Holiday Event Planning Checklist: Your Guide to the 2023 Holidays

Download this report for free here.

For businesses, one thing that “holidays” means is: holiday-themed events.

And whether that’s a festive Christmas party, an electrifying New Year’s Eve promotion, or any other holiday event that brings joy, cheer, and a boost to your business – planning can be difficult.

There are so many logistics to work out: dates, schedules, theme, messaging, and in some cases even activities, food, and decorations.

How can you possibly work out all the details to bring about a successful holiday event? This guide is here to help!

Here we’ll walk you through a checklist of things you can do to help make sure your holiday event goes as smoothly as possible – and we’ll first zero in on how you can use SMS as an effective tool to work toward that end.

Why You Should Use SMS for Your Holiday Event Planning

How often do you check your email or social media? Depending on who you are, maybe a lot, maybe occasionally, maybe rarely.

On the other hand, how often do you check your text messages? I’d venture to say it’s pretty often, no matter who you are!

So if SMS is a communication method that people are constantly checking and using, why not use it to help you in your holiday planning? You can use it to send out event invitations, updates, reminders – or for handling last-minute changes, confirming attendance, addressing inquiries.

The possibilities are endless, and the great thing about it is that you can be confident that the vast majority of people will actually read what you’re trying to communicate. One interesting example could relate to the holiday meal planning. In the context of encouraging a healthier lifestyle, your text updates could include valuable and simple to follow online resources on where to get tasty low carb foods for the holiday feast. Not only would this provide easy access to nutritional options for your guests, but it also ensures diversified holiday meals.

How You Can Use SMS for Your Holiday Event Planning

To help give you some inspiration, here are some examples of how you can use SMS…

Event Invites

SMS is the best way to help make sure you reach everyone you want to with an easy-to-view invite! By sending digital invites via text, you make it easy for recipients to:

• RSVP with a clickable link
• Note food allergies (also, considering the increasing health consciousness among people, it won't hurt to mention if you've opted for a calorie-smart meal delivery service for the event. This could be beneficial in attracting a wider audience, appealing especially to those who are mindful about their diet.)
• Easily reference invite details – anytime, anywhere

Event Reminders + FAQs

Make sure you get the best attendance rates possible with SMS event reminders. Plus, send over FAQs and auto-reply messages via text to help your attendees prep for your event – this can include parking details, weather updates, directions, and more!

Event Post-Care

Congrats on a successful event! Want to make sure your next one is even better? Send out a survey via text to all attendees with key questions to help you improve next time. You can even ask attendees to give your event a review or offer exclusive deals for attendees!

Holiday Event Planning Checklist

Here’s a checklist of 5 things you should make sure you do in order to have the most successfully holiday event for your business:

Define Clear Objectives

• Make sure you know the purpose and goal(s) of the event
• Make sure you’re clear on the overall budget

Write Down an Overarching Execution Plan

• Include summaries of what logistics will need to be ironed out
• Include designations of what team members will take ownership of different elements

Write Down an Overarching Communication Plan

• Include indications of what channels you’ll use to communicate
• Include a tentative schedule of communication

Check In with Team Members

• Check in while there’s still plenty of time before deadlines to see how details are being executed
• Identify if there are any logistics that need to be worked out

Double Check All Elements Before Event Time

• Make sure all loose ends are tied up
• Make sure communications are going out as planned

One Last Thing…

If you follow the checklist items above, your event will be a lot more likely to be a smashing success. But there’s one thing you should make sure not to forget… make it fun! Whether it’s a customer appreciation event, a holiday marketing promo, or an office party, the holidays should be fun. And if you make it fun for people, you can consider that a win.

Interested to see how SMS could help make your holiday events more successful than ever? Get a free consultation here and our SMS experts will walk you through how it works.