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Eventdex

Event Planning Guides

Practical guides for the people who plan and run events: what each event format involves, templates and checklists to copy, and how registration, check-in and networking work on the day. Each one links to the Eventdex tools that cover its subject.

Event formats explained

What webinars, symposiums, trade shows and hybrid events are, and how to run one.

  • What Is a Webinar?

    What is a webinar? The meaning, how webinars work, the main types and formats, and a step-by-step plan and run sheet for hosting your own.

  • What Is a Symposium?

    What is a symposium? The meaning, how it differs from a conference or seminar, a sample one-day symposium agenda, and the steps to plan one well.

  • What Is a Trade Show?

    What is a trade show? How trade shows work for organizers, exhibitors and attendees, the main types, a glossary of trade show terms, and how one is run.

  • What Is a Hybrid Event?

    What is a hybrid event? The meaning, examples and models, how hybrid compares with in-person and virtual events, and how to plan one that works.

  • How to Organize a Community Event

    How to organize a community event in 10 steps: purpose, volunteers, budget, venue and permits, promotion and the day itself, plus ideas and a timeline.

Planning templates and checklists

Forms, timelines, schedules and run sheets to copy and adapt.

  • Run of Show: Meaning and Template

    What a run of show is, what goes in one and how to write it, with a free run of show template to copy for conferences, galas and live events.

  • Free Event Planner Template

    A free event planner template to copy: overview and goals, team, budget, timeline, venue, guests, program and event day, with tips for using it.

  • Event Planning Timeline Template

    A free event planning timeline template, from six months out to the week after, with how far ahead to start and how to build a timeline backwards.

  • Event Schedule Template

    Free event schedule templates for a one-day event and a multi-track conference, what each session needs, and how to build a schedule attendees follow.

  • Event Planning Form Template

    A free event planning form template with the questions to ask about purpose, date, audience, budget, venue, food, program and approvals, and how to use it.

  • Event Budget Template and Guide

    How to build an event budget: expense and income categories, a free event budget sheet to copy, break-even, contingency and tracking actual costs.

  • The Event Planning Process

    The event planning process in seven steps: goals, budget, venue, program, registration, the event day and follow-up, with roles and a brief template.

  • Conference Agenda Template

    How to write a conference agenda: what to include, a sample one-day agenda, a copy-ready template, and tips for tracks, breaks and last-minute changes.

  • Fundraising Event Planning Template

    A free fundraising event planning template: goals, budget and revenue lines, a timeline, committee roles, a day-of checklist and donor follow-up steps.

Corporate events and event marketing

Ideas, proposals, invitations and marketing plans for business events.

  • Trade Show Marketing

    Trade show marketing for exhibitors: set goals, book meetings before the show, run the booth, capture qualified leads and follow up, with a timeline.

  • Corporate Event Ideas

    Corporate event ideas sorted by goal: team building, client and customer events, company meetings, celebrations and hybrid formats, and how to pick one.

  • Corporate Event Management

    What corporate event management is, the types of corporate events, the process from brief to report, who does what, and what to look for in software.

  • Event Proposal Template

    A free event proposal template to copy, with what goes in each section, a budget summary layout and tips for writing a proposal that gets approved.

  • How to Invite Busy Executives to Events

    How to invite busy executives to events and peer groups: what they look for, the invitation steps, copy-ready email templates and the mistakes to avoid.

  • Event Marketing Plan

    How to write an event marketing plan: goals, audience, message, channels, timeline and budget, with a copy-ready template and what to measure.

  • Services of an Event Planner

    The services of an event planner: budgets, venues, suppliers, guests, the program and the day itself, plus service levels and how to choose a planner.

Registration, check-in and onsite

Registration forms, RSVPs, badges, crowds and the event day itself.

  • Event Logistics Checklist

    An event logistics checklist by area and by week: venue, suppliers, load-in, Wi-Fi, transport, check-in, staff and safety, plus tips for managing it all.

  • Event Registration Form

    What to put on an event registration form: the fields to ask for, a copy-ready template, questions by event type and the registration page around it.

  • What RSVP Means

    What RSVP means, how to reply, and how to collect and manage RSVPs for business events: the RSVP website, invitation wording, reminders and waitlists.

  • How to Choose a Name Badge Printer

    How to choose a name badge printer for events: label, card and sheet printers, badge sizes, connections, how many you need, and fixes for common problems.

  • Crowd Management at Events

    Crowd management at events: plan capacity and flow, spread out arrivals, staff the pinch points, watch numbers on the day and brief your team.

Virtual, hybrid and networking

Online events, conference apps and helping attendees meet.

  • How to Host a Virtual Event

    How to host a virtual event in 10 steps: set the goal, pick the format and platform, build the program, promote it, rehearse, run it live and follow up.

  • Virtual Event Ideas

    Virtual event ideas that get people taking part: learning formats, networking, games, trade show and sponsor ideas, and how to match each one to your goal.

  • Networking Apps for Events

    How event networking apps work: attendee profiles, AI matchmaking, meeting scheduling and chat, how to choose one, and how to get attendees to use it.

  • Conference App Guide

    What a conference app does, the features attendees use, what organizers, exhibitors and sponsors get from it, how to choose one and how to drive downloads.

Event management topic guides