Event Planning Timeline

One Year Before Event

• Start to organise
  Identify someone to be the lead on the event (main event organiser)
  Identify a group of people that will help to plan and deliver the event (event team)
  Identify someone to lead on the health and safety elements of the event (Safety Officer)
  Share out job roles and responsibilities taking into account competency and time
• Agree an outline event plan
  Why are you holding the event? What are the main aims? What is the event concept?
  Venue, insurance, licensing, permissions, dates, timings…
  Assess numbers of people likely to attend the event
  Consider the budget you will need to put the event on
• Investigate suitability of the venue
  Assess size, facilities and accessibility
  Consider the impact your event will have on traffic in local area, parking, public transport and any road closures / diversions necessary
• Contact us
  Our event co-ordinator is here to advise and guide you through the process
• Complete our Event Notification Form
  Available online
• Start to consider your event risk assessment
  An example and instructions for completing a risk assessment
• Previous experience
  If this is a repeat event, review last year’s plans and consider any changes that need to be made. Do any issues need addressing? Would you do anything differently? 

9 Months Before Event

• Investigate insurance cover
  Public liability (minimum of £5 million)
  Employers liability
  Cancellation cover
  Equipment
• Think about medical cover for your event and recruit an organisation
• Prepare Event Management Plan and Site Plan
  Please see the event toolkit for guidance
• Consider contractors and equipment that is required for your event
  Provisionally book any contractors and equipment for your event

6 Months Before Event

• Start writing your event Risk Assessment
  Break the assessment down into components of your event.
• Look into any event licences that are required
  A temporary events notice (TEN) may be required for licensable activities such as: live/amplified entertainment, sale of alcohol, late night refreshment
• Confirm Highways Requirements
  Consider whether a road closure is actually necessary for safety reasons.
  Apply for road closures, parking restrictions, permission to place temporary signs in the highway – minimum notice periods may apply. In most cases 12 weeks’ notice is required for a road closure. Agree all access, exit and public transport arrangements. 
• Apply for any Parking Suspensions
  Suspension requests for on-street parking bays
  Suspension requests for off-street parking (liaise with car park operators)
  Application for these is usually done via completion of the event notification form
• Confirm bookings
  Artists, entertainers, stall-holders, equipment hire, security
• Communication
  Consider how you will advertise your event and whether planning permission is required
  How you advertise your event may have an  impact on attendance
  How you will communicate during your event with your staff and volunteers
  Include details in your event management plan

3 Months Before Event

• Submit your Event Management Plan, Risk Assessment and Site Plan to your local authority
  These documents should be submitted no later than 3 months before your event as this is the minimum time required for organisations to review the paperwork and put things in place.
• Check progress of licence applications
• Recruit Stewards/marshals as necessary
• Develop Stewards/marshals handbook as necessary
• Confirm the key roles and responsibilities of the team and circulate this information
• Pay land hire fee and deposit fee to Local authority
• Check the insurance, method statements, and risk assessments of any contractors as necessary
• If you are employing contractors to provide services, such as traffic management, security, you should have a separate event plan provided by that contractor for your event

6 Weeks Before Event

• Review your event Risk Assessment
• Review Event Management Plan, Site Plan and other plans that are deemed necessary
• Check progress of licence applications

1 Month Before Event

• Review and finalise your Event Risk Assessment
  Review and finalise Event Management Plan
  Evacuation procedures, fire points etc.  Contingency plans as identified in the risk assessments
• Final booking checks
  Artists, Entertainers, Stall-holders, Insurance, Catering, Equipment, Security
• Organise clean up teams for during and after the event
  Make arrangements with Local Authority if necessary
• Train your Team
  Crowd control, traffic control, emergency procedures, general information, basic fire fighting
  Distribute steward/marshal handbook once staff have been trained

1 Week Before Event

• If road closures are under the Town Police Clause legislation, put up the official road closure notices (issued by local authority)
• If road closure is issued under KCC Highways & Transportation legislation, then KCC will send you a notice

Day Before Event

• Check the site
  It is down to you to make sure that everything is set up properly and there are no hazards to the public.
• Establish Event Control
  Ensure you have team member(s) on site to manage the site build.
• Security
  Ensure you have security to monitor any equipment overnight
• Erect any temporary structures and position concessions on your event site
• Hold a Briefing for your Event Team

Day of the Event

• Hold final team briefing to include stewards / marshals SIA staff
• Continue to monitor what is happening both at your event and anything external that may affect your event (this could be far and wide around the road network depending on the size/nature of your event)
• Erect temporary road signage in accordance with traffic management plan, signage schedule and working on the highway risk assessment
• Remove all traffic management as agreed by Kent Highways & Transportation at the end of the event.

• Ensure waste is disposed of at the site
  You need to keep the area that you are using clean and remember the litter left by the people that come along is your responsibility! 

• Debrief held to establish any lessons learned or amendments to be made to Event Management Plan for future use.

Day After the Event

• Ensure that waste has all been removed including any local advertising
• Remove all temporary signage and structures
• Ensure the event site is left in good condition

Week after the Event

• Advise your Local authority on any issues with the event
• Advise your local authority of any future events