By Worthy Vieth
Event planning is not as easy as planning a birthday party. Fundraisers, cooperate events, socials or meetings take a lot of strategic planning. There is always a purpose behind an event, and when creating an event there is a lot of planning beforehand to make sure everything will flow right.
An event always starts with an idea. Sometimes the idea can have flaws so the first step is to research the idea. When planning you should research everything you need to know about the event. Who? What? When? Where? Why? You need to make sure you know your event and your intended audience.
For example; if the event you are planning is a conference, you need to make sure you have everything ready to go for the conference before hand. Clearly plan out what the conference is about. Also find out where it will be held and who you will be inviting to attend. Conferences usually have a topic or a theme. Make sure when people are registering to go to this conference they clearly understand what they are attending and what to expect.
Event planning requires the following skills:
- Verbal and written communications
- Organization and time management
- Project management and multi-tasking
- Self-starter and team player
- Detail and deadline-oriented
- Calm and personable under pressure
- Negotiation
- Budget management
- Marketing and public relations
- Interpersonal skills with all levels of management
As an event planner you will develop the marketing plan, use traditional and social media to get the word out about the event, and make a time line to stay organized. You must know your audience, depending on the event don’t just invite anyone, invite people who will benefit from the event. Also start early, the earlier you start your event planning the more you are prepared when getting to the end. Most importantly, find a hook that makes your event stand out. Your goal is to make people want to attend your event, whether the pull is a popular guest speaker or the activities planned find that way you are different than the others and promote it heavily.
2 Comments
Awesome blog. I have done a few events and easy they are not. Great information. One thing that helped me is when planning my events I thought of everything that possibly could go wrong, (because something usually does) and strategize solutions so in the event the issues do arise, you can maintain your cool head and fix them without a thought.
Event Planing can be one of the most stressful things. But if you have all your ducks in a row, it can be such a great experience! Great post Worthy!