Task Templates for Event Planning | Planadar Help

Task Templates for Event Planning

A template adds a ready-made list of tasks to your plan, with each due date counted from your event's first day. You start from what usually has to happen instead of a blank page, then change what does not fit.

Planning is being introduced step by step. Until it is switched on for everyone, you will not see a Planning section in your Event Console and the steps below will not apply yet. Templates are for the organizer, who is the one who can add tasks.

Add a template's tasks

1. Open the plan (Event Console → Plan → Planning) and click Templates, or Start from a template when the plan is empty.
2. Choose a template on the left. The right side lists each task it adds and the date each one will get.
3. If the plan already has tasks, tick the box that confirms the new tasks are added after them: nothing you have is changed or removed.
4. Click Add (the button says how many tasks, for example Add 30 tasks).

The new tasks are To do and Unassigned, in the template's order. Assign them from the list afterwards. Either all of the template's tasks are added or none are, and clicking again after a dropped connection does not add them twice. Choosing a template again later does add its tasks again.

Dates

Each due date is counted from the event's first day, read in the event's own time zone. If your event is closer than the template's lead time, some tasks will already be overdue, and the preview says so ("12 of 30 tasks are already overdue: the event is closer than the template's lead time."). You can still add them. A template cannot be added if it would put a task outside the years 2000 to 2100 or take the plan above 500 tasks; the preview tells you which.

The built-in templates

• Conference (30 tasks): a multi-session conference with speakers, sponsors and a paid or free registration. Dates run from 120 days before the first day to two weeks after.
• Wedding (26 tasks): from the first decisions to the thank-you notes, from about a year before to a month after.
• Fundraiser or gala (25 tasks): a fundraising dinner, auction or gala with sponsors, tickets and donors, from about five months before to two weeks after.
• Workshop (16 tasks): a one-day or short workshop with a small group, from about two months before to a week after.
• Community event (19 tasks): a fair, festival or neighborhood day, from about three months before to a week after.
• Vacation Bible School (23 tasks): a children's summer program run by a congregation, with curriculum, volunteers, registration, daily schedule and a closing program, from about four months before to two weeks after.
• Corporate offsite (18 tasks): a team offsite or retreat with travel, an agenda and activities, from about ten weeks before to two weeks after.
• Virtual event (17 tasks): a webinar series or virtual conference, from about two months before to two weeks after.

Your own templates

When the plan has tasks, Save this plan as a template appears under the template list. Give it a name and, if you like, a description, and it is saved under Your templates.

• It keeps each task's title, description, priority, estimated cost and due date. The due date is saved as a number of days before or after the event's first day (up to 1,000 days either way), so it fits the next event's dates.
• It does not keep who a task was assigned to or its status.
• Only you can see your templates.
• You can keep up to 50 templates, each with up to 200 tasks.
• Use the pencil to rename a template and the bin to delete it. Deleting a template does not remove tasks already added from it.

Common questions

Can I change the tasks after adding a template? Yes. They are ordinary tasks: edit, assign or delete them.

Will adding a template overwrite my plan? No. It only adds tasks after the ones you have.

Why is there no Templates button? Only the person who can add tasks (the organizer) sees it, and only once Planning is switched on.

Pro Tip: after your first event, save the plan as your own template. The next event starts with the tasks that actually mattered!