You have your team and the ideas, but what do you do now? You are the overall event planner, and your job is to keep the others motivated. As soon as you finish your first meeting, type the meeting notes and create an electronic task list so you can e-mail it to all involved. The task list helps those involved remember what they are supposed to do, and when they need to have it done. Remind them that if they run into a sticky situation, you are there to help.
Ask each sub-team lead to report to you weekly, either via e-mail or phone. Then, record any changes to the task list as needed. That way you can send out a new task list the day before the next scheduled meeting for everyone to review. During the meeting, ask for any updates and record them. Also ask for any opportunities or problems the team has run into. Discuss how to handle during the meeting, and make sure everyone is clear on what needs to be done next.
You may need to plan for 1-2 hours for your last meeting before the event. This meeting is just as important as the first meeting because you will be giving instructions on set up, volunteer organization and clean up. Make sure you have enough people to decorate the area, serve the food, greet the guests, etc. Pay great attention to detail – don’t leave anything out. This meeting sets the tone for the event, and you want it to scream success.