If you’re like many corporate meeting planners, planning meetings and events may only be part of your job and you learn as you go, without formal training. But if planning meetings and events are a passion of yours and you want to become a meeting professional, there are 33 skills you need to master to become a pro.
The Meeting and Business Event Competency Standards (MBECS)
Each category requires mastery of subskills that we’ve outlined below. Each one is linked to a story by a meeting professional that we think will help you understand them better and apply them to your work. So bookmark this page and come back whenever you need some guidance.
33 Meeting & Event Planning Skills
In case you need to visualize the MBECs, we’ve created a periodic chart of the elemental skills every meeting and event planner need to master.
A: Strategic Meeting & Event planning
The most important piece of the meeting and event planning process is defining the strategy. Put simply: If you don’t know why you’re having the meeting, you shouldn’t have one. By communicating with all the meeting stakeholders in advance and understanding what they’re trying to accomplish, you’re able to develop a strategic plan that’s guided by how you will achieve their goals and objectives. Knowing that will help you properly allocate budget and staff resources, make smart design and vendor choices and help you prove the return on investment later.
1. Manage the strategic plan for meeting/event
There’s a popular saying: If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. Nowhere is this truer than in the meeting and event industry. If you create a strong strategic framework at the beginning and identify clear goals and objectives, it’s much easier to keep track of meeting logistics and all the little details that follow.
2. Develop the sustainability plan for meeting or event
Did you know that meetings and events generate more waste and consume more energy than any other American industry except for construction? If you’re strategic about creating a sustainability plan for your event you can have a powerful positive impact on the environment, your participants and your host communities. That’s why integrating economic, social and environmental considerations into your meeting/event design is the second skill you need to master if you want to become a meeting professional.
Being sustainable is more than just eliminating paper, reducing waste and recycling whenever possible. It also involves taking into consideration local concerns and communities, enlisting the help of your vendors to implement sustainability initiatives and measure their effectiveness, and developing a communication strategy so attendees, vendors and meeting stakeholders understand the importance of compliance and can celebrate the resulting successes.
3. Measure the value of the meeting or business event
Meetings and events are one of the most effective marketing channels businesses have to fulfill business objectives. Studies have shown that face-to-face meetings are one of the top ways to close new business, build relationships, gain consensus, launch new products, train employees and handle crises. Yet, the value of meetings is often called into question by public figures and the media, often because of a lack of understanding. That’s why it’s essential that meeting and event organizers understand how to articulate how their programs benefit the company, achieve organizational objectives and generate revenue for local economies.
Are you considering starting a blog on your event planning website? If you are looking for good reasons to start a blog, you are in the right place.
According to TechClient, “61% of shoppers made purchases based on a blog post”. TechClient goes on to say that websites with blogs have 434% more indexed pages than websites without blogs. This is huge.
What does all of this mean? How can this information benefit your event planning business?
I’m going to give you five reasons why you should have a blog on your event planning website. But before I get started with the five reasons, I’d like to share my own personal experience with reading blogs and how my life has been impacted, just so you can see firsthand the power of having a blog.
Preston Bailey has earned a space in my heart as one of my favorite celebrity event designers. By far, I consider him the King of luxury event design. Though I have never personally attended any of his events, he earned that space through the blog on his website.
I was impressed with the content, and the level of openness Mr. Bailey shared on his blogs, (like him sharing how he went almost 2 million dollars in debt after several business mistakes) that I became a fan. Just from reading his blogs I felt like I connected with him and his personality.
This is exactly what you want to do with your blog also. You want to share valuable information from everything you know about planning events and weddings. I recall a time when I had concerns about being on the right track with my event planning business. I wondered if some of my practices were on point, like my decision to charge a retainer fee that amounted to 50% of the total cost of the event. My concerns were put at ease from reading another planner’s blog that this was a standard industry practice.
You may be wondering how do you come up with enough topics to keep your blog going?
I have some great advice for this – think about the top 5 or 10 most common questions you get asked about events. Write those down.
Now you have 5 – 10 articles you can write about just like that. If people have asked you a question about events before, then other potential clients have the same questions and are Googling around for the answers to them.
