In December I threw my sister a surprise 50^th birthday party. I did it with by brother-in-law and while living in another state.

In another month, I’ll be part of team that is putting together a conference. I’ve lost track as to how many conferences I have put together.

When I tell others that I’m organizing an event, many cringe. They think it is too much work, no one will show up, or it will cost too much money. Those can all be true, but if you follow these six steps, you should have a successful event.

1. Establish your goals. Why are you holding the event? The surprise party was to celebrate a milestone in my sister’s life. Knowing that helped define the other elements of the party. The conference I am organizing is intended to provide learning and networking opportunities for members.
2. Identify a team. Events require a strong attention to detail. It’s helpful to have someone who is overseeing the event at a macro level, as well as individuals who can handle specific areas, such as speakers or logistics.
3. Pick a date. If you have flexibility with the date, consider holidays and availability of speakers and how they could impact your event. You also want to give yourself enough time to plan the event.
4. Create a task sheet. I’m always surprised when someone asks me to help with an event and I ask about the task sheet and am told they don’t have one. I can’t function without one. I build in all of the steps needed to pull off the event and note the due dates and anything I need to be aware of. I track the status of each task.
5. Establish a budget. Registrations and sponsorships should cover all of your expenses and, ideally, provide you with profit. The surprise party didn’t need to make a profit, but we did need to consider the budget, which informed the venue, menu options and decorations.
6. Evaluate the success. When I am organizing a conference for a group, I consider it a success if most members attended and said they learned something from the speakers or made a new connection. The surprise birthday party was a success because my sister was surprised and she told me later, “It’s exactly what I wanted for my birthday.” That’s the best evaluation I’ve ever received!