Event Planning Tips For Clubs & Associations

Running events can be challenging; I've previously shared how I nearly died on a poorly planned kayaking trip with my friends. The response to the article on that near-death experience got me thinking about a whole series of "How Not To" articles.

The problem is, my friends and I are basically walking disasters. Every adventure seems to turn into a "how I almost didn't make it back" story. We're talking "nearly got caught in a bushfire," "almost became a scuba statistic," and even "almost ended up on a true crime podcast twice in one trip”. So, the morals of these articles would be exactly the same; we need to plan better. You'd think that someone so prone to overthinking would make better choices, but apparently not.

 

 

So, since I'm clearly the last person who should be giving advice on this topic, I figured I'd do some actual research on how to plan a good event. So, consider this your guide to planning a successful club or association event; a "do as I say, not as I do" scenario, if you will. Don't worry; I've packed it with helpful tips.

Club & Association Event Planning Fundamentals

Know Your Audience & Purpose 

The first step in planning an excellent club event is to understand the purpose of your event and its target audience. Are you raising funds, recruiting new members, or simply having fun? Additionally, consider whether the event is for the entire club, a subgroup within the club, all members, members and their families, or if it will be open to the public. Once you clarify who your event is for and what it aims to achieve, you'll have a clear indication of what the event should look like.

For example, I recently helped plan a friend's younger sibling's 21st birthday party. For that party, we organised cheap alcohol, cheap pizzas, a beer pong table and goon of fortune. For those of you blessed enough not to know what goon of fortune is, it is where you buy a goon bag of wine, which costs about $15 for four litres of "wine" (so quality stuff). You then use clothes pegs to attach it to a hills hoist clothesline, stand around in a circle and spin the clothesline; whoever the goon stops closest to has to skull. The game ends when someone gets hospitalised.  

 

 

For obvious reasons, when I helped organise my grandfather's 80th birthday party earlier this year, I did not set up a beer pong table or goon of fortune; instead, we had heartfelt cards and a custom cake. 

Knowing your audience, what you're trying to achieve, and whether alcohol poisoning is an acceptable outcome is key to planning a successful event. 

Plan Your Budget & Timeline

Another important part of planning a successful club event is your event's budget and timeline. Start by establishing a realistic budget early on, factoring in all potential expenses and exploring funding options if needed. One of the many benefits of running club events is that they can be great money spinners for clubs that often have to operate on shoestring budgets. So, making sure you have taken the time to budget properly and ensure your event makes financial sense is crucial.

Another important part of planning a successful club event is your event's budget and timeline. Start by establishing a realistic budget early on, factoring in all potential expenses and exploring funding options if needed. One of the many benefits of running club events is that they can be great money spinners for clubs that often have to operate on shoestring budgets. So, making sure you have taken the time to budget properly and ensure your event makes financial sense is crucial.

You also need to develop a detailed timeline that plans out your event date, outlining deadlines for each task needed. Break down the planning process into smaller, manageable steps and use a checklist to ensure nothing is overlooked. Assign tasks to team members, track progress, and utilise organisational tools to streamline collaboration.

Consider creating a dedicated sub-committee to lead your upcoming event. This approach introduces fresh perspectives and enthusiasm to the planning process and enables your main committee to concentrate on their regular responsibilities. By having a team focused solely on the event, you can ensure greater attention to detail and achieve a more successful outcome.

While careful planning is crucial, flexibility is equally important. Be prepared to adapt your plans as needed, as unexpected situations can arise. By balancing careful planning with a proactive and adaptable approach, you can increase the likelihood of a successful and enjoyable event.

Use An Event Management System 

Streamlining your club's event planning and execution is crucial for achieving success, and leveraging a digital event management system can be a game-changer. These systems offer a centralised platform to manage various aspects of your events, from initial planning and ticket sales to post-event analysis.

Platforms like Eventbrite, Trybooking, and membership management systems like Member Jungle provide a range of features that simplify event organisation. They can help you streamline tasks such as:

 

• Event Promotion: Create event pages, manage registration, and promote your events through various channels.
   
• Ticketing and Registration: Sell tickets online, track registrations, and manage attendee information efficiently.
   
• Communication: Send automated reminders, updates, and post-event surveys to attendees.
   
• On-site Management: Facilitate smooth check-ins, track attendance, and manage event logistics.
   
• Post-Event Analysis: Gather valuable data on event performance, attendee feedback, and financial outcomes to improve future events.

 

By utilising an event management system, you can reduce the stress of event planning, improve organisation, and ultimately create a more successful and enjoyable event for both your club and members. Choosing the right system will depend on your specific needs and budget, so explore your options and check out Trybooking vs Eventbrite vs Member Jungle. 

