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Event planning checklist,dated to your event.

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Event planning checklist

All event types

12 weeks before Foundations Decide what the event is for before you book anything.
	Write the goal and the one number that says it worked: registrations, revenue, leads or attendance.
	Set the budget with a 10% contingency line.
	Shortlist three dates and check them against public holidays, school terms and competitor events.
	Confirm the venue in writing: capacity, layout options, AV, in-house catering rules, cancellation terms.
	Name the core team and who owns registration, programme, suppliers, marketing and the door.
	Write a one-page brief: audience, format, capacity, ticket or invitation-only, must-haves.
	Decide the sponsorship packages and the floor space each tier gets.
	Confirm the trainer, the syllabus and whether attendance earns a certificate.
10 weeks before Programme and suppliers Lock the content, then the people who deliver it.
	Draft the agenda or run of show with start, end and every transition timed.
	Confirm speakers, panellists, MC or trainers, with bios and headshots collected.
	Book catering, AV, photographer and any staging or decor suppliers. Get written quotes.
	Build the registration form: ticket tiers, early-bird deadline, approval rules, questions you will actually use. How SOURems does it
	Set up payment and confirm the confirmation email and ticket look right on a phone. How SOURems does it
	Draw the floor plan: booths, stage, registration desk, catering and traffic flow. How SOURems does it
	Confirm the theme, dress code and the awards or lucky draw format.
	Prepare training materials, workbooks and any pre-reading.
8 weeks before Invitations and promotion Get the first yes early. Late invitations are the most common cause of a half-empty room.
	Clean the guest list: names, organisations, one email each, VIP flags.
	Publish the event page and open registration. How SOURems does it
	Send invitations by email and WhatsApp, with a one-tap RSVP link. How SOURems does it
	Schedule the email sequence: launch, early-bird reminder, speaker announcement, last call.
	Post the event on social channels and partner newsletters. Brief sponsors on their promotion duties.
	Send personal invitations to VIPs and table hosts. Track replies by hand if needed.
	Confirm the attendee list with HR or the client and send calendar invites.
	Close early-bird pricing and review the numbers against the target.
4 weeks before Logistics Everything that has to be printed, cooked or wired is decided here.
	Send the menu and collect dietary requirements through the registration form. How SOURems does it
	Build the seating plan over the venue floor plan. Assign tables and VIP seats. How SOURems does it
	Finalise badge or name-card design and the check-in flow: QR scan, walk-ins, badge printing. How SOURems does it
	Order signage, banners and printed programmes. Proofread every name twice.
	Lock the run of show and circulate it to suppliers, speakers and the MC.
	Book a rehearsal or tech check with AV at the venue.
	Send reminder one with the agenda, parking and what to bring. How SOURems does it
	Arrange travel and accommodation for speakers and out-of-town guests.
	Confirm booth allocations, exhibitor manual, move-in and move-out schedule.
	Check insurance, permits, alcohol licence and venue safety requirements.
2 weeks before Confirmations The last fortnight is for headcounts and briefings, not new ideas.
	Give the venue and caterer the final headcount and dietary summary.
	Send reminder two with the QR ticket, map and check-in time. How SOURems does it
	Work out how many check-in stations you need for the arrival peak. How SOURems does it
	Print badges, name cards and table cards. Keep a blank stock for walk-ins.
	Write the staff briefing pack: roles, radio channels, escalation, what to do about a no-show VIP.
	Prepare the lucky draw, awards and any scripts for the MC.
	Send the supplier call sheet: arrival times, loading bay, contact numbers.
	Prepare the attendance sheet or scanner list for certificate purposes. How SOURems does it
	Confirm the first-aid, emergency exits and lost-property plan with the venue.
Event day Event day Set up the door first. Everything else can be late; the door cannot.
	Check-in stations up and tested 90 minutes before doors, with a walk-in process ready. How SOURems does it
	Watch live arrivals and open an extra station when the queue passes ten people. How SOURems does it
	Brief the MC on timing, sponsor mentions and any last-minute name changes.
	Give the photographer a shot list: sponsors, VIPs, stage moments, the room full.
	Confirm dietary meals reach the right seats.
	Run session-level check-in for tracks or workshops if attendance per session matters.
	Put the feedback form QR on screens and at the exit before people leave.
	Count leads at each booth and collect exhibitor feedback before move-out.
The week after After the event The week after is when the next event gets easier.
	Send the thank-you email within 24 hours, with photos and the feedback link.
	Pull the attendance report: registered versus attended, no-show rate, peak arrival time. How SOURems does it
	Send sponsors and exhibitors their report: attendance, leads, photos, mentions. How SOURems does it
	Issue certificates to attendees who met the attendance threshold.
	Settle supplier invoices and close the budget against actuals.
	Hold a 30-minute debrief within the week and write down the three things to change.
	Save the guest list, seating plan and templates for the next event.
Made with SOURems, the event management system with registration, RSVP, seating, QR check-in and reports. sourems.com

How to use it

Work backwards from the date

Enter the event date and every phase gets a deadline. If a deadline has already passed, that phase is where you start today.

Cut what does not apply

Pick the event type. A training session does not need sponsor packages and a dinner does not need an exhibitor manual, so those lines disappear.

Print it for the team

Save as PDF gives a clean copy with the ticks and dates. Hand it to the venue, the caterer and whoever runs the door.

What it is

An event planning checklist is the whole event, in the order it has to happen.

Most events go wrong in the same places: invitations sent too late, the headcount never confirmed, and a queue at the door because nobody planned the check-in. This list puts those in the right week. It is written for corporate and association events of fifty to a few thousand people, and each phase links to the part of SOURems that handles it.

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Questions

What should an event planning checklist include?+

Goal and budget, venue and date, programme and suppliers, registration and invitations, logistics like catering, seating and badges, the check-in plan for the day, and the follow-up: thank-you, feedback, report and debrief. This list covers all seven phases.

How far in advance should I start planning an event?+

Twelve weeks is comfortable for a conference, dinner or exhibition of a few hundred people. A training session can run on six. Large or multi-day events need six months, mostly for venue and speaker availability.

How is a conference checklist different from a dinner checklist?+

A conference adds sponsors, speaker logistics, tracks and session-level attendance. A dinner adds seating plans, table hosts, dietary meals per seat and the awards or lucky draw. Pick the event type above and the list shows only what applies.

Is this checklist free?+

Yes. No account and no email address. Ticks are saved in your own browser, and nothing is uploaded.

Can I share the checklist with my team?+

Save it as a PDF and send that. Each person's ticks stay in their own browser, so for a shared live list use a project tool or the event platform itself.

What do the dates next to each phase mean?+

Enter the event date and each phase shows its deadline, counted back in weeks. Twelve weeks before is foundations, two weeks before is confirmations, and the week after is wrap-up.

What matters most on the day?+

The door. Have check-in stations set up and tested 90 minutes before doors open, a walk-in process ready, and someone watching the queue with the authority to open another station.

Other free tools

Sign-in sheet templateOne line per person: name, company, signature, time in.Attendance sheet templateNames down the side, a tick box per session or day.

Foundations

Programme and suppliers

Invitations and promotion

Logistics

Confirmations

Event day

After the event

Work backwards from the date

Cut what does not apply

Print it for the team

An event planning checklist is the whole event, in the order it has to happen.