The party planner’shandbook

Guide to arranging an awesome event

Written by Danny Savage

The road to an awesome event

Planning an event involves loads of separate elements. From conception and budgeting to promotion and on-the-day logistics, the different layers of organisation weave together and overlap to create what can feel like a huge, overwhelming pile of ‘loads-of-stuff-to-do’! Here at Igloo Disco, we like to be helpful, so we’ve put together this fabulous, party-planning guide to help you navigate your organising journey – collision free.

Check points

1 Choose your venue

2 Budget and to do list

3 Choosing suppliers

4 Promotion

5 Guest management

6 Setting the ambience

7 Facilities and services

8 Licencing and permissions

9 Budget revisit

10 Risk assessment and back-up plan

Choosing your venueThere are loads of things you need to consider when booking a venue, marquee or temporary structure, just make sure you’re not being short-sighted in your choice. It’s all too easy to make assumptions like, ‘we need to be near the airport for our overseas visitors’ or ‘we’ll save money booking somewhere with in-house staff’. We’ve pulled together a list of things to consider, and some questions you need to ask yourself before you make your choice.

Location• How will guests get to your event?

• What are the public transport connections like for your venue?

• Do you need to pay for transport for attendees?

• Are you prepared to pay a premium for location?

• Could you spend the saved money on transport for guests and get the space you really want?

Suppliers• Can you bring in your own suppliers?

• Will using the venue’s suppliers end up costing you an arm and a leg?

• Are the venue’s suppliers any good?

• Do you have time to source your own suppliers?

• Do you have a contacts book full of brilliant suppliers?

WOW Factor• Does your venue’s price justify its ‘wow factor’?

• Is your event space original?

• How will guests feel arriving at your event?

• Does it feel special enough?

• Do you want your guests to talk about your party for years tcome?

Why Igloo? Our igloos are portable, so you choose the location which gives you complete flexibility.

Why Igloo? We can also act as your one-stop supplier shop or you pick and choose which bits we’ll help you out with. It’s easy for us to bring across our trusted caterers, bar staff, DJs or whatever else you might need, because our team bring the gear anyway – making planning that bit smoother for you. Even better, our options could help you cut your costs as you’re not tied to any one supplier.

Why Igloo? There aren’t many venues or marquees that actually get guests gasping, Igloo Discos actually make jaws drop. To achieve this in a traditional venue you’d need to hire something like Buckingham Palace, which is probably slightly out of budget...

Set up• What time and financial resources will this take up?

• Does the venue charge to help you set up?

• Do you have the skills to turn a room or outdoor space into something truly memorable?

Noise and Temperature• Are there any neighbours to consider who might get upset

by loud music?

• Do you have exclusive use of your venue or might there be other events going on simultaneously which could intrude on yours?

• Is your space going to stay warm when the temperature drops?

Memorability• What will make your guests remember your event?

• Could your event space be the most memorable part of your day?

• Might corporate guests enjoy something a bit different?

Why Igloo? An igloo goes up in around half the time of a standard marquee and is anchored directly to the ground so there are no ugly guy-ropes. Needless to say, you don’t need to get involved with the set-up, we take care of all of that for you.

Why Igloo? Party igloos have a 0.5m wall of air which keeps sound in and out. It also creates fabulous acoustics and will keep your guests warm no matter what the British weather throws at them.

Why Igloo? Well, it’s not every day you attend an event in an igloo, is it?

Budget and to do listEvery event is different and your requirements will change depending on your event type. Before you source any suppliers you need to identify what you need and create a provisional budget. This is your feasibility study and will enable you to see if your event is possible with the money you have to spend on it.

The table below will help you get a basic idea of costs. As your plan develops you should tailor this chart so you can keep a track of your provisional and confirmed spend.

CostProvisionally

BookedConfirmed

Venue space

Any temporary structures required? (marquees, toilets, igloos, tents, photo booths, fairground rides)

Licences

Entertainment

Staging, sound systems, lighting and effects

Generator

Furniture

Catering

Event registration promotion

Security and staff

Decorations

Contingency budget

Choosing suppliersOnce you’ve identified what you need it’s time to find suppliers. When you use a venue you’re usually tied to their suppliers and their prices but running your own event allows you to negotiate every step of the way. When you’re sourcing your own suppliers you need to decide if you’ll manage them on the day of the event. If not, then who will? The benefits of using an in-house team or a single multi-service supplier is their price often includes someone to oversee logistics on the day. You’ll need to factor in an event manager if this isn’t the case.

The important thing to remember is not to choose the cheapest at first sight; make sure all costs are included and do your homework to ensure all suppliers will deliver on their promises. Replacing a supplier at the last minute will cost a lot more than paying for the right one in the first place.

Checklist for sourcing and choosing suppliers

Have you got three quotes for every service?

Have you got quotes from single service suppliers and multi-service suppliers?

Have you asked suppliers what additional costs you could expect to pay? Is there anything they don’t supply or isn’t included in the price?

