Book Review: The Essential Event Planning Kit by Godfrey Harris

Title: The Essential Event Planning Kit
Author: Godfrey Harris
Genre: Reference

Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, Read Your Own Books 2010, TBR Challenge 2010, Reading From My Shelves Project 2010, 100 + Reading Challenge, Pages Read 2010,


Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: 56
Published: Ninth Edition: October 2009 (The Americas Group – www.americasgroup.com)


Back Cover: A step-by-step system to help anyone organize and manage a memorable event of any size or complexity – meetings, dinners, inspections, exhibits, funerals, conferences, seminars, receptions, parties – by providing reproducible forms and easy-to-follow instructions on how to account for every activity, visualize every moment, and plan for every detail so that a function occurs on time, without stress, and within budget.


Mine“In the United States, most people attend some 24 events a year – birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, weddings, commemorations, receptions, opening, parties, etc.”
That in itself is daunting, but never fear the answer is here…..The Essential Event Planning Kit has a great checks and balance way to help you prepare for an event. No matter how large or small, private or corporate.
One of the best things is the forms that are found in the book that can be copied for personal use:
*Event Activities – the components of the event
* Planning Calendars – either monthly or annual
* Fundraising/Sponsorship – is there a purpose for the event
* Layout map – great for seated events
*Furnishings – to be used with the layout map
* Event Budget – the scariest part of any event made simplier
* Planning Guide – to be used with the calendar as a written timeline
* Event Checklist – the day of the event – who, what, where
* Event Program – who speaks and for how long
* Contingency Considerations – what if it rains and the event is outdoors - better to think of these things early on
* Event Goals & Evaluations – feedback and review is always good

This book is clear, concise and easy for anyone to use. Having done large lunches (400+ people) with a committee some of these forms would have been very helpful. Especially contingency considerations “ if something can go wrong it will”. I like the idea of event evaluations – what went well and what didn’t. The author also suggests that you save your forms for future events, it can help with organizing and avoiding pitfalls.