Thanks everyone for tuning into the Live Office Hours - appreciate your patience with the process! For those of you who couldn't join, here is the recording - sorry for the awkwardness of talking at nothing :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1LNHnYx8iU&feature=plcp

So as promised, here are some materials and pointers that should help with putting together your own event plan. Please share your progress here, and let me know if you have any questions!

Event Plan Template

Here is the empty template for you guys to fill out with the to-do items and moving pieces that you are aware of already.
I would suggest starting in your To-Do List and in the Budget with the things that can't move and with the event date if there is one, and then throw in some things based on what you want your event to look like. The Contacts will likely be filled as you book vendors or obtain help or staffing support.
There may be a lot that you still need to figure out so don't feel discouraged if the document is really sparse. An event plan is a living, breathing creature that will grow and flex as your planning comes together. In fact, you may find that you'd need to modify the template to suit your needs - please do! I just found that across the board, these were the most important items to track.
Download template here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/71260239/Fun%20Event.xls

Example

Here is a good example, an event plan I helped my brother and sister in law put together.
Download example here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/71260239/Event%20Plan%20Example%20-%20J%2526E%20Wedding%20Schedule.xlsx

Some Inspiration

Sometimes coming up with inspiration and what you might want your event to look like is tough. I would suggest looking through Pinterest where there's plenty of things like this: http://pinterest.com/thevelvettrunk/diy-event-decor-ideas/ or http://pinterest.com/mrsjah/event-ideas/
Here are some blogs you can poke around to get some ideas: http://ohhappyday.com/ or http://ohjoy.blogs.com/my_weblog/everyday-party/ or http://permanently-disco.blogspot.com/2009/02/re-red-carpet-birthday-final-post.html (thanks Nadine for that last link!)

Fiona Tang

I'm your marketing & community stopgap, Startups

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