Event Project Management: Everything You Need to Know

Hosting life-changing events is fulfilling, but taking an event from ideation to ‘game day’ can feel like being stranded on a sinking lifeboat. 

Luckily, you’ve got us to keep you afloat.

Eventbrite is an event management platform that helps event creators around the world turn their event ideas into reality. With Eventbrite, you can spread the word about your event while streamlining the event planning process, like ticketing and registration. 

In this article, we’ll share everything you need to know about managing multiple event tasks at the same time. You’ll also get actionable tips on how to use event management software to make the entire process easier. 

Plus, there’s a downloadable free event project management checklist to keep you on course. 

How to approach project management for events: A step-by-step guide

When you’re managing an event, there’s bound to be a lot of information flying around.

You need to coordinate schedules, find the right venue, create contracts with vendors, and ensure everything runs smoothly — all while staying within your event budget. It’s a lot to juggle! 

To get through the challenges required to create a showstopper event, you need to approach your event management process from a methodic angle. 

Here’s what we recommend. 

1. Critically evaluate past event processes 

The best way to predict future events is to look at past events. So, take a moment to reflect and figure out what works and what’s holding you back.   

1. Look for patterns in your previous event data: Check your data from the last six months for any patterns in attendance, social media engagement, or ticket sales. Then, see how these trends connect to your event process. For instance, if ticket sales from Facebook have increased recently, it could be linked to an adjustment you made to your marketing budget or timeline. 

2. Seek feedback from your team: Arrange weekly team meetings and have an open chat. Ask them about the challenges they face during events, what aspects feel manageable, and when they feel the most stressed. This can help you allocate responsibilities more effectively. 

3. Perform a self-evaluation: Assess your performance and decision-making during past events to identify personal growth and improvement areas. For example, if you notice that at-door event registrations are suffering, ask yourself if you procrastinate preparing a proper event registration system.  

💡Pro tip: These steps only work if you’re 100% honest with yourself, so admit when something in your project management process isn’t working. Take on Dr Drapper’s advice and embrace the ‘trial and error’ process through experimentation.

2. Declutter your workload and prioritize tasks 

As Marquita Rene, the creator of Black Velveteen Yoga, recognizes, the key to success is implementing good time management and focusing on small, obtainable event goals. 

1. Jot down tasks that require your attention. This includes from pre-launch to execution, ensuring that you don’t overlook any event details. 

2. Break down your tasks based on the stage of the event process. For example, should ticket registration be completed after your event launch, or would nailing it down beforehand make your team’s job easier?

3. Allocate tasks based on importance and urgency. The trick is to make sure you’re not too liberal with how many tasks are considered urgent and important.

To help you put tasks in the right box, try to:  

• Assess the impact and outcome of each task.
• Evaluate the needs of partnerships or sponsors.
• Consider how your team members’ skills align with the tasks.

One way to simplify your workload is by using the Eisenhower Matrix — a time management tool that helps prioritize your tasks. 

3. Leverage technology and automation  

Simplifying event management is all about embracing technology. 

From setting up direct messaging systems to building and managing social media calendars, small tasks will clog up your schedule and take you away from what truly matters: creating a memorable experience. 

You need an all-in-one event management software, like Eventbrite, that seamlessly integrates with other tools and simplifies your entire event process. 

With Eventbrite, you can automate tasks, like: 

• Publishing social media posts across different platforms 
• Sending out event notifications and reminders
• Collecting event data and attendance rates 

For example, MAMA’s Night Market uses Eventbrite to gain insights on what’s working with their social media marketing campaign and receive tips on improving email open and click-through rates. 

What aspects of an event you should focus on (and when)

When you’re in the midst of planning an event, it’s easy to believe every aspect needs your immediate attention. 

However, this mindset could slow you down. 

To help streamline your process, use the template below as an event project management plan example to improve your productivity.   

Pre-event launch: Team coordination and setup 

The stage before you unveil your event to the world is arguably the most important.

Your focus should be on laying the groundwork for your event’s success. Create a task list of essential points that are crucial to your event’s success.

