{"id":9468,"date":"2025-03-07T13:19:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T20:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tycoonevents.ca\/?p=9468"},"modified":"2025-03-07T13:19:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T20:19:45","slug":"timelines-101-the-backbone-of-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tycoonevents.ca\/?p=9468","title":{"rendered":"Timelines 101: The Backbone of Events"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The importance of event timelines isn\u2019t rare knowledge, but a topic that we still don\u2019t see talked about very much is how to approach the creation <\/em>of timelines when faced with a brand new event. Where do you start? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blog post isn\u2019t meant to be a roadmap to creating a full critical path, but we do have some tips to share. These might be helpful for event planners who are just starting out, or for folks who have hired an event planner, because even if you aren\u2019t the one worrying about the timelines, it\u2019s good to have an idea of what goes into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Platforms To Use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a ton of platforms out there for creating timelines – ranging from simple task managers such as Asana to full-blown project management software such as Smartsheet. While it largely depends on the complexity of the events, here at Tycoon we like to keep things simple and use Google Sheets (Microsoft Excel equivalent). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We strongly recommend using spreadsheets as opposed to Microsoft Word\/Google Docs. Having each task line by line in a spreadsheet keeps things organized, and makes it easier to manipulate if things need to be moved around later on. You can also colour code things and use conditional formatting and dropdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking It Into Small Chunks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timelines can seem like a monolith when you start them out – even for a simple one-day event, there are hundreds of tasks involved to put everything together. It\u2019s helpful to group things by service area so that you\u2019re not tackling it all at once. Some examples of categories to use are \u201cVenue Management,\u201d \u201cEvent Design & Programming,\u201d and \u201cMarketing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to keep the number of categories to 10 or less! More than that defeats the purpose of simplifying things by breaking them up. At the end of the day, the labels can be whatever you\u2019d like, as long as the tasks are categorized in a way that makes sense to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve separated the tasks out, it\u2019s much easier to tackle each category one at a time. List out all the relevant tasks to each grouping, then place them in chronological order within the group. At this stage, it\u2019s critical to do a thorough review of the tasks in each category to ensure that everything is being captured; you\u2019re more likely to notice things missing when looking at each individual category by itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once this is done, you can put it all together in chronological order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting Deadlines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you\u2019ve got tasks listed out chronologically, it\u2019s time to set deadlines. The best way to approach this is to work backwards – start with event day, and the deadlines closest to it. As an example, we\u2019ll go through printing. We know that the last deadline is when we need all the printing to be delivered to the venue. For this to be possible, what is the printing company\u2019s deadline to get final approval on the proofs? And when would the printer need the graphics by in order to get proofs to you for approval? And how long will the graphic designer need to work on everything, keeping in mind that there will likely be several rounds of edits? What information do you need to have before you get the graphic designer started on everything (sponsor logos, copy, etc.)? How long do you anticipate that you\u2019ll take creating a graphics and printing list for the designer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you continue to work your way back from event day, you will have many questions to answer. If you\u2019re unsure about some of them, start with the hard deadlines that are out of your control – in the example above, things like the printer\u2019s deadline. Work with what you do know in order to set completion dates for the things that you don\u2019t. Once you\u2019ve done this for one category, continue to do this for each one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And remember that when in doubt, it\u2019s always better to set a deadline too early than to set it too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2019s Doing What<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve got deadlines set for everything, you\u2019re almost done, but there is one more important thing to include in the critical path. The planning team needs to be clear on who bears responsibility for each task. This isn\u2019t necessarily the person doing<\/em> <\/em><\/strong>the task, but rather the person who is accountable for the task being complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a helpful exercise to go through because it ensures that you and the rest of the team are on the same page about who\u2019s doing what. For this reason, it\u2019s important for both the event planner and the client to go through the critical path and uncover any misunderstandings early on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once It\u2019s Complete<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A critical path should be a living, breathing document that evolves as the event does. Keep in mind that deadlines and people responsible are not set in stone the moment the timelines are complete, and your event will suffer if things aren\u2019t adjusted as needed. An appropriate level of flexibility is required, as well as transparency between team members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hope that this helped you create your event timelines, or provided some useful advice! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Tycoon,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elizabeth<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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