An Event Managers Survival Kit for Event Day

In over a decade of managing events I have never showed up for event day without an Event Day Emergency Kit. The contents in my kits can include a pretty wide range of items depending on the event. For example, a golf tournament would require extra blank name tags, seating cards or cart labels. On the other hand, a formal dinner might require cable ties, lighters or safety pins. If you aren’t in a position to hire a professional event manager to run your event below is a list of the must have items to include in your kit no matter what type of event you are running.

- allergy medicine

- barbeque lighters (x3)

- bobby pins

- cable ties

- elastics

- extension cord

- first aid kit

- Floss picks

- hairspray

- iPhone and Android phone chargers

- mini stapler with extra staples

- mints

- Mouthwash + mini disposable cups

- pain relief medication

- pens/permanent marker/highlighters

- safety pins

- straight pins

- ribbon (pretty)

- Scissors

- sewing kit

- string (utility)

- superglue or glue gun and sticks

- Tape (carpet, clear, electric and clothing)

- three hole puncher (for last minute speech printouts or itineraries for stakeholders)

- Tissue packs (mini)

- USB sticks

- Wet wipes

And for yourself I highly recommend moving around the event with a clipboard or easily accessible binder. First of all, it signifies you are there for work which allows people to ask you questions quickly without having to ruffle through a crowd to find the person in charge. Secondly, it’s a time saver for you to have easy access to the documents you want to be able to reference quickly. This can include the venue contract, agreements with any vendors for the day. A contact sheet of everyone you might need to get a hold of during the day and so on.

My last industry advice is to be sure and pack lots of nutritious and protein based snacks. When you are onsite you never know when you will have a moment to run off to purchase food. Also as the event planner you will get so caught up in the hustle bustle of the event that you will rarely take time to sit down and eat something once guests are onsite. Fuel yourself as best you can before the doors to your event open up.

Happy planning!