Book excerpt: The Event Planning Toolkit will help you rise to the occasion to plan and execute extraordinary meetings and events by getting organized, reducing time-wasting mistakes, and inspiring creativity. The Event Planning Toolkit provides the information you need to prepare and execute each aspect of your event with precision and enjoy the big day with less stress and fewer unpleasant surprises. It provides the assistance you need to make your event a real hit. Many people find the thought of planning an event to be an intimidating prospect. They think they’re not organized enough, or they don’t have the experience required to pull it off. But whatever the occasion, the path to success is straightforward; it’s a matter of thinking through the details and using a proven strategy to create an action plan and execute that plan on time and on budget. In this book, you will not only learn how to manage your scope, time, and resources, but also identify goals, create a budget, find the right venue, assemble an effective team, and much more. Use The Event Planning Toolkit to uncover some juicy nuggets of information that you can apply to your next event and give you the courage and confidence take on any new project or assignment that comes your way.