Take these blog post topics you just wrote out and write blog posts of 250 – 1000 words covering the details of these questions.
Over time, as people read your blog they will view you as an expert of your field. Simply put, the content on your blog will eventually lead to people to your website and the services that you offer.
Here are the 5 P’s of why you should start a blog: Presence, Personality, Professional knowledge, Passion, Potential Revenue. These five P’s equate to 5 reason why you should have a blog on your website.
1. Presence
Maintaining an online presence is crucial to your business. Staying top of mind is just as important to your event planning career, as it is for celebrities and their careers. As you may have experienced in our recent culture, it’s the celebrities who have the ability to drive people to their online presence who are the most successful professionally – they’ve learned how to create a buzz for themselves. It’s the same with utilizing a blog as an event planner. Through the content of your blog, you create a reason for people to keep coming back to visit your page.
Unless you have paid to have your website placed in the top of Google and other popular search engines, it would probably be fair to say that no one is bombarding your website with visits.
However, the sweet thing about having a blog on your site is that with every article you post, you increase the chances of someone stumbling across your webpage. By typing certain keywords in the search engine regarding event planning, your article pops up in the search results by keywords used in your article, which in turn, will drive traffic to your site.
This site gets a lot of it’s traffic through the informative blog posts written on the site. After you read this article you can read through some of our other posts to see the informational style we use. You can do the same by answering the most common questions your clients have for you in your blog posts.
2. Personality
Having a blog on your website gives readers an intimate glimpse into your personality. The reality check that most people find when entering into the event planning field is that event planners come a dime a dozen. My grandma always used the “dime a dozen” phrase to express the concept of supply and demand. There’s a large supply of event planners, but not as large demand for us. You don’t find the want ads filled with pages of “event planners” needed. Usually, we have to convince the client as to why they should hire us in our sales pitch.
In some cases, depending upon where you live, your area can be saturated with event planners. Where I live, everyone and their third cousin claims to be an event planner. Now, we all know of course that the skill level and talent varies, and you get what you pay for.
However, you still need something that will set you apart from other planners. Years ago, when I sold insurance in a heavily saturated area of other insurance agents, I received valuable advice from a woman who was very successful at selling insurance. She told me, ‘don’t sell the insurance product, sell yourself.’ What she meant was, sell your personality. Though there may be many agents, there was only ONE me. There is only ONE you, express your uniqueness in your blog.
You will find in this industry that you can be the greatest planner, but if the client does not connect with your personality, or misunderstands your personality, you will not close the deal. Yet, by having a blog, potential clients get to learn more about you and your style and who you are as a person. Your blog and the quality of the content that you provide is what will set you apart from other planners.
3. Professional Knowledge
A blog gives you the opportunity to set yourself apart as an expert in the field. By sharing valuable industry knowledge, and providing solutions to common event problems, you will build professional credibility with your readers. Your followership will see that you are capable of managing their event should they need you to do so.
Having a blog also allows you to educate your readers on what to expect when hiring an event planner. Or instead of waiting for your elevator pitch, use your blog as the platform to explain to readers why they should hire an event planner. Your knowledge builds consumer confidence.
4. Passion
People who have passion for what they do usually do it best. Your blog is your chance to show your readers that if they hire you, they are getting the best. Your passion for planning the perfect event will show through the content that you write for your blog.
Be exceptional when creating the content to your blog. Allow your passion for the event industry to cause you to throw everything within you onto the pages of the articles that you post. Remember, your blog reflects you, and your blog is what will set your apart from other planners.
5. Potential revenue
As stated early, statistics shows that a large number of buyers tend to make purchases based on blog post. This is mainly because, the potential buyer has received something of value from your blog. One way to increase the potential of a reader becoming a customer is creating value added incentives and offers that you provide that will get the client to respond to a call to action.
Blogs also offer additional ways to generate revenue through paid ads. If your blog has a high readership, some advertisers will pay you to advertise on your blog. Pay per click or cost per click is a very popular way companies advertise, by placing banners in the content or on the sidebar of your blog post.
You may end up choosing not to accept advertisers on your blog and just use it as a tool to get clients but at least the option will be available to you.
