30-60-90 day plan for event managers
On this page
- What does an event manager own that an event coordinator does not?
- What does the 30-60-90 day plan look like?
- What goes on the contract calendar?
- Which rules does a new event manager check?
- Which numbers should a new event manager track?
- What does "on track" look like at day 30, 60 and 90?
- A filled example
- How should the hiring manager use this plan in the final interview?
- What should the hiring manager ask at the check-ins?
- What the hiring manager owes a new event manager
- Common mistakes
- Adapting the plan
- Questions people ask
A 30-60-90 day plan for a new event manager should spend the first 30 days building two calendars, one of every event in the next 12 months and one of every contract date (attrition, cutoff, cancellation and deposit deadlines), and checking budgets and risks; days 31-60 running the next event end to end with a post-event report; and days 61-90 scoring every event against its objective and proposing next year's portfolio and budget. As of November 2026, the plan also checks accessibility under the ADA's Title III rules, music licensing for public performances and, for events that sell tickets to consumers, the FTC's rule requiring the total price up front.
This plan is for the marketing leader, association executive or operations head hiring an event manager to own a portfolio of conferences, trade shows, customer events, roadshows or internal meetings. Campaign and channel ownership sits with the role in the 30-60-90 day plan for marketing managers, and the other side of the hotel contract is the job described in the 30-60-90 day plan for hotel managers. If you are hiring the coordinator who executes logistics, the event coordinator screening questions cover room blocks, banquet event orders and day-of judgment.
What does an event manager own that an event coordinator does not?
| Area | Event manager | Event coordinator | Marketing manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | The portfolio: which events run, why, and at what budget | Logistics for assigned events | Campaigns across channels, of which events are one |
| Contracts | Negotiates and signs, or recommends signing, venue and vendor contracts | Tracks deliverables and deadlines in them | Approves the spend |
| Money | Event budgets, sponsorship revenue, reconciliation after each event | Invoices and vendor payments | Overall marketing budget |
| Risk | Accessibility, safety and emergency plans, insurance, force majeure | Day-of incidents | Brand risk |
| Results | A scorecard per event against its objective | On-time, on-budget delivery | Pipeline or revenue across channels |
What does the 30-60-90 day plan look like?
30-60-90 day plan — [Name], Event Manager, [company / association]
Reports to: [name] Start date: [date]
Portfolio: [N] events a year ([conference, roadshows, trade shows, internal])
Budget: [annual events budget] Team: [coordinators, agency, freelancers]
Systems: [registration platform], [CRM], [budget tracker], [venue sourcing]
Signing authority: [up to $ / who signs above it]
DAYS 1-30 — Inventory the calendar, the contracts and the risks
Goals:
- List every event in the next 12 months: date, venue, budget,
owner, objective, contract status
- Read every signed contract; put each attrition and cutoff date,
cancellation schedule, food and beverage minimum, deposit and
insurance requirement on one contract calendar
- Reconcile last year's events: budget vs actual by line,
registrations, attendance, sponsorship
- Walk the next major venue with its event contact: access routes,
rooms, AV, load-in, exits and the venue's emergency plan
- Meet marketing, sales, finance, legal and the main sponsors
- Review the registration flow and attendee emails end to end
Deliverables by day 30:
- Portfolio calendar with an objective for every event
- Contract calendar and a risk list for the next event
Check-in: day 30
DAYS 31-60 — Run the next event end to end
Goals:
- Own run of show, staffing plan, vendor confirmations and
shipping for [event]
- Run an access-needs process: question at registration,
interpreter and captioning lead times, accessible seating
- Audit room block pickup weekly against the cutoff
- Confirm music licensing, permits and certificates of insurance
- Debrief within a week; reconcile invoices against contracts
Deliverables by day 60:
- Event delivered; post-event report with costs, show rate,
survey results and the business result
Check-in: day 60
DAYS 61-90 — Score the portfolio and plan next year
Goals:
- Build a scorecard for every event against its objective
- Recommend keep, change or cut for each event
- Standardize the venue request, contract checklist, run of
show and vendor packet
- Build next year's calendar and budget with finance
Deliverables by day 90:
- Scorecard and portfolio recommendation
- Next year's plan approved, with contract dates for new venues
Check-in: day 90 — full reviewCounts and systems in brackets are examples; fill them in for the portfolio.
