Step 3:
Logistics and operations
Once you’ve secured your venue, you’ll need to think about organising your event logistics.
Catering
Keep in mind that most venues can either offer catering in-house or have a list of preferred suppliers. Catering arrangements will mostly be dictated by your budget and the nature of your event.
Remember to check any venue restrictions before arranging catering, including food and alcohol licenses, access and catering equipment. Also check if your guests have any dietary requirements and inform your caterer well in advance.
Equipment
Think about any equipment you’ll need for your event. This may include audio visual equipment, staging, any decoration for your venue, stationery or giveaways. Your venue provider may be able to arrange some of these things for you.
Make sure you check with the venue about any health and safety requirements that may apply to your event, as well as any risk assessments that need to be undertaken or insurance cover you may need to take out.
Signage
Signage is very important to direct attendees around your event and create brand presence for your company and event sponsors. Directional signage and, dependent on the scale of your event, floor plans can help deliver a good event experience. If networking is a key focus for your event, and it is manageable with the estimated number of attendees, providing name badges will be useful for your attendees to facilitate introductions.
Social responsibility
At Informa, we have a responsibility to run sustainable events, considering the impact our actions have on the environment and communities. We believe that running a more responsible, sustainable event can lead to a stronger connection with audiences and help contribute to a higher quality experience. We encourage all our London Tech Week Fringe Event Hosts to consider your sustainability footprint when running your event.
Look out for our hints and tips in the sustainability guidance document provided as part of your toolkit.
TOP TIPS
1.
There can be a drop-off rate of up to 50% for free events, so please remember to bear this in mind when planning aspects of your event that are attendance-dependent, such as catering.
2.
Floor plans can help you assess room layout for your event. If you’re hosting a large-scale event it’s always good to have somewhere for registration and welcoming guests and planning entry and exit flow.
3.
Budget wisely! Don’t forget to read your contracts carefully. Overestimating costs will help in case there are any additional fees you haven’t accounted for.
4.
Have a plan B- it’s good to have contingency plans in place and test any equipment prior to the event day to avoid delays or issues on the day.