Having a blog is different from publishing post on Facebook, Instagram and other social networks. The advantage is that you can add meatier content. As you know with most social media network sites, the more words people see posted, the more likely they are going to scroll past the post and not read it. People want to see funny pictures and short memes on social media. With a blog, people come just for the purpose of reading all of the brilliance that you have to offer.
Lastly, don’t be intimidated. Adding a blog to your website is not hard. Most websites come with a blog tab already available.
Do you have a blog? When you create your blog what are some topics you wish to write about. Perhaps you can list the topics in the comment section, and we as a community can offer jewels for you to add to your content to help you get going on your first article.
A large part of my life is traveling (for business and pleasure) and I travel as much as I can, but as a business owner it can be difficult to manage the business while on the road, and I don’t have the option of closing my business while I’m away. Over the last four months I have spent two weeks in Costa Rica, a week away over Christmas and New Year’s, and two weeks in Africa.
Many event planners run their event planning career from locations other than their home office or city. While it can be exciting and fun to travel and plan events in other locations, there are ways to improve the quality of your travel and keep up with your event planning career obligations too.
How To Run Your Event Planning Career From Anywhere
In today’s episode of EventPlanning BlueprintTV, I share three tips to help you run your event planning career from anywhere so you can enjoy traveling and stay productive; and three more travel tips that I live by below the video.
In addition to the three tips shared in today’s video, here are three more must-do travel tips for event planners that travel:
1.Take a carry-on only. Considering how much I travel it’s shocking how much luggage I (used to!) take. Now, I roll my clothes into a carry-on suitcase and do laundry at my destination when I need to. By taking only a carry-on, this also helps me get in and out of airports faster.
2.Drink a lot of water. Staying hydrated while traveling is essential, so I take a reusable water bottle with me and fill it at the airport before I board my flight (there are always water fountains by the bathrooms). My rule of thumb is to drink at least one cup of water per each hour of travel. This helps me hit the ground running and keeps me alert once I arrive (I keep snacks in my bag too, just in case!).
3.Get moving! Go for a walk, a run, a swim or to the gym. Exercising has many health benefits but when traveling it’s important to keep your body moving so you maintain your energy for meetings and events.
Now I’d love to hear from you.
In the comments, share with me…
Have you done any traveling where you’ve run into an issue like bad Internet? How did you handle it?
The winners of the 9th annual iPhone Photography Awards, or iPPAwards, were just announced, and they’re stunning.
Kenan Aktülün, founder and curator of the iPPAwards, tells Tech Insider the contest exists to celebrate the power of filling the world with simple, powerful point-and-shoot cameras. All images in the contest were shot with iPhones (no Androids or other camera allowed). The iPhone may not currently be the best smartphone camera in the world (that title goes to the Galaxy S7), but serious photographers still love the Apple devices for their consistency, simplicity, and color-accuracy.
Check out the 2016 winners below, along with captions from the photographers.
Grand Prize Winner | Man and the Eagle
“The brave and wise Khalkhas live along the mountains in the south of Xinjiang and are companions with the eagles. They regard eagles as their children and train them for many years to hunt. This 70 year old man is rigid and solemn in front of family and friends, but when he is with his beloved eagle, the corner of his mouth would curve up. When the eagles reach mating age, although he is very reluctant, the man releases the eagles back into nature so that they can thrive. A mild heart and exquisite love are covered by his weather-beaten face. He is a tough man with a tender heart.”
First Place | Modern Cathedrals
“Most of my shots come from Warsaw and one from Strasbourg. The idea was to make it more impressionistic, to show architecture in a completely different way that combines my background in graphic design and painting.”
Second Place | She Bends with the Wind
“I was on a iPhone workshop and reunion with a friend and teacher in Cape Cod. We all went out to photograph the the perfect sunset. I tend to bring a few things when I travel, one being this wonderful red umbrella. When others shoot the sunsets and beautiful scenery, I like to photograph some human aspects in these scenes.”
Third Place | Wonderland
“This image was taken as part of a series I did for instagram’s #WHPwonderland. Each weekend when the hashtag project comes out I try to come up with an idea and this particular weekend, the weekend before Christmas, was wonderland. For this one I went on a little adventure with my son to the beach and we wore the reindeer masks.”
