EVENT PLANNING & YOU

A lot of people ask me what it takes to be an event planner. Even more so, everyone thinks that being an event planner is all fun and games. Of course it has it perks but there is a lot of hard work that goes into being an event planner. If you are going to be good at what you do, there is a lot of work that goes into making a successful career. Here are a few things I feel are vital to the trade.

Know Your Business
A big part of event planning in my opinion is coming up with great ideas for events. While some of us are extremely creative, even the most creative individuals will run out of ideas occasionally. That is why it is important to continuously stay up to date on the latest trends in entertainment. You should always know where people are eating, what everyone is wearing and what kids are buying. If you consider yourself to be the expert on the subject you need to know a lot more about planning a party. You need to know where to plan it, how to design it and what people will want.

Be Organized
If you want to convince people that they should pay you to plan their party instead of them planning it themselves for free, you are going to have to come prepared. Not only will you have to have a detailed and prepared proposal, you will want to have the information needed to back it up. One thing I feel is worth the time, is organizing various aspects of my business. From business development contacts to vendors, I know where all of the information I will need at any moment is without a second thought. That means I can always get it and get it fast.

Listen
I spend a lot of time not only listening to the wants and needs of my clients, I also spend a lot of time listening to the needs of the clients of others. I read reviews and communicate with my peers on a regular basis to educate myself on how to consistently improve. Our philosophy is "we strive for perfection" and no matter how much experience we have, that will never stop. I will always be on a quest to achieve the best event for the client possible. I don't believe that would happen if I didn't take the time to listen and learn.

In the end event planning is a very fun, rewarding and exciting career. Just remember that it isn't easy and it isn't all about the fun. If you want to build a business with a portfolio you can be proud of do the work and then enjoy the rewards.