Every occasion needs some kind of
planning such as naming ceremony, cooperate launching and political campaign
rallies. Others are wedding ceremony and seminar.
Without adequate planning the
occasion become disorganized, confusing or a flop. The event planner has the
duty to coordinate and supervise the occasion so every aspect runs smoothly.
Event planning is serious business
and like most businesses requires training and dedication. You need to love the
job and have a keen sense of organization.
To become an event planner you need to have
good organizational skills. Other things needed are networking and communication
skills.
Competitive
Market
What are your interests?
Before you become an event planner
you need to discover your interests and focus on them. Knowing which area of
event planning to concentrate on would give you an idea of what you need.
The ocean is vast so is the kind of
events that you can specialize on. Among several categories are political
rallies, birthday parties and weddings.
Others are religious gatherings,
educational events and corporate events. Every category demands different ways
to organize and handle the event.
Working exclusively with a certain
niche shows your prospective customers that you are a professional in your
chosen market. Doing many unrelated event types can bring up unseen challenges
and does not give your clients that exclusive service they want.
Other events that might need the
services of an event planner are occasions such as festivals, religious
gatherings and state events.
The scope of work of any planner is
only limited by the person’s ability and knowledge of the market chosen.
Which
Occasion Dos Not Require an Event Planner?
- school activities
- political rallies
- weddings ceremonies
- corporate branding
Scope
of Work of an Event Planner
The event planners job is selling
expertise and organizational skills for a fee. The client pays for your time,
knowledge so the occasion runs smoothly and meets their expectation.
Arrangement; the party planners job is to see to the arrangement of
the event venue and make sure all things are in place. If the occasion is a
wedding the event planner makes sure the tables are arranged properly in the
manner expected by the couple and guests.
The planner oversees the cake,
musicians and catering service. Other duties are providing the ushers,
lightening, decoration and every aspect of the occasion.
This depends on the contract and
assignment or work schedule. Other duties of an event planner are providing
caterer, hiring the band, service staff and the decoration.
Sometimes the event planner has only
to coordination the decoration of the hall. While the other functions like catering
and music is contracted to other professional’s.
Organization; the organization of the event is the event planners job. This
aspect of the job is the main brief of the event person. The choice of venue is at the discretion of
the clients although the event planer can make a recommendation based on experience.
Organizing every aspect of an
occasion is what event planning is all about. Networking and getting the right
people to work with to pull off a successful event is very important.
Networking; networking is a very important aspect of event planning. No
matter how big an event planner is they need other professionals to create a good
synergy.
An event outside the planner’s
immediate location is challenging however networking makes the job easier. Networking
doesn’t only work when an event planner needs something.
Satisfied clients will recommend
your services to friends and acquaintances if you do a good job. Top brands are
conscious of their competitors and would more likely hire an event planner with
a good pedigree.
Tools
Needed to Succeed As an Event Planner
promotions
|
packaging
|
job
requirements
|
newspapers
|
create niche
|
learn on job
|
handbills
|
offer full service
|
volunteer
|
word of mouth
|
make budget
|
research
|
electronic media
|
loans, credit
|
join organizations
|
Summary
of Event Planning
To succeed as an event planner there
are things that you need to do. Some of which are mentioned below.
1 Focus on a niche market
2 Create a unique niche
3 use good caterers for meals
4 Use effective Strategies to create
value
5 Offer full service
6 Register with the appropriate
authorities
7 Join a good event planners
association
8 Learn on the job
9 Volunteer your services to other
event planners
10 Create a budget that works
11 Negotiate hard with your client
12 Proper pricing would give your
job longevity
13 Creativity and good
organizational skill is necessary as an event planner
14 Public relations is imperative as
well as self promotion
15 Prepare a portfolio of your work
for clients
16 Honesty is the best policy. Don’t
offer what you can't deliver.
Promotions
and Planning
As an event planner promoting your
business would help you reach clients. Use radio jingles, television
advertisement and multi-media platforms.
Other promotional tools that are
effective are billboards, handbills, word of mouth and business cards. Networking
is one of the most effective ways to reach new clients.
