Suggested Event Planning Schedule
Suggested Event Planning Schedule
(Reprinted from the Council of Residential Specialists 2004 Chapter Leadershp Manual with permission by the Council of Residential Specialists)
Four Months Minimum Advance
Develop the program outline, target date and attendance
♦Recruit sponsors. Consider recruiting a sponsor to defray costs of this program, or to support chapter activities year-round. Sample letters of inquiry are in the back of thischapter.
♦Reserve meeting space.
♦Invite a speaker and check to see if they have a specific room set and Audio/Video
equipment requirements.
♦Send the speaker a contract, (or have one sent to you) specifying their fee, lodging,
travel, meals, ground transportation, etc.
♦Attempt to schedule the event in conjunction with another speaking engagement to
reduce the travel cost.
♦Develop a budget for the event. See Chapter Budget Planning Worksheet.
♦Assign committee member responsibilities. See the Committee Assignment Forms.
Three Months in Advance
Develop promotional tools. The Council and/or the speaker can help develop a
promotional brochure for you. Use the worksheet at the end of this chapter. Fill in the
information and send it to the Council and we will provide you with an electronic brochure you can take to your local printer.
♦Update your website.
♦Use direct mail. Produce a direct mail piece, using the Council’s brochure design
service, promoting your event and mail it to members and prospective members.
♦Advertise in your Local Board or State Association newsletter or any other
appropriate trade publications or company newsletters. Sample ads and press
releases are included as well as guidelines for writing a press release are included in
this section.
♦Include information about the event in every Chapter mailing. Contact your
Membership Chairman and Publication Chairman and make sure that they include
the information about your event in any presentations that they make.
♦Send press releases to Local Boards and State Associations.
♦Organize a phone campaign. Contact prospective registrants, including prospective
members who have shown interest in Chapter programs, and personally invite them
to the event. A phone campaign should be implemented no later than four weeks
before the event and within a week of when the mailing was sent. A phone list can be
pulled from the Chapter area of the web site and may be broken down geographically
and assigned to volunteers.
♦Consider making the difference between member and non-member event registration fee equal to local Chapter dues.
Two Months in Advance
♦Bulk mail or e-mail invitations or promotional flyers.
♦Finalize copy and print educational and membership materials that are to be handed out during the event.
As the Function Approaches
♦Mail confirmations.
♦Confirm room set-up, audio/visual needs, and other requests.
♦Confirm speaker arrival time and transportation to the meeting place.
♦Ask speaker for a written introduction and determine who will introduce them.
♦Mail agendas, meeting material, and other information to attendees.
Three Weeks Before the Event
♦Confirm guaranteed registrant number with your meeting space provider. (Your bill
will be based on this plus additional walk-ins. Meeting space providers will usually
only allow 10 percent increase over your guaranteed amount.)
♦Confirm site. Set up. Meet with the sales representative and/or the banquet manager to make sure the equipment you ordered is delivered and in working order.
♦Review menu, guaranteed number of attendees, and confirm all other requests.
On-site Registration
♦Set up the registration table with badges and a sign-in sheet. Have registration forms, receipts and blank badges available for walk-in registrants.
♦Keep a record of non-members who attend. Make sure they each receive a
membership brochure. Add their names to your mailing list so you can invite them to
your next function.
At the End of the Event
♦Pass out the evaluation form for comments and ideas for improvement.
Choosing a Facility
Before you call, you should know:
1. The type of function: social, educational or both.
2. The number of meeting rooms you will need.
3. The time you will need each room and the length of each meeting.
4. The estimated number of people attending and the estimated number that will need sleeping rooms so that you can block the rooms.
5. The meals that will be served and the number of breaks.
6. How the room should be set-up: classroom or theater style, U-shape or round tables.
What to Ask When You Call
1. Find out what other groups will also be in the hotel to avoid conflicts and possible
interruptions. Examples include an educational program held next door to a loud
reception.
2. See if they are flexible in accommodating the number of people you estimate. Give
the hotel a high and a low range of attendance. Can they accommodate more if you
have a higher than expected attendance?
3. Check to see if the hotel has rules concerning use or set-up of your own equipment if you plan to bring your own. Following are two categories of equipment regularly available from a hotel.
a). Equipment provided with your room or for a fee: microphone, desk or stand-up
podium, flip chart, bulletin board.
b). Equipment provided at a standard charge: slide projector, TV monitor, film
projector, tape recorder, extra microphones, etc.
4. Select meals and refreshment breaks. Determine the latest date that you must give the facility a guaranteed attendance. Figure the hotel will charge you for the
guaranteed number, not for the number they serve. Set your registration deadline
with this in mind.
5. Don’t plan heavy meals during long sessions. Energy breaks (consisting of
refreshments and an energy snack) can be a real asset for long sessions.
6. Determine if you will need a registration table and where it should be placed.
7. If you have any special requirements, such as raised speaking platforms, wheelchair access, or special diets be sure to notify your facility.
Before reserving the hotel, make sure the costs are within your budget, then have the
Treasurer or President sign and return the contract to you. Keep a copy for your files and send the originals to the hotel. It may be helpful to send a copy of your budget plan to the Treasurer or President with the contract. Set up a master account with the hotel and specify who can sign for services.
