Organizing an event requires paying attention to many different factors and investing a great deal of time in preparation, but we can be sure that the better the planning, the more successful the event will be. Among the different tasks that an organizer must take on, it is essential that he or she knows how to do a briefing. Without this first basic step, the organization of an event can turn into a disaster.
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What is a briefing?
One of the difficulties of working in a team, or a job that must be distributed among several people even if they work independently, is to make sure that everyone involved is clear about what they should do, how they should do it and when they should do it.
The briefing is an informative document that gathers all the necessary data to start planning the event.
Investing time in the preparation of this information will save work in the organization and avoid mistakes.
The briefing will briefly summarize basic information about the event, such as who is organizing it, what is the objective, type of audience, among others. This way we make sure that the work we are going to do is exactly what the client expects from us.
Once it is ready, this document will serve to give basic information to the rest of the team members who are going to participate in the organization and will also operate as a basic scheme when assigning and distributing tasks.
Its main purpose is to present the event to third parties so that they get enough information from it to understand what the event will be about and what it will be like.
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How to make a briefing for an event?
This small guide or outline of work is different from those prepared in other sectors, but it must meet three basic requirements.
- Brevity
This document is not the format to develop in detail everything related to the organization. It is rather a small outline with which we can get an idea of how the organizational work will be developed later.
- To be collected in writing
The information should always be in writing. This not only makes it more visual, but also allows it to be sent quickly to all those who need to know it.
- Realistic
One of the first keys to keep in mind when organizing an event is that both the objectives and the planned activities must be realistic.
The more realistic the briefing is, the happier the client will be with the results and the easier it will be for the team to get down to work.
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Essential contents of an event briefing
Every briefing is different, but if what is going to be organized is an event, there is some information that cannot be missing. In order for the organizer and his team to get down to work, it is necessary that they have some basic information that will help them to have a clearer idea of how to orient their work, and that is why the briefing is necessary.
A briefing template can be prepared and given to the client along with some brief instructions so that he can fill it in with the data, but it is usually more effective to have a meeting between the event organizer and the client and then have the organizer fill in the briefing and present it to the client to make sure that all the information contained in this document is correct.
- Objective pursued
Knowing the intended purpose is essential to be able to think about the type of activities to be prepared. All organizational activity will revolve around this information.
The objectives must comply with the SMART rule, be measurable, achievable, realistic, specific, and achievable within a certain time frame.
- Target audience
Another essential aspect for the final result to be a success. Depending on the type of public to which the event is addressed, some activities may be chosen or others.
This information also influences other issues such as the language and type of communication to be used, the channels to publicize the event, etc.
- Description of the company
When the client behind the event is a company, it is essential that the event fits with the corporate image of the company. Therefore, it is necessary to know the company well, not only what it does, but also what its values are.
- Limitations
Due to the product to be presented, or to the conditions of the event, in some cases it is necessary to establish some limitations, and these should be stated in the briefing. For example, if a new alcoholic beverage is to be presented, it is clear that the event cannot be attended by minors.
- KPIs
These are the factors that will be measured to determine whether or not the event has been a success.
- Budget estimation
Drawing up the budget for a project is not easy, but it is essential for the organizer to keep in mind from the outset the amount that the client can devote to the event. This helps to be much clearer about what kind of things can be included in the organized event and what should be left out.
- Timing
Last but not least, it is essential for the organizers to know from the very beginning how much time they have ahead of them.
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Example of a briefing for a fashion brand launch event
Let’s suppose we have to organize an event to present a new fashion brand aimed at a young audience, the briefing could contain these basic elements:
- Objective: to unveil a new clothing brand.
- Audience: men and women from 20 to 40 years old who like to dress in a casual style.
- Company description: family business with 30 years of experience in the youth textile field, which now wants to make itself known to a more adult public. Interested in offering products with a minimal ecological footprint.
- Constraints: to be consistent with the company’s values, it is requested to reduce the presence of plastics and non-recyclable materials to the minimum possible.
- KPIs: in this case, the aim is to attract as many people as possible to the event.
- Budget estimate: the company has a budget of €20,000 for the event.
- Timing: the event must be held during the first week of March.
With all these data, the organizer should have more than enough information to start drawing his action plan and design an event that meets the requirements requested by his client.
But this document should not only be known by the organizer, he should also be sent to his collaborators and to all the companies he works with in the preparation of the event. If everyone involved sticks to the briefing and the work plan, it is much more likely that the final result will be the success the client wanted.It is not compulsory to elaborate this scheme of work, but now that you know how to make a briefing, you have surely seen the advantages it has for the organizers, their team and the clients themselves. Try to elaborate a briefing in your next professional assignment and you will see how everything becomes easier.