Step 5: On the day - event delivery

Step 5 in the six step blueprint is about bringing everything you've planned in earlier steps to fruition. It's putting on the show!

First and foremost, stay calm! No mater what difficulties and stresses you might have had to deal with, your attendees don't need to know! That said, if you've followed our "Six Steps To A Perfect Event" blueprint, you'll have already prep'd well and anticipated most eventualities, so there'll be nothing to panic about...

Room layout goes a long way to putting your attendees at their ease, creating a great first impression. Set out only as many seats as will be used - lots of empty seats prompt people to subconsciously worry why so many other people thought it was better to give your event a miss. Keep seats and place settings close together so that attendees are encouraged to talk to each other, because this can quickly build a buzz about what you are about to share with them.

If you can't change the seating layout e.g. in a theatre, rope off rows and sections as 'reserved' to keep the audience in one block. In conference venues, switch between 'U' shaped and row layouts to accommodate different numbers of people in the same room.

Should I provide name badges for attendees? is a question often asked by event organisers, mostly because it can be expensive and a lot of trouble! So does it really matter?

The answer does depend on the type of event, but don't underestimate how important it can be in creating a good impression. Most people find it very intimidating to start a conversation with a complete stranger and very embarrassing to strike up a conversation with someone they have met, but can't remember their name. Name badges solve this problem, and if you also include something like their organisation name then the other person immediately has something on which to base an opening line of conversation. Attendees feel at their ease and your event starts to build a buzz.

Above all, prepare as much in advance as you can. On the day, you should focus almost all of your effort on meeting and greeting your attendees. Get your attendance lists to tick off names and your badges printed out before your guests arrive, so that you know exactly what to expect. That said, you need to find a workable balance between going to print too early with the risk that your attendance list will change, or leaving too little time to do the job properly. A good event management system that's agile enough to allow last minute changes to be printed on demand can prove a real plus here.

On the day, there will be last minute, unexpected decisions to make, but if you have got the groundwork already in place, then this will be minimised. But check these things anyway (no particular order):

• audio/visual systems
• delegates’ packs
• direction signs
• parking
• refreshments
• room layout
• emergency exits (just in case)
• first aid facilities (again, just in case)

Get accurate and up to date information wherever you are:

• office
• home
• and onsite at your event

Self service online booking for your attendees 24hrs/day:

• book
• cancel
• update

Always up to date information for you:

• delegate numbers
• attendance lists
• waiting lists with automatic reallocation of places on cancellations

Easy event delivery:

• time saved on the day
• database directly populated by your attendees
• no re-typing of data improves accuracy
• automatic confirmations keep attendees informed, reducing follow-up questions
• instant badge printing, mail labels etc.

Make it easy for your attendees to say Yes!
to your events