There are numerous details that go into planning a successful event. Sometimes, it feels like the to-do list never ends. From registration, guest experience, vendors, timelines, layouts, and everything in between, knowing exactly where to start makes a huge difference.
Sarah loves giving back to the community and created an opportunity (thanks to Laura Little) for 19 nonprofit professionals to gather for an afternoon of education, connection, and practical event planning tips. The afternoon seminar was hosted at the Hampton Inn Nashville Downtown Capitol View and held in collaboration with Laura Little and The Woodbine Community Organization. The 90-minute session was designed to give attendees insider insights to the planning process as well as share tools we utilize every day. There was no gatekeeping.
Of course, no Social Bliss gathering would be complete without a few thoughtful details.
Before anyone arrived, our team was onsite early and prepping to welcome the attendees. The guest experience starts long before the program begins. It’s essential everyone feels taken care of from the moment they pull into the parking spot. Trey was stationed in the garage to help direct attendees, while Katie greeted everyone at registration. Laura also helped set the tone for the afternoon by greeting and connecting the organizations. Together, the team helped create the kind of experience we strive for at every Social Bliss event: organized, welcoming, and thoughtfully executed.
While the guests only see the polished experience, believe us when we say, there are lots of invisible hours behind the scenes to make the event feel effortless.
We love a surprise + delight moment (and so do your guests). We wanted attendees to leave with more than just notes from the presentation, so we added a special opportunity to the afternoon by providing professional headshots! Olivia was behind the camera throughout the event, capturing each attendee on the gorgeous hotel wallpaper. It was a fun way to give everyone a tangible reminder of an afternoon well spent.
The heart of the afternoon was Sarah’s presentation, where she shared the Social Bliss approach to planning and producing events. Attendees got a behind-the-scenes look at everything we do to bring the calm to the chaos of event planning. It’s impossible to cover every aspect, but the group received a crash course on creating a strong guest experience, staying organized, communicating with vendors, building detailed timelines, and preparing for event day. Sarah also shared some of the tools and resources the SBE team uses to keep all of the moving pieces organized. One of the biggest takeaways? The details matter. From making sure guests know exactly where to go by sending a Know Before You Go, creating a detailed timeline that anyone on the team can understand, and curating a layout that gives every vendor knowledge of exactly where they should be. Sarah also emphasized the importance of clear communication, organization, and following up throughout the planning process.
The afternoon was intentionally practical, giving attendees ideas they could take back to their own nonprofit organizations and immediately put into action.
As the afternoon came to a close, we were reminded of exactly why we love what we do. Bringing people together, sharing what we’ve learned, and helping others feel more confident in their own event planning is at the heart of Social Bliss Events. A huge thank you to Laura Little for collaborating with us and helping make the afternoon possible. We could not have made this event possible without The Hampton Inn by Hilton Nashville Downtown Capitol View. Most of all, thank you to the 19 nonprofit professionals who joined us, asked questions, shared ideas, and spent the afternoon learning alongside us. We hope everyone left with a few new ideas, a little more confidence, and ways to implement a more proactive approach to their next event. After all, that’s what we’re all about: bringing calm to the chaos.
If you need a full-service event planning team at your nonprofit event, contact us here, or if you’d like Sarah to speak at your next event, e-mail her directly at sarah@socialbliss-events.com.
Check out a few of our past nonprofit events: Corner to Corner, From Your Father, and United Way.
