The event lifecycle refers to the series of distinct phases that an event goes through, beginning with early planning and ending with post-event evaluation. These stages each play a vital role in shaping the overall outcome of the event.
Whether you’re just starting out in your event planning career or you’ve been at it for a while, the phases of event planning can be overwhelming. It doesn’t help that many event “teams” are actually just one or two individuals trying to do the work of an entire team.
If you’re looking for event planning tips to help you manage the various stages of event planning, you’ll need to understand what the complete event lifecycle entails and how to optimize your strategy at every stage.
What is an event lifecycle?
An event lifecycle refers to the various stages of an event, from planning and preparation to execution and evaluation. It encompasses all aspects of an event, including budgeting, marketing, logistics, post-event review, and more.
Stages of the event lifecycle
The event management lifecycle consists of three general event stages: before the event, during the event, and after the event. All the steps within an event lifecycle model will fall under one of these three stages.
While the tasks included within these event stages might vary from event to event and might not perfectly match the event lifecycle example below, each planning phase can generally be broken down into manageable and predictable tasks with the help of event planning checklists.
Before the event: The planning stage
The success of your event hinges on all the work you do in the planning phase. This is the longest stage of the event lifecycle. Generally, your tasks before the event will include:
Defining your event goals, timeline, and budget
Basically, why are you putting on this event? What do you hope to get out of it? Make sure your goals and desired event ROI are clear, and keep these considerations front of mind as you continue to move through the event lifecycle.
As you define your event budget, consider how you can balance your expenses with expected event-related revenue sources. Your budget will likely need to include:
- Venue rental fees and utilities or event platform costs
- Vendors and suppliers
- Accommodations and hotel room blocks
- Event management software
- Event website, mobile app, and registration software
- Check-in and other onsite solutions
- Marketing and promotion
- Staffing and logistics
Choosing an event format
Whether your focus is corporate event planning or experiential events, different event types call for different formats. When choosing between an in-person, virtual, or hybrid event, there are a number of factors to consider.
Virtual events are an excellent way to expand your audience beyond those who are local or able to travel to an in-person event. Of course, hybrid events offer the best of both worlds—broader reach coupled with opportunities for in-person connection—but they’re also a more expensive option. Your event goals and budget will help you determine the best format for your event.
Selecting a date and venue (or virtual platform)
Which comes first, the venue or the event date? That really depends on your level of flexibility. Ideally, if you’re hosting an in-person event, you have a few possible dates in mind. That way, as you search for venues, you’ll have a wider selection, and you might find a venue you love is only available on your second choice of dates.
As you’re sourcing venues, be sure to consider your event size, sessions types and other programming, required and desired amenities, and technological needs.
If you’re hosting a virtual event, choosing a date becomes a bit simpler. Your dates will only depend on holidays and what works best for you, but you’ll need to consider the timing of your event to be sure it works for attendees across multiple time zones.
Curating speaker lineups and content
Your event content is a huge piece of the planning process—it’s what will attract the majority of your attendees. Fill up your event agenda with topics and speakers you know your target audience won’t want to miss, and take every opportunity to make your event stand out from others in your industry.
Recruiting sponsors and event partners
One way to generate event revenue is to take on event sponsors. These critical partnerships not only offer direct revenue but also the added benefit of cross-promotion. When your sponsors promote their presence at your event, they’re also promoting your event and brand.
Similarly, by promoting your sponsors across your marketing campaigns, you’ll have the advantage of using their brand to draw in attendees.
Promoting your event
Event marketing is crucial to the success of your events. After all, making sure people know about your event is the first step toward getting them to attend. This is where you’ll need to carefully consider your event branding, which marketing channels will be most effective, and how you can build an online presence for your event that helps it sell itself.
Promotional channels might include:
- Event website and registration pages
- Email marketing campaigns
- Webinars
- Social media
- Sponsors’ marketing channels
- Speakers’ social media
- Press releases and media attention
Planning for logistics
Event logistics can be tricky to coordinate—after all, there’s a lot that needs to be done to ensure your venue is ready for attendees and that all your programming will go off without a hitch.
As you work through your event logistics, you’ll need to consider elements such as:
- Staffing needs, as well as travel and accommodation for staff
- Technology needs, including how to deliver and install the tech you need for each session, event activity, etc.
