Questions to Ask When Planning an Event
Questions for an event planner, or the colleague or volunteer who has just been handed the job, to ask the client or host at the first planning meeting for a company event, conference, fundraiser or launch. They follow the order that conversation usually takes: what the event is for, who is coming, the budget and who signs off, the date and venue, the program and vendors, then risks and what happens afterward. Each has a note on what a good or a worrying answer sounds like and what to do with it.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Purpose
What is this event for, in one sentence?
Why ask it
The sentence needs a verb the organization could be held to: raise, launch, thank, recruit, teach. If three purposes come out, ask which one wins when they pull against each other, because the program can only be built around one.
How will you judge afterward whether it worked?
Why ask it
Push for something that can be counted: money raised, sign-ups, meetings booked, a survey score. 'Everyone had a good time' is a worrying answer for a work event, since nobody can report it to the person who paid. Write the measure into the brief, because it is what your own work will be judged on too.
Has this event run before, and how did the last one go?
Why ask it
For a repeat, ask for the old schedule, the budget against what was spent, the attendance and any feedback, and treat them as the starting draft. Listen for what people still complain about, because fixing that one thing is the easiest win you will get. A first-time event has no numbers to lean on, so plan in more slack everywhere.
What should guests do, think or feel as they walk out?
Why ask it
Each of the three builds a different event: 'do' needs a clear next step in the room, 'think' needs strong content, 'feel' needs attention to atmosphere and welcome. If they cannot pick one, you will be handed a list of time slots to fill. Come back to this answer every time someone proposes adding an item.
What must not happen at this event?
Why ask it
The reply shows you the host's real fear: an empty room, a speaker off message, a donor seated at the back, a bill nobody approved. Take it seriously even when it sounds unlikely, because preventing that one thing is how you will be remembered. If nothing comes to mind, ask what went wrong at the last event they attended.
Why hold it now, and what set it off?
Why ask it
The trigger often shows a purpose nobody has said aloud: a rival's conference, a flat year for donations, a new chief executive who wants to be seen. When it began as one person's idea, find out how firmly everyone else is behind it before you spend anything.
Whose name is on the invitation, and who else expects credit?
Why ask it
The named host is the person whose reputation rides on the day and usually the one who approves the wording. Ask early about co-hosts, sponsors and partner organizations, since each will want a logo, a mention or a few minutes at the microphone. Promises already made to them belong in your notes before you draft a schedule.
Guests
Who needs to be in the room for this to count?
Why ask it
You want roles and, ideally, names: the twenty customers, the board, the regional managers, the local press. If the answer is everyone, ask who they would phone personally if the replies were slow. Once you have the core group, every later choice about date, place and program can be tested against whether those people would come.
How many people do you expect, and where does that number come from?
Why ask it
Ask for three figures: the fewest it could be, the likely count and the most the host would accept. Then ask how many were invited last time against how many showed up, because that gap is the best guide you will get. A number with no source is a wish, and both the room and the catering are booked on it.
Are partners, family members or plus-ones invited?
Why ask it
A yes can nearly double the count, and it changes the evening: a staff party with partners is not the same event as one without. Where guests bring a guest, collect the second name too, for badges, seating and the door list. An undecided host usually decides once they see what one extra person costs.
Are people invited, registering or buying tickets, and who keeps the list?
Why ask it
Each route behaves differently: personal invitations need following up, free registration fills with people who may not show, and paid tickets need a way to take money and give refunds. Settle who owns the list and which tool it lives in, so there is one version. Rules on holding guests' personal details differ by place and organization, so ask how theirs are handled.
Why would the people you want give up their time to come?
Why ask it
The honest answer is the event's draw: a speaker they cannot hear elsewhere, first sight of a product, time with peers, a cause they care about. 'Because we invited them' means the draw has not been found yet, and no number of reminder emails will make up for it. Whatever the draw is goes in the first line of the invitation.
Where are guests traveling from, and who pays for them to get there?
Why ask it
A local crowd after work and a national one arriving by air are different projects, with different start times and perhaps a hotel block to arrange. If the host covers travel, it needs its own budget line and someone to book it. If guests pay their own way, expect that to thin the numbers and say so now.