Have you asked your suppliers if they can source anything that’s not on their website?

Have you checked the relevant experience of your suppliers and seen reviews or case studies of their work?

Have you checked what industry associations they are members of and what standards they’ve agreed to adhere to?

Have you factored in every single cost and asked for discounts when using multi-service suppliers?

Call usIgloo Disco can provide almost everything you need for your event. We’re a one-stop- event-shop:

Send us your brief to receive a quote for your entire event.

01132 270800

PromotionWhether your event is private or a ticket-selling, profit-making affair, it needs promoting.

If it’s a private event your job is easier but it’s important to keep your promotion to a closed audience and make sure your invitations state any ‘extra guest limitations’. It’s also important your online presence (Facebook or website) is only closed to the public.

If your event is public your objective is probably going to be the exact opposite, but either way the approach of promoting an event is the same. You want to attract attendees, be memorable and provide a good time.

Seven tips to promote your event

Start early: As soon as you have a confirmed date, get a ‘save the date’ out to your guests.

Identify what marketing channels you’re going to use: Think about who you want to attend your event and then where those types of people go. Do they use social media? What magazines do they read? What videos do they watch? Get your promotional material in front of them via these channels.

Make sure you cover your entire target audience: If you’re organising an event for families the younger part of the audience may be on social media but the older part of the audience may be better targeted through local radio. Consider how you are going to reach every part of your audience before you begin promotional activity.

Think of unique ways to get in front of your audience: If you’ve got a ten-month promotional campaign repetitively saying ‘Come to my party!’ every week it will get boring. Think of unusual ways to get your message across and mix it up a bit during the length of your marketing.

Make sure everything has a ‘call to action’ on it: A call to action is simply something that tells people what you want them to do: RSVP by this deadline, buy tickets from this website etc.

Incentivise action: To save yourself sleepless nights you need to ensure people register for your event in their droves early in your promotional campaign. If it’s a paid event consider early bird pricing or a free gift if tickets are bought by a certain deadline. If it’s a private event make it clear you need them to RSVP by a certain date.

What happens after? If it’s a private event you’ll want to remind your guests of the good time they had, if it’s a public event you might have others coming up you want to sell tickets for. There’s always a reason to promote your event afterwards. Consider a post-event promotional strategy at the early stages of planning so you can ensure you capture the necessary photos, videos and soundbites.

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Guest management Pre-eventThere are free ticketing and registration services like Eventbrite to help automate guest management. These platforms provide online registration and save you receiving and collating emails one by one, as well as providing easy-to-manage and printable guest lists in Excel sheets. These platforms also allow you to set up event- and guest-specific questions, like dietary or accessibility requirements.

Event registration platforms also store the email addresses of all of your guests so all the ‘need to know’ information and build-up anticipation is effectively communicated. Moreover, all your attendees email addresses are in one place for your post-event promotional strategy.

During the eventDepending on the size and type of event you’re holding, you’ll need staff on the door. This is important so your guests receive a warm welcome. It also means you know who turned up – essential in your post-event communication. Whatever sort of event you’re having, it’s always worth hiring at least one security guard to prevent gate crashers.

Setting the ambience There is no single way to set the perfect ambience at your event but there are several easy ways to ruin it. The ambience is the essence of the event, it’s the experience itself, it determines how people feel and how likely they are to enjoy themselves.

When deciding what you need to set the ambience for your event consider your audience and the type of event you are holding, this will help you easily identify ‘must haves’ and ‘mustn’t haves’. Understanding your audience is the best way to understand what they will enjoy. If you’re unsure look at photos and videos of other similar events and take inspiration from how they set the ambience.

Your budget should be planned accordingly to set the ambience and a pros and cons list created for each item; not having a DJ and using an i-Pad will save some money but when the i-Pad cuts out and silence dawns on the event the ambience will be lost and the talking point of the event will be the loss of sound; on the flip side an ice sculpture might make a great set piece but will cost a lot and unlike music no one will miss it if it’s not there. Remember to also consider inbuilt venue/structure features when planning your budget as paying a little more for your venue/structure may save you paying for those little ambience setting touches closer to the event.

Facilities and services Don’t forget you’re not just arranging a party you are hosting and responsible for your guests (and the 5

impact they have on any neighbours) for the duration of the event. Make sure you have considered toilets, car parking and transport, cloakrooms, food and drinks. Poor event facilities can have a major impact on the overall opinion of an attendee and spoil even the best events.

If you’re not tied to a venue, facilities and services can offer a way to make additional revenue at your event. Examples include a paid cloakroom, bar sales or a VIP area. Make sure these feature on your costings spreadsheets if you want to invest the money back into your event.

