To Do Lists for Event Planning
One of the most important things to identify, outline, define, and execute are to-do lists for an event. These are action items that must be completed in a sequential order to ensure planning pieces fall into place on time.
There are lots of resources available out there, a simple google search brings up hundreds of free templates, but curating the list to your specific event can be a challenge. Here is a helpful guideline:
Start with a template. Add whatever items or to-dos you already know about to it.
Pare down the template items, deleting unnecessary or inapplicable items.
Add any thoughts or items that you think of during the pare down process.
Combine items or duplicates so you have a clean list to work with. Write each item as an action, i.e. “Call the venue and request date availability and pricing.”
Pro tip: Don’t just use “book the venue” as a task, because this one task has many actions involved. Break out each task as small as possible so the task list is as clear as possible.
Identify to-dos that have to happen first before anything else can be accomplished and put them at the top. Continue to do this for the remaining items and fill in gaps along the way.
This can look like “Book the venue” will change to “Make a list of venues to call. Call each venue and request date availability and pricing. Review pricing and select a venue. Call or email the venue to secure a contract.”
Lastly, work backwards and put deadlines on the to-dos. Start with the event date, then the day before, the week before, two weeks before, 1 month before, etc.
Now you have a manageable task list to move forward and can feel confident in accomplishing your tasks!