Which guests do you most need looked after, and what does each one need?
Why ask it
Senior leaders, major donors, sponsors and the main speaker usually head the list. For each, note who greets them, where they sit, whether they speak and who briefs them beforehand. Even where every guest is said to matter equally, two or three people's bad evening would be noticed, so ask whose.
What do we know about dietary, access and other needs, and how will we find out?
Why ask it
The reliable way is to ask on the invitation or registration form and pass the answers to the venue and caterer in good time. Cover step-free routes, seating, hearing support, a quiet room and space for prayer as well as food. Leaving it to the day does not work, because by then the kitchen has ordered and the floor plan is set.
How will people hear about it, and when does the first invitation go out?
Why ask it
Work backward from the date: a save-the-date, the invitation, a reminder and a final-details message all need a writer, an approver and a send day. Ask which channel the audience really reads, since an intranet post and a mailed card reach very different people. If the host has no day in mind for the first message, propose one before the meeting ends.
Budget and sign-off
What is the total budget, and has it been approved or is it still a hope?
Why ask it
An approved figure can be planned against. A hoped-for one may shrink the week you send the first quote. If the host will not name a number, describe a modest, a middle and a generous version of the event and ask which is closest.
What does that figure have to cover, and what is paid from somewhere else?
Why ask it
Ask about the lines people forget: staff time, travel for speakers, taxes and service charges, printing, insurance, your own fee. Two hosts with the same total can have very different spending power depending on what sits inside it. Write the inclusions down and read them back before you leave.
Who approves spending, and how much can be agreed without going back to them?
Why ask it
You need a name, a limit and a turnaround time. A venue will not hold a date indefinitely while a committee meets, so find out how fast a yes can come when one is needed. If nobody below the top can approve anything, build that delay into every deadline you set.
Is the event meant to bring money in through tickets, sponsors or donations?
Why ask it
For a fundraiser, ask whether the target is the amount raised or what is left after costs, because the two lead to very different evenings. Sponsors bring obligations along with their money: a logo size, a speaking slot, a table near the front. Income that is expected but not yet promised should not be spent in the plan.
Where would you spend more, and where are you content to go cheap?
Why ask it
This ranks the budget without an argument. Someone who would pay for a strong speaker and serve sandwiches has told you what the event is really about. If everything is a priority, come back with two costed versions and let the figures force the choice.
How much is held back for surprises, and who can release it?
Why ask it
The reserve tends to go on late changes: extra guests, an added hour in the room, a second microphone, a rush print job. With nothing set aside, agree now what would be cut first if the quotes come in high, such as the second room or the printed programs. Having that in writing lets you act within a day when it happens.
How do suppliers get paid here: purchase order, company card or invoice?
Why ask it
Deposits are where slow payment systems bite, since a venue or caterer may release a date that has not been secured in time. Find out how long it takes to set up a new supplier and whether anyone can pay quickly in a pinch. Volunteers should ask outright whether they are expected to pay for anything themselves, and how they are repaid.
Who signs the contracts, and does anyone have to review them first?
Why ask it
The signature needs to come from someone with the authority to commit the organization, so a planner or volunteer should check before signing anything in their own name. Legal or procurement review can take a while, so ask how it works there and add that time to the plan. Cancellation and minimum-number clauses are the parts to have read by whoever is qualified to read them.
Who is my one point of contact, and who else has to be kept informed?
Why ask it
One person with the authority to gather opinions and return a single answer is worth more than a helpful committee. Get the names of those who only need to be copied, and keep them off the approval chain. Five people replying to the same email with different views is the pattern to head off at this first meeting.
Which parts of this are mine to run, and which stay with your team?
Why ask it
Go through it by task: invitations, registration, looking after speakers, the budget sheet, running the day. The gaps are the jobs each side assumed the other had, and they surface in the last week. A volunteer, or a colleague with a day job, should say how many hours they can give before accepting the list.
Date and venue
Is the date fixed, or is there a window to work within?
Why ask it
A window gives you bargaining room with venues and a way around clashes. If the date is fixed, ask what fixed it: a date chosen for one executive's calendar can sometimes move, and a date tied to an announcement cannot. Check that the people named as essential are free before anything else is booked.
