13 September 2023

Managing Overseas Events

I am really excited that I am working on a very big overseas event next year – an all-singing, all-dancing ski trip. I am loving the initial stages of working on this and planning each element, sorting out the external help that will be needed, formatting budget as well as all the intricate details.

This got me thinking about this blog and offering a little behind the scenes detail about organising events and event management. There is often a pre-conception that event professionals are just ‘on the day’ but this is far from the case as there are often months of planning to bring an event together, especially one of this size.

As you can see below, this is what I am currently working on and planning for the ski trip. There are a lot of things that need actioning well before the event as well as full support during the actual event itself. There is a lot of admin, and there will be a mega spreadsheet with everything on that I work from. During the planning stages, there are many plates spinning filled with mid-negotiations, finalising dates, signing off deliverables etc so there will be many hours spent bringing the client’s vision to life. And I love it!

EVENT MANAGEMENT

*          Being onsite for the duration of the event with a couple of additional event managers in the LCE team to deliver the full 360 experience.
*          Full liaison with the ski instructor team both prior and on the event
*          Handle all registration of guests and their acceptances
*          Handle all invites and their design – the invite should be finalised in November so as to send out in January
*          Handle all marketing material
*          Handle all communications with guests prior to the event and onsite (using the app or microsite)
*          Potentially create/organise a microsite or app for the event so everything can be online
*          Handle all branding and printing requirements
*          Handle all rooming lists
*          Organise SWAG – these need to be top quality products!
*          Organise and handle all transfers – these need to be good quality and reliable, and arranged for everyone to and from the airport and if needed around the resort
*          Full operations and logistics organisation of the event, communicating fully with the hotel, restaurants, clubs (if required) and any other suppliers involved.

We also get involved with the venue finding on the majority of our client’s events, however, on this ski trip our client has already confirmed their own venue in Megeve – very exciting!

I hope this gives you an insight into the world of an event planner…and this is just for one event. So, when there are a few on the table, the tabs open in my brain are vast! But, having done this for years, I can draw on my years of experience, excellent contacts, fabulous suppliers I can trust and fellow event professionals to always deliver a truly wonderful event. I cannot wait to get on the slopes in Megeve next year and see this incredible event come together.

If you are planning an event and could use a friendly, professional, helping hand, please do get in touch.