Template
Event planning meeting template
Plan an event from the goal backwards: who it is for, the date and place, the budget, every task with an owner and a deadline, and what happens on the day.
The agenda, with a time for each part
- What the event is for5 min
- What should people leave with?
- Who is coming, and how many8 min
- Who is it for, and how will they hear about it?
- Date, place and budget12 min
- Where, when, and how much can we spend?
- Tasks, owners and deadlines20 min
- What has to happen, who does it, and by when?
- The day itself10 min
- What is the running order, and who does what on the day?
- Risks5 min
- What could go wrong, and what is the backup?
How the notes read afterwards
A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.
For. Raise $5,000 for the school library and bring families together.
Who. Families of 300 students; flyers home on the 1st.
Where and budget. School hall, 14 March; $800.
Tasks. Food (Ana, by 7 March), raffle prizes (Ben, by 10 March).
Backup. If the hall floods again, the gym is booked as a second choice.
Running it well
- Work back from the date. List every task with the last day it can happen, and the plan writes itself.
- One owner per task. Two owners means neither feels responsible.
- Plan for rain, no-shows and a speaker who cancels. Backups are cheap to arrange early.
Ways to change it
When to skip it. For small, repeated events with a known checklist — use the checklist.
Questions
How do you plan an event?
Set the goal, decide the audience, date, place and budget, list every task with an owner and deadline working back from the date, plan the day, and prepare backups.
How far ahead should you start planning an event?
Small community events often need four to eight weeks; large events several months.
What should an event planning checklist include?
Venue, date, budget, invitations and promotion, food, equipment, volunteers, running order on the day, and backup plans.
What happens in the room
Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.
More templates
Try Meetful
Meetings that take their own notes
Free video meetings in the browser: every line of the transcript under the name of who said it, and the summary and action items when you hang up. Nothing to install — guests just open the link.