Pre-event planning checklist
A list of considerations beforehand and on-site the day of the event.
Through pre-event planning sessions and conversations the planning team will need to:
- Set a date & topic
- Practice or prototype parts of it as needed
- Venues to consider: Offices, Bars/ restaurants, Schools/ classrooms
- Arrange other logistics (food, ticketing, supplies, budget, sponsors, stickers, schwag)
- Invite people and market the event (email, social media, etc.)
- Send out the agenda beforehand to get people interested, and let them know what to expect
- Is there a hashtag?
- Plan activities based on event goals (find speakers and content, organize a panel, draft conversation prompts, plan exercises, ensure everything is ready in time)
- Clarify roles and responsibilities to handle day-of logistics (e.g. set-up, greeters, clean up)
If you host recurring meetings at a regular cadence in the same space, logistical planning is streamlined.
If you’re hosting a large event like a hackathon, training, or conference - this type of planning can take months and involve multiple teams.
Physical events
- signage
- furniture
- AV set-up
- food
- a welcome/registration area
- nametags
Virtual events
- getting media queued up
- ensuring presenters are there, and prepared
- ensuring both AV and event tech is working as expected
Setting up the space with care, and in community, can make you a more grounded host who’s not stressing about details when people arrive.
You might want to build up a portable kit of stuff to help you host events, including:
- Signage
- Schwag (e.g. stickers)
- Nametags & pens
- Flipchart and markers
- Video cameras/ web-cams
- Microphones
- Speakers
Connect with a peer mentor on hosting events - access codes listed here for Autodesk Group Network members.
Become a peer mentor

Last modified 2yr ago