Event Planner Checklist
Table of Contents
Twelve to Eighteen Months Ahead
Meet with stakeholders
Hold a formal meeting with stakeholders to ensure you understand their needs and are prepared to meet them.
Book the venue
In larger cities, this may have to be booked even further ahead. Pay the deposit and sign any necessary contracts to ensure the space is reserved.
Secure funding
Before setting a budget, ensure funding is in place.
Six Months Ahead
Price catering
Make a shortlist of vendors who meet the menu and budget guidelines to present to committee members or the head organizer.
Book security
If the event requires security, book now and pay a deposit.
Key speakers or guests
Book speakers and send save 'the date' notices to key guests.
Eight to Twelve Weeks Ahead
Designate an event contact
This is the person guests can call or email for information or to RSVP.
Marketing
Advertise the event in media, online, or by sending invitations for a private function.
Reserve accommodations
Book a block of hotel rooms near the event venue if out of town guests require.
Travel
Price train fare and flights and send this information to guests traveling to attend.
Sponsors
If prizes or gifts are required, solicit donations from community sponsors.
Audiovisual and seating
Determine audiovisual requirements and a seating arrangement to ensure the seating and equipment is available.
Four Weeks Ahead
Train staff
Hold a training session for staff to reiterate expectations, set standards, and delegate duties leading up to and the day of the event.
Licenses
Secure any parking, liquor, or other required licensing.
Catering
Confirm the menu and number of attendees with the caterer.
Agenda
Finalize and distribute the agenda to all organizers, speakers, and support/technology staff.
The Week of the Event
Set-up
Supervise set-up and walk through the days events to ensure all systems are in place, equipment is working, and supplies are adequate.
Meet with staff
Take staff through the venue and give each a detailed description of their duties.
Prepare signage
Set up signage, place cards, menu boards, and any other visuals.
Speakers
Contact each speaker to confirm and review the agenda.
Entertainment
Confirm live entertainment needs and ensure all equipment is ready.
Decorate the venue
Buy additional supplies, if needed.
The Day of the Event
Arrive early
Delegate tasks for all organizers, volunteers, and staff. Oversee the operation as all equipment, seating, signage, etc., are checked.
Designate greeters
Have an adequate number of staff or volunteers welcome guests and orient them in the space.
Be available
Carry a cell phone or handset and communicate regularly with staff and volunteer organizers.
After the Event
Clean up
Return any rented equipment, glassware, or seating.
Prepare thank you notes
Thank all volunteers, speakers, sponsors, and organizers for their contribution.
Balance the budget
Prepare a final budget and submit to your organization.
Summarize the event
Write a report for organization members who may plan similar events in the future.
Download or Print this Event Planner Checklist
Get a printable version of this checklist in your preferred format: PDF, Word, Excel, or print directly from your browser.
Presented by:
Kimberly French
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Details
Event planners are highly organized people. If you are in charge of organizing an event, this checklist will help you ensure all of the important details are covered. You could be planning a dinner party for twelve people, or a concert for 12,000. Smaller events usually have just one organizer, while a larger event such as a conference or concert could have a team of several people reporting to one head organizer. Or, the group could even form committees to handle each of the important phases of planning to ensure a successful event. Use this checklist to cover all of your bases as the big day approaches.
Tips
The first critical step in event planning is to determine the purpose of the event. This information will help you make each decision as you work through the event planning checklist.- What is the theme of the event? What should participants take away from the experience? How many people are you expecting? This will help you decide when and where to hold the event. An educational conference or recruitment event requires a different type of space and seating than a recreational fundraiser, for example.
- Once you have a good idea of what the event is about and who it is for, you can move on to planning the details and securing a space and supplies for the event. Create a budget based on the total amount available for the event. The budget should be flexible and may require several modifications as you price out different elements for the event; however, always keep the total in budget in mind. Spending more in one area often means spending less in another, so balance the new budget after each update.
Who it's for
This Event Planner Checklist is for teams that want consistent execution, less rework, and clear ownership.
- Standardize quality - run the same Event Planner steps every time, regardless of who executes
- Save time - reuse a proven Event Planner workflow instead of rebuilding processes from scratch
- Improve accountability - assign owners and see what's done vs. what's pending
- Onboard faster - use the Event Planner checklist as the SOP and training guide
- Coordinate across roles - handoffs are clear and everyone works from the same source of truth
How to use it
How to use this Event Planner Checklist:
- Start by saving it - save as a Template if you'll reuse it, or as a Checklist if it's a one-off project.
- Customize it once for your workflow - remove what doesn't apply and add your team-specific steps.
- Assign ownership and execute - set owners/due dates where needed and track completion as work happens.
- Reuse without rebuilding - when Event Planner comes up again, start from your saved version and run it with clear ownership.