Planning is Key to Success

Introduction

@EASE offers you the opportunity to manage your special events. Let us show you how to set up a Special Event and use @EASE to manage it.

Planning, the Key to Success

Planning is the key to success. @EASE will provide the organizational framework to manage the information requirements of your event while you provide the pizzazz!

The purpose of @EASE is to make the record-keeping part of any event easy to manage. To achieve this goal, time must be invested to set up a compatible set of campaigns linked by the event Type.

Defining the Project

The first step is to understand what type of event you will be running, who will be attending and how you will make it different. When and where the event will occur may already have been determined.

Further consideration will address how you want to use the information before, during and after the event.

We will review these concepts as we discuss your special event.

You are planning to have a Gala ... the gala has a silent auction with 100 items up for bid and 3 wonderful door prizes that will be awarded through a ticket draw. The event will have a maximum of 60 tables of 10 persons each ... or maybe they will be tables of 8! Each table will feature some special favours that have been donated.

Sponsorships will be important, we like to see them cover event costs where possible.

The Gala Committee will include 7 volunteer organizers who will ensure this event is a major success.

Your Tools

EaseKMS

Print out a copy of the Campaign Management Worksheet ... and get a pencil. We are going to begin building your event management plan. Once the pencil copy has been finalized, a computer copy will be made and stored in your EaseKMS\Decisions folder, using the name of the event.

@EASE

Let's start by listing the kind of things @EASE can help you with as you begin to plan your event, and how @EASE continues to help once you have implemented it.

Identify members of the Gala Committee.
Identify potential sponsors.
Identify potential silent auction donors.
Build your invitation list.
Set up the campaigns required for the gala.
Record your budget to begin ... and update the numbers to actuals once the event is over.
Categorize auction items so you can create Bid Sheets and the Auction Program.
Volunteer activities to be scheduled during the event.

See ... how easy is this!

Note: Get it right once and you can re-use your plan from one year to the next ... as well as from one event to the other!

Communication Tools

The communication tools that you design to create interest in your event will be very important; not just from a design sense, but more importantly from an information perspective.

For example, if you use a table or ticket purchase form, stop and consider carefully what information you want to collect and design this data acquisition tool accordingly.

Adding an incentive to ensure correct and complete entry should be considered like a special draw!

Some of the communication tools will be designed by a printing company. Other communications will be created in-house and you will use your EaseKMS\Forms directory to house the originals.

Other types of forms you might create will include letters, labels, name tags, guest lists by name and by table for the reception desk. An information package for sponsors will be needed.

The Table \ Ticket Purchase Form

The first question you need to answer is "Who is your target market?". Is this a corporate event where tables, made up of corporate employees and their guests will be purchased or will the majority of tables be couples that want to form tables for an enjoyable evening?

Using Raise Funds with Ease our Donate Now Ticket Sales

If you are using RFWE Donate Now Ticket Sales you can offer tickets for an individual, a couple, a table, and /or tickets with promo codes. In each case, the ticket prices will reflect the benefit and the charitable portion which will enable you to seamlessly import the data. The number of available seats is handled.

Please note, purchasers will only see the full cost per ticket type selected.

Ticket Sales .... more considerations that are necessary to assess and respond to include:

Do you need the name of each person in the case of couples ... or is Mr and Mrs enough.
If you have corporate tables, will you be able to get the names and addresses of all guests, and will the host be willing to share this information?
Special diet/allergy requirements need to be specified.
For an event of mostly couples or singles and their guests ... how will you identify what table people want to sit at if they are coming as a group?

If all of these questions and probably more, are not assessed before you begin, there will be a good deal of work, confusion, and frustration after the fact which could translate into an unpleasant experience for your guests.

Planning ...brainstorming ... addressing “what if” questions is very important. Once you have it right, document it in your EaseKMS for next year and for the people who follow you.

Do it NOW!

Whatever you need ...get the information upfront. There is nothing more difficult or time-consuming than going back to fill in the blanks.

Leave enough room for written responses and clearly label all information fields so that there is no confusion and no omissions.