The secrets to a successful event are planning, preparation and delegation! If you can manage your time and resources efficiently, you will create unforgettable experiences for your audience.

One of the most important resources you need to consider when planning an event is your time. Reduce stress levels by managing your time efficiently and delegate tasks wherever possible.

Tip 1 - Make lists – whether digital, in a notebook, on the back of an envelope or in your mind. Lists can be used to plan a schedule, tick off remaining tasks, delegate tasks between a team and be shared amongst a team so that everyone is aware of the remaining tasks and how close to complete the event planning is.

Did you know that you can create task templates (called task sets) within ArtifaxEvent that you can use when creating similar arrangements in your calendar and allocate the tasks to individuals or user groups?

Tip 2 – Automate the sharing of information where possible. Most online project management tools allow you to automate the notification of completed tasks or the allocation of tasks. Don’t leave the sharing of information as a manual process where possible to reduce the possibility of miscommunication or no communication at all.

Did you know within ArtifaxEvent you can automate the sending of reports based on changes in resource requirements or send automate the sending of a regular report such as the Resource Usage report that could be sent weekly or the Resource Bookings with Changes report. This report emails the next few days of resource bookings to the Ops team and the report shows if anything's changed (e.g., new bookings, changed time, etc).

Tip 3 – Get a bird’s eye view of your resources when you have large quantities of equipment such as chairs and other furniture, AV equipment and even staff. Getting an overview of how many of each item is currently allocated and it’s required location can give you an overall understanding of the demand for that item. Is it under-utilised and not needed or over-utilised and you need to purchase additional items? In the case of staff, it can help to highlight occasions where temporary staff are required.

Did you know you can view reports such as Resource Usage, Room Usage, Staff Schedule and What’s On- List by Date with Resources within ArtifaxEvent. All these reports can help you get an overview of resource requirements for equipment, rooms, and staff.

Tip 4 – Configure your digital resource planning to what works best for you. Use filters, configuration options and settings to create your ideal digital planning environment. View the information that you need, how you like to view it.

Did you know you can customise the columns that you want to see, including custom form data, the order the columns appear and how/if they are coloured within ArtifaxEvent? Also, when editing resources, hold Ctrl down (cmd click for mac users) when clicking on the resource you want to edit, and it will open it in a new tab in your browser. You can have all the resource you need to work through open in separate tabs.   

Tip 5 – Let’s not forget your money is a resource too! Getting paid on time can help you budget better, pay your suppliers in a timely manner and improve cash flow. You did all the hard work now you need to get paid for it. Proper management of invoices is the key to success in this area, sending them out on time, having a process in place for chasing late invoices and managing incoming payments.

Did you know you can create custom invoice schedules for your resources, for example to automatically offset advanced deposits, booking confirmation and settlement charges? You can also set up Batch Invoicing which will automatically generate invoices that are due within a specified date range.

Lastly, a little bonus tip for you. Cut yourself some slack! As event organisers you tend to be highly detail oriented, organised people but trust me when I tell you no one will notice the little details like you will. Focus on the big picture and putting tools and systems in place like the ones suggested in this article. The result will be a happier team, resources used to their maximum potential and reduction of potential errors.