- Materials that must be packed and shipped to and from your event
- Onsite equipment to create a more efficient event experience, such as check-in and badge printing kiosks
- Venue requirements for setup and teardown
- Food and beverage needs
During the event: The execution stage
The event execution stage is where you’ll see your event ideas come to life. During the event, you need to continually manage the flow of your event to keep things running as smoothly as possible, but if you’ve put time into the logistics and strategy required during the pre-event phase, you’ll be in good shape.
Your day-of event tasks will generally include:
Ensuring a smooth check-in process
The check-in area is an attendee’s first impression of your event, so you’ll want to make the process as smooth, welcoming, and easy as possible. Try to keep check-in bottlenecks to a minimum with ample employees and fast check-in and badging technology, scannable registrant QR codes, or tablets for quick name lookups.
Tracking attendance and engagement
The right event tech can help you collect and organize all the data segments related to attendance in real-time. Having attendees wear RFID badges can help you monitor where people are going and when, which is great for attendee tracking and engagement scoring—two crucial components in evaluating the success of your event.
With badge scanning, you can not only track individual attendees but also see which sessions are most popular, which exhibitor booths are seeing the most attention, which activities are attracting the most attendees, and more.
Facilitating networking
A main goal of many trade shows, conventions, and other events is making connections. In addition to hosting networking activities during your event and offering appointments scheduling software to help your attendees connect, make sure you’re doing your best to direct attendees to the exhibitors, sessions, and activities that would most suit their interests and needs.
Monitoring event security
You should have an event safety plan in place for every contingency, and if you’ve hired event security or are working with your venue to maintain safety, be sure you’re checking in regularly and have a reporting structure in place to ensure all incidents are attended to quickly.
Double-checking logistics
Every element you so carefully planned has to come together during the event, but it’s not always smooth sailing. It’s up to you to have backup plans in place for when things go wrong.
From malfunctioning microphones and late speakers to running out of coffee at 9 a.m., keep your eye on what’s working and what needs attention as your event progresses.
After the event: The analysis stage
The event is over. Take a big, but brief, sigh of relief. Then get ready to gather and analyze all of your event data so you can measure and report on your event ROI.
After your event wraps, it’s time to focus on:
Collecting feedback
You may have your own ideas about what worked or didn’t at an event, but it’s also important to get the perspective of attendees, speakers, sponsors, and other stakeholders.
After your event concludes, be sure to send out online surveys to hear what they liked or didn’t like and things they might want to see in the future. Look for actionable insights that can help you make data-driven decisions about future events.
Gathering and analyzing event data
Hopefully, you’ve been automatically collecting your event data all along with the help of your event software. Now, it’s time to bring it all together to get the full picture. As you evaluate the data you have available, consider your goals and key performance indicators (KPIs). Which data points can help you prove that you’ve met or exceeded those goals?
Creating a post-event report
Use your event data and feedback responses to build a comprehensive post-event report that provides an accurate snapshot of your event and your insights from the data collected. You’ll use this report in the final stage of the event lifecycle—proving your event ROI.
Hosting an event debrief to prove ROI
To wrap everything up for this event cycle, conduct an event debrief with your team and key stakeholders. Go through your report to discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what could be done differently to make your event even better next time. Share whether your event goals were sufficiently met and what your event ROI looks like, from revenue to engagement metrics.
Building your event technology stack
The importance of event technology in running a successful event program cannot be overstated. 89% of businesses that use event technology say it saves them around 200 hours per year.
Of course, it has to be the right fit. G2 recently found that 67.4% of event planners changed or planned to change their event software in 2024. They may have new business needs that their current event management software can’t accommodate, or they need something that’s easier to use and adaptable to their changing needs. Either way, it’s important to choose your tech wisely.
Event planning is challenging enough without having to work with inflexible event tech or trying to cobble together various solutions. As one stage of event management flows into the next, so too should the event management software you use help your data flow seamlessly. This can be the difference between an event lifecycle that moves smoothly through all its steps and stages and one that gets stopped in its tracks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the event planning cycle?
The event planning cycle is the process of planning and managing events, including event research, coordination, execution, and evaluation.
What is the event management process?
The event management process involves three distinct stages: planning, execution, and evaluation. Throughout this process, event planners must complete their entire event management checklist to ensure the success of their events.
What are the stages of event management?
The stages of event management include planning, execution, and evaluation.
