The kickoff checklist

T-90 days

Sign the venue contract Read the attrition, cancellation, food and beverage minimum, and AV exclusivity clauses first.
Contract the hotel room block and note the cutoff date Size the block from headcount by region; put the cutoff on the team calendar.
Confirm budget and headcount with finance and the CRO Quota carriers only, or the whole revenue org plus partners?
Publish the travel policy Booking window, fare class, arrival and departure days, and who approves exceptions.
Set the theme and the year’s narrative with leadership One sentence the CRO can say from memory.
Draft the agenda skeleton Day-by-day blocks; owners and titles can stay blank for now.
Book AV and production Get the in-house AV quote, plus an outside quote if the contract allows one.
Send the save the date City, dates, and travel days, so nobody books customer meetings on top of them.

Lock the agenda Every block has a title, an owner, and a time; changes after this go through the event lead.
Confirm presenters and send the presenter timeline Topic, slot, and slide freeze date, in writing.
Open registration Collect role, team, arrival time, shirt size, dietary needs, and accessibility needs.
Set award categories and criteria Agree the data cutoff for President’s Club and annual awards with RevOps.
Order swag Production and shipping take longer than you think; use sizes from registration.
Plan role-based breakouts Owners for the AE, SE, CSM, SDR, and manager tracks, plus room sizes.
Book the evening events Welcome event and awards night, with menus and a rain plan for anything outdoors.

Check room block pickup Compare hotel reservations to registrations and chase anyone without a room before the cutoff.
Send the event app link and event code By email and in your team chat, with a reminder in the final week.
Finalize the dietary and accessibility list Share it with venue catering and the events team; confirm how meals are labeled.
Confirm AV specs and stage design Screens, mics, confidence monitors, lighting looks, and breakout room AV.
Review presenter first drafts Flag overlaps between sessions and anything off-narrative.
Finalize award winners and order trophies Confirm with the CRO, keep the list need-to-know, and leave time for engraving.
Order signage Directional, registration, breakout rooms, partner signs, and stage graphics.
Plan ground transportation Airport transfers and shuttles to any offsite evening events.

Final drafts and dry runs Near-final decks in; every main-stage presenter runs it at time at least once. Slide freeze is next week.
Confirm the Wi-Fi plan with the venue Dedicated attendee network, bandwidth for the main room, and a separate production network.
Build the run of show Minute by minute for every general session, with cues and owners.
Write the awards script Order of awards, who presents each one, winner pronunciations, walk-up music, and photo moments.
Send the know-before-you-go email Agenda, dress code, weather, hotel, shuttle times, and the event app.
Give the venue your final headcount Meal guarantees are often due around now; check your contract for the date.

Slide freeze at T-7 Final decks in and loaded into playback; any later change goes through the content lead.
Print and pack Badges, signage, printed run of show, and the registration kit.
Ship materials to the venue Follow the venue’s receiving rules and label boxes with the event name and an onsite contact.
Confirm every vendor Arrival and load-in times, onsite contacts, and payment terms.
Reconfirm presenters Send each one their green room time and run-of-show excerpt.
Brief registration and event staff Who works where, escalation contacts, and the QR check-in flow.
Pull the arrivals report Who arrives when, and who still has no room.
Build the post-event survey Short, and scheduled to go out in the event app on the last day.

Load-in and stage build Walk the room with the AV lead before the crew finishes.
Tech run Presenters walk the stage, check mics, and click through their decks.
Test Wi-Fi in every room Main room, breakouts, and registration, on a phone and a laptop.
Set the registration desk Badges sorted, QR check-in tested, and swag ready to hand out.
Place signage Walk the attendee path from the hotel lobby to every room.
Lock and distribute the run of show Printed for the crew, with a version number.
Check dietary and accessibility plans with catering Labeled meals, separate prep, and reserved seating where needed.
Leadership walk-through The CRO and event lead walk the room and the Day 1 flow together.

Daily crew call 30 minutes before doors: changes, risks, and timing.
Track time against the run of show Note overruns and decide what gets cut before it is urgent.
Watch the room Temperature, sound levels, and lines at coffee and restrooms.
Push updates through the event app Room changes, shuttle times, and reminders.
Capture content Recordings, photos, and decks for anyone who couldn’t attend.
Daily debrief Ten minutes after the last session: what broke and what to fix tomorrow.
Send the survey Push it on the last day, before people leave the room.

Thank presenters, crew, and vendors Within two days, and specific about what each one did.
Post recordings and decks In the enablement hub or event app, with access set by role.
Share survey results with leadership Top themes, what to keep, and what to change.
Reconcile the budget Final invoices, room block attrition, and food and beverage against the contract.
Run the Q1 Fast Start follow-through Managers check in on the plans their teams built on Day 3.
Track certification completion Enablement follows up with anyone who didn’t certify onsite.
Hold the retrospective Event team, AV, and leadership; write it down while memories are fresh.