Call usFrom sound systems to bars, to party structures; Igloo Disco can provide everything for your event and work with you to identify and deliver your additional revenue streams

01132 270800

Licencing and permissionsThe licences you’ll need depend on different factors like the type of event, private or public, paid bar or free bar. It’s this element that puts people off ‘going it alone’ and sends them running straight to a venue with a permanent licence and expensive drinks. Knowledgeable suppliers can often advise on the types of licences you will need and can help you to get them.

As well as obtaining permission from the site also make sure you have permission from other people who will be affected by your event. An event is too large an investment to be closed half way through so it’s worth covering every base well in advance.

It’s important to know the limits expected by those that have granted permission and balance them with the expectations of your guests. This is especially important when it comes to closing times and sound levels and should be factored into your venue decision. Going it alone without a venue gives you freedom to manage the balance between your guests and neighbours yourself.

Call usIgloo Disco can help with all of your licencing requirements.

Contact us for a chat about your party so we can identify what you’ll need.

01132 270800

Budget revisitBefore you confirm anything you need to plan your budget and then take decisions on what’s really necessary and where money can be saved. As your event develops it’s important to keep a track on your estimated costs and actual costs so you adjust your spend accordingly.

The template below is designed for you to keep a track of you actual and estimated budget. Set it up in Excel with each expenditure as a single line so you can easily add it together and test different scenarios to see the impact it will have on your budget.

Budgeting tip:

Item Description Quantity Estimated Cost Actual Cost

After you’ve estimated your budget add an additional 10% on to the total to ensure you can cover unexpected last-minute expenses. If nothing else you can spend the contingency on a round of drinks on the night!

Risk assessment and back-up plan The easiest way to approach a risk assessment is consider what the drunkest idiot in the world could do at your event to hurt themselves or someone else... The risk assessment is about identifying potential risks and how to mitigate them. There is the legal responsibility you have to your guests for health and safety (avoiding trips, electric shock, etc.) and your back-up plan should the event experience be affected by external factors.

Using trusted suppliers can ease your risk assessment burden as they will often take responsibility for health and safety elements and even advise on the back-up plan. There are easy to identify contingencies such as hiring flooring for outdoor events to avoid people getting to your event over a field of mud and then others you will have to monitor on the night, like slowing down bar service if your drinks stock begins to run low.

For either type of risk, following the template below will help you to identify the danger areas and come up with a plan B if the the worst happens. This will help you sleep at night and lower any potential stress on the big day.

Call usIf you’re planning an event and want to discuss a risk assessment or back-up plans don’t hesitate to get in touch with Igloo Disco.

We have experience of loads of different types of events and can advise on the best way to mitigate your risks.

01132 270800

Potential Hazard

Who Is At Risk?

Existing Control

MeasuresRisk Rating

Additional Preventative

Measure

Person Responsible

And finally… The dos and don’ts of planning a great party

Do Decide whether you’re an attendee or a staff member, you will struggle to be both.

Choose a venue and theme which suits your audience.

Leave a 10% contingency on everything, money, time, staff, drinks, food, everything! It’s better to have too much than not enough.

Put yourself in your guests’ shoes every step of the way. How do you feel when you approach the venue? How would you feel if you received that invitation?

Make everything obvious. On your marketing materials make sure all necessary information is obvious and the same with your signage on the day of the event.

Don’t Leave anything to chance. Organise everything in advance so you are following plans rather than making it up as you go along.

Always go for the cheapest suppliers at first sight, judge on value for money and reputation rather than just cost.

Buy things you don’t need. There’s always a temptation to spend too much on unnecessary items. Buy the necessary first and then the desirable afterwards.

Trust your guests will behave themselves just because you know them. Not all friends are friendly when they’re drunk. Make sure you have staff on hand to help if the worst happens.

Forget to use your suppliers for as much as you can, often they have other skills and services you aren’t aware of and could save you time and money.

Igloo Disco are providers of ‘party igloos’ (waterproof, inflatable, structures that provide a jaw-dropping temporary shelter for your event) that have developed into a full service events supplier after years in the industry.

Their background in festivals and live events has given them the know-how to provide sound, lighting, staging, flooring, DJ equipment, mobile bars, power solutions, furniture, carpet and much more.

Contact the Igloo Disco Events team to discuss your brief.

web: www.igloodisco.co.uktel: +44 (0) 1132 270800email: enquiries@igloodisco.co.uk

Igloo Disco71 Kirkstall Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS3 1LH

Party and events guru, Danny Savage, is the go-to man when it comes to organising events to knock your socks off. Having worked as a club promoter, in bookings, club management and as a DJ across the continents during a career spanning 10 years and counting, he’s made a name for himself in the industry. Danny now hosts exclusive Igloo Disco events including birthday parties, weddings and corporate events.

About the authorParty and events guru, Danny Savage, is the go-to man when it comes to organising events to knock your socks off. Having worked as a club promoter, in bookings, club management and as a DJ across the continents during a career spanning 10 years and counting, he’s made a name for himself in the industry. Danny now hosts exclusive Igloo Disco events including birthday parties, weddings and corporate events.