For example, prioritize tasks such as locking down a venue to allocate yourself enough time to hire lighting equipment, sort out parking for attendees, and create a marketing campaign based on the venue of your event. 

You’ll also want to establish an event timeline and assign tasks to your team so that everyone knows their responsibilities months before the event. 

One of the best ways to do this is by utilizing team management software. With Eventbrite, you can allocate four different managerial roles to members of your team: 

• Marketing
• Coordinator 
• Operations 
• Admin 

You can also set up individual tasks for each role. For example, ‘marketing’ may be assigned tasks like creating discount codes, building an email campaign, and setting up event registration. 

💡Pro tip: The timeline for the ‘pre-event stage’ will vary depending on what event you’re organizing. For event organizers like AnythingGoesLive, which hosts large-scale music concerts, it could be the 8–12 months before your event. 

However, for smaller, more community-driven event creators such as South Austin Comedy Club, who host regular comedy shows, you might consider the ‘pre-launch’ phase a month before your ticket registration begins. 

Post-event launch: Event marketing and promotion 

Now it’s time to set your sights on getting as many attendees as possible through your door. 

To maximize the impact of your campaign, closely monitor event registration and ticket sale metrics to gain insights into customer behavior from the data. 

For example, if you’re a music festival creator like Jackson Indie Music Week and you notice a pattern of attendees purchasing a ticket and then immediately requesting a refund, it could indicate that there are potential issues with your order confirmation email. 

Attendees are already cautious about buying tickets for music shows in advance, so not sending a receipt and ticket within the first 24 hours of purchase could impact their trust in you. 

As an event creator, it’s your job to observe the results of your marketing strategy and consider it from a holistic perspective: What is the data trying to tell you, and how can you effectively pivot your strategy to take advantage of different opportunities? 

💡Pro tip: Create a unique tracking link with Eventbrite to find out which platform your registrations come from and which leads to higher conversions. As the head of Data Science and Analytics for Eventbrite, says: Always stay nimble. 

During the event: Smooth operation and communication  

When the big day arrives, your top priority is ensuring everything runs like a well-oiled machine — and the key to making that happen is good old communication. 

We’re not just talking about sending an email but putting a solid system that keeps everyone in the loop and working together seamlessly. 

For example, if you’re renowned for throwing epic college parties, like College Functions, every team member should know the communication hierarchy for any issues that impact attendee experience, such as if the line for at-the-door ticket registration appears congested. 

It’s no secret that customers want fast event access with fewer lines, so lines wrapping around the building with long waiting times could turn away some attendees.

With a communication plan, you could implement a signal or code indicating the line is getting long. This way, your team knows it’s time to divide it into two and introduce an additional check-in station. 

💡Pro tip: To prevent long lines on event day, consider using QR codes and the Eventbrite Check-In App for ticket registration. That way, you’ll also have access to data on how many people have checked in at any point during the event. 

Post event: Feedback and evaluation   

Once your event is done and dusted, it’s time to look at how everything went and find ways to improve for next time. 

Chat with your team, vendors, and performers for some valuable insights. Use a Google Sheet and jot down as much detail as you can — you’ll thank yourself later. 

It’s also a great opportunity to convert first-time attendees into repeat customers, just like BLCK Market, which achieved a 28% recurring attendees rate.

You can do this by sending a ‘thank you for attending’ email, demonstrating that you value their feedback with a post-event survey.

💡Pro tip: Leverage an event management tool like Eventbrite that harnesses artificial intelligence to help you write email content, offers customizable post-event survey templates, and enables you to prepare and schedule your campaign in advance.

Keep calm, stay strong, and event on

Event project management is scary — especially when the event’s victory rests on your shoulders.  

But you don’t have to go through this alone. We’ve got you. 

At Eventbrite, we understand that seamless and successful events don’t just fall out of the sky. That’s why we created a platform to help make your life as easy as possible. 

From AI-driven event listings and email marketing campaigns to data-driven insights delivered straight to your inbox, Eventbrite takes the heavy lifting out of event management so you can focus on creating the event of your dreams.