What goes on the contract calendar?
Most event money is lost on dates that passed unnoticed. One row per signed contract, with every date that changes what the company owes:
| Clause | What to record | Why it matters early |
|---|---|---|
| Room block and cutoff | Rooms by night, cutoff date, pickup to date | Unsold rooms return to the hotel at cutoff; reductions are usually easier before it |
| Attrition | The percentage of the block or food and beverage commitment the group must use, and how it is measured | Low pickup turns into an invoice after the event |
| Cancellation | The sliding schedule of fees by date | Deciding to cancel or move an event costs more each month |
| Food and beverage minimum | The minimum spend and what counts toward it | Menus can be planned to meet it rather than pay a shortfall |
| Force majeure | Which events excuse performance, and the notice required | Weather, travel disruption and venue problems are planned for, not argued about |
| Insurance and indemnity | Required coverage and certificates from the company and its vendors | Venues may refuse load-in without certificates on file |
Which rules does a new event manager check?
Federal rules below are summarized as they read in November 2026 and are not legal advice. Fire code occupancy limits, food and alcohol permits and local permits come from the state and city where the event happens, usually through the venue; confirm them for each venue.
| Area | What the rule says | What the event manager checks |
|---|---|---|
| Effective communication (28 CFR 36.303) | A public accommodation must furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary for effective communication with people with disabilities; examples include qualified interpreters on site or by video remote interpreting, real-time captioning and assistive listening systems | An access-needs question at registration, booking lead times for interpreters and captioners, and which party provides what under the venue contract |
| Accessible seating sales (28 CFR 36.302(f)) | A public accommodation that sells tickets must let people with disabilities buy accessible seating during the same hours, the same stages of sales (including pre-sales and promotions) and through the same methods as other patrons | Accessible seats are released in every sales channel at the same time |
| Total ticket price (16 CFR Part 464; FTC) | Since May 12, 2025, a business that offers, displays or advertises a price for live-event tickets must show the total price clearly and conspicuously, more prominently than other pricing, and disclose excluded charges and the final amount before payment | For ticketed events sold to consumers, that the advertised price includes mandatory fees; ask legal whether a given registration counts |
| Music at events (17 U.S.C. 101 and 106(4)) | Performing a work at a place open to the public, or where a substantial number of people outside a family and its social acquaintances gather, is a public performance, which is an exclusive right of the copyright owner | Whether the venue's music licenses cover the event or the organizer needs its own, including walk-in music and video |
| Event email (FTC CAN-SPAM guide) | Commercial email needs honest headers and subject lines, a physical postal address and an opt-out honored within 10 business days, with no exception for business email | Invitation and reminder sequences carry the footer and respect opt-outs from other lists |
Which numbers should a new event manager track?
The measures below are examples. Each event's objective decides which ones matter.
| Measure (examples only) | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Registrations against target by week before the event | Whether promotion is working in time to change it |
| Show rate: attendees divided by registrants | Whether reminders, timing and the offer hold people |
| Cost per attendee against budget | Efficiency, and which budget lines run over |
| Room block pickup against block, by week to cutoff | Attrition exposure |
| Satisfaction or session ratings | Content and experience quality |
| Business result: qualified pipeline, sponsorship revenue, renewals | Whether the event did the job it was approved for |
| Access requests fulfilled, and incidents logged | Whether the risk processes work |
What does "on track" look like at day 30, 60 and 90?
| Checkpoint | On track | Worth a direct conversation |
|---|---|---|
| Day 30 | Portfolio and contract calendars complete; last year reconciled; venue walked; risks listed | Contracts unread; a cutoff or cancellation date discovered by the hotel's reminder |
| Day 60 | Next event delivered; access requests handled; invoices reconciled; report out within two weeks | Report is a photo album; invoices paid without checking the contract |
| Day 90 | Scorecard for every event; a keep, change or cut recommendation; next year's budget agreed | Every event recommended again at a higher budget; objectives still undefined |
A filled example
Event manager: Danielle Ruiz (invented), the first event manager at a B2B software company running about 14 events a year: a user conference, regional roadshows and trade show booths. All details are examples.
Day 30: Her contract calendar showed the user conference hotel's cutoff was five weeks away with pickup at about half the block, against an attrition clause measured on most of it. Registration had no access-needs question; last year an interpreter request had been met the day before the event.
