Event Planning Sample Cover Letter and Itinerary

Itinerary Assignment

Event Planning

November 1, 2010

Ms. Robin AndersenBusiness ManagerLawrenceville Legal Partners2083 Lawrenceville Rd.Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Dear Ms. Andersen,

The business seminar on Wednesday, Nov. 17th is now only a little over two weeks away. My staff has taken care of everything to insure that the event runs smoothly and accomplishes the objectives we discussed.

Please see the attached itinerary detailing the day’s agenda for the attendees. It is structured so that the variety of topics covered by speakers is spread out, with no two similar sessions back-to-back. Breakfast and lunch will be eaten whilst the seminar continues, so as to include all of the speakers within the booked time frame at the venue.

The social event will be a treat for employees of the firm; a plated dinner with entertainment by The Legal Eagles will conclude the day. This relaxed-but-sophisticated social event mirrors the corporate culture of Lawrenceville Legal Partners. During the dinner, Mr. Morrison will be acknowledged for his upcoming retirement, and service awards from the company will be presented.

I will touch-base with you again in the next week, but please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Whitney Haddard

Executive Event CoordinatorEvery Event Inc.132 Main St.Princeton, NJ 08540609-219-8763609-219-8762 [email protected]

Every Event

Annual Business SeminarWednesday, November 17, 2010

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. & Dinner to FollowWestminster Choir College’s Bristol Chapel, Princeton, NJ

8:45 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. - Breakfast & WelcomeContinental breakfast presented downstairsPlease bring your plate upstairs to eat during our introduction to the dayWelcome from Mr. Randall Beck, CEOMr. Mark Jones, President, discusses the future plans for the firm

9:40 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. - Change to Employment CertificationsMrs. Betty Whitman explains the new legal certifications that are needed to work in NJ

10:15 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. - Important Case UpdatesMs. Mary Johnson reports the updates on the firm’s biggest cases

10:50 a.m. to 11:35 a.m. - Learn the New Computer SystemMr. Henry Tony presents an informative tutorial about the office’s updated software

11:35 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. - Business Committee Reports

12:05 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. - New Clients Update & LunchMr. Alejandro Perez reports on new clientsSandwiches presented downstairsPlease bring your plate upstairs to eat during the next speaker

1:00 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. - Legal TrendsMr. Scott Branson speaks about new trends in legal issues

1:35 p.m. to 2:35 p.m. - Team building exercise

2:35 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Changes in the OfficeMr. Calvin Hill explains the new policies and procedures of the office

3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. - Communication is KeyMr. Bill Van Heeder gives tips for effective communication with clients

3:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. - Protecting the Future YouMr. Dick Lebeau presents on protecting pension and retirement funds in a dangerous economy

4:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. - Food and YouMs. Denise Stein presents “Change your Diet, Change your Life”

4:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – Cocktail HourCash bar available downstairsPlease join us upstairs for dinner at 5:30 p.m.

Lawrenceville Legal Partners

Overview of the EventFirst let’s start with the date and time of the event. I wanted to make the business

seminar during a weekday so as to make it seem as though it was a regular workday. I

didn’t want to make the attendees feel like they had to take extra time out of their lives to

come to this business seminar required by work. Also, I didn’t want it too near

Thanksgiving in case people would be traveling in advance, it wouldn’t interfere. The

venue was booked from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and I knew that I needed to have a social portion

to conclude it. I decided that since it was such a beautiful venue, the social part would not

take place somewhere else, but would also take place in the chapel. Since the venue was

only booked until 8 p.m. I figured that a dinner could take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

and leave an hour for cleanup of the all day event. Starting the day around 9 a.m. just

seemed like the time that most people begin what they are doing for the day, and making

them come any earlier would have been rude. This gives the caterers, and my staff time to

set up everything and prep everything for the long day from 6 a.m. to about 8:30 a.m..

I decided to use all of the sessions in the seminar because I thought that they

were all important and helpful for the attendees. The reason I did not have them run

concurrently and have the attendees choose one or the other at a specific time is because

my venue did not allow for that. It is one large room that can only host one speaker at a

time. One problem I did run into when putting together the itinerary was time for

breakfast and lunch. I came up with the solution of having the caterers set up a

continental breakfast (ready for the attendees at 8:45 a.m.) and a buffet lunch (ready for

the attendees at 12:35 p.m.) in a downstairs classroom. Attendees will get their meal and

then bring it back upstairs for the continuing seminar. Also, during the breakfast there

would be vendor samples for the new office coffee provider. The sessions that occur

whilst the attendees would be eating their breakfasts and lunch are sessions that they will

most likely not need to take notes. These are sessions that can just listen while they enjoy

their meals. Aramark would provide breakfast and lunch through the venue so as to cut

costs and save for the plated dinner by an outside caterer. The breakfast would be bagels,

muffins, fruit, cereal and juices, and the lunch would be 3 kinds of sandwiches or burritos

including one vegetarian option, potato salad and sodas (this is much like the set up

Aramark did for the Eleanor Clift reception).

As I said in the cover letter, the sessions are structured so that the variety of topics

covered by speakers is spread out, with no two similar sessions back-to-back. I made

sure lunch was in the middle of the day, I didn’t want the half before lunch to be longer

than the half after, or vice versa. After the update on new clients (so around 12:35p.m.)

attendees will make their way downstairs for the buffet lunch. The next session doesn’t

begin until 1 p.m., giving the attendees time to all get their lunches and make their way

back upstairs. When this “listening” session ends (as I mentioned before) I put the team

building exercise. The attendees will have just been energized by lunch and will be

ready to use their brains.

When the business sessions end at 4:45 p.m., I needed time to breakdown the

seating from the seminar (herringbone: because it allows for note taking and focuses all

to one speaker) and to set up the seating for the dinner (cluster: because it takes the

audience to a more intimate setting). So I decided to have the outside caterer set up a cash

bar in the downstairs classroom for a cocktail hour to take place while upstairs is being

changed. The reason I decided to get an outside caterer is because the law firm made it

seem like the social part of the day needed to be special for the attendees. A fancy seated

dinner seemed special to me.

At the dinner, as I mentioned in the cover letter, Mr. Morrison will be

acknowledged for his upcoming retirement, and service awards from the company will be

presented. Also, the Legal Eagles will perform their set on the stage in the chapel.

Attached is a task sheet for the dinner. I had to do this for an assignment in my

Publicity Methods class, and I did it for this event to start to get my ideas flowing.