have developed a Reporting Checklist, which you can download for FREE here.  Let the report writing begin!