Who’s actually coming? That may seem like a trivial point, but it shapes most of the subsequent decisions. A guest list is more than a list of names or a head count. The guest list drives the selection of the venue; dictates the seating plan; affects the flow of guests on arrival; determines the message on invitations; specifies the food; structures the schedule; identifies the materials to prepare; and informs the buffer time for transitions between different parts of the event.
Consider creating a guest list for a hypothetical event before you build out the full timeline. Write down in rough form the names of the people you expect to come; separate out three groups: confirmed guests, likely guests, and guests to be invited or guests that may be needed. Next, write one small comment for each group of guests. For example, guests who are family may have different needs for time at their seats. Guests for a workshop may need a table for signing in. Guests from a local meetup group may arrive in waves instead of all at once. With those few notes you are beginning to make some practical judgments, based on the people attending, rather than just on the numbers.
The type and number of guests also affect the physical venue. A group of 10 guests can comfortably occupy a single dining table but a group of 20 guests may require a more formal seating plan, more aisle space for the guests to move through, or space for the guests to put on their coats, put down their briefcases, or lay out their materials. If the guests have to sign in, get a name card, pick up worksheets, or find their food station, then that adds to the floor plan. A room that seems large enough for just a few tables could feel cramped when it needs a sign-in desk, catering tables, sound technician equipment, signages, and access to clean up at the end.
Knowing who is coming makes it easier to judge the timing of your event. A small gathering of guests that all know each other could require a longer window of time to welcome the guests to their seats. A workshop event may require stricter timings, so late guests don’t disrupt the first activity. A straightforward corporate event may require a little time for guests to welcome and seat them, make introductions, ask questions, and answer questions. Beginners often forget, in the absence of a guest list, that the guests need to arrive, to get comfortable in their seats, to move from place to place, to have a meal, to talk to each other and, of course, to leave.
Another benefit to creating a guest list at the beginning of an event is that you can better communicate to guests. For example, your event invitation could specify the time of arrival to the venue, directions to it, the time to get your RSVP, if they need food preferences, if they need to dress a certain way or bring certain materials, or if they need to bring any items with them. Your vendors may also require more information, based on the guests, before they can provide an accurate estimate. Catering for seating, printed materials, sound system requirements and the room layout all become more manageable when the event planner can state exactly who and what kind of guests are expected rather than just a number of guests that might come.
A helpful check when you read through the list of guests, or groups of guests, is to think about what an individual guest is experiencing from the time they first come in at the beginning of an event to when they leave at the end. Do they know what to do or where to go? Do they have a seat to sit in? Is the sequence of the event clear? Do they need any dietary restrictions noted, accessibility considerations, name cards, worksheets or an end-of-event email? This can identify a variety of problems, from poor or missing signage, to the flow of guests arriving or leaving, to unclear who is responsible for any given tasks, to a timeline that has no buffer for a natural flow.
A better sense of the guest list then helps you to write a less vague event brief, to create a more targeted list of tasks, and to create a more concrete run sheet for the event. When you choose the next event activity or think about adding another item for decorating, look back at your guest list and ask what that changes. It might tell you a lot about how the space has to look, what needs to happen in order or how the guests will move around it.