Event Logistics Checklist

What event logistics covers

Planning decides what the event is: the goal, the audience, the program and the budget. Logistics makes it happen physically. A useful test: if a task involves a delivery, a vehicle, a room, a cable, a queue or a person standing somewhere at a set time, it is logistics.

Most logistics problems on the day trace back to one of three causes. Something was assumed rather than confirmed in writing. Nobody owned a task that sat between two suppliers. Or a single point of failure, such as one printer, one internet connection or one person with the keys, had no backup. The checklist and tips below are built around those three.

• Venue and layout

  Rooms, capacities, the floor plan, furniture, access times and house rules.

• Suppliers

  Catering, AV, staging, furniture, signage, security and cleaning, each with a confirmed order and a named contact.

• Movement

  Deliveries, load-in and load-out, parking, shuttles, and accommodation for speakers and staff.

• Attendee flow

  Registration, check-in, badges, wayfinding and session rooms.

• People

  Staff and volunteers, with their roles, shifts and briefings.

• Contingency

  Backups for power, internet, printers and key people, plus the venue's emergency procedures.

The event logistics checklist

Copy this into your planning document and add an owner and a status column. The lead times suit a mid-sized conference; book earlier in busy seasons or popular cities.

Event logistics countdown: the final month

Most logistics work lands in the last four weeks. A simple countdown keeps it in order:

1. 1

   Four weeks out

   Send every supplier a written summary of what they are providing, when and where, and ask them to confirm it. Lock the floor plan and send it to the venue, AV and exhibitors.

2. 2

   Two weeks out

   Confirm delivery and load-in slots, staff shifts and the check-in plan. Test badge printing with the real badge stock and printers.

3. 3

   One week out

   Give catering final numbers, print signage, send the know-before-you-go email to attendees, and share the contact sheet with everyone working the event.

4. 4

   The day before

   Walk the venue with the venue manager. Set up and test registration, Wi-Fi, power, AV and printers, then brief staff and volunteers.

5. 5

   Event day

   Open check-in early, keep one person free to solve problems rather than staff a station, and log issues as they happen.

6. 6

   After the event

   Supervise load-out, return rentals, check supplier invoices against what was delivered, and write down what to change next time.

Event logistics management tips

A checklist tells you what to do. These habits make sure it actually gets done:

• Keep one master document

  A single logistics sheet with every item, its owner, its supplier contact and its status. When details live in email threads, things get missed.

• Name an owner for every line

  A person, not a team. Gaps usually sit between two suppliers, such as who moves the screens from the main room to a breakout.

• Confirm everything in writing

  Quantities, times and access arrangements agreed by phone are easy to forget or dispute. A short confirmation email settles them.

• Build in buffers

  Leave slack between load-in and doors opening, and between sessions where rooms need resetting.

• Remove single points of failure

  A second internet connection, a spare printer, a printed attendee list and a deputy for every key role.

• Walk the attendee's route

  From the parking lot or station to registration, sessions, restrooms and exits. Wherever you hesitate, add a sign or a person.

• Run the day from a run of show

  A minute-by-minute schedule that tells every team what happens when, and who gives the cue.

  Run of show guide

• Plan for poor Wi-Fi

  Venue internet can struggle once a hall fills up. Use check-in tools that keep working offline, and do not depend on attendees downloading anything at the door.

Supplier confirmation email template

Send a version of this to every supplier about four weeks before the event, and again whenever something changes. It turns verbal agreements into a written record both sides can check.

Subject: Confirming [service] for [event name], [date]

Hi [name],

Ahead of [event name], here is a summary of what we have agreed. Please reply to confirm, or tell us what has changed.

Event: [event name]
Venue and address: [venue, address]
Date(s): [date(s)]

What you are providing:
- [item or service, quantity]
- [item or service, quantity]

Delivery or arrival: [date and time], via [loading dock or entrance]
Setup complete by: [time]
Service times: [times]
Collection or teardown: [date and time]

Our on-site contact: [name, mobile]
Venue contact: [name, mobile]

Access notes: [parking, elevator sizes, ID needed, house rules]
Invoice to: [name, company, PO number]

Thanks,
[your name]
[phone]

How Eventdex helps with event logistics

Eventdex is event software. It does not source venues, book catering or AV, arrange transport or supply event staff such as ushers or security. It handles the attendee side of logistics, where the attendee list, the floor plan and check-in need to agree with each other:

• Floor plans

  Draw the hall with booths, aisles and open areas, let exhibitors book their booth on it, and update the layout as plans change.

  Event floor plan software

• Registration that feeds check-in

  The registration you build is the list you check people in from and print badges for, so there is no spreadsheet between planning and the day.

  Event registration software

• Check-in that works offline

  QR check-in on several devices at once, self-service kiosks, and check-ins that keep working in venues with poor or no internet.

  Check-in and badge printing

• Printers and devices

  The badge printers, scanners, tablets and routers the onsite apps support, listed in one place.

  Supported devices

• The event app

  The agenda, a floor map, event documents and push notifications for last-minute changes, in a branded app.

  Event mobile app