Your event starts with the design before the planning. Before you even get into the nitty, gritty logistics that take up much of the event planning process, you need to map it all out and get the ideas out onto the table. Whether your event is a small corporate event between the company and your clients, a huge special occasion like a wedding or a conference with guest speakers and many attendants, design is essential for the event’s success. Going into planning without a map is a sure way to get lost and lose track of your goals.
In this article, we’ll address the chief differences between planning and design, the steps that go into designing an event and things to cover when generating ideas.
Event Design is the stage where the event management team puts together a vision for the event, bringing together all the elements that will create the event. This can be the job of an event designer who can mock-up visuals and plans of what they foresee the event looking like. They will factor in the venue, the floorplan, attendee numbers, the event flow, colours, decor and then the centrepieces of the event itself.
Event design is the creative aspect of event planning. It’s getting the ideas out for the event planners to then make it a reality and then consider what will be involved in getting the event launched. Event design is all about understanding what you or your clients want to get out of the event and how it can be achieved through a successful event. It incorporates all experiences through an understanding of the psychology of the guests and best to engage with them during the event.
Event planning is often very time-consuming and takes up a lot of resources to guarantee the best results. Effective event design can circumvent time wasted during the planning phase as it will present a clear goal in mid, focusing the team on their objectives. To achieve the best event design, here are the steps you will need to follow.
The first step when designing an event is to establish what the objective of the event should be. It’s possible that you have more than one goal. Setting out clearly what you aim to achieve will help focus the design on reaching your goals and outcomes. Is the event geared towards raising awareness? Is it a product launch? A corporate event to encourage networking?
A factor that you need to consider in any form of marketing, event planning included, is knowing your audience. You can better predict how the event will look once you understand your audience, where they are coming from, what common interests they have and what they expect to take away from the event. Set out the demographics of your target audience, their age, whether they are local to the area or whether they will be more interested in a virtual, hybrid or in-person event.
For conferences especially, setting out how the event will proceed from start to finish will help set out how best to keep your audience attentive throughout. You will need to keep their interest hooked and that takes careful planning. Design your event program with variety in mind, include breaks for audience members to get refreshments and network, mix your presentations up with multi-sensory engagement and keep your goals in mind.
Designing your space and setting up the floor plan will help you to find the best venue suited for the event. What are your forecasted numbers and how do you plan to sit everyone? Consider space and flow in the venue, make sure that there isn’t any crowding or bottle-necking at single exits. Keep things as convenient for your guests as possible as awkward floor plan design can affect audience enjoyment. Also consider the layout of your stage environment. Where are the speakers going to stand? Can they be seen by everyone?
Make your event as visually evocative as possible. The lighting, colours and decor all contribute to the aesthetics of your event which will be what gives your audience’s initial impressions of the event. Colours and lighting will set the mood, influencing your audience’s expectations of the event. Choosing the right decor will generate the event’s ambiance and the setting that you wish to create. Sound as well has a huge part to play. What music will you have playing as audience members take their seats? Will you hire performers or a DJ?
Once you have your mock-ups for your design, it’s time to consider the logistics. Forecasting budget expectations and going to suppliers for quotes before entering the planning stage will help you to have realistic goals in mind for your event. Event designers should be mindful about what they can achieve with the budget they have for the event. Once a unanimous design has been presented on the table, the planning can go ahead.
You don’t want to miss any tricks when designing the best possible event. Keeping on top of event trends will keep your organisations ahead of the curve when it comes to audience engagement.
Opting for a more virtual experience will combine the best of both worlds, creating a hybrid event. Using digital technology in an event to boost audience participation improves the experience exponentially. Look into apps where audience members can get involved with the event on their devices, providing live feedback and engagement between other audience members and the speakers. Creating more hand-on experiences as well can make the event much more memorable.
The catch-word of modern event management – sustainability – must be a consideration when event designing. Think about recyclable options if you are giving out any promotional materials at the event. For catering options, what is the forecasting waste? What catchment area do you expect your audience members to travel from? What’s the overall carbon footprint for the event?
Help out the event planners with setting out price ranges for each aspect of the event. Looking into the cost of setting everything up ahead of time will help inform the decision of where best to put the budget when coming to planning the event. How much should go into the venue hire? Do you want to invest in live music or have music played out over an audio system? How much are guest speakers charging? Are you going to arrange for their transport? What catering considerations do you wish to make for the event? Being upfront about all the initial costs will help prepare and be rational about what’s available to make your event design a reality.
Feel more inspired to pursue the creative side of event planning and management? Event design is a crucial aspect in creating events and there are plenty of opportunities to go down this path. Harness your creative skills and make them valuable in the events industry. First and foremost, you will need to build on your own creative skills. Getting training in using graphic design software will enhance your abilities and allow you to grow your personal portfolio. The great thing about event design is that it’s a concept phase. You can create prospective events, ready to be sent forth as proposals.
The key to all successful job applications is all down to your portfolio. Create your own events to showcase your design skills. Even if they haven’t been launched or made a reality, having concepts available to show a potential employer what you can deliver will make you all the more likely to get a position as an events designer.
One of the best ways to know what factors into a successful event is to go out there and do your own research. Attend events and see what works – and what doesn’t. Keep reading what other event designers and planners are saying about the industry. Are there any new technological advances that build on a virtual experience? What innovative ways are there to grow on attendant participation?
Most importantly – build your credentials and get training. Our Events Management courses are industry standard and fully online. Within a year, you can have a recognised diploma along with insights from our 50+ industry experts. Our course factors in all elements involved in Events Management including design. If you wish to carry on down an Events Design path, we can help you to progress your skills and experience.
To find out more about our courses, you can download our brochure or give us a call on 01202 545633. We’d love to hear any questions.
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