With any profession, burnout is a real challenge that often crops up when you least want it to. The feeling of not being able to create or wanting to do something that you love can be incredibly frustrating – but it is a challenge that so many creators struggle with. In today’s article, we’ve collected some tips from the DJTT community on how DJs who struggle with burnout can get past it.
Burnout Is A Real DJ Problem
To people who aren’t in a specific creative profession (like producing, DJing, or any art form), the concept that you would get tired of it sounds absurd. Anytime a touring DJ talks about needing to rest, or a superstar producer claims they lack inspiration to make new tunes, it can seem like a bit of a first world problem. But this is very common – and not just in creative fields. Here’s a quick list of feeling that you might have when you’re burnt out:
low motivation
a sensation of being “drained”
low energy to accomplish basic tasks – even ones you love
We reached out to the DJTT community recently to ask everyone to share their best tips on avoiding burnout in our industry. Here’s some of the best advice we’ve heard (please, add more in the comments on this article!):
Take Breaks To Reflect + Relax
High-paced performance and production schedules and constant stimulation can make it really hard for your “musical ears” to remember what they like. Your mind needs a healthy balance of time spent creating and time off in order to keep everything sustainable.
Don’t Take On New Gigs When Burnt Out
This advice comes from a great article on Psychology Today on ways to recover from a serious bout of being burnt out – avoid adding new responsibilities when you’re already feeling zapped.
This applies to gigs, production projects, anything that will add an extra feeling of needing to do something instead of wanting to.
Seek Inspiration From Peers
Being able to check out what other DJs and producers are doing is a clever way to kickstart your own creative mindset again. Seeing other creative people achieving success can be very motivating, and break through mental roadblocks.
The fun part of being an event planner is that we get to sprinkle our magic glitter on events and make things pretty by transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. However, most of us would agree that the administrative functions of our role are not at all glitz and glamor. Staying on top of the business side of your event business can be overwhelming.
Thankfully, there is help.
The age of technology has made the event management aspect of planning events easier than ever. There are online tools that help with time management, design layout, guest management, budget management and more.
The greatest part about these programs is that they are all web-based. So you don’t have to worry about your hard work getting lost in cyberspace should something unfortunate happen to your computer.
In writing this article, I approached it like a project, keeping you, the reader at the forefront of my mind. With a barrage of event planning software tools available online, and the busy lives of event planners, I strategically selected programs that were easy to use, and reasonable in cost for this article.
I wanted to highlight two of my favorite planning tools, which are Allseated, and Intuit Quickbooks. However, for the sake of not being biased, I did a little research and test drove a few other programs. I have to say, I was impressed with some of the product offerings, so let’s dive in.
Administrative/Client Management
HoneyBook / Dubsado / Intuit Quickbooks
Need help with organizing all that paper work?
HoneyBook.com, and Dubsado.com can be a big help. Both are great time management tools that offer a sweet user interface where you can keep track of contracts, invoices, inquiries, proposals sent and signed, as well as retainers paid. Dubsado event offers a time tracker for hourly billing. Free Trials are available and the cost for HoneyBook is $40 a month or $400 for the year, and the cost for Dubsado is $15 a month, $175 a year or $600 a one-time fee.
The noticeable differences between the two that caught my eye were the content layout design of each page. HoneyBook will work better for the individual who is more visual. For those who are more analytical, I think Dubsado will work best. But that’s just my opinion. Tell me what you think in the comments.
For those needing a little more administrative help, like myself, Intuit Quickbooks.com is another great choice. This program has the same capabilities as HoneyBook and Dubsado but with a few more bells and whistles. In addition, it has a feature to pay taxes online, maximize tax deductions, prepare 1099’s as well as organize expenses. Quickbooks will not only keep your organized throughout the year, it will have you tax ready at the end of the year.
BestPartyEver.com and EasyEventPlanning.com are two fabulous tools for organizing the logistics of your event. Why are they so fabulous? Because they’re FREE! BestPartyEver.com allows the user to organize vendors, party ideas, favorite articles, guest list, timeline, budget calculator as well as free invitation printables.
