How To Run An Event Well

The keys to running a great event are simple and effective

So you’ve decided to run an event and you want it to be excellent, seamless, encouraging and God-glorifying. All of this is entirely possible with a few tips (and the help of your awesome Virtual Church Assistant!). You may know about the 6 P’s of success (proper prior preparation prevents poor performance), but here are 6 P’s of event success:

Point of the event

One of the keys to a great event is ensuring that the theme is well defined and engaging. The theme will be one of the initial deciding factors for people to assess whether they want to attend or not. It also allows your guests a chance to come expectant, prepare questions and engage on the topic. 

Point in time

Yes this P really should be T for Timing! There are many timing considerations to make when planning your event – check the date doesn’t clash with any major church or community events, and consider the length of the event. Too many events in one part of the church year may burden the staff, or volunteering laity so ensure events are spread throughout the year. Once you know the date, put it in the church calendar.

Presenters

If you are bringing in a guest speaker ensure they’re available before you advertise the event. Consider who would be appropriate for your intended audience and if they are required to travel to attend your event, sort out their travel arrangements well in advance so they know they just need to prepare and present. 

Planning

Now that you’ve got the essentials locked in, it’s time to sort out the logistics of ticket registration, catering requirements, AV requirements and event material. Registration is a really helpful tool, even if the event is free as it gives an indication of numbers, a picture of when you need to promote the event more, a guideline for catering and a glimpse of what sort of people are attending your event. Start to think about what information will be presented on a screen, and what needs to be put into a booklet so you can being preparing these elements well ahead of time. 

Promotion

Promoting your event well increases the chance people will sign up and encourage others to sign up. A communications plan for larger events is essential so that there is enough promotion in the lead up to the event, but not so much that people unsubscribe from your media platforms! Promotion includes advertising in all your forms of media - slides at church, social media, weekly e-news etc. You may consider contacting key people who can attend and extend the invite and perhaps offer an early bird discount if you are selling tickets.  

People

Anyone who’s been in church longer than 5 minutes will know the value of a great serving team. Gather your volunteers and ensure they know their specific roles. From bringing a cake, to refreshing the bathroom, from setting up chairs to packing down the room, this little army is essential to your event success (and be sure to thank them!)

And finally, no event should go ahead without the most important P –

Prayer

Committing your event to prayer before you start planning, during the process and on the day is crucial.