Planning and executing a large-scale event can mean a huge amount of investment of money, time, and energy. At the beginning of the process, it can feel like an overwhelming task, and that there are just too many things to be done. It’s not simply a matter of going to hire an event space in Melbourne, sending out a few invitations and then hoping for the best.

Everything needs to be meticulously planned out and organised to ensure a smooth and enjoyable event for everyone involved. To make the task go more successfully, experienced event planners know that it’s just a matter of following some of the key secrets of big event organising. We’ve given some examples of those secrets below.

1. Meet Regularly with All Stakeholders

When you’re organising on behalf of a company or organisation, big events come with large goals, but also large consequences if and when things go wrong. It’s imperative, therefore, that everyone is on the same page when it comes to deciding what the aims of the event are,

Even when arranging a large personal event such as a wedding, the event planner has to constantly loop-in the key stakeholders to all major decisions and issues --- namely, the bride, groom and their families --- in order to keep the whole machine of the event moving forward. Problems and conflicts tend to rise up when those responsible don’t inform stakeholders of important things.

2. Create Deadlines, but Allow for Flexibility

Setting and confirming dates for various milestones within the event plan is very important, of course, as it helps keep everyone moving forward to a common goal. However, one can’t be too rigid when it comes to these dates because Murphy’s Law still applies --- whatever can happen, will happen --- and that means we need to be ready for problems.

Allowing cushioning zones around your confirmed deadlines to allow things to arrive or happen early, and for things to be a little bit late, will ensure that you don’t end up with any knock-on effects from things not quite conforming to the ideal schedule. These areas of flexibility don’t have to be shared with your various vendors and suppliers, of course, but it’s a good strategy for your own time management.

3. Work Closely with Your Venue

The venue you have chosen should be your closest partner in the process. They have to really understand what you’re trying to achieve and work with you every step of the way. When there is a gulf of understanding between organisers and the venue, conflicts and problems will inevitably occur because the venue will not grasp exactly what the organisers want, and thus may under-deliver.

Good communication with the venue and sharing of all plans and ideas is thus essential to help deliver the ideal event that everyone is happy with. If you want to use fireworks in your event, the venue should be chosen accordingly.

4. Contingency Planning is Everything

When we talked about scheduling and deadlines above, we mentioned the idea of having cushioning days either side of the deadline to make room for the unexpected. This is but one example of many contingency plans that one needs in place to ensure a smooth-running event happens in the end.

Every aspect needs a plan B - venue, caterers, entertainment, vendors, suppliers…the list goes on. It’s almost like arranging a shadow event alongside your main one that can step into place and take over if and when things go wrong. As the saying goes, hope for the best, but plan for the worst.