The planning answer
Use this event planning checklist in stages: define the brief, check venue suitability, confirm the written scope, coordinate providers, and complete a final room and schedule review before guests arrive.
In this guide
- Stage 1: Build a useful event brief
- Stage 2: Confirm the venue can support the plan
- Stage 3: Compare entertainment against your priorities
- Stage 4: Review the written scope and quote
- Stage 5: Coordinate everyone using one schedule
- Stage 6: Complete the final planning review
- Stage 7: Make the room ready for setup
- Stage 8: Welcome guests and close the event clearly
- Start your event plan with the right details
Stage 1: Build a useful event brief
A good inquiry gives the entertainment team enough information to discuss real options. You do not need every decision finalized, but you should distinguish confirmed details from open questions. “We have a venue hold and expect about 100 guests” is more useful than presenting an uncertain location or attendance as settled.
- State the occasion and the experience you want guests to have.
- Provide the proposed date, any alternative dates, and the preferred event hours.
- Give the expected attendance and explain whether people will arrive together.
- Identify the venue, room, and address, or list the locations still under consideration.
- Describe the entertainment you are considering: casino tables, game shows, DJ services, trivia, or a combination.
- Identify the planning contact and any organization or committee involved.
Keep a copy of this brief and update it as decisions are made. It becomes the reference point for quotes and later coordination.
Stage 2: Confirm the venue can support the plan
Request the actual room dimensions and a floor plan. Include dining furniture, a bar, stage, screens, photo areas, and other activities that will use the same space. Package square-footage recommendations are useful planning information, but they do not replace a complete layout or the venue’s occupancy and access requirements.
Check the delivery route as carefully as the room itself. Ask about loading areas, vendor check-in, stairs, elevators, door openings, parking, and the path from the vehicle to the event floor. For a private residence, describe the driveway and any steps or narrow approaches. Share measurements or photographs when an access question cannot be answered confidently.
For Atlanta and surrounding areas, the Service Areas page explains the location details to include. Confirm coverage for the actual venue and date rather than assuming a regional description guarantees availability.
Stage 3: Compare entertainment against your priorities
Review the audience, room, schedule, and budget together. If the goal is relaxed conversation, open casino circulation may suit the evening. If you want a shared group activity, compare a hosted game show or trivia segment. If you are adding music, decide whether it supports other activity or becomes a featured part of the program.
For casino entertainment, use the package and pricing page to compare guest recommendations, table mixes, and space figures. Ask about any custom configuration before promising a particular game to attendees. Additional entertainment and equipment should be discussed as part of the quote.
Stage 4: Review the written scope and quote
Read the agreement as a description of who is providing what. Confirm the equipment, staffing, entertainment hours, setup and removal arrangements, and any optional services. Follow the booking and payment terms supplied for your event; do not rely on assumed deposit percentages or cancellation terms.
| Item to confirm | What to record |
|---|---|
| Venue and room | Address, room name, floor level, and access contact. |
| Equipment and activities | Selected package, table mix, or other agreed entertainment. |
| Event timing | Guest arrival, entertainment window, pauses, and finish. |
| Access | Load-in, setup, removal, loading area, and venue deadlines. |
| Financial scope | Agreed price, applicable travel or fuel charges, and optional extras. |
| Responsibilities | Who handles food, decor, invitations, prizes, sound, and coordination. |
| Booking terms | Required approvals, payments, changes, and cancellation provisions in the agreement. |
Ask for clarification before confirming. A short written answer is easier to use than different people remembering different versions of a phone conversation.
Stage 5: Coordinate everyone using one schedule
Create a run of show that includes the work before and after guests attend. Give the venue, entertainment team, caterer, DJ, host, and other relevant providers the same version. Identify who can approve a change and who gives cues for announcements or transitions.
List formal remarks, food service, casino play, hosted games, and the closing sequence. Confirm whether activities overlap or run in separate segments. A casino package’s three gaming hours should be mapped to the agreed event plan, not treated as an unlimited evening around every other program element.
If you are requesting custom materials, company questions, or specific design elements, record who supplies them and the deadline for approval. Do not leave those tasks implied by a theme description.
Stage 6: Complete the final planning review
Before the event, confirm the details that are most likely to have changed. Attendance estimates, room assignments, access windows, and contact names should all match the latest agreement and venue instructions. Tell the team about changes as soon as you know them instead of waiting for arrival.
- Confirm the final expected guest count and the approved entertainment arrangement.
- Recheck the room layout, furniture, and any accessibility needs.
- Confirm loading access, parking, elevator reservations, and vendor requirements.
- Verify the schedule, announcement cues, and any planned pauses.
- Identify the on-site host contact and venue contact, with working phone numbers.
- Review outdoor suitability and a backup location when applicable.
- Resolve any fundraising, raffle, or prize-format approvals with the responsible advisers and authorities.
This is a planning checklist, not a substitute for the specific conditions in your agreement. The correct timing for final information and approvals is the timing confirmed with your providers.
Stage 7: Make the room ready for setup
The agreed setup area should be available when the team arrives. Keep the loading route clear, confirm that required room furniture is in the agreed position, and make the venue contact available for access questions. Tell the team about a last-minute room change before equipment is carried to the wrong location.
Use a final walkthrough to check the equipment arrangement, guest routes, lighting, sound coordination, and the place where guests receive instructions. The venue and applicable authorities confirm occupancy and required clearances. The host and entertainment team should agree how to communicate if a practical adjustment is needed.
Stage 8: Welcome guests and close the event clearly
Give guests a short explanation of the entertainment and schedule. Let first-time players know they can ask dealers for help. During the event, route questions through the agreed contacts so providers are not receiving conflicting instructions from several people.
At closing, follow the agreed announcement and removal plan. Keep the access route available for breakdown, and confirm any remaining venue tasks with the responsible person. Afterward, record what worked, what changed, and what would make the next event easier.
Start your event plan with the right details
The Main Event Company has produced events since 2002 and serves Atlanta and surrounding areas. Use the FAQs and event inquiry form to send your brief, or explore the relevant service page first. A clear venue, attendance estimate, and event purpose help turn an idea into a practical entertainment plan.
Frequently asked questions
What information should an event inquiry include?
Include the occasion, proposed date, venue address or options, expected attendance, preferred entertainment, and event hours. Identify the planning contact and note which details are confirmed or still being decided.
Should I choose the venue or entertainment first?
Coordinate them before making assumptions about fit. A proposed venue can be reviewed against the equipment, attendance, access route, and complete event layout so the final choice supports the plan.
What should I look for in the entertainment quote?
Confirm the equipment, staffing, entertainment hours, access windows, applicable travel or fuel charges, optional services, and each party’s responsibilities. Follow the specific booking and payment terms supplied for your event.
When should I send the final guest count and schedule?
Use the deadlines agreed with your providers. Share changes as soon as possible and confirm attendance, room layout, access, contacts, and entertainment timing during the final planning review.
Who should be the on-site contact?
Name one host representative authorized to make event decisions and one venue contact for access and room matters. Give the relevant providers working contact details and a clear escalation path.
What should be checked before guests arrive?
Review the agreed equipment layout, clear guest routes, lighting, sound coordination, welcome instructions, and schedule cues. Confirm any required venue approvals and make sure the on-site contacts are available.
Talk through your event plan.
Share your date, venue, guest count, and preferred entertainment for an event in Atlanta and surrounding areas.