Here are 12 tips to be a successful corporate and private events planner:
1. Starting Point
Successful events need a lot hard work long before the event starts. The resounding success of any event lies in how well you have done your research, survey and in depth brainstorming of creative ideas and marketing strategy. How stressed out and how well you handle an event depends on many factors like team work, industry knowledge, net work of both clients and suppliers. To armed with such essentials for the job come with experience and most of the time a great event planner learn on the job, even for the experienced ones. So bottom line? Enjoy your learning journey!
2. Budget
A good event manager is one who is able to research, work on a detailed budget for your client or management's approval. Nowadays submitting a paper with lots of facts and figures is not sufficient. Try convincing your very important decision makers using powerpoint presentations, videos or simulated view of the event, it bring you closer to getting your seal of approval faster.
3. Great Team Leader, Fantastic Teammates
The events industry involves a lot of dedication, hard work and most of the time very long working hours. If you are the events manager, you will need to empower to know your staff well (in terms of skills and character) in order to allocate your staff the appropriate type of work. Most head of events are fully involve from the planning to execution and knows at their finger tips the progress of each projects.
Events staff are often given unofficial time off as they often work very long hours. In fact in some events companies, some staff work from home! Flexibity, humility and the ability to think on the feet are some characteristics of both the events manager and teammates.
4. Calendar of Events
Part of your event planning should include a calendar for all your corporate, marketing, special and company events. You can create two types of calendars: First, a comprehensive calendar for your marketing team and secondly, a summarized version to update your boss, CEO, Board Members and stakeholders.
The calendar of events will assist you the strategic planner to be on top of all things.
5. Strategic Planning For Events
For strategic planning purposes, you should evaluate every event on your corporate calendar annually.
Critically and meticulously thrash events that are obsolete, retain those that have current interest and are success. Engage both your internal and external audit of all events.
6. Master Understanding Of Both Internal and External Objectives
Your objectives will affect how you organize and plan. Knowing the target audience's habits, taste, demographics etc will also assist you to customize details like from food to party favors, decor to entertainment. These are essentials to capture your audience's attention and have a mindshare of the pie.
7. Create Your Event - Choose The Right Theme
Thematic events are most memorable and fun and guests can remember them well. Once you have a capturing and unforgetable theme, your guests, clients and business associates will talk about it even lone after the event is over.
8. Create and Manage Your Guest List
Corporate or private guest list needs to be handled with care and ensuring that the contact list are in safe and secure hands is of paramount importance to your clients or your bosses.
9. Manage All Your Expenses
No event should be run without careful tracking and managing of all the expenses. You will find that if you managed your expenses well, you may even have excess money from the budget.
10. Stay On Work Targets And Updated On All Details
Stay on course on all work targets and ensure that the whole team set out to accomplish each and every one of them on time. Even if it means additional manpower is needed to do the job, you will need to do finished it the day before the even starts. .
11. Plan and Manage Logistics And Manpower
It is crucial that you have mapped out all your logistics and plan your manpower accordingly. It is common for even professional event planners with a large team of full time staff to engage part-time staff during the preparation period leading to the days of execution especially for large conventions and exhibitions. Get extra help and ensure you have budgeted for it.
12. Post Event Evaluation And Thank You Cards
You think you can relax and go for a holiday after the event? No. Post event management is just as important as the event itself. You need to send out media releases, pictures of the event and facts and figures to all your stakeholders. And don't forget to mail out all your pre-prepared "Thank You" cards or letters.
Collate and compile all kinds of feedbacks from your target audience.
Most people only get to see the glamour side of all events, it is really hard and serious work.
For seasoned and passionate event professionals, the event is also about enjoying yourself and have fun.
At the end of it all, it can also be very fulfilling to see your all your events splashed all over the newspapers and prime time news and who knows it is the talk of the town!
Maureen Goh is a partner of a Public Relations Consultancy and a mother of two. She has about 20 years of experience as a Public Relations, Investor Relations and Marketing consultant. Maureen graduated from the Oklahoma City University with a BA in Mass Communications.
Maureen is also passionate about events and parties and she is the webmaster and owner of Parties-planning.com - a step by step planning guide, tips and resources for all events and parties. The website Offer recommendations from preparation to presentation, weddings to birthdays, Christmas parties to special events.
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