10 Steps When You’re New to Event Planning
EVENT PLANNING GUIDE
10 Steps When You’re New to Event Planning
Updated on September 28, 2026 | Written by Rachella Thomas
We’ve all been there and felt it. Planning your first event can feel overwhelming.
Suddenly, you have a hundred things to do, everyone seems to need an answer, and you don't yet know which decisions come first. So take a breath, and remember that you don't have to plan the whole event at once.
Here are the first 10 things I'd work through when launching a new event.
1. Work Out Why You're Holding the Event
First, start with the ‘why’.
Before you look at venues or think about catering, clarify why the event is happening and what it's supposed to achieve. Is it about bringing people together? Raising money? Launching something? Educating an audience? Celebrating?
You don't need a grand mission statement. You just need enough clarity to judge the decisions that come next.
Read How to Create the Perfect Event Brief and Why It Matters
2. Get Clear on Who It's For
Then think about who you actually want to come.
Think beyond age or demographics. What will bring these people through the door? What do they need from the event? What would make it worthwhile for them?
An event designed for everyone usually isn't particularly well designed for anyone.
3. Put the Basics Into an Event Brief
Now get what you know out of your head and onto paper.
An Event Brief is a simple document that captures the foundations of the event: its purpose, audience, proposed date, location, size, budget parameters and the broad idea of what you're creating.
There will be blanks. That's fine. You're starting the planning, not finishing it.
Read How to Create an Event Brief (And Why You Need One)
4. Start a Budget
Next, start creating an event budget. Do this early in the event planning process, even if you don't know exact costs yet.
List what you're likely to spend money on and add your best estimates. Venue, catering, equipment, entertainment, staffing, signage, marketing and whatever else your particular event needs.
Your first budget will be wrong. That's completely normal. You'll replace estimates with real numbers as quotes start coming in.
Read How to Build an Event Budget in Excel
5. Build Your Planning Timeline
Next, make a working list of everything that needs to happen between now and event day and give each task a deadline.
You won't know every task yet. Start with the obvious ones, work backwards from your event date and keep adding to it. And if you’re not sure where to begin, get a ready-made event planning checklist.
This keeps the event out of your head and down on paper, so you can sleep a little easier each night.
6. Work Out What You Need From a Venue
Now start looking seriously for the perfect venue.
Before falling in love with a beautiful space, think strategically about how you'll choose a venue. Work out what the event actually requires: capacity, layout, access, catering, AV, accessibility, operating hours, supplier access and any other non-negotiables.
Choose the venue that works for the event, not the event you have to redesign to make the venue work.
7. Work Out Who's Doing What
Even a small event quickly creates more work than one person can sensibly manage on event day.
Start identifying who will handle the different areas of the event and where you'll need extra staff, contractors, suppliers or volunteers.
You don't necessarily need a huge team. You do need to know who is responsible for what.
8. Start Talking to Suppliers
Once you know what you need, start getting quotes and checking availability.
You don't need to book everyone at once. Prioritise suppliers that are essential to the event or likely to have limited availability, then work your way through the rest.
Keep those quotes, contact details, and decisions organised somewhere. Your inbox gets messy surprisingly quickly.
Read Managing Vendor Relationships in Event Planning
9. Think About Risk and Requirements
As the event takes shape, start asking what could go wrong and what you need to put in place to manage it. Even small events need an event risk management plan.
If you’re planning an event outdoors, you’ll also need a weather contingency plan (for example, what you’ll do if it rains or is extremely hot) and a process to stop the event if conditions become unsafe.
You'll also need to identify any insurance, permissions, licences, approvals or specialist requirements that apply to your particular event and location. Some of these can take time, so don't leave the checking until the end.
Read How to Plan for Weather Risks at an Outdoor Event
10. Start Building the Event Day
Finally, begin sketching out what actually happens on the day.
When can suppliers arrive? When does setup begin? When do guests arrive? What's happening throughout the event? When does pack-down start?
This will eventually become your Event Run Sheet. You won't have all the detail yet, and that's okay.
Start with what you know and keep adding to it as timings, suppliers and program details are confirmed. Building it early often exposes gaps or timing problems while you still have time to fix them.
Read Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Event Run Sheet
You Don't Need to Have It All Figured Out Yet
If you've worked through these ten steps and still have a long list of unanswered questions, please feel reassured… that's just what event planning looks like!
You aren't supposed to know everything at the beginning. Your job is to create enough structure to keep making the next decision, then the next one.
Start with what you know. Write down what you don't. And keep the planning moving.
→ If you found this Event Kit Guide useful, feel free to share it with a fellow event planner or your event network. They’ll appreciate you passing it on.
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Meet Your Mentor
Rachella Thomas is an award-winning event producer with more than 26 years of experience delivering major events. Her work includes the Australian Open, Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, and other renowned large-scale events and festivals.
Rachella founded Event Kit, where she turns decades of professional event know-how into practical tools for event planners worldwide.
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