Successful Event Committee Structure and Resources

Event Committee

The success of hosting events comes with the success of involving many in the planning and implementation. Strategically organizing the planning will enable sanity to exist throughout the process. Organizations that are committed to event planning create positions that are focused on and dedicated to event planning. Some things to remember:

Organization President's are responsible for the wellness of the organization not the management of events
The leaders from last year may have already started your event plan by reserving a location
The leaders from past years may have left a blue print for the event they planned; this does not have to be the blue print for your event. When moving forward your event, take into consideration member's current skill levels and passions, and follow the energy of the current organization
Build an inclusive planning committee. Invite community leaders, alumni, and faculty/staff members to participate
Separate event planning from the other activities/work of the organization
Appoint/elect an Event Chair for all major organization events

The Event Chair Committee is responsible for:

Convening a committee, setting meetings and agendas
Supporting the committee to develop the goals and theme for the event
Appointing sub-committee chairs
Educating sub-committee chairs on their roles, responsibilities and process
Creating an event plan
Working with the organization treasurer, advising the Event Committee and Sub-committees on available funds and process
Supporting the creation of a Funding Plan
Creating a comprehensive event time line incorporating sub-committee time lines
Coordinating and supporting the flow of information/communication between committees
Setting facilities meeting, communicating the event overview and having sub-committees define their needs regarding the facility
Proofing all Marketing and Press Releases
Signing off on all funding plans in advance of any expenditure with the organization treasurer
Creating an environment for fun and success
On the day of the event:

Track Progress of all committees
Address all challenges in a timely manner
Communicate all changes to facility managers and committee chairs
BE AVAILABLE
Direct day beginning to end, set-up to exit.

Evaluating the Event Plan
Thanking all of the participants and special guests

The Event Committee is made up of the Event Chair, Sub-Committee Chairs, Treasurer, and interested organization and community members. They are responsible for:

Creating a comprehensive event plan including goals/desired outcomes and theme of the event
Creating and agreeing on a comprehensive funding plan, inclusive of all estimated expenses of the sub-committees
Communicating bi-weekly on the progress of the sub-committees
Approving all sub-committee decisions, i.e. program, food, marketing plan
Determining how to solicit/raise additional funds if needed
Setting ticket cost and process
Supporting sub-committees
Being available at all times during the day of the event
Participating completely during the event
Event evaluation and follow up

When assigning committee responsibilities take into account:

The work load of the committee
The availability of the committee for involvement on the day of the event
The number of members/volunteers available to help

It is ok to have:
1. The Event Chair be the Marketing or Funding Chair.
2. Organization President be the Marketing or Funding Chair

It is not ok to have:
1. The Event Chair be the President of the organization.
2. The Event Chair or President be the Food or Program Chair