Event Planning and Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Event Coordinators, Hospitality Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-TH-024

Before you join: Participants should have experience supporting, coordinating or commissioning events, meetings, hospitality functions, conferences, exhibitions or promotional activities.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Events in tourism, hospitality, corporate communications and public programmes succeed when they turn a clear purpose into a controlled operational plan. Event managers must balance audience expectations, venue constraints, supplier performance, safety duties, budgets and tight timelines while protecting the host organisation’s reputation. A conference, incentive trip, product launch, exhibition or community festival can fail through weak scope definition, late decisions, unclear responsibilities or poor contingency planning.

This course develops the planning and management discipline required to deliver professional events from initial brief through post-event review. Participants learn to define objectives and stakeholders, design attendee journeys, build work breakdown structures and critical-path schedules, prepare budgets, source venues and suppliers, manage registrations and communications, and coordinate onsite operations. The course also covers risk registers, health and safety assessment, accessibility, emergency arrangements, sponsor fulfilment and event evaluation. Participants apply recognised methods including SMART objectives, RACI, Critical Path Method, break-even analysis, risk matrices and ISO 20121 principles.

Teaching combines focused instructor briefings with hospitality, tourism and corporate event cases, group planning tasks, supplier and venue scenarios, operational simulations and peer review. Participants work through the decisions faced by an event team: responding to a speaker cancellation, controlling a budget variance, managing registration queues and communicating during an incident. They leave with a practical Event Planning Pack containing reusable templates, schedules, checklists and an application plan for an upcoming event. A certificate of completion is issued to participants who complete the five-day course.

The course suits professionals who already contribute to events and now need a structured method for planning, coordinating and reviewing larger or more visible programmes.

What you will be able to do

  • Create an event brief using SMART objectives, scope boundaries and measurable success criteria
  • Develop attendee journeys, programme architectures and run-of-show documents
  • Build a work breakdown structure, RACI matrix and Critical Path Method schedule
  • Prepare event budgets, cash-flow schedules, break-even calculations and variance reports
  • Evaluate venues and suppliers using weighted selection criteria and statements of work
  • Produce marketing, registration, sponsorship and stakeholder communication plans
  • Manage event operations using floor plans, staffing plans, run sheets and control-room protocols
  • Conduct post-event evaluation using survey data, financial reconciliation and after-action reviews

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Plan events with clear scope, ownership, schedules and decision controls
  • Present credible budgets and cost assumptions to managers and clients
  • Handle supplier, venue and stakeholder discussions with documented requirements
  • Respond to onsite disruptions using prepared contingencies and escalation routes
  • Build a portfolio of reusable event-management documents for future assignments

For your organisation

  • Fewer missed deadlines through visible dependencies, milestones and accountable owners
  • Better budget discipline through cost tracking, cash-flow planning and variance control
  • More consistent attendee experience through mapped journeys and service standards
  • Reduced operational exposure through documented risk, safety and emergency procedures
  • Stronger event reporting through measurable objectives, feedback data and action reviews

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can translate an event request into an approved brief with measurable objectives, scope and stakeholder priorities.

  • Event brief using SMART objectives, success measures, constraints and assumptions
  • Stakeholder mapping with power-interest grids, influence paths and engagement priorities
  • Audience personas defined through needs, motivations, access requirements and behaviours
  • Event formats selected against purpose, audience profile, budget and venue
  • Scope statement distinguishing inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, dependencies and acceptance criteria
  • Success criteria translated into measurable attendee, sponsor and operational outcomes

Participants can design an event concept, attendee journey and programme structure that support stated objectives.

  • Event concept developed through theme, narrative, touchpoints and attendee journey
  • Programme architecture balancing content blocks, transitions, breaks and peak moments
  • Run-of-show sequencing with opening protocols, cues, contingencies and closing
  • Session formats matched to learning, networking, recognition and entertainment goals
  • Speaker briefs specifying objectives, timings, technical needs and approval routes
  • Attendee journey mapping from registration through arrival, participation and departure

Participants can build a controlled event plan with tasks, dependencies, accountabilities and change procedures.

  • WBS decomposition from event scope into deliverables, work packages and owners
  • Critical Path Method schedules built from activities, durations, dependencies and milestones
  • Gantt chart baselines controlled through status updates and approved changes
  • RACI matrix assigning accountable decisions, operational tasks and escalation paths
  • Planning meetings structured around actions, deadlines, decisions and unresolved issues
  • Change-control log recording requests, impacts, approvals, communications and closures

Participants can prepare and monitor event budgets, revenue assumptions, cash requirements and variances.

  • Zero-based event budget separating fixed, variable, contingency and in-kind costs
  • Cost estimates obtained through supplier quotations, rate cards and historical data
  • Break-even analysis calculating ticket volume, contribution margin and revenue targets
  • Cash-flow schedule aligning deposits, instalments, ticket receipts and final payments
  • Budget variance analysis comparing committed, actual and forecast expenditure
  • Sponsorship packages priced against audience value, rights, inventory and fulfilment

Participants can select venues and suppliers using documented criteria, specifications and contractual controls.

  • Venue selection matrix weighting capacity, access, technical infrastructure, cost and ambience
  • Site inspection checklist covering flow, loading, utilities, accessibility and restrictions
  • Supplier sourcing process using specifications, requests for quotation and bid comparison
  • Statement of work defining deliverables, service levels, timings and acceptance
  • Contract clauses addressing cancellation, force majeure, insurance, indemnity and liability
  • Vendor coordination schedule integrating catering, audiovisual, staging, security and transport

Participants can plan communications, registration and sponsor delivery around target audiences and event objectives.

