If you have been tasked with organising an outdoor event, there is indeed much to prepare, and like any professional event planner, checklists should be created to ensure that none of the many essential items are forgotten. This will help you to coordinate the many services that will be called upon to make the event a success, and with that in mind, here is our checklist for organising an outdoor event.
• Hospitality – You will need to arrange for rest rooms and other essential services that make things comfortable for your guests, and with affordable portable toilet hire that can be found with an online search, this item can be ticked off. The supplier would have a wide range of hospitality units for hire, with 5-star luxury available if needed, and the supplier will ensure that the units are connected up to the utilities, and will remove them after the program is over.
• The Entertainment – Whether a corporate event or a thank you to your loyal customer base, the entertainment must be suitable for the occasion. Presentations should be copied onto a memory stick, and the PA system should be checked prior to the event starting, and if you are using a laptop, it is a good idea to have a back-up computer, just in case.
• Parking Facilities – You will need to provide more than enough parking facilities, and with signage and a few attendants, people will be able to park their cars with relative ease. Another thing to consider is the venue location, which might not be familiar to some of the guests, and a small map enclosed with the invitation will suffice.
• Refreshments – This should really be outsourced to an established outside caterer, as you can’t afford to take any chances with either food or drink. If there is a bar, for example, make sure there is ample space in the area, as people like to congregate in such places, and with the restrooms nearby, you are covered. You will need an endless supply of ice, something a local provider can help with, and with more alcohol that you’ll need, the bar will never run dry.
• Seating Arrangements – This should be checked, taking particular notice of the table positionings. Do a sound check to ensure that people in all locations can see and hear the performance, and make necessary adjustments if needed.
• Lighting – Lighting is critical, and outdoor lighting can likely be hired from a local party hire outfit, with LED solutions that require less power than the traditional incandescent light bulbs. If you are outsourcing the stage and light and sound set up, they will ensure that the lighting in suitable.
Obviously, you are working to a budget and by creating lists and contacting third party services, you can keep a running count of your costs and will hopefully manage to stay within the allotted budget.
Always have a back-up plan that can be used in the event of something unexpected, such as heavy rain or a power outage, and with everything ticked off on your checklist, the show can begin.