EasyEventPlanning.com is a software program that allows you to send save the date cards, indicate meal preferences, RSVP, song request, and manage ticketed events. The cool thing about this program in addition to its being free, there are no annoying banner ads.
Allseated.com is my personal favorite because of its many features. In addition to this program being free forever, the tutorials give simple and thorough instructions on how to navigate the program, it’s very easy to use. The customizable profile page gives a clean, professional appearance to those who will be involved with the event you’re working on. You can share information with everyone who’s involved in the planning process of the event.
RSVP management is a cinch; with just a check of a box you have a general idea of a final guest count. Creating a floor plan, and seating chart is a breeze; just drop and drag the tools, and you are all set.
The guest management function of Allseated allows you to create multiple sub-events that may be associated with a main event, which enables you to determine, at the client’s discretion, which guest will attend what event.
For example, the Johnson wedding will be listed as the main event category, within the main category will contain the master guest list. The sub-events will be the bridal shower, the bachelor party, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding ceremony and the reception. With ease you can simply check which guest from the master list will be attending which sub-event. This is a great tool, because certainly, you don’t want your dear Aunt Sue, head of her church’s mother’s board to get an invite to the bachelor party, even though you may have invited her to the rehearsal dinner. Allseated makes it easy to line multiple events. Like many of the other paid online software apps, Allseated has 24/7 technical support.
Another program that I stumbled across while planning this article, that I feel is worth mentioning is TopTablePlanner. This program is extremely user friendly, it’s almost like an introductory program to Allseated. TopTablePlanner.com has easy to use tools for arranging seats and rearranging guest and particular guest tables. If you are a novice at navigating software planning tools, I would highly suggest starting with TopTablePlanner. There is no need to register to use the free trial and packages range from $20-$80 a month.
If you’re ready to impress your clients and receive stellar service, you may want to check out another popular software planning program, SocialTables.com. This site offers incredible member support. SocialTable goes one step further than some of the other software programs by assigning each account holder a customer success manager, who will work with you one on one to ensure your success with using the tool. It has the same collaboration, diagramming, floor plan, seating chart function as Allseated, yet its more comprehensive. SocialTable offers a 14-day free trial period, and packages begin at $99 a month.
Once you’ve hit the big leagues, and have several staff under your command, and a plethora of events on your calendar that branch out into the large scale conventions, conferences and seminars, with crowds of 500 and more, you may want to familiarize yourself with Capterra.
As their ad states, “the Smart Way to Find Business Software”, Capterra offers a list of top ten event planning tool software, with a bird’s eye view of what each program offers to suite your planning needs. Programs like DaPulse, Configio and RegFox can also be used for weddings and social gatherings. The prices of the programs listed on Capterra range from $25-$300 a month.
When looking for a new planning tool for your event business, you should take note of a few cautions.
Many event planning software programs require you to register before receiving a free trial. The downside of having to register is that you may not like the program. Now the software company has your email address and phone number to bug the hell out of you to get you to buy their product.
For some free trials, once you click on the “I want a free trial button”, they will download the program onto your computer. In many case, you will not know that a program is getting ready to be downloaded onto your system until after you have clicked the button. The downside to this is, once again, you may not like the program. Now in addition to dealing with unwanted sales calls, you are now dealing with having to uninstall a program, and any cookies that may have been downloaded onto your computer. This is not a fun task for someone who isn’t computer savvy.
When considering planning tools, take note of the jargon on the web page before hitting the free trial button. Some software platforms are designed for larger event firms that do business on a global scale, make sure the software program you are selecting meets your needs. Wear shoes that fit!
Managing an event can be overwhelming. Between the back and forth client emails. Keeping track of client proposals, invoicing, RSVP organization, and all of our other event management duties, event planning details can test the patience of the calmest person. Choosing the right tool is essential to your success as a planner. These tools will enable you to spend more time doing the things you love, and that’s making events fabulous.
Share your favorite event planning tools in the comment section. Tell us why it’s your favorite and why did you choose it over other available options.
Photo booths are popping up everywhere. From wedding receptions to bar mitzvahs and celebrity events, they’re the perfect party favor. If you’re contemplating a photo booth for your next event, but not really sure how it works—here are 10 fabulous reasons to justify a photo booth for pretty much any occasion.