What else is happening that week that could pull people away?
Why ask it
Look at public and school holidays, religious observances, industry conferences, the organization's own busy periods and big local events that fill hotels. The host knows the internal calendar and you can check the external one. A clash found now costs nothing. Found after the invitations are out, it costs the turnout.
What time of day suits these guests, and how long should it run?
Why ask it
Breakfast can suit busy senior people, a working day suits training and conferences, an evening suits celebration and giving. Find out what guests have to do before and after, such as school pickup, shifts or a long drive. If the host wants a full day, check there is a full day of content, because padding shows.
Will it be in person, online or both?
Why ask it
Hybrid is really two events sharing a schedule, and the online half needs its own producer, budget line and someone watching the chat. If remote guests are an afterthought, they will know. When streaming is wanted 'just in case', give the cost before anyone decides.
Is anything already booked, promised or announced?
Why ask it
Planners often arrive to find a deposit paid, a speaker told a date or a sponsor promised a stage. None of that is a problem if you know today. Ask to see any contract or email that commits the organization, and read the terms before you plan around it.
What does the venue have to have, and what would only be nice?
Why ask it
Sort the answer into two columns as they talk: capacity for the chosen layout, location, step-free access and the right equipment usually sit in the first. A long list of must-haves with a small budget means something will move, and it is kinder to say so in this meeting. The must-have column becomes your shortlist filter and your site-visit checklist.
How should the room be set: rows facing a stage, round tables or standing?
Why ask it
Layout follows purpose. Rows suit listening, round tables suit meals and table hosts at a fundraiser, standing suits a launch where people should circulate. It also changes how many people a room holds, so settle it before you compare venues on capacity.
How will guests get there, park and find the right door?
Why ask it
Arrival is the first thing people experience and a common complaint afterward. Cover public transit, parking, drop-off for those who cannot walk far, signs and who stands at the entrance. Set the finish time with the journey home in mind, especially where a last train or a long drive is involved.
Program and vendors
Which moments have to happen, and in what order?
Why ask it
Most events hang on a few fixed points: a welcome, the main talk, an award, a toast, a close. Get those named and ordered, and the rest of the schedule is the time between them. If the list keeps growing, ask which items could be an email.
How formal should it feel, and is there a theme or dress code?
Why ask it
Adjectives such as 'smart but relaxed' mean different things to different people, so get an example: an event they attended and liked, or photos of last year's. Formality sets the invitation wording, the catering style and what guests are told to wear, which is why it has to be settled before the first message goes out. A theme is optional, and one that takes a paragraph to explain is usually getting in the way of the purpose.
Who is speaking, and which of them have actually said yes?
Why ask it
'We are hoping to get' and 'she has confirmed' are different things, and only one belongs on an invitation. For each confirmed speaker, ask about fee, travel, what they need on stage and who briefs them. Then ask who steps in if the main name drops out the week before.
Who is hosting from the stage and keeping it to time?
Why ask it
Someone has to welcome people, introduce speakers, cover a delay and close on time. The most senior person is not always the best at it. A confident colleague or a hired emcee with a tight script often serves the host better, and it frees the leader to talk to guests.
How much time will guests spend listening, and how much talking to each other?
Why ask it
Hosts tend to fill the schedule with speeches and then say the goal was networking. Put rough minutes against each and show them the ratio. If meeting people is the point, protect the breaks first and cut a talk when the schedule gets tight.
Is there an appeal, an announcement or a reveal, and where in the schedule does it sit?
Why ask it
The key moment belongs where the room is full and paying attention, which is rarely the very end. Ask who delivers it and what guests can do in the next two minutes: fill in a pledge card, scan a code, book a demo, pick up a sample. Without a way to act on the spot, the moment passes and the follow-up has to do all the work.
What food and drink does this event call for, and does alcohol belong at it?
Why ask it
Match the catering to the hour and to what guests are doing: plated meals hold people at tables, while food that can be eaten standing keeps them moving. On alcohol, ask what the organization's own policy says and what the venue's license allows, since both vary. Whatever is decided, good drinks without alcohol should be as easy to get as the rest.
