How to avoid a pants event management brief
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You’ve got a great event idea, you’ve done your research, you know your audience, and you know it’s viable… now to make it happen.
It’s an ambitious project, and you don’t have the time, or maybe even the skills to cover all the elements, so you’re going to bring in a helping hand. It’s time to write an event brief.
The importance of a good brief cannot be underestimated. Think of it like a dungeon master guiding you through your adventure. It’s essential to everyone involved that they know where they are headed, that they reach the end goal together, and something magical is created.
I mean, we’re not fools, there are plenty of times where getting a brief is a luxury but it really should be considered a necessity because, with a good brief, every single stakeholder will benefit.
But where to begin? The good news is that if you've already done all your initial research, you’ve completed a big part of the job. So let’s roll the die and see how we create the adventure...
Company profile
The background information on your company is vital to be able to set the tone, nothing is redundant here so include as much as you can. Need a starter? Here you go:
What does your business do/sell?
What’s its size, history, USP?
What are your core values and brand behaviours?
Event goals and objectives
During every stage of an event, it’s always important to reflect on why you are doing what you’re doing. Remember to use these event objectives to make sure everyone is on the same adventure as you, and that you use them to measure the overall success.
Target audience
Events, like everything in life, are subjective so need to be tailored to the audience for maximum effect. To deliver something that sparks emotion, there has to be an understanding of who your audience is and what makes them tick.
Information you supply could include:
Your brand personas
Previous feedback from customers
Survey results from potential attendees
The main event
Tell us all about the event itself! If it’s a detailed plan, brilliant. If not, and you’re hoping for a steer on what type of event would work best for your objectives, get down your ideas and allow your event partner to offer informed suggestions.
Previous events and competition
If you’ve held previous events, any information you can give is vital to build on the success (or learn from mistakes).
What did/didn’t work?
What did you like/what don’t you want to see again?
It’s no bad thing keeping an eye on your competitors too:
What are/aren't they doing?
That thing they did. Was it successful?
Can you learn from their events?
Budget
Ah! The elephant in the room! It may be tempting not to disclose the budget, as you want to feel like you hold the power, but the power isn’t in the budget, it’s in the information. It brings honesty to the proceedings and realistically assesses what you can expect from your investment.
Whether you're a producer, marketer, or supplier, everybody wants the end product talked about for the right reasons. There’s equal pride in producing an amazing event as there is collecting a paycheck, and knowing the budget helps that become a reality.
Timescale
Whether it’s an ongoing series, or a one-off event, giving a timescale to work to (even if it’s rough) will make sure a reasonable schedule can be created so that your event ducks can get into their rows.
This will ensure obstacles can be dealt with promptly, that progress can be monitored, and all those important suppliers are booked and secured for your event and no one else’s.
When creating the timeline, note the key dates for delivery, review and feedback so that expectations can be realistically set.
What’s been done already/further documentation
You may have done some of the planning already before deciding to bring in an extra hand. Whether it’s a venue, or maybe you’ve decided to grab your favourite caterers before they get booked up, if you think it’s relevant, throw it in here. Even the most mundane thing may open up the door to a world of surprises.
Dumb-ass questions
There’s no such thing as a dumb-ass question (but you could be a dumb-ass if you don’t ask any). If you are unsure of something regarding your event, it’s best to ask at the beginning of the planning stages.
Remember:
If you don’t know, you don’t know. Ask.
Things will unravel if you hide behind embarrassment and pride
Clarify
One of the most crucial parts of a brief is making sure that the people receiving it understand and are aligned with it. A follow-up call to answer any outstanding questions is vital to success.
It’s also good practice to utilise the brief through the project’s duration and adjust accordingly (as long as everyone approves) should any goalposts change, as well as reflect on when needed.
Conclusion
Producing a good brief isn’t a one-way street. The more information you give, the more you will ultimately get back.
Information is the holy grail to a great adventure. One that you can all enjoy, where no one is left in the dark, and blindly rolling the dice. You may not have all the answers to our points above, but any you do have will help create magic. Take time in preparing the brief so that once it’s been read, interpreted correctly, and you have assembled your team, you can slay dragons together.