Photo booths are totally affordable.
Formerly the domain of celebrity get togethers or massive sponsored events—the fast rise in popularity has made photo booths accessible for any special occasion. The average cost is $300-$500, depending on length of time and features you decide on.
Weddings, corporate events, sweet sixteens, mitzvahs—these are just some of the events that Edwin Martinez of Platinum Foto Events in New Jersey suggests. Basically any time you gather a group of people together you have a good reason for a photo booth.
They require zero work on your part, and rental times flex with your schedule.
Most packages range from three to five hour sessions. Rick Johnson of Best Booth Plus in Chicago explains that set-up time does not cut into your rental time. A staff member is with the booth the whole time, making sure things run smoothly. His four and five hour packages are split-able so, “you can open for cocktail hour, close for dinner, and open again after dinner for the remainder of your time.” Pretty sweet.
Models inside the 2015 Oscar Party Photo Booth at Vanity Fair
You can customize photos to match your event.
Want your photo strips to match your wedding palette? Best Booth Plus can deliver. A custom logo on the bottom of the photo strip to make it more memorable for guests? Done. Get creative and carry your party theme through in little details like these.
Need a better soundtrack for your next get-together? Jessica Suarez, playlist editor at Google Play, offers her secrets to a crowd-pleasing mix.
Summer-Party Playlist Basics:
Plan for at least three hours of music. Because you never want your playlist to repeat itself. Also a bad idea: putting your iPod on shuffle. “It’s important to think about setting the right vibe for that specific party, who will be attending, and what will get people talking or dancing,” says Suarez.
Consider volume. If you want to encourage conversation among your guests, make sure to lower the volume so that the music recedes into the background (and so people won’t have to yell at each other to be heard), but not so low that it will nod them off to sleep.
Focus on summer anthems. Weave in this year’s big hits, like Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars, with songs of summer from seasons past, like “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé, “California Gurls” by Katy Perry, and “Hey Ya” by Outkast. “When partygoers hear these top singles, they still get really excited,” says Suarez. Then sprinkle in classics that have summery themes such as “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison, “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding, “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys, and “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. “These songs are nostalgic and remind people of good times spent outside,” she says.If there will be dancing…
Start off with mellow tunes. Then switch to a more upbeat tempo as the party progresses. “You don’t want to overwhelm guests with pumping music right off the bat,” recommends Suarez.
You can’t play too many of the big hits. In other words, no one rushes the dance floor for a song they’ve never heard before.
Keep the mood and tempo consistent between songs. An example of a smooth transition between songs would be Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” into the British singer Jamie Lydell’s “Little Bit of Feel Good.” “Both artists possess soulful voices and the songs have a similar beat, even though they are separated by about 40 years,” says Suarez.
If you need to appeal to a wide range of ages…
Mix classics with current chart-toppers. How to do that with it seeming random? Focus on modern artists that have a retro sound and the originals who may have inspired them. “A barbecue, for instance, would be a great opportunity to have a Southern rock moment and play bands like Creedance Clearwater Revival and The Black Keys,” suggests Suarez.
Throw in a few covers. “This is a great way to introduce classics to the younger generation and introduce new artists to the older generation,” explains Suarez. Plus, she adds, they are another way to bridge the gap between a classic and a modern song. One of her favorites is Carole Cool’s reggae version of Diana Ross’ “Upside Down.”
Rethink kid-friendly music. Please step away from the Frozen soundtrack—there are other options that won’t drive adults batty. “Motown hits or Michael Jackson songs are instantly likable for the whole family,” says Suarez, who recommends going back to the 1980s or earlier to find catchy tunes that will be safe, lyrics-wise.
If creating your own personalized playlist still sounds daunting…
Try out two of Suarez’s favorite Songza playlists, one perfect for a dance party, Every Summer Dance Party, the other a great accompaniment for a laid-back barbeque, Lazy Summer.
Welcome to Event Planning 101, where the sun always shines, and nothing can go terribly wrong. There’s nothing that tough about being an event planner. You just have to plan and design an event from scratch, right? A piece of cake.
