Event planning checklist: every step from event basics to check-in
This event planning checklist walks you through every decision behind professional attendee management for corporate events, in seven parts: event basics, event website, invitation emails, registration, hotels, add-ons and on-site check-in. Each item can be checked off, and the list comes straight from AirLST project work.
Event basics
Before you pick tools and processes, the project needs a clear frame:
- Define the occasion, goal and format of the event (conference, seminar, VIP event, trade show …)
- Set the date or date range and the run of show
- Confirm the venue and its capacity
- Estimate the guest count and define your audiences, including a guest limit and how to handle overbooking
- Assign responsibilities in the team and set a timeline up to the invitation send
To find the right setup for your format, see solutions by event type, from conference management to corporate event management.
Event website and landing page
The event website is your shop window and your registration portal at the same time:
- Decide which pages you need, for example Home, Agenda, Hotel, FAQ and Contact
- Define the language versions (for example English and German)
- Choose the domain for the event website
- Apply your brand guidelines and corporate design
- Open or closed registration: who is allowed to sign up?
How this works in practice is shown on the event website builder page.
Emails and invitations
The invitation process decides your response rate and the first impression:
- Plan and send a save-the-date early
- Personalize the invitation and design it in your brand
- Schedule reminders and follow-ups for guests who have not responded
- Define the registration confirmation, with a ticket and calendar entry if needed
- Clarify invoices and document delivery if you plan paid tickets
Every step of the send is handled by event invitation emails; all RSVPs come together in the digital guest list.
Event registration: which data do you collect?
The registration form determines how well you can plan, and how quickly guests get through it:
- Personal details: salutation, title, first name, last name, company, department, job title, address, email, phone
- Travel details: mode of arrival and departure (flight, train, car), dates and times, flight number, train number, shuttle needs
- Workshops: choice of workshop sessions, including capacity per session
- Side events: excursion, evening program, get-together, each with yes or no
- Dietary requirements and allergies, plus free-text comment fields
How to put the form together is shown on the event registration software page with custom forms.
Hotel booking
For events with overnight stays, hotel management belongs in the registration, not in email threads:
- Select hotels and room types
- Ask guests for their check-in and check-out dates
- Set room blocks per hotel and monitor them
- Clarify rates and who pays (organizer or guest)
Add-ons
Useful depending on the format, so decide up front what you need:
- Online payment for paid tickets (credit card, PayPal and more), see event ticketing software
- Abstract management for congresses with submissions
- Online surveys: a questionnaire after the event, see post-event survey
- Quota management for seats, tickets and program items
- Waitlist for sold-out events or single sessions
- Plus-ones including their details and which program items they attend
On site: check-in and guest service on event day
Event day is the real test of your attendee management:
- Name badges with barcodes: design them and organize printing, either in advance or right at check-in, see event badge printing
- Accreditation and on-site service: plan staff, stations and processes, see our on-site admission team
- Barcode scanning or RFID for entry and access to areas
- Access control for restricted areas (VIP, backstage, workshops), see event access control
- Event app as a digital booklet with agenda and information, see event app
- Test check-in stations and devices, see the event check-in app with QR code scanning
From checklist to execution
How other organizers have handled these items is shown in our customer stories and case studies, including Zalando, Amazon and Munich Airport.
Event planning checklist FAQ
What should an event planning checklist include?
A useful event planning checklist covers every decision that has to be made before invitations go out and everything that has to work on the day: the event basics (goal, format, date, venue, capacity, team), the event website, the invitation emails, the registration form, hotel booking for overnight events, add-ons such as payment or waitlists, and on-site check-in with name badges and access control. This page lists all seven parts in that order.
What data should you collect on an event registration form?
As much as you need and as little as possible. Contact details such as name, company and email are almost always useful; travel details, workshop choices, side events and dietary requirements only if you really need them for planning. Every extra field slows guests down. Which fields are possible is shown in section 4 above and on the event registration software page.
Can one event management platform cover the whole checklist?
Yes. The checklist is built around the AirLST platform: event website, invitation emails, registration, hotel management, online payment, quotas, waitlist, name badges and check-in are each a module of it. The features overview shows every module.
At what guest count is event management software worth it?
Earlier than many planners expect: as soon as RSVPs, special requests and changes have to be tracked by hand, a central guest list saves time and avoids errors. AirLST is free for events with up to 50 guests, so you can run a smaller event on the platform at no cost. Details are on the pricing page.
Is this event planning checklist available as a PDF?
The complete checklist is on this page. To keep a copy, use your browser's print function and choose "Save as PDF".