From Spreadsheets to Streamlined Event Execution

How Asana Keeps Event Chaos in Check

By: Sarah Cate Scaduto

The Reality of Event Planning

If you’ve ever found yourself triple-checking spreadsheets on a loading dock at 5 a.m., wondering if the signage for your Platinum sponsor made it to the right ballroom while fielding requests from three different booths that need three different AV setups, and a client texting you for constant updates… You might be an event planner.

As normal as this scene may feel to event pros, wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way you could keep everything organized and running smoothly, without being tied to a computer, a stack of printed paper (because sustainability!), or a massive spreadsheet that grows larger by the minute?

With the right approach to project and information management, you can make it through the logistical Olympics of event planning with your sanity intact.

When “Good Enough” Systems Start to Break Down

Spreadsheets seem like a logical place to start gathering and organizing information for your event. With those perfectly tidy cells, it stands to reason that all of your event’s details will magically fall into place, right?

But when you’re juggling 50+ sponsors, four different booth sizes and setups, and 100+ vendors, spreadsheets can get messy fast. (Also, I dare you to navigate a spreadsheet of this size on your phone or iPad!).

Relying solely on email can also cause vendor and internal communication to get buried, which increases the chance of critical details and even deliverables slipping through the cracks.

Where spreadsheets and email fail to rise to the occasion, dedicated project management platforms save the day, allowing increased flexibility and better on-the-go visibility into all the tiny details that make events spectacular.

How Asana Keeps Every Moving Piece in Sync

There are any number of project management platforms like Monday, ClickUp, Trello …the list goes on… that can streamline your events, but for the purpose of easy-to-follow setup I’m going to use Asana as an example.

When configured thoughtfully, Asana has the power to become the behind-the-scenes backbone of your event team.

Not only can it hold every sponsor promise, booth build, and timeline, it can scale with your event.

That means whether you end up with 20 sponsors or 120, it can handle the hundred and one details that go along with them, making sure everyone is on the same page and everything gets delivered on time.

And with a mobile app, trusting your event details to Asana means it’s equally helpful during the planning phase as it is in on-site chaos.

Practical Ways Event Pros Use Asana

Once you’ve decided to move beyond spreadsheets and email, the question becomes:

How do you actually make a platform like Asana work for a specific event vs. your business as a whole?

Whether you’re working on one event for one client or smaller events across multiple clients, Asana can handle it.

It utilizes workspaces and projects, which means you can create separate areas by client and/or event, and invite only the people who need visibility into each of them.

Let’s take a look at a few real world use cases and explore how Asana can help calm the chaos.

A. Sponsor Tiers + Deliverables, Organized

Sponsorships are the definition of detail overload. Logos. Ad specs. Speaking slots. VIP seating. Brand approvals. Deadlines that seem to multiply overnight.

In Asana, every sponsor can live as its own task or section, grouped neatly by tier (Platinum, Gold, Silver, etc.). You can attach contracts, assign deliverables, set automatic reminders and task dependencies for artwork or approvals. Everyone from internal teams to vendors and clients stays in the loop.

The real win? No more inbox archaeology or panicked Slack threads requiring endless scrolling to find out asking who has the final_FINAL logo file. Everything lives in one place, updated in real time and ready when you are.

B. Manage Tradeshows with Task + Project Templates

If you’ve ever managed a trade show booth, you know the blur. Cities, clients, floor plans, shipping schedules, and staff lists all merge into one long to-do list.

Asana helps you bring order to the madness with reusable templates. Build one solid project once and duplicate it for each new city/year. Include tasks for booth design, shipping, staffing, and AV, just adjust dates, swap details, and you’re off.

It’s like your personal trade show playbook, structured enough to save hours but flexible enough to handle last-minute surprises.

C. Stay in Control On the Go

Event planners don’t have the luxury of staying glued to a laptop—this is a face-to-face industry after all—or balancing an iPad while moving centerpieces or boxes. With the mobile app, you can check task status, mark items complete, or upload a photo proof right from the convention floor before throwing the phone back in your pocket and getting back to moving those decor items.

Need to confirm signage placement during a sponsor walkthrough? Done. Want to share an updated seating chart before doors open? Easy.

Your entire event plan fits in your pocket, so you can keep things moving while you keep moving.

The Payoff: Less Scramble, More Strategy

At the end of the day, every planner wants the same thing: less chaos, more control.

When your systems are doing the heavy lifting, you get to enjoy:

●      Fewer late-night email chains

●      Happier sponsors (because deliverables never fall through the cracks)

●      Smoother show floors and faster wrap-ups

●      More time to focus on creative strategy (and the client experience that really sets you apart)

Event pros spend so much time managing details for others. You also deserve robust tools that manage them for you.

Ready to Make It Work for You

Whether you’re producing one annual gala or twenty shows a year, Asana can flex to fit your workflow.

I help planners and agencies set up systems that make sense for how they actually work. No tech overwhelm, no unnecessary bells and whistles. Just structure that sticks.

Let’s build you a workflow that keeps your next event running like clockwork and lets you enjoy the show for once.

Curious what a system like this could do for your next event? Let’s talk.