Disclaimer: This is a guide that I complied from my experience and the experiences of others. It is not meant as the end all and be all to Event Planning. Everyone is different and may have a different way of approaching event planning.

Hosting an event takes a lot of effort and work, but the reward is worth it. Whether you're running an event to build your business, meet people, plan a wedding, PvP / space tourney, hunt, birthday party, or roleplay, Event Planning will allow you to organize, have the turnout you want and allow you to enjoy the event.

Basic Guildlines

1. Come up with an idea (Research).
2. Determine date(s) & time(s) for the event.
3. Get help.
4. Determine what is necessary to implement the idea (Storyteller props, Live Interactive support).
5. Advertise event.
6. Host event.
7. Follow-up from the event.

Ideation - Do Research

• Decide what you want to do for your event. Do you want to plan a PvP event, Star Wars holiday event (TheForce.Net), Real World Holiday or Swoop race (Old Tracks, Tracks 4-6)?
• Look at the Current Player Events listings for ideas.
• Look at the Event Reports which highlight players events, and the Events: How To gespage.
• Learn from other Event Planners or Mego's ideas (Fishing, Racing, Fireworks).

Determine Dates and Time

• The World Clock - Current local times around the world
• Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii and the territories of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa are the only places in the U.S. that do not observe DST (Daylight Savings Time) but instead stay on standard time all year long.

• Delegate tasks to guild members, friends or community members.
• Contact a Mayor, or cantina owner for possible venues.
• Contact an Event Helper.

• Use Storyteller items. View Screenshots of all Storyteller Props.
• To request Event Support (Pex), follow this Step-by-step guide.
• If you plan to request an NPC played by Pex, do research on the character. Pex will need to follow certain character guildlines. i.e. Vader isn't going to be festive at a party. Bossk isn't going to be happy at a Lifeday event. A helpful resource is Wookieepedia.
• If you plan to request an NPC played by Pex, look at the character list. You can also request non-cannon characters such as a Singing Mountain Witch.

Advertising

• Publicize the event as much as possible. Read the the guide to Promoting your event.
• Post an event announcement on your Galaxy forum "Upcoming Player Events" post. This will be posted on the Current Player Events.
• Advertise your event in Fan Sites or Roleplaying Server Communities.
• Create visual ads and post them in the Events forum and your server's forum.
• Include rules if you have any in the ads. If there will be combat, inform people. This can eliminate any misunderstandings or expectations.
• Advertise in-game. Ask another event host to sponsor your event. Spread the word. Send Emails (Guild Mail, Event Mailing lists, City Mails)
• Work with a crafter to promote your event. i.e. Giveaways can be sold in vendors at the event location, weeks before it happens.
  

Examples of Ads

Example of In-game Email

Put the date and time in the subject line for quick reference. This will decrease tell hell asking you for a waypoint, and time. In the body copy use the KISS principle.

Working with Someone Else to Promote Your Event

During a Lifeday event, one of our famous server tailor was asked to sell her "Ho Ho Ho Holiday hats" at a venue, weeks before the event kicked off. This provided traffic into the venue by her advertising it and also offered participants a novelty gift during the event.

Host the Event

• Remember to delegate tasks.
• Assign someone to record names of attendees.
• Assign someone to take pictures.
• Assign someone to record chat logs (/log). This is entirely optional but I find it really helpful to read after an event. It gives me a chance to see tells that I've missed, read Pex's dialogue or have documentation to settle any disputes that might arise later.

Follow-Up from Event

• Send a thank you letter to all of those who attended the event.
• Write an event report and post in the Galaxy forum, Events forum, Fan Sites, or Roleplaying Server Communities.
• Tell people how the event went. Post images of screenshots and give them the URL.
• Ask for suggestions, feedback and comments.