To find out more about how Member Jungle’s event management system works, read How To Run An Event With Member Jungle - A Guide.

How To Make Your Club’s Events Awesome

Take Care Of The Little Details At Your Club Events

While big ideas and flashy plans are great for making an event memorable, it's often the little things that really make a difference. Start with the basics, like ensuring plenty of food and drinks. Whether you're doing a potluck, hiring caterers, or setting up food stalls, just make sure everything fits with the theme of your event and takes into account any dietary restrictions your guests might have. 

If you are bringing in outside vendors to sell food or equipment, consider negotiating a percentage of their sales to go back to your club. It's a win-win situation: the vendors get the opportunity to sell to a large audience at your event, and your club benefits from a share of their sales. What’s not to love?

Double-check that you have the basics covered. Is there enough seating, sun protection on a hot day, maps so people don't get lost, and a wet weather plan? The lunch in the park at the end of your classic car cruise will be a lot less appealing if it's flogging down. 

 

 

To make your events more exciting, add some creativity and engagement. Whether for the whole event or just a part, a themed event or activity can really ramp up member involvement. Think about cool themes that connect with what your club loves. For example, if you have a book club, why not throw a "Literary Characters" party where everyone dresses up as their favourite fictional heroes or villains? Or, if your club is all about photography, you could set up a photo exhibition with themes like "Urban Landscapes" or "Portraiture."

If your club is more inclined towards the outdoors, the possibilities are endless. Organise a themed hike with nature trivia or a scavenger hunt, or plan a camping trip focusing on astronomy and stargazing. 

You could run a fast and furious themed car cruise where everyone dresses up as Vin Diesel, the Rock and former Commonwealth Games figure diver Jason Statham. And yes, that is true; Statham represented Britain in the 1990 Commonwealth Games for three different figure-diving events. 
 

To ensure everyone has a great time, it's important to tie the theme and activities to what your club cares about. By connecting with your club's unique vibe and interests, you can throw events that really bring people together, encourage folks to get involved and create lasting memories.

Promote Your Club Events 

Event attendees are a key part of events. Really, events aren’t events without people actually attending them. A birthday party without guests is just solo drinking surrounded by balloons. 

 

In a word, sinister. 

Having a solid promotion plan is super important to get more people to show up to your events and create some buzz around them. It’s all about mixing different online and offline methods to connect with your audience best.

Online Promotions For Club Events

• Social Media - Use social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to set up fun event pages and share awesome visuals. This will help you promote your events to a bigger crowd. Don't forget to use relevant hashtags to get more eyes on your posts, and think about targeted ads to connect with specific groups of people if that is within your event budget. 
   
• Email Marketing - Email marketing is an incredibly effective strategy for promoting your events. Build an email list of club members and interested individuals to send out event announcements, reminders, and updates. Email marketing is great for marketing to your entire network or picking and choosing subgroups to focus on.
   
• Website and Blog Presence: If your club has a website or blog, create dedicated event pages with detailed information, registration links, and engaging visuals. This provides a central hub for all event-related details and allows potential attendees to easily find the information they need.
   
• Online Event Calendars: Submit your events to online community calendars that all your members can see so they have a clear visual representation of what is coming up at your club.
   
• Membership Management Systems - Membership management systems like Member Jungle provide all of the above features (besides being a social media site) and many more to help you promote your club events. Email marketing systems, websites, blogs, dedicated events pages with customisable digital calendars, push notifications, SMS marketing mobile apps etc. If you aren’t already using a membership management system, it is definitely something you should consider. To find out more about membership management systems, read What Is Membership Management Software For Nonprofits? - All Your Questions Answered.

Offline Promotion

Your event promotion can't be all digital; you should also mix in some classic analogue promotions to make sure that everyone hears about your upcoming event. Whether it's putting up posters at your club's base of operations, handing out flyers, or encouraging members to spread the word by word of mouth, these traditional methods can be surprisingly effective.

By implementing a comprehensive promotion strategy that combines online and offline channels, you can effectively reach your target audience, generate interest, and ensure your club events are well-attended and ultimately successful. 

Find Out More About How Member Jungle Can Help Your Club’s Events

We’ve covered some of the most useful tips for running a successful event for your club or association. I’ll also have you know it’s been over one whole year since I nearly died on some poorly planned trip, so if I can grow as a person, there’s hope for all of us.  

For more info on how Member Jungle’s event management system works, read How To Run An Event With Member Jungle - A Guide.

To find out how Member Jungle can make running club events easier and more fun, check out With Member Jungle’s Event Management System, Even Committees Have Fun.