Day 60: The hotel agreed to reduce the block before cutoff in exchange for moving a dinner into the hotel's ballroom. She ran a roadshow end to end, sent leads to sales within two days and reconciled every invoice, catching an AV charge for equipment the contract included.
Day 90: The scorecard showed two roadshow cities costing several times more per qualified opportunity than the others. She recommended cutting one, moving the budget to hands-on workshops at the user conference, and adding the access question and a 21-day interpreter booking rule to every registration form.
How should the hiring manager use this plan in the final interview?
Give every finalist the same brief: the portfolio, budgets, one real contract summary and one known problem. Score the plans with the rubric in how to evaluate a 30-60-90 day plan in an interview; the project manager plan is a useful comparison for how a candidate runs status and risk. Questions that test this plan:
- "The conference block is at half its pickup five weeks before cutoff. What do you do this week?"
- "A registrant asks for an interpreter ten days before the event. Walk me through it."
- "Sales says events do not create pipeline; finance says they cost too much. What do you measure?"
- "The keynote cancels 48 hours out. What is your plan?"
Strong candidates name the contract clause behind each answer and talk about objectives and costs before decor.
What should the hiring manager ask at the check-ins?
- Day 30: Which contract date is the next to cost us money? What is each event for?
- Day 60: What did the last event cost against budget, and what did it produce? What went wrong on the day?
- Day 90: Which event would you cut, and why? What do you need signed before the next quarter?
What the hiring manager owes a new event manager
- Every signed contract, with amendments and correspondence, in week one.
- Signing authority in writing, and a legal reviewer with an agreed turnaround.
- An objective for each event agreed with the business owner, so the scorecard has something to score.
- Access to the registration platform, the CRM and last year's invoices.
Common mistakes
- Signing before reading attrition and cancellation terms. The cost shows up after the event, when nothing can be done.
- No access-needs process. Requests arrive late and get handled in a rush, or not at all.
- Measuring attendance only. A full room that produced nothing is still a cost.
- The run of show in one person's head. Write it down, with names and times, and share it.
Adapting the plan
- Associations and nonprofits: weight months two and three toward sponsorship and exhibitor revenue and member renewals. As of November 2026, the Events Industry Council's CMP eligibility rules include 36 months of full-time industry experience in the past five years (or 24 months with a degree in the field) plus 25 clock hours of continuing education, or an internship, before the exam, if the role expects the credential.
- Consumer and ticketed events: put the ticket pricing and accessible seating rules above into the day-30 review, along with the ticketing platform's settings.
- Internal events and offsites: the objective is usually attendance, content and cost per attendee; work with the executive assistants who own the leaders' calendars.
- Recruiting and hiring events: the guide to running a hiring event covers interview stations, candidate flow and same-day offers.
Questions people ask
What should a new event manager do in the first 30 days?
List every event in the next 12 months with its date, venue, budget, owner and contract status, read every signed contract and put each attrition, cutoff, cancellation and deposit date on one calendar, reconcile last year's event budgets against actual spend, walk the next major venue, and meet marketing, sales, finance, legal and the main sponsors. The month ends with a portfolio calendar, a contract calendar and a risk list for the next event.
What is an attrition clause in a hotel contract?
It is the clause that sets how much of a room block or food and beverage commitment the group may fail to use before it owes the hotel damages, usually stated as a percentage of the block and checked against a cutoff date. A new event manager should know every attrition and cutoff date in the signed contracts by day 30, because the cheapest time to reduce a block is before the cutoff.
Do events have to provide sign language interpreters or captioning?
Under the ADA's Title III rules for public accommodations, as of November 2026, 28 CFR 36.303 requires appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to ensure effective communication with people with disabilities, and lists qualified interpreters, real-time captioning and assistive listening systems as examples. Which party provides them depends on the event and the contracts, so the registration form should ask about access needs early. This is not legal advice.
How should an event manager be measured?
Against the objective each event was approved for, not attendance alone: registrations against target, show rate, cost per attendee against budget, satisfaction, and the business result the event was meant to produce, such as qualified pipeline, sponsorship revenue or member renewals. A day-90 scorecard for every event in the portfolio is the basis for deciding what to keep, change or cut.