Event planning & resource management made easy!

Optimal event planning with Visual Planning®

Visual Planning® supports companies in the centralised planning of events, staff, rooms, equipment, vehicles, tasks and appointments. The customisable planning board provides a single overview of all resources relevant to planning.

Centralised planning of events and resources

Event planning involves far more than simply setting a date. Staff, external service providers, venues, technical equipment, vehicles, materials and numerous individual tasks must be co-ordinated in terms of timing and organisation .

Coordination becomes particularly challenging when several events take place at the same time or when the same resources are required for different dates.

Visual Planning® brings together events, tasks and required resources in a central digital planning board. This provides authorised users with a shared overview of dates, bookings, responsibilities and available capacity.

Changes can be made directly in the planning system, depending on the configuration. The effects on staff, rooms, equipment or other resources are visible in the relevant views.

Planning an event with a stage, technical equipment and participant areas

Features for clear event planning

The functions and information used depend on the types of events, operational processes and the specific configuration of Visual Planning®.

Event overview

Events, dates, venues and responsibilities are presented in a single overview.

Staff planning

Permanent staff, temporary staff, technicians and external service providers can be assigned to tasks and time periods .

Spatial planning

Halls, stages, meeting rooms, exhibition stands and other spaces can be displayed together with their bookings .

Technology and Equipment

Microphones, mixing desks, lighting equipment, screens and other equipment can be allocated to events.

Tasks and processes

Set-up, rehearsals, admission, performance, set changes and dismantling can be planned as individual tasks or time periods .

Vehicle planning

Lorries, buses, trailers and other vehicles can be allocated to transport and event dates.

Flexible rescheduling

Appointments and resource allocations can be adjusted using drag-and-drop when changes are made, depending on the configuration.

Warnings and rules

Planning rules may indicate double bookings, overlaps or lack of availability .

Reports and analyses

Capacity utilisation, event status and other planning data can be analysed in configurable views.

Coordinate order and customer information

Event bookings can be linked to customers, contact persons, dates, venues and other information.

Specific requirements, agreed services and organisational notes can be recorded directly for the relevant order, depending on the configuration.

This provides authorised users with a common basis of information for the preparation and running of the event.

Which customer and order data is maintained directly in Visual Planning® or imported from a CRM or ERP system is determined on a project-by-project basis.

Show different types of events

Visual Planning® can be configured for various internal and external event formats.

Trade fairs and exhibitions
Concerts and festivals
Theatre and stage performances
Conferences and meetings
Seminars and training courses
Corporate events
Sporting events
Private parties and receptions

Views, status information, tasks and required resources can be structured differently depending on the type of event.

Scheduling staff and external service providers

Events often require a variety of internal and external staff. This may include personnel for organisation, technical support, security, catering, admissions or guest services .

Staff and teams can be assigned to events, tasks and time periods. Existing assignments and absences are visible in the central planning system.

Qualifications, certificates and other employee characteristics may be taken into account during the selection process, depending on the configuration.

External service providers can also be represented as resources or contractors. The actual scope of information depends on the specific planning concept.

Compare availability and capacity

Utilisation and capacity views compare planned bookings with available time slots.

This enables planning managers to see which teams are already deployed at a given time and where capacity is still available.

Threshold values and colour indicators may, depending on the configuration, indicate high utilisation or potential bottlenecks .

The decision on priorities and alternative resource allocations remains with the relevant planning managers.

Plan technology and equipment alongside the event

Technical equipment and other operational resources can be included in event planning as separate resources.

Microphones and wireless technology
Mixing desks and audio equipment
Lighting technology and spotlights
Screens and projectors
Stages and stage elements
Upper stages and truss systems
Cables and power distribution
Barriers and security technology
Furniture and fittings
Cranes and lifting equipment
Exhibition stands and presentation materials
Further event-specific resources

Technical resources can be linked to time periods, locations and events. Depending on the configuration, planning rules can flag overlaps or unavailability.

Coordinate vehicles and transport

Depending on the event, different vehicles are required to transport staff, equipment and materials.

Lorries, buses, vans, trailers and other vehicles can be assigned to the relevant transport orders or events .

Availability, existing assignments, maintenance and other vehicle characteristics can be taken into account in the planning process, depending on the configuration.

For further information on vehicle dispatching, please visit Fleet planning .

Combining set-up, operation and dismantling

An event often consists of several interrelated phases. These include delivery, set-up, technical installation, rehearsals, the event itself and dismantling.

These phases can be displayed as individual tasks or appointments and linked to staff, equipment and other resources.