Wrong.
A beginner event planner envisions an ideal event, where everything goes as planned while a pro event planner knows that no matter how well you planned ahead there’s always going to be something that goes wrong.
The success of a great event planner is about knowing what to do when things begin to get out of hand. In other words, a great event planner will always be calm and collected, regardless of the circumstances. Don’t know a thing about event planning? Here’re a few tips to get you started.
1. Known Who Your Client Is
The first step to becoming an event planning wizard is to get to know your clients. This is a critical aspect of the job because all your preparations must be done according to your target audience. For example, if you’re planning a corporate party, it may be fine to introduce a moderate drinking or networking game to get things going, but you should probably refrain from this when planning a wedding.
2. Look Out For Major Holidays
When planning your event, make sure that you don’t schedule it close to an important holiday like Easter or Christmas. If you do this, the chances are that you are going to end up with a lot of empty seats and a lighter wallet. In order to make sure that your target audience attends your own event, check to see if there are other popular events going on at the same time. You don’t want them to have to decide between your event and another event.
3. Flexibility Spells Success
Perhaps one of the most painful lessons learned by amateur event planners is the need to become very flexible. Keep in mind that planning an event is part art and part science, meaning that if you go out there expecting things to go exactly according to your plan, you and your guests are going to have a rough time. Be flexible when it comes to selecting the location, hiring a structure, the menus, the band and everything needed to get your gig up and running.
4. Keep on Eye on Your Budget
Pay close attention to your budget when planning your event. Even if you have a large budget, you should not jump the wagon to buy a bunch of stuff. You may need that money to cover certain things, like a band or extra menus. Emergencies can always come up last minute so make sure you have some cash handy. Moreover, don’t go out there thinking that you can’t do anything on a tight budget, because no matter how small or big your budget is, there is always a solution. You just have to be creative.
5. Find Sponsors
Ideally, an event can be planned without the need of outside support. But, in real life, you’re going to need a lot of support from people who actually have money in order to get things started. How do you encourage outside sponsors to invest in your event? By telling them how you are going to pay for the event. If you come up with an accurate profit plan, like how much income you’ll get from selling tickets, they’ll be more impressed and more willing to invest in your event than by showing them just an overview. Also, make sure you share with them how many people are likely to attend and the target audience so they can visualize the event and the success of their brand if they sponsor the event.
6. Use Social Media
You should take full advantage of technology and social media in event planning. As baffling as it might seem at first, social media can really help you promote your event faster than any other means. Before jumping the social media wagon though, keep in mind that your event has a specific target audience and you should use only appropriate social media channels. For example, if you’re throwing a corporate event, it would be a good idea to use Facebook, instead of Instagram or Snapchat.
7. Create a Promotional Clip
In order to make the event more inviting, you should definitely try and create a promotional clip. And, to make it look even more professional, you should hire a studio to do the job for you. If you are on a low budget, you can try creating your own promotional material. Just remember to bring along a professional camera.
8. Give It Your Best
Don’t put your feet up just yet. Planning the event is the easy part, but making sure that everything goes like clockwork is the hardest part. Be sure to check out how things are going from time to time. If you see anything that might get out of hand, act on it before it is too late.
9. Select a Great Catering Service
It’s very important to do your due diligence and make sure you select a great catering service. Often, you get what you pay for so don’t shop only on price. Food can make or break your event so this needs to be a priority when planning your event. Check out the local services around you to see what they have to offer and don’t make a quick decision. Test out their food and make sure you are comfortable with the staff that will be available on the day of the event. You don’t want any surprises.
10. Offer incentives
Be sure to include some incentives for those who arrive early or purchase early. People generally love incentives and will probably enjoy your event even more. Offer prizes and giveaways as well to get your attendees excited.
BLOGS How to Plan & Host a Successful Summer Barbecue Party
Here you’ll find five steps to help you host an awesome indoor or outdoor summer barbecue. After the quick list, you’ll find a more in-depth version of the step-by-step instructions.
5 Steps for Successfully Planning a Summer BBQ
Choose a Location & Time: Location options include your house, various outside spaces (like a campground or a park), or a backyard. When choosing a time, weekends usually work best for everyone. Plan to have a four hour window of time so that people don’t need to stress about timing.
