Welcome to our new blog series, where I’m excited to share insider tips and expert advice straight from my perspective! Planning the perfect event can be a daunting task, but fear not – I’m here to guide you through every step of the process. Whether you’re organizing a corporate gathering, a milestone celebration, or a dreamy wedding, this how-to planning guide is your go-to resource for inspiration, practical tips, and invaluable insights. Join me as we embark on this journey together, turning your event visions into unforgettable experiences. Get ready to unlock the secrets to seamless event planning – let’s dive in!
Theme and Purpose:
The first step in my process is coming up with an overall theme. This event’s theme is going to be Galentine’s Day networking event for working women. With this theme, I would go with pink and red decor.
Once, I develop a theme, I come up with a name for my event. When coming up with a name for an event, you need to consider the theme of the event, the goal of the event, who will be attending, and any activities that will take place during the event.
Since this event is a Galentine’s Day event, I would like Galentine’s to be in the name. The goal of this event is networking, but I do not want to put that directly in the name. Since this event is aimed toward working women, I want to include something in the name that resembles that while still keeping the name short and sweet. A few words I could use would be grind, boss babe, professional, etc. The activities that will take place during this event are networking, eating, drinking, and maybe a game or two. For this reason, I am going to use gather as a word for the name of the event.
With all of these factors in mind, I came up with the name Galentine’s Grind & Gather. With a theme and a name, I can move on to planning the vision which includes decorations, stationary, signature drinks, food options, venue, and programming.
Even though Galentine’s Day officially falls on a Tuesday this year, I would plan on having this event on the day after Valentine’s on a Thursday night. This event will be a mid-week break from work and avoids the Valentine’s Day rush on Wednesday. Having the event on Thursday also avoids disrupting any weekend plans!
As far as which venue space I would choose for this event, I would go with Rabbit Hole! The caverns and vaults make the space feel intimate. This venue space is also the most beautiful, and an easy way to impress my guests and leave a lasting impression. The built-in booths and tables in the venue also save me from having to rent any additional furniture, and perfectly fit for the actitivities I have planned.
Designing the Vision:
Since this event is in Rabbit Hole, I would keep the decorations simple and let the venue speak for itself. I would go with some simple bud vases with red and pink flowers. These bud vases will also double as favors, and I’d have each of my guests take one home!
For more inspiration, we have put together a Pinterest board full of decoration and stationary inspiration. When it comes to stationary, I often try to match it to my decorations. For example, if I decorate with flowers. I would make sure my stationary includes these aspects. Stationary typically includes invitations, menus, name cards, etc.
Rabbit Hole can be difficult to find, so I would have a large signage right in front of the doors so my guests know they’re in the right place. I would also feature a picture frame of the night’s programming by the host stand to inform my guests.
For invitations, you can do this digitally through a company like Paperless Post or you can print them. It is really up to you and your preference. If I have all my guest’s email addresses, I would go with Paperless Post for this type of event.
Food and Drink:
Once we have decorations and stationary planned, I typically start developing a menu. The menu would depend on the venue’s catering options or an outside caterer’s options. Since this is an evening networking event, I am going to showcase our Bar Food Catering menu. I am going to choose the Spinach Artichoke Dip, Bourbon Meatballs, and Vegetable Crudités with Hummus, which I would serve in the Long Vault in Rabbit Hole. For a sweet option, I would create a picture-perfect dessert spread in Vault C. For my spread, I would order from Cannelle (located right up the street from our location!) and serve them on black slates.
When it comes to menu planning, I would also choose a suitable drink package and maybe a signature drink. For this event, I would go with 2 premium drink tickets per guest. For the signature drinks, I would serve a “Love Potion” Cocktail, and a “Cupid’s Arrow” Mocktail. For the Love Potion Cocktail, I asked our bartenders to create a drink based on the names, and they came up with a delicious bright red drink featuring Vodka, Cointreau, Grapefruit Juice, Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, Grenadine, served with a strawberry and mint garnish. For a mocktail, I would go simple with a sparkling pink lemonade served with edible glitter in a champagne glass.
Planning the Programming:
After I have worked hard to develop the vision for my event, I can move on to the program planning. The programming would include any activities, presentations, a timeline, etc.
I always start with the timeline so that I can plan the activities and presentations around other aspects.
5:45pm – Food is out
6pm – Event Starts
6:00 – 6:30pm– Guests arrive and mingle amongst themselves
7pm – Greet guests, introduce myself, give them the timeline for the evening
7:30pm – Start speed networking activity in Date Room. Guests split off into groups of 2 and talk for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes guests will rotate.
8:30pm – Speed networking ends. The next activity is wine tasting, guests will split off into groups of 4 and sit together in our built-in booths. Our bartenders will begin pouring the first wine sample. Groups will work together to come up with the tasting notes for each wine. They will try 4 different wines.
9:30pm – Wine Tasting ends.
10pm – Event Ends. Closing Remarks. Swag Bags are handed out. For my swag bags, I’d fill them with heart shaped chocolates, a soap bar from a local company, and some wine sampler bottles (ideally the same wines as the wines that were tried during the tasting!)
10:00pm-10:30pm – Cleanup! Since my decorations doubled as favors, there’s not much left for me to cleanup other than grabbing any leftover swag bags, my signage, and packing up the rest of the desserts. The bar staff will bus any glassware that’s left, while the venue’s Events Team cleans up their in-house catering.
What’s Next?
After the planning process, I send out my invites. Since I used Paperless Post, I also use this great tool to collect RSVPs as well as a way to mass send out any reminders or updates. I’ll also place an order for any printed signage I need as well as purchasing my favors and decor. Stay tuned for my next blog post on how I would setup and run this event!
As we embark on this journey of event planning together, I invite you to unleash your creativity, embrace the process, and transform your event visions into unforgettable realities. With the right guidance and inspiration, anything is possible. So let’s raise a glass to seamless event planning and the joy of bringing people together. Cheers to the journey ahead!
210 Events | Ann Arbor | Event Venues & Weddings 