Event Planning: The Ultimate Guide

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Plan the details. List the details. Check the details. Judy Allen knows
all the details event planners need to worry about. She also knows that
both the magic, and the devil, live in those details.

Event planning can be applied to activities such as meetings,
conferences, weddings, fundraisers, conventions, product launches, grand
openings—any special event that brings people together for an
objective. To plan, organize, budget, implement, and follow up on such
events takes knowledge of everything from ordering martini glasses and
renting a bus to selecting a tent and hiring appropriate catering.

To control the details, Allen advocates drafting a critical path and
the use of budget and function sheets. Sample forms are provided, and
others are available on the book’s companion Web site.

Transportation, accommodation, meals and menus, audio-visual equipment,
restrooms, zoning, photographers, guest list, staffing, entertainment,
payments, decor, giveaways, taxes ... it would be a challenge to find a
relevant topic not covered in this book.

While the information is impressive, the flat prose makes the book
rather dull. Perhaps that’s why the proofreaders fell asleep on the
job. The many sidebars are printed on a mid-gray background that further
discourages reading. A pity, because Event Planning is rich with how-to
tips and cautions gained from the author’s extensive, varied
experience. Anyone venturing into event planning should ignore these
weaknesses and read the book anyway. Perhaps memorize it.