The first thing to consider is your plan of action or timing plan. Some companies call it the critical path, which sounds a little severe, so I will refer to it as the timing plan. Getting the timing plan down on paper or even better on a spreadsheet is a great way to start proceedings off, there is of course a number of key pieces of information that will need to be confirmed if this is to work, you will need to note the start date of the project and the live date of the event. You should have given yourself plenty of time to plan and deliver the proposed event.
One of the biggest constraints on timing of a large scale event is the ordering of the items, by items I mean all the bits and pieces that need to be present on the day of the event to ensure that everything runs smoothly. This is quite an exhaustive list and can contain anything from pens for the delegates to cocktail stirrers for the bar. The best way to tackle this is to break the event space down into different sections and then create lists of all of the items that are going to be needed to ensure that this area is fully functional throughout the course of the event.
One key area, (other than the bar!) is the reception or greeting area, this is the first point of contact with your guests and needs to be highly efficient to ensure that all the delegates get in and out of the cold as quickly as possible. Now, it is important that all of the guests have name badges and these badges are going to placed on badge lanyards prior to the event so that when the person gives their name, they can be checked off and given their accreditation for the rest of the event.
This may seem like a small part of the main event but remember that first impressions really count. If you can get your guests through security and the door with a smile on their face then you are half way there.
So, let's go back and focus on ordering the key items for the event and focus on the badge lanyards. These are simple items that you can order online in conjunction with the name badges themselves. Depending on your budget and requirements, you can have the badge lanyards branded or color coded to your specifications. The key thing to remember is that you need to plan this all well in advance. It is possible to order in these items in short time, but then this will take away the chance for you to look over the samples and make any changes that you see fit before you place the final order of badge lanyards. Planning your orders well in advance means that you can have all of them sorted out in good time. This will free you up to focus on more pressing matters, knowing that your event items and in particular the badge lanyards are on their way and in budget.