Dependencies and sequences can be taken into account in line with the planning concept that has been established.

Changes to a phase are visible in central planning and can be taken into account in subsequent scheduling .

Coordinate several events simultaneously

When several events are taking place simultaneously, the same staff, rooms, vehicles or technical resources may be required.

Visual Planning® displays the respective allocations in shared or separate planning views.

This makes any potential overlaps visible right from the planning stage. Configurable alerts can also flag up double bookings.

Priorities, status details and event phases can be structured in line with the company’s requirements .

Integrate existing systems and data

Customer, order, personnel or resource data can be imported from existing applications depending on the specific project.

Planning information and feedback can also be transferred to third-party systems, provided that suitable interfaces are available.

The nature, direction and update frequency of the data exchange are defined during the requirements and interface analysis .

Visual Planning® can thus enhance existing ERP, CRM, ticketing or other business systems with flexible graphical planning views.

Frequently asked questions about digital event planning

What is meant by digital event planning?

Digital event planning refers to the centralised organisation and coordination of events, dates, staff, venues, technical equipment, vehicles and other resources using software.

What tasks does event planning involve?

This includes, amongst other things, scheduling, staff planning, venue management, technical planning, task coordination, transport planning, as well as the organisation of set-up, execution and dismantling.

Why is digital event planning important?

It provides a central overview of events, appointments and required resources. Changes, overlaps and potential bottlenecks thus become apparent more quickly.

How does digital event planning work?

Events are linked in a digital planning board with staff, rooms, equipment, vehicles, tasks and time periods. Authorised users can edit the schedule centrally.

What are the benefits of digital event planning?

It improves the overview of deadlines, tasks, responsibilities and available resources. Last-minute changes can be incorporated centrally into the schedule.

Why is Excel often not sufficient for complex event planning?

With numerous events, staff and resources, discrepancies in spreadsheet data can quickly arise. Overlaps and dependencies must be checked manually and updated accordingly.

What are the drawbacks of event planning using Excel?

Changes often need to be made across several files . This can lead to version conflicts, transcription errors and incomplete information.

How can events be planned clearly?

Events can be displayed alongside appointments, tasks, venues and required resources in a graphical plan.

How do you plan several events at the same time?

Multiple events can be displayed in shared or separate views and planned in parallel with regard to dates, resources and capacities.

How does digital event planning support resource planning?

Staff, rooms, equipment, vehicles and other resources can be displayed along with their availability and assigned to the relevant events.

How can capacity bottlenecks be identified at an early stage?

Capacity and utilisation views compare existing bookings with available time slots. This makes potential bottlenecks visible as early as the planning stage.

How can double bookings be detected?

Existing allocations and availability are displayed centrally . Configurable alerts can indicate scheduling conflicts.

How does digital event planning help with last-minute changes?

Changes to deadlines, new requirements or resource unavailability can be entered centrally and taken into account in subsequent planning.

How does digital event planning improve collaboration?

Authorised users work on the basis of a shared planning status. Tasks, deadlines and resource allocations are thus centrally traceable.

How does event planning support staff deployment planning?

Staff and teams can be assigned to events, tasks or areas of operation according to their availability, qualifications and existing assignments.

How does digital event planning support technical planning?

Technology and equipment can be managed as resources and assigned to events, appointments or event phases .

Does digital event planning automatically reduce the organisational workload?

Centralised planning can reduce the need for multiple data updates and manual reconciliations. However, the actual effort involved depends on the processes, data and interfaces used.

Can digital event planning be used on mobile devices?

Depending on the licence, configuration and system environment, shared planning information can be made available in a browser or on suitable mobile devices.

What are the benefits of a hosted event planning service?

A hosted solution provides Visual Planning® in a centrally managed system environment. Access, data backup, responsibilities and possible interfaces depend on the chosen hosting model.

Which businesses would benefit from digital event planning?

It is suitable, amongst other things, for event agencies, event organisers, trade fair organisers, cultural and event organisations, conference centres, educational institutions and companies that hold regular events.

How does digital event planning improve transparency?

Events, dates, rooms, staff, equipment and tasks are displayed in a centralised planning view. This enables authorised users to work on the basis of a shared planning status.

How does digital event planning reduce planning errors?

Centralised data management, traceable changes, planning rules and transparent event overviews can help to reduce double bookings, data entry errors and communication problems.

How does digital event planning support multi-event management?

Multiple events can be viewed together and co-ordinated in terms of resources, capacities, dates and priorities. This enables conflicts and bottlenecks to be identified at an early stage.