Recently, we were able to connect with the director of Zynger Event Designs, Ryan Zynger. After inspecting his website I found out that Ryan produces exceptional event planning content aimed to help other event planners through sharing his unique insights. I thought his video “5 Event Planning Tips Every Non-Profit Planner Should Know” was helpful so I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy.

5 Event Planning Tips From 2015's Event Designer of the Year

1) Leave an Ideal Amount of Time to Plan

"I wouldn’t plan any less than 6 months in advance."

In the video Zygner says he always tries to plan one year in advance. When you have a full year to plan you give yourself enough time to develop:

• Sponsorship opportunities

• Communication plans

• Attendee Registrations

• Event Logistics

• Branding and Messaging is Cohesion

2) Strategy and Research

"You need a solid strategy before you touch the logistics. The last thing you want is an event for event’s sake."

During the Strategy and Research phase ask yourself:

• Why do we want to plan an event?

• How will an event positively impact our mission?

• How does it align with our current activities?

• What type of event will  be the most valuable for our audience?

You can survey your potential sponsors and get an idea of the type of events they would be interested in supporting.

• When should we hold this event?

• Is there a time of year that our company can own?

3) Spend Time of Your Proposed Budget

This is a big one. Once you develop a strategy you need to find out the hard costs and develop the event budget. Make sure you obtain actual quotes and overestimate your costs.

Make note to not just project expenses, but also the revenue.

 Consider:

• How many tables do you need to sell at $500 for example?

• How many at $1000? 

• Ticket Sales

• Sponsorships

• Silent Auctions/Live Auctions

• Text to Donate

Research vendors that can donate products to save you money. Be careful, you can’t rely on this until you have an agreement in writing. For example, wineries always get asked to donate products. Make sure the venue will let you use their wine and that you’ve included the cost into the budget. A hotel can sometimes charge you more for corkage than pouring their in-house wine.

Set realistic expectations. For a first time event, you should try to break even. Over time, your event will gain momentum and once it does, it will start to make you money each year if you keep it fresh. Zynger stresses to set yourself up for success by projecting revenue and working towards revenue targets that cover your expenses. Your event budget needs to be your constant companion in the event planning process.

4) Utilize Board and Committee Members Time, Wisely

Board members may need to sign on final decor arrangements. However, don’t be tempted to waste their precious time on what tablecloth color they like. Aside from guiding you on strategic direction, your board and committee's primary responsibility should be to bring in revenue, use their relationships/status to close sponsorship deals, generate table and tickets sales, and lock in high profile attendees.

5) Make Sure You Handle the Business Side

Nothing will give you an event planning brain freeze faster than:

• Forgetting details in writing

• Forgetting to sign a contract

• Obtaining the right permits to hold the event in the first place

Have fun planning the event. If you’re having fun then chances are your event will be fun to attend and people will want to come back.

Brilliant's Tip

Include Transportation Into the Design Phase

Generally speaking, we see event and wedding planners handling the logistics, routing, scheduling of the entire event transportation program and handing a manifest or spreadsheet to be executed blindly. Perhaps this occurs because over time planners have realized their questions and design needs are met with blank stares or over promises and disappointment. But, if you want a successful ground program, you need to invest in hiring professionals that listen, add value, and design their own program (in partnership and with your approval) in order to ensure success. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? You wouldn't instruct the tent company on how exactly to build the tent, right? You would discuss the aesthetic, the placement, listen to concerns about the wind and the ground underneath, and continue to discuss together until a mutual solution was agreed upon.

The same should be true for special event transportation. You should seek a partner you can rely on, whose professional opinion you value and who can listen to a complex series of needs and design a solution that works. We’ve participated in events that require new roads to be built, trees to be removed, entire staging areas to be created, a fleet of ferries to transport our specialty vehicles to a private island, etc. This is not plain vanilla and should not be planned by people who aren't experts in these matters.