Your Event Management Plan: Download the Free Excel Template

Often the biggest disasters are the ones you didn’t see coming — because everyone thought that someone else took care of it. When roles and responsibilities within an event team are not 100% nailed down, things are bound to go wrong. That is why you need an Event Management Plan that outlines all responsibilities from the get-go.

Often the biggest event planning disasters are the ones you don’t see coming — simply because the roles and responsibilities of your event team weren’t clearly defined and something slipped through the cracks.

The good news is that these kinds of mishaps are easy to avoid with the right planning strategy.

Download the Event Management Plan Excel Template if you want to:

• Learn how to use the “Responsibility-Accountability-Consult-Inform” approach to event planning
• Eliminate doubt by defining who is (and isn’t) responsible for each task
• Avoid a ‘he said, she said’ scenario on event day because everyone thought an important task was someone else’s job
• Ensure your event stays on track to achieve the goals of all stakeholders, not just the ones organizing the event

Preview

How to use the Event Management Template to clarify roles and responsibilities

The simplest way to ensure all responsibilities are clearly defined is to use a event management practice referred to as ‘RACI’. RACI stands for:

• Responsibility: Assigned to those expected to complete a specified task
• Accountability: Assigned to those who are ultimately accountable for ensure a task is completed to standard (and on time)
• Consulted: Assign this role when a key stakeholder or manager needs to provide an opinion and/or approval before a decision can be made or task finalised by those responsible
• Informed: Assign this to anyone who should be kept in the loop about the progress of the event at different stages, but doesn’t need to offer an opinion/approval in order for a particular task to be completed.

In this spreadsheet, list all key event planning tasks and assign a staff member or team with a corresponding letter based on their role i.e. R for responsible, A for accountable, C for consulted and I for informed. In some cases, those responsible for a task may also be accountable for its completion. In those cases you assign them as ‘AR’ or ‘Accountable/Responsible.’

To work effectively, you should define tasks in as much detail as possible, ensuring that each is a distinct job that can be completed. For example, ‘send email invites’ would not include ‘defining the target audiences,’ or ‘create the event design and communication templates,’ which are both separate tasks.

Every person (or function/department) referenced on the RACI event management plan must agree to the final document, and ideally the whole project team should have weekly catch-ups to discuss progress against the key milestones.