This article will outline how to plan for an event at your organization, and some of the questions you should be asking. When you answer the questions for your specific location, you will have created an event planning template that you can use in the future.
I cannot provide you with a template that will work for your specific location, but I can ask you questions to help you build your own.
What Type of Event is This?
The specific type of event will require different equipment and involvement. A formal wedding reception will be completely different than an informal children’s reading program. There are some basic questions that you will need to answer:
- What is the event? A reception will require food service, tables, and chairs. A lecture will require chairs, a podium, and possibly some audio/visual assistance such as projector, screen, and microphone. You need to know what type of event this is to ensure that it is something that your organization can manage, and one that is in accord with your organization’s values. A Roman Catholic Church, for example, would not want to host an event that is pro-abortion.
- Who is the host of the event? Is this event one that the church usually hosts? Or are you renting out your space to an outside group? The expectations are different if it is a local event than if someone is renting your space.
- When is the event? Believe it or not, some places forget to check the calendar when they schedule an event thus creating unnecessary conflicts. If you cannot get to the calendar when you are discussing the event, let the requester know that you will get back to them quickly if there is a conflict.
- How many people are attending the event? This is an important question to know. You do not want to have more people at an event than the space can safely and comfortably accommodate. This does not make your organization look good, and it could cause you difficulty with the local fire marshal and your insurance company.
- What are the times of the event? This includes both the start time and the stop time. You should then factor in the set up and tear down/clean up time. This is part of determining the overall impact of the event on your building. This is a good time to discuss your organization’s requirements for setting up and cleaning up. The event host should be required to return your spaces back to the condition in which they were at the outset. This goes back to the basic kindergarten rule, “If you make a mess, you clean it up.”
- Is the event one-time, or recurring? If the event is a recurring event, then you will need to make a record of everything surrounding the event for future use. This will include diagrams of the set up accompanied by photos, a list of vendors for anything used for the event, and a list of food served and how many served. By knowing what you’ve done before, it will take less time in the future even if you have someone else working on the event.
Building Use Agreement or Contract
You should have a standard Building Use Agreement that is the basis for any contract you have with any group using your space. The 
Building Use Agreement should cover much of the preceding information plus spell out what specific spaces the event can and cannot use. Some events hosts have been known to assume they were entitled to use the kitchen, for example, when in fact they were not. A good Building Use Agreement will cover these and other issues so that every one is clear.
The most common areas that are covered by a Building Use Agreement and will accompany almost all events are the specific space such as the library or auditorium, the rest rooms and the parking lot. If other spaces are required, such as the kitchen, then it must be included in your Building Use Agreement.
The Building Use Agreement will contain the requirement for insurance to be provided by the event hosts with a certificate of insurance to be given when the agreement is finalized. This is very important because your own organizational insurance may or may not cover the specific event. You should check with your insurance company on their requirements.
The Building Use Agreement will also contain the price of the space. There are several different ways to calculate the price of the space such as by the room, by the square foot, or by the hour. Whatever method you use, you should have prepared a specific list of spaces available for rent along with their current prices. This list should be reviewed annually and can be negotiated by the head of your organization with the event host based on specific circumstances.
Monitoring
You will need to determine who will monitor the event on behalf of your organization. It could be a paid staff member such as an event coordinator or janitor, or it could be a volunteer member of your group. You need to have someone available who can unlock and lock the building. This person must be able to help the people in the group find things such as lights and rest rooms, and otherwise be helpful.
Your monitor can also ensure that the group maintains its part of the agreement and doesn’t stray into areas that are not covered under the Building Use Agreement.
Publicity
If your event is your organization’s, then you will need to have a comprehensive publicity and marketing plan.
- Press releases for local newspapers. We’ve found that people still read the paper when they are looking for events.
- Press releases for local radio and television. Include your local cable channel. Most cable providers have a local events scroll.
- Use your organization’s website to provide all of the necessary details for the event.
- Use your organization’s social media such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Your postings on these platforms should send the reader back to your website for the details.
- Use posters and signs if your community allows them. We can post large signs within our church yard that can be read by those walking or driving by.
If the event is being hosted by an outside group, add the details to your website and use back links from that organization to your website and social media. If the event they host is a recurring event, you can generate closer ties where it will benefit both organizations.
Record for Posterity
Take photos of the event for your archives if it is a one-time event. The photos will be a good record for setting up the next event. You can use the photos for publicity for the next event as well as posting to your social media and website.
Lessons Learned
Finally, after the event, meet with other concerned members of your organization to cover the lessons learned from the event. What worked and what didn’t work. Determine what you can do to improve those things that worked. Look at different ways to remedy those things that didn’t work.
Revise your event plans accordingly and update your event planning template; you will always host a successful event.
Please comment below if you wish to discuss this further.