It is not out of place to put your business
card on the tables during an event for the guests to take if they wish. Many
event planners have made useful contacts this way especially if the event was
nicely done.
The event planner needs to network
within the industry, join organization and become relevant others in your industry can recommend you to
their clients especially if your niche area is different that theirs.
Word of mouth can carry an event
planner only as far as the recipient of the information, this method has a low
success ratio but it still works and could surprisingly get a big budget
client.
Event Planners Fees
Charging the right fees for your
services can make or mire an event planning business. There is nothing like to
high a fee or to little a fee, your fees is commensurate your contract. The job
starts from the preparation, networking, transportation, time and the service
rendered
Quantifying every aspect should give
the planner a reasonable ballpark figure. Charging to little because the client
is cash strapped would not help your business grow.
Good and excellent services aren’t cheap
haggle but remember poor pricing might affect your service delivery. When you
charge write down every bit of work, equipment and service that would be
rendered.
Assign a monetary value to them and
add service charge of one third of the total sum to get a number. Event
planners have different methods of quantifying their services to reach a price.
Find out a system that works for you and seems
reasonable. There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to pricing your
service.
Find out how others in your industry charge
and leave room for haggling and negotiation.
Some of the things that you can
quantify while trying to reach a price are supplies. Others are the cost of
transportation, meetings, and travel expenses.
To charge take into account all the different
things that are required to successfully organize a top class event before
presenting a comprehensive bill to your client
How
to Develop as an Event Planner
There is no substitute for knowledge
so a good event planner should constantly research. The person can develop
planning skills by voluntary work with other planners. You can read through
tutorial, journals and event work free to gain experience.
Gain as much experience as you can
by finding those that are into the industry and learning some of their tricks. Good
event planners strategist and organizer with an eye for décor and arrangement.
Event Planners Job Scope
The event planners job scope is
divided into two segments. You may be contracted to take care of the entire
event from the catering, drinks, lighting, decoration, and venue. Others are
promotional and seating arrangements.
Getting the entire contract is an
event planners dream especially if it’s from a top brand of company. The second
is when the job scope is narrowed down to only one or two aspects of the event.
This job is easier however full control of an
event is preferred. For example if the caterers they hire does a bad job and
serve substandard food or snacks it might affect the event planner negatively.
Such happen so the event planner needs
to work doubly hard to showcase his talent in better light.
Create a Catalog
Making a catalog of your work is one
of the most important ways an event planner markets his services. Create a
portfolio of all your past jobs with pictures, reviews, locations and clients.
Having such information makes it easier for the client to decide on hiring a
particular planner.
The work is moderately difficult
however rewards are great. You can actually make lots of money doing this job.
Another interesting aspect is that
it can be done part time, full time or as a hobbies. The only criteria are that
you should have good organization skills and a passion for what you are doing.
Provide
Real Value
Providing real value to your clients
is important, the client’s motive for hiring an event planner is to reduce the
stress associated with organizing an event. They need the event planner to
take charge of all the details from the venue, lighting and air-conditioning
Other functions are table
arrangement, catering and ushers. Sometimes the event has a promotional theme
or colors.
Value is why the event planners job
exists in the first place. A large company would rather hire a good event
manager to make the occasion a success.
Research
The event planner needs to do a lot
of research especially when organizing certain events. Find out what they
expect and what they want.
For example in certain religious
gatherings there are things that might be forbidden or taboo. Adding such a
thing to the décor or at the gathering would not go down well with the clients.
Conglomerates expect certain things
at their meetings or during the launching of a new product. The event manager
should take into account all the expectations of his clients in order to plan
the event successfully and get good reviews.
Research also has to do with hiring
some specialized equipment that to added value. Some of such equipment's are
special lights, prompters, screens and special effects. The kind of equipment
depends on the type of event, amount paid and the client’s expectation.
Other aspects of research are
keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing and learning about new
technology. Running an event planning
business is having an edge over your competitors so you can get high paying
satisfied clients.
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