Which suppliers do you already use, or have to use?
Why ask it
Organizations often have approved caterers, a contracted travel agent or a rule about getting several quotes, and venues may insist on their own list. Learn the rules before you ask anyone for a price. Also ask, gently, whether a board member's relative or a friendly local firm is expected to get the work.
What will have to be brought in: sound and screens, staging, entertainment, photography, security, transport?
Why ask it
Go through the list aloud and mark each item as venue-provided, already arranged or still to source. Sound and screens deserve the most attention, since a talk nobody can hear is the failure guests remember. Anything marked 'the venue probably has that' needs checking in writing.
What needs designing or printing, and who approves how it looks?
Why ask it
Invitations, signs, name badges, slides, a backdrop and anything given away all need artwork and lead time. Brand guidelines, where they exist, and one named person with the final say prevent a logo dispute the day before printing. Sponsors' logos need the sponsors' approval too.
Will it be photographed, filmed or streamed, and what are the pictures for?
Why ask it
The use decides the brief: a press release needs a few good images that night, a fundraising report needs faces and atmosphere, a product page needs the product. Give the photographer a list of people and moments that must be captured. How guests are told and how consent is handled depends on where you are and who is attending, so ask what the organization's practice is.
Risks and after
What are the three things most likely to go wrong, and what would we do about each?
Why ask it
Typical answers are low turnout, a speaker who does not arrive, equipment failing and bad weather. For each, agree the fallback and who triggers it, and put it on one page that everyone working the event carries. If you are told nothing will go wrong, offer your own three and see which one gets a reaction.
At what point would you cancel or postpone, and who makes that call?
Why ask it
Set the trigger while everyone is calm: a minimum number of registrations by a given date, a key speaker lost, a severe weather warning. Then check what each contract says about canceling and what it would cost at each stage. Whether insurance would cover any of it is a question for the organization's insurer or finance team.
What permits, licenses or insurance does an event like this need here?
Why ask it
Requirements depend on the place and the event: music, alcohol, food, raffles and auctions, road space and large crowds are the usual areas. The venue and the local government office can tell you what applies, and the organization's finance or legal contact will know what cover it holds. Ask early, because some permissions take time to come through.
Who deals with a medical emergency, a security problem or an evacuation?
Why ask it
The venue will have its own procedures, so ask to be walked through them and find out who on their staff is in charge during your event. On your side, name one person who meets the venue's lead and one who can speak to guests. An outdoor or unstaffed site needs more of this arranged by you, and may call for professional advice.
Who from your side is working on the day, and what is each person doing?
Why ask it
Names against jobs is the answer you want: registration desk, looking after speakers, greeting key guests, running the slides. 'The team will help out' usually means nobody knows where to stand at the busiest moment. Count the gaps and decide whether to recruit volunteers or pay for staff.
Who has the final word on the day when something has to change?
Why ask it
Decisions at an event are made in a minute or two: start late, skip an item, move indoors. One named person, reachable and willing to decide, is the answer to listen for. If it has to be the most senior guest, agree a deputy, because that guest will be mid-conversation when you need them.
What happens in the week after: thank-yous, follow-up calls, the next step for guests?
Why ask it
For most work events the result arrives afterward, when a donor is thanked, a lead is called or a recording is sent out. Put a name and a day against each, and get the messages drafted before the event while there is time. With no plan for the week after, the evening is being asked to do everything.
How will we collect feedback, and who will read it?
Why ask it
A short survey sent while the event is fresh, with a few questions tied to its goal, is easier to answer than a long one sent late. Ask what the host would change on the strength of the replies. If nothing would change, a few conversations at the door will do.
What report do you need from me afterward, and by when?
Why ask it
Usually it is final attendance, spending against budget, the result on the measure agreed at the start and a short list of what to keep and what to drop. Put a debrief on the calendar before the event, while people still remember the details. The notes are also the first thing the next planner will ask for.
What has to be decided before we meet again, and who is doing what?
Why ask it
Close by reading back the open items with a name and a date beside each: the budget figure, the date window, the owner of the guest list. Send it as a short email the same day. Meetings that end without this tend to be held twice.
