Planning an event is a true test of an EAs skills. There is so much to do: catering, speakers, venues, accommodation - the list truly goes on and on. 

All of this can make getting it right a challenge, but there are ways to ensure everything goes to plan . Here are three tips for running a successful event.

1. Know that time rarely plays nice

It's almost a truism of life that things never run on schedule. Perhaps that's too hyperbolic, but it's certainly fair to say you should plan for some lateness in your event. A huge mistake is to pack it so full that everything has to run perfectly for the day to function.

Build redundancies into the schedule. When you expect delays to occur, you'll be in a much better position to deal with them if they arise.

2. Use social media to its full potential

Events are what social networks were made for. You can use it to promote your event before, during and after it's happened. 

Before the event, ask guest to share it on their Facebook and LinkedIn pages. During you can livestream if appropriate, and post pictures of key moments. Once it's over, you can run through any excess pictures that haven't been posted, and create a de-brief post to thank everyone for coming (and perhaps get the buzz started for next years event).

3. Get everything in writing and stick to your budget

While this is technically two tips, one leads so clearly into the other it's a good idea to talk about them at the same time.

When enquiring about prices for certain services - catering, a band, guest speakers - always get quotes in writing. You don't want to end the event and find you've gone way over budget because the charge was different than you were expecting.

This can often be a reason events run over budget - costs weren't properly worked out before the big day. Having your budget in mind when making all decisions is key because it's very easy for things to balloon out of control. Knowing what your budget is, and how much you have allocated to different costs will make it far easier to stick to in the planning stages.

Running a successful event is hard work, but it's incredibly rewarding when you can pull it off.