How do you Eat an Elephant?

Slowly. One bite at a time. Who’s eating an elephant? The point; turning what feels like an overwhelming undertaking into manageable, bite-sized pieces. By breaking down event planning into smaller portions, what can feel like an elephant at the beginning can become an organized, attainable project.

Some people freeze when faced with the myriad of tasks before them at the start of planning an event or when working on a big project. They can’t fathom where to start. Others are comfortable plowing ahead but they overlook several important details. A good event planner can help the team create an organized timeline with milestones and accompanying key objectives. There are a variety of ways you can divide things up. Here are just 4 options:

1. By department. It might be beneficial to break down an event into departmental responsibilities. Some departments may include:
   1. Production
   2. Hotel or Accommodations
   3. Convention Center or Meeting Spaces
   4. Food and Beverage
   5. Security
   6. Training or Education
   7. Merchandise or Resources
   8. Hospitality
   9. Transportation or Travel
   10. Staffing or HR
2. By zone. If a venue is large enough, try dividing it by space. Assign someone to be responsible for these types of zones:
   1. Hotel or Accommodations zone
   2. Check-in or Registration zone
   3. Breakout Session and Speaker Hospitality zone
   4. Production, Performer, and Greenroom zone
   5. Transportation or Parking Lot zone
   6. Food and Beverage or Concessions zone
   7. Trade Show or Exhibition zone
3. By strength or ability. Some planners may opt to divide responsibilities among their team members based on their talent or strengths. This might look like:
   1. Logistics – hotel, transportation, materials handling, facilities, and room setups
   2. Hospitality – welcome and host VIPs, performers, and speakers; stock the greenroom
   3. Production or Producer – session content and timing; audio, video, and lighting director
   4. Detail-Focused – food and beverage, staffing, schedule management & purchasing
   5. Training or Education – session content, speaker selection & event content flow
4. By time. Depending on the timeline or schedule for the event, the team members may be assigned tasks based on who has the time or availability to get something done. 

So, don’t be afraid to face your elephant head-on. There is more than one way to eat it.

Do you have another suggestion for how to divide up tasks? I’d love to hear about it.
You can email me or share it here.

Please share Tracy’s Tidbits with other event planners you know and be sure to like it!