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The Final Goodnight: 5 Things You MUST Do Following an Event

When the event is over, the work is far from done. Any event manager worth their salt knows there’s still plenty left to do after the guests have said their final goodnight.

We’ve spent many years managing events, and the experience has left us with a solid after-event game plan. This game plan has helped us manage many excellent events and still stay upbeat and positive for the next one.

Want in on our MUST do list? Check it out:

Clean up – literally

After the event has ended, there’s always stuff to be packed up, thrown away, mailed out, or sent to lost and found. We never leave the venue a mess for someone else to deal with and because of this attention to detail, we make sure nothing gets left behind or lost in the process.

Say “thank you”

A little appreciation goes a long way. You’ll want to say thank you to everyone, and we mean everyone: your client’s event director or CEO and their employees, your own staff, the venue, the vendors, the guests—even thank the guys and gals at the valet! This seemingly small gesture builds rapport and fosters good relationships for down the road.

And say your “thank you’s” right away, either that night or the following morning. If you wait until a week after the event, the gesture loses its value.

Follow up

There are always a lot of post-event follow-up actions that need to be done. You may need to collect donations that are still outstanding, pay invoice balances, facilitate next year’s contracts, etc. While the event planning and management is in progress, keep a list of all the follow up items you’ll need immediately following the final moments of the event. This will help you keep track of everything while it’s fresh in your mind.

Lock folks in for next year

Build on the positive momentum of the event by asking for commitments for the following year. You can have this chat with sponsors[J1] , the venue, celebrity attendees, vendors, speakers—whomever you’d like to engage for the next annual event.

Debrief – internally and externally

Collect the good, the bad, and the ugly from your event (poll your staff who likely heard and saw things differently than you) to learn from and improve for next time. We create a final after-action report that our clients love to receive—it helps everyone see what needs to change or stay the same.

Decompress

This step is vital! Even in your busy season, you should always take time to relax, however briefly, after you’ve wrapped up a successful event. This might be an afternoon at the spa or five minutes in your office with the door closed and the phone off the hook—do whatever works for you, your schedule, and your budget!

Personally, I get a 90-minute massage when all is said and done. We also have TME spa days with our entire team each quarter so we can all relax for a little bit—it keeps everyone fresh for the next big event.

Contact us today, and we’ll help you button up every event so you feel ready and raring to go for the next one.