Are you hosting an upcoming event?
The planning stage of events is undoubtedly time and energy-consuming. With the continuous shifts in event design and more emphasis on health and safety, event planning has become even more complex.
In order to have an outstanding and successful event, you need to consider event planning logistics first.
What is event planning logistics?
Event logistics is simply the planning and management of all people involved and materials used in a particular event. It includes equipment storage, venue selection, registration, and material transportation among others.
In order to do it right, you must know everything that is involved in the event – from the biggest to the tiniest details. That’s why knowing the upcoming event trends is a must for event planners. Be acquainted with the expected changes and shifts in event planning in 2022.
One notable event trend in 2022 that will shape event planning logistics is the increase of hybrid events. With the changing event design and set-up, event logistics is changing as well.
Here are the major elements of event logistics of the event that you need to know in 2022.
Elements of Event Logistics
- Event venue
In a post-pandemic world, event venues aren’t just the usual place of meeting but it has shifted to a place where sanitation and public health are greatly prioritized. Locations with open ventilation systems will be most ideal. Specific areas for sanitation, on-site rapid testing, and health screening will be common. Consider these factors in choosing the venue:
- Capacity
- Location
- Structure
- Ventilation
- Expected number of attendees
- The flexibility of staff when safety is compromised
- Accommodation and transportation
These elements refer to booking hotel rooms for your stakeholders [attendees, sponsors, guest speakers], arranging travel and flights and overall accommodations from arrival to departure.
Before arranging the lodging and public transport of your participants, It’s imperative to know the expected attendance, if there is anyone with a disability or special condition and you also need to check for any holidays in the area.
You might face some difficulty booking during peak seasons. Local holidays may also mean traffic. Preparing for any future obstacle will prevent delays and dissatisfaction from your client and guests.
- Professional services
The type of your event will determine the professional help you’ll be needing. Some general services that are needed for every event type include food vendors, event security personnels, and creative services for venue decoration.
For hybrid and live meetings, hiring food and beverage vendors, and lights and sound services will be needed.
Hybrid and virtual events need extra help like AV equipment services, and other technology-related services for an enhanced virtual experience. You might also want to hire an event host or a virtual event moderator.
- Merchandise
Merchandise refers to giveaways, prizes, tokens, swag bags, and the likes. They make in-person events livelier and more engaging. This might not be the case for virtual set-ups. As reported by Markletic “only 30% of virtual events’ hosts use giveaways to engage their audience.” Q and A sessions proved to be more effective in engaging online attendees.
- Delivery management & loading schedules
Managing traffic flow during deliveries and loading is a crucial part of event logistics management. With social distancing and the implementation of contactless procedures, it’s highly productive to plot schedules well and assign specific stations for entrances and exits. This applies to both an attendee and a vendor.
- Logistics for health and safety
According to the report by Vendry, health and safety were the primary factors determining the comfort level of participants in joining live events. Therefore it should be top in your priorities as an event planner.
Although maintaining a safe environment for your stakeholders is a lot of work, it’s still manageable. Just keep in mind the following: ways to check the vaccination status of attendees, sanitation areas, and placing markers to keep the minimum distance requirement.
You should also check for any nearby hospital or medical facility and hire the first aider for any unforeseen medical emergency.
- Bump-out logistics
Extra care is not only needed for the on-site unloading of equipment and materials. Packing up requires equal care and attention. While preventing person-to-person contact is prioritized, making sure that equipment is sanitized is critical as well.
For an event organizer, planning should include taking notes of specific schedules, plotting where to load, and putting markers for entrances and exits. You also need to assign designated people to facilitate movement on the day of the event.
- Event technology
Event technology takes center stage in today’s event meetings. Hybrid and online events have great reliance on event technology. Some of these technologies include event platforms, audience engagement software, streaming platforms, internet servers and production equipment [cameras, microphones, mixers, lighting, etc.].
Registration software has also helped event organizers manage both virtual and in-person events. With registration software like Event Smart, organizers can cater registration to a worldwide audience. Event Smart also supports contactless event check-ins and easy attendance tracking.
Best practices
1. Target specific goals and objectives
Event planning always starts with identifying SMART event goals [Specific, Measurable, Achievable and Realistic]. It is a common notion that goals determine the course of actions.
What does your event aim to achieve? Is your trade show for educational purposes? Generate engagement? Do you want to raise a specific amount of money through your fundraising event? Clear goals will always yield clear results.
Planning to host a webinar? Follow these 8 practical steps on how to host a webinar.
2. Be wise with your event type
One good thing that the pandemic has caused is the flexibility and increased options on how organizers conduct events: in-person, virtual, and hybrid. With user experience as the leading KPI for present events, ensuring that your attendees receive a personalized experience should be a priority.
Whether they are joining online or they are interacting in-person, it’s important to establish connections and provide a sense of community. After all, that is what events are about. And your event type greatly influences that.
Choosing how you will host your event should only be done after knowing and evaluating your possible attendees. By knowing them, you’ll know their needs and preferences.
3. Keep event budget accurate and realistic
While hybrid events cut down costs of traditional in-person requirements, money allotted for event technology is considered pricey. The virtual experience creates a more focused attention on graphics, audio and video quality, and content.
A small glitch during the live streaming may cause people to drop the sessions. Therefore, your event budget should cover all estimated expenses while not compromising quality and functionality. Always strive to meet attendees’ and clients’ expectations.
4. Reiterate tasks and responsibilities clearly to the team
Building a hybrid-ready team is no longer an option, it’s a necessity. When you acquire qualified and skilled team members, delivering tasks would be easier. Stating responsibilities to each team member is not enough.
You must also anticipate and discuss some possible problems they may encounter. Doing a run-through is an effective way to identify possible loopholes. It will also equip the team on how to deal with these loopholes.
5. Invest in event technology and tools
According to recent event statistics, “using event technology can increase attendance by 20% and productivity by 27%.” If you want to stay at the top of the game, invest in event technology. Hybrid events are here to stay. Investing in this software and tools will go a long way.
Manage your events with us
The key to event planning logistics is a keen attention to detail and outstanding management skills. Event planning this year might be extra difficult but with the right resources and tools at hand, it can be quite enjoyable and fulfilling.
You’ve got a lot on your plate already. Get rid of the extra workload from the registration process by letting Event Smart do the job for you. Sell tickets with ease. Want to know how? Try our free demo.