Timeline and Checklist
Use our timeline and checklist to help guide your event planning.
Four to five months before the event
- Establish planning group and appoint chair
- Initiate event planning and establish responsibilities
- Reserve date on key attendees’ calendars
- Determine and reserve venue
- Determine funding and budget sources
- Contact University Special Events
Three to four months before the event
- Initiate program discussion
- Determine guest list and create guest-list database
- Design save-the-date cards
- Determine need for mementoes
- Create invitations/RSVPs and obtain approvals
- Reserve parking for VIPs and establish plan for VIP seating
- Block hotel rooms for out-of-town guests
Two to three months before the event
- Confirm speakers and learn their presentation needs
- Develop draft of program
- Contact University Communications and Marketing about internal and external publicity
- Determine precise area at venue for stage and seating
- Determine event signage requirements (pedestrian and vehicle)
- Determine onsite registration procedures, including ushers
- Book event with caterer and establish preliminary menu and budget
- Contact Transportation for parking assistance
- Contact University Police for safety and security review
- Contact Fleet Services for bus and car transportation
- Contact vendors (as required) for tent, stage, podium, chairs, tables, electronics (such as sound system, lighting, LCD projector, DVD player, laptop), flowers, plants, balloons, other decorations, mementoes
- Mail save-the-date cards
- Begin design of mementoes
Six to eight weeks before the event
- If alcohol is being served, request necessary campus approvals and state permits
- Place order for invitations and RSVPs
- Send invitations
- Order mementoes
Four weeks before the event
- Approve final program
- Draft script or talking points for speakers
- Work with University Communications and Marketing on copy for internal and external news releases
- Meet with vendors on site
- Consider site preparation (special cleaning, equipment and trash removal)
- Prepare event signage
Two weeks before the event
- Review planning group and staffing assignments for day of event
- Meet on site with operational staff, such as transportation officials and ushers, to discuss responsibilities
- Meet with caterer on site to discuss setup and final menu
One week before the event
- Send caterer final count (catering deadlines may vary)
- Print programs, name badges and seating cards for VIPs
- Confirm arrangements with vendors
One day before the event
- Contact caterer to verify all arrangements
- Confirm security requirements
- Ensure that tent, chairs, tables, stage, podium are in place
Day of the event
- Check location setup to include chairs, tables, podium, food
- Arrange printed material, name tags, mementoes, etc. on registration table
- Check sound and lighting equipment with vendor(s)
- Ensure that space and hook-ups are available for media
- Ensure that decorations are in place
- Place water at podium
One to five days after the event
- Write thank-you notes to speakers, volunteers, staff and others as appropriate
- Complete written evaluation of the event with suggestions for future events
- Coordinate event story and photographs with University Communications and Marketing