Invite People: For a small party (like one family or three adults), consider sending texts. For a larger party, consider sending emails or e-vites. Smaller parties are usually more manageable.
Decide What Food & Drinks to Serve: Stick to hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken skewers and veggie skewers for your main course. Soda, wine, and beer should cover the drinks. As for appetizers, some chips and a veggie platter are usually good places to start. Plan on about two or three items of each thing (three drinks, three grilled things, etc) for each person. Cookies or brownies are a really easy dessert option.
Preparing the Food: The meat and veggie skewers should, hopefully, be the only things that need to be cooked.
Consider Any Other Logistics: Such as…
Adjusting for Your Guests: As always, adjust according to your guests. If you have a bunch of vegetarians coming, focus on veggies more. If you have a bunch of red-beef lovers coming, you might consider forgoing the chicken. Got a bunch of children coming? Substitute the beer for juice boxes.
Don’t Forget the Utensils: You’ll need napkins, paper plates, cups, and cutlery.
Music: Have tunes! You might use a bluetooth speaker or another type of audio setup.
Deciding on the Location and Time
The Where & When:
Decide Where You Want to Have Your Barbecue: Great barbecue parties are easy, whether they are held in the back yard, apartment terrace, or outside spaces where grills are available. You can also bring your own small grill to the park, beach, or lawn of your building or park. A small barbecue on a crowded apartment terrace is just as much fun as a big one in the backyard! Are you worried about rain? No problem! Just grill and have everyone eat inside. It will still be fun, festive, and delicious!
Decide What Day & Time to Have Your Barbecue: The best days and times to have your summer barbecues are Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays, either late afternoon/evening (5-9), or during the day (12-4). Having a larger block of time this way keeps things feeling casual, and it allows your guests to do what they have to do on the weekends, while still being able to attend your barbecue.
Adjust Accordingly: Adjust the time to match your guests. If it’s an adult crowd, then call the party for later times, such as 6-10 p.m. or 2-6. If you are inviting families with children, then make the barbecue earlier; for example, 4-8 p.m. or 11-3.
Curating Your Guest List
Whom Should You Invite to Your Barbecue?
Decide whether or not you want a big BBQ or a small one.
A Big Shindig: If you are having a big barbecue, then invite everyone you know, and increase the number of hours of the party so that everyone will have an opportunity to stop by. If you are expecting a lot of people, then plan on accepting guests’ offers to bring drinks or simple desserts that require little set up or cleaning on your part. Some good examples that you might encourage people to bring are beer, soda, cookies, or brownies. Avoid having guests bring appetizers or side dishes, as this can get dicey. If a guest wants to bring their grandmother’s “famous” German potato salad (heavy on vinegar, eggs, and pickles), or a fruit pie that they “only” have to warm up in your oven for 10 minutes before serving, then politely tell them that you have all of the food handled, but can they please do you a giant favor and bring a six pack, some more ice, or some soda?
A Small Get-Together: Small barbecue parties are just as much fun as big ones and easier to do because you get more time to mingle with your friends. And there is less food to prepare and cook, as well as less clean-up. Also, the cost of the party is less. Many people prefer to have several smaller barbecues over the summer, as opposed to one large one. You can go as small as inviting over one family with kids or three adults. It’s still fun either way. Many experienced party hosts come to find that they actually prefer to have these smaller, more manageable barbecues.
Whichever You Chose: RSVP’s Are Important!
See Who Is Actually Coming: Make sure that you communicate with your guests to make sure that they are coming! This cannot be overstated when it comes to larger barbecues. Guests may say that they’re coming, but then they fail to show up (or they do not respond at all to your initial invitation). It’s easier to plan the right amount of food and drink once you know for sure how many guests are coming.
Follow Up—Twice: A little extra work on your part (e.g., a text a couple of hours before the party if it’s small or an email to everyone the day before if it’s a larger barbecue) helps greatly. When it comes to hosting large barbecue parties, many experienced hosts will send out e-vite or paperless post invitations, and then they will follow up twice to make sure that people respond and are still planning to attend.
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