By Katherine Turiano

When you look at your event planning checklist and realize that you are behind, there are ways to make up time you may not have thought of. What's that, you say? You don’t have an event planning checklist? Well, now is the time to make one. A checklist for an event organizes everything you have to get to before event day.  Okay, now that you have an organized list, and whether you are a week or a day from event day, I want you to prioritize it.
 
A week before:
 
Simple but time-consuming items are often left on the list, many times because planners haven’t been able to find the time to get to them. I think you will be surprised at where you can find help for your event when you are behind: ROTC groups, sororities and fraternities, and even high school clubs and sports teams often have volunteer hours they are required to complete. College students looking for event planning experience can also be a resource when you need extra staff. Don’t hesitate to call organizers of these groups or a close-by university’s career department to ask if they would be willing to connect you with this free staff.
 
An unparalleled resource can be an event planning company. What most people planning a business or personal event don’t know is that most event planning companies offer "week of" or "day of" event planning services for a low cost. These professionals can be called in to manage the last-minute details or take care of producing your event on-site on the event day.
 
A day before:
 
I want you to take a deep breath and then look at your event planning checklist; you need to realize there are items on this list that may not get completed. Make sure to use this day to get to the items that will make the biggest impact on your event's success and your attendee’s experience. Though it may be on your mind, I want you to remember that your attendees will not know about the little items you didn’t get to. 
 
This is the time to get done what you can and keep calm. The most important thing to remember on event day is to display grace. When you don’t show the stress you're feeling, attendees will wonder how you managed to plan such a beautiful event and stay so calm.