Event Best Practices

Event Planning

Take time to come up with a plan. Don’t “wing it.”

Correctly estimate the time you need to plan an event based on the number of attendees you expect.
- Less than 100 attendees: 8 weeks
- 100-400 attendees: 8-12 weeks
- 400-800 attendees: 3-5 months
- 800+ attendees: 6 months to 1 year
Get help from Purdue for Life Foundation staff for promotional materials.
- Please remember that we request 4 weeks notice for the release of an email promoting an event. Please fill out a pre-event information form to request one or both. Please refer to Appendix D: Event Checklist and Budget Estimate Sheet as a reference guide with a detailed timeline.
Make a checklist for step by step organization and execution of your event.
Develop a budget for your event.
Remember that things will change. It is best to be flexible when planning an event.

Event Marketing

People won’t come to an event they don’t know about. In additional to proper planning, you need to get the word out.

Create a detailed marketing plan for your event. Involve all the members of your team who will be involved in the event and programming.
Be proactive.
Collaborate internally and externally.
Define good reasons for why people should attend your event. Create a buzz before your event even occurs by promoting:
- Membership benefits
- Special guest speaker/appearance
- Entertainment
- Organization update
- Educational content

Registration

Use registration to know who will be attending your event.

Give early bird incentives to people who register early.
Remember you will always have late sign ups.

Social Media

Using social media can not only help promote your event but also enhance the experience for attendees before, during, and after.

Use social media to promote your event.
Create FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) – Attendees will want to share a great experience. Create that great experience!
Encourage posting, sharing, and liking at your events.
Have a specific person in charge of social media for the event. This includes pre- and post-event.
Keep your social media followers on the same page for your event with a hashtag.
When designing the space for your event, remember your event is the backdrop for a photo. Think of the visual elements that would get your attendees to stop and take a photo and incorporate that into your event naturally.
Repost interesting stories and photos after the event.

Event Venue

The venue you select can be a draw for your event.

Keep in mind if the venue location would directly conflict with your brand and messaging.
If your event is outdoors, note your surroundings. What is nearby in sight that would conflict with your brand and messaging?
Do you have a rain location?
Ensure that the venue is equipped with what you need: food and beverage, lighting, Audio/Video, restrooms, Wi-Fi, etc.
For events larger than 300 attendees, a venue site visit is recommended.
Consider parking options for your attendees. Will you validate parking? Are your attendees older and might need more assistance? Do you need to mail out parking passes ahead of time?
If you plan to use technology during your event, check on the strength of their Wi-Fi. Have a test run of your technology BEFORE the event date.

Put Yourself in their Shoes

Think of the event from your attendee’s perspective.

Take time to walk through the flow of your event and what attendees will be experiencing.
If your attendees aren’t happy, regardless of the goal, they will leave with a negative impression of your brand.
Think through these stages:
- Arrival to venue
- Check-in
- First look at event space
- Food and beverage experience
- Programming, entertainment, event messaging, etc.
- Remember the A/V needed for your event. If no one on your team has knowledge in A/V, hire someone.
- Check with your venue on their house A/V system.
- Post-event communications/actions
Don’t overlook planning for what comes AFTER your event. Have a plan for post-event follow-up.
- Engaging follow-up email with survey, video, pictures, etc.
- Whatever your follow-up looks like, do it immediately. Logistics may be done, but it is important to connect with you attendees while it is fresh in their minds.

After the Event

Demonstrate the success of the event.

Go over financials of the event.
Evaluate the good, bad, and the ugly.
If this is recurring event, begin planning for next year

Keagan’s story

I’m walking with Grandparents University tour group near the steps of Hovde Hall. It’s a Thursday morning in July, and the only students around are between the ages of 7 and 14. I catch a snippet of a conversation between a grandmother and her grandson as she details the pranks she pulled with her friends around this area.

I smile because just a few months ago I was doing the same thing.

Grandparents University (GPU) is a two-day event where grandparents and their grandchildren embrace Purdue and all it has to offer.

Participants choose a specific major to study and attend a class taught by Boilermaker experts. The majors aren’t exactly like the ones we have here at Purdue, but they do get to do cool activities like creating hot sauce, designing monsters, flying drones, and cooking in a Purdue kitchen. It’s a great opportunity to see wisdom and curiosity combined in the classroom, as grandparents and their grandchildren collaborate on these projects. They’re equally willing to learn from the instructors —and from each other—while creating lasting memories.

They might not know it yet, but this Purdue experience at such a young age will help with their college decision in a few years.

My mother started working at Purdue when she was pregnant with me, so I’ve been familiar with the university my whole life. Many of my childhood memories are associated with different parts of campus, and these memories played a big part in my decision to attend Purdue. I was going to a place that I knew—a place I already considered a home away from home. In the same way, when these children make their college decisions, they will already have built connections with Purdue through Grandparents University.

It will also help they already have a Purdue degree!

At the end of GPU, the kids graduate just like regular students by walking across the stage of Elliott Hall of Music. They even have their own caps to decorate and keep—which is great because robe rentals would be a nightmare.

I had been to nine commencement ceremonies before my own in May, so I’m well-versed in Purdue graduations. Nevertheless, it was still fun to watch this one.

These children had learned so much more than what was taught in their major. They learned more about their grandparents and strengthened their connection with them. They learned about the university and what’s in store for them when they (hopefully) become Boilermakers. And at the Block Party, they befriended students they had never met before and hung out on Memorial Mall—just like regular college students.

It was almost exactly what I experienced throughout my college career. Yes, I got my degree and now have a job as was intended on this life path. But I also made lifelong friendships and went outside my comfort zone in ways that helped me grow as an individual.

Purdue shaped me and continues to shape me. I credit a lot of my growth as a person and a professional to my college career here, and a lot of what I know to the professors and instructors I had throughout my education.

Through Grandparents University, you have the opportunity to provide the same transformative experience for future Boilermakers. You can be the Purdue instructor that inspires a path that lasts a lifetime.

Patsy J. Mellott

BS College of Health and Human Sciences, 1969

Fishers, IN

Patsy earned a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition in business from Purdue in 1969, in addition to an MBA in food marketing from Michigan State University in 1970. She retired from Kraft Foods in 2006 after 36 years in corporate food marketing and marketing communications management.

A community volunteer, Patsy serves on the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana Advisory Board and the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, in addition to the President’s Council Advisory Board. She is a former member of the Health and Human Sciences Alumni Board. Patsy held several offices from 2006 through 2013, including president and treasurer. She serves her community’s Discover Indianapolis Club in Fishers, holding several leadership roles for over 10 years.

Patsy has received several honors, including the Purdue University Nutrition Science Department Hall of Fame recipient in 2009 and the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. She also received the college’s Gold and Black Award in 2016, an honor reserved for donors who have moved the college forward by committing exceptional financial resources.

In addition to endowing two scholarships, the Patsy J. Mellott Scholarship and Patsy J. Mellott HHS Scholarship, she established the Patsy J. Mellott Teaching Innovation Award in the College of Health and Human Sciences in 2013. In 2015, she endowed the Patsy J. Mellott Women’s Tennis Coach Performance Award. She is a lead donor in the Christine M. Ladisch Faculty Leadership Award and the Purdue Women’s Network Virginia C. Meredith Scholarship for the College of Health and Human Sciences.