  • Marketing plan connecting audience segments, messages, channels, budget and conversion targets
  • Registration funnel measured through reach, enquiry, conversion, abandonment and attendance
  • Event communications calendar sequencing announcements, reminders, logistics and follow-up
  • Ticketing rules covering pricing tiers, promotional codes, refunds and transfers
  • CRM data fields managed with consent, segmentation and retention requirements
  • Sponsor activation plan specifying rights delivery, brand placement and evidence

Participants can organise the people, spaces, procedures and service standards needed for event delivery.

  • Event operations plan integrating registration, front-of-house, catering, transport and back-of-house
  • Floor plans allocating zones, queues, seating, signage, equipment and emergency access
  • Staffing plan calculating roles, shifts, briefing times, breaks and supervision
  • Registration procedures covering badge production, check-in exceptions and attendee enquiries
  • Service standards set for queues, wayfinding, hospitality and issue response
  • Run sheet coordinating timings, cues, owners, contacts and contingency actions

Participants can identify event risks and establish proportionate safety, accessibility and sustainability controls.

  • ISO 20121 principles applied to event governance, impacts and improvement actions
  • Risk register scoring likelihood, impact, controls, owners and residual exposure
  • Health and safety assessment identifying hazards, controls, supervision and records
  • Emergency response plan defining evacuation, medical incidents, communications and assembly
  • Accessibility audit covering physical access, sensory needs, dietary needs and communications
  • Safeguarding procedures addressing vulnerable attendees, reporting routes and incident handling

Participants can lead onsite coordination, maintain operational visibility and respond to disruption professionally.

  • Pre-event readiness review confirming suppliers, permits, equipment, staffing and documents
  • Operational briefings communicating objectives, roles, timings, service standards and escalation
  • Control room protocol logging incidents, decisions, radio traffic and status updates
  • Contingency management responding to delays, no-shows, weather, outages and crowd issues
  • Stakeholder communications using contact trees, situation reports and approved messages
  • Live performance monitoring against run sheet, attendance, queues and service levels

Participants can evaluate event results, close financial and supplier actions, and plan improvements for future events.

  • Post-event evaluation framework linking objectives, data sources, owners and reporting dates
  • Participant surveys designed with satisfaction, NPS, learning and open-response questions
  • Kirkpatrick Level 1 and 2 measures adapted for training events
  • Financial reconciliation closing invoices, revenues, accruals, refunds and sponsor deliverables
  • After-action review separating observations, causes, corrective actions and owners
  • Personal application plan prioritising next-event improvements, milestones and manager support

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. SMART event brief template
  2. Critical-path event schedule
  3. Zero-based event budget model
  4. Venue and supplier evaluation matrix
  5. Event risk and emergency plan
  6. Post-event evaluation report template

Who should attend

  • Event Coordinators — need repeatable planning controls for multi-party events
  • Hospitality Managers — oversee conferences, banquets, functions and guest experiences
  • Tourism Officers — organise destination promotions, festivals and visitor programmes
  • Marketing Executives — manage launches, brand activations and customer events
  • Conference and Exhibition Staff — coordinate speakers, exhibitors, delegates and venues
  • Executive Assistants — plan leadership meetings, ceremonies and corporate occasions

Skills and tools covered

Event project planningBudget controlSupplier managementOnsite operationsEvent risk managementPost-event evaluation

Tools and standards

ISO 20121, Critical Path Method, RACI matrix, Kirkpatrick Model

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce each planning method, followed by event cases drawn from conferences, hospitality functions, destination events and corporate launches. Participants analyse briefs, compare venue and supplier options, build planning documents and test decisions through group exercises. Onsite simulations examine registration pressure, schedule disruption, supplier delays and incident communications. Facilitated reviews connect each method to participants’ own events, ending with a practical application plan and reusable planning materials.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience supporting, coordinating or commissioning events, meetings, hospitality functions, conferences, exhibitions or promotional activities. They should be comfortable reading simple budgets, working with schedules and communicating with internal stakeholders or suppliers. Familiarity with spreadsheets and presentation software is useful because planning documents are reviewed throughout the course. Prior event-management certification, formal project-management training, procurement qualifications and technical production experience are not required. The course explains the required planning methods before participants apply them.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have some experience supporting or coordinating events, meetings, hospitality functions or marketing activities. Formal event-management or project-management qualifications are not required.

Bring a laptop if possible, as it is useful for adapting planning templates and reviewing schedules. Participants may also bring a current or upcoming event brief, provided confidential information is removed.

It is designed for event coordinators, hospitality managers, tourism officers, marketing staff, conference personnel and executive assistants. It is most useful for people moving from administrative support into responsibility for event delivery.

General project management courses teach broad planning principles across many types of work. This course applies those principles to event-specific issues such as attendee flow, venue operations, catering, registration, sponsor rights, safety and live incident response.

You will use the templates to brief stakeholders, build schedules, evaluate suppliers, control costs and prepare onsite documentation. The application plan helps you identify which methods to introduce on your next event.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, with approximately 6.5 contact hours daily. The five days move from event brief and design through planning, budgeting, operations, risk control and post-event evaluation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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