How to run the first planning meeting
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the meeting
Find out who will be in the room
The person who had the idea, the person who holds the budget and the person who will do the day-to-day work are often three different people. Ask for all three at the first meeting, or at least learn which one you are meeting. The questions under Budget and sign-off get guesses when they are put to someone with no authority over money.
Ask for the paperwork first
If the event has run before, request the old schedule, budget, guest list and feedback ahead of time, along with anything already signed. Reading them beforehand lets you skip what is known and spend the meeting on what is not. 'Last year you had 140 registered and 95 came. What do you expect this time?' gets further than starting from nothing.
Choose what fits the time you have
One meeting rarely covers the whole list. Take all of Purpose, the headcount and guest-list questions from Guests, the first three under Budget and sign-off and the first under Date and venue. Program and vendors and Risks and after can wait for a second meeting or a follow-up email, apart from anything already booked or promised.
If you were handed the job, not hired for it
A colleague or volunteer asks the same questions, only of a manager or a committee chair. Say why you are asking: 'I want to get this right, so can I check a few things before I book anything?' Put the question about which parts are yours to run near the top, and add one of your own: what you may decide without checking back.
In the meeting
Start with purpose, even when they start with the venue
Hosts often arrive with a room, a date or a theme already in mind. Note it, then go back to what the event is for. A venue chosen before the purpose is settled tends to shape the event around the room, and it is easier to raise that in the first meeting than after a deposit.
Ask for numbers and names
For headcount, budget and date, a range is fine but a figure has to be said. For approvals, you need a person. 'Around a hundred' and 'finance will look at it' are openings: follow with where the number came from and who exactly in finance.
Say what a choice costs as it is made
When the host adds a second day, a live stream or a seated dinner, say plainly what it adds in money, staff and lead time. The point is not to argue. It is to keep the budget conversation from arriving later as a surprise.
Park what nobody in the room can answer
Questions about permits, insurance, contracts and the venue's rules often belong to someone who is not at the table. Write each one down with the name of the person who will find out and a date, and move on. A first meeting that stalls on one unknown leaves the purpose and the budget half discussed.
Turning the answers into a brief
Write one page the same day
Put down the purpose sentence, the measure of success, who the guests are and the headcount range, the budget and what it covers, the date or window, the moments that must happen, who decides and the open questions. Send it to the host and ask them to correct it. A correction at this stage costs an email.
Mark what is fixed and what can move
Date, budget, headcount and venue can seldom all be fixed at once. Ask the host to say which one or two will not change. That tells you what gives when a quote comes in high or the preferred room is taken.
Build the timeline backward
Start from the event day and work back through the dates each supplier needs: final numbers for the caterer, artwork for the printer, the venue's contract and deposit, the first invitation. Ask each supplier for their own deadlines instead of assuming them. The earliest deadline on that list is your real start date.
Use the brief to settle later arguments
New ideas will arrive halfway through: an extra speaker, a photo wall, a second reception. Test each one against the purpose sentence and the budget on the page. When the scope does change, update the brief and get the change approved by the same person who approved the original.
What to press on for each kind of event
Company events
For a staff celebration, an offsite or an all-hands, ask whether attendance is expected or optional, whether it falls in working hours and whether partners are invited. Check what the employer's policies say about alcohol, travel and expenses, since those differ from one organization to the next. Spend extra time on the access and dietary question, because here the guest list is known in advance and there is no excuse for guessing.
Conferences
The program is the product, so the speaker questions come early: who is confirmed, who chooses the rest and by what date the schedule is published. Registration, ticket prices and sponsor packages need owners from the start. With several rooms running at once, ask who manages each room and how changes reach attendees during the day.
Fundraisers
Settle whether the target is what is raised or what remains after costs, then plan the appeal: who makes it, when, and how guests give on the spot. Raffles, auctions and other games of chance are regulated differently from place to place, so ask the organization how it handles them before promising one. The thank-you plan for the week after matters as much as the evening.
Launches
The date usually depends on the product, so ask what happens to the event if the product slips. Find out what can be shown, what is still confidential and who is allowed to speak to the press. The reveal, the demonstration and the photographs are the fixed points, and each needs a rehearsal in the real room.