Essential Tips for a First-Time Event Planner

Being an event planner can seem like a dream job. You get to plan out and then go to luxurious events on a regular basis. Don’t get us wrong – it can be a brilliant career. Seeing events that you have planned come to life is a wonderful experience. But it can also be tough work. There is so many factors that go in to an event that you will have to account for. The first event can also be the toughest. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of essential tips for the first-time event planner:

1.      Know the Client

This is one of the most important aspects of event planning. You need to know exactly what your client wants and needs from the event. Everything that you do is going to tailor around them. It’s important to sit down with the client and discuss exactly what their vision for the event is. This will be done in different ways depending on if the event is formal/informal but the outcome should always be the same.

2.      Scheduling

No matter how good your event is, if the scheduling is wrong it could ruin the whole thing. There are several things that can be considered when it comes to scheduling. You don’t want to have an event on a major holiday. Attendance for events isn’t going to be as high on New Year’s Day for example – because most people spend it with their families. You will also need to consider when the optimal time for your audience is going to be. Would they prefer a Friday night or Saturday night? Is just one of the questions you should be asking.

3.      A First-Time Event Planner Should Be Flexible

Being stubborn in your approach is not good as an event planner. You need to be able to adapt to all kinds of situations. There are going to be so many outside factors affecting your event that you can’t stop. The only way to be successful is to manage the situation and make changes. Your plan for an event will change dramatically from beginning to end, just learn to love the journey.

4.      Budgeting

If you want to be an event planner, then you are going to have to be good at budgeting. A first-time event planner can often struggle with this. Don’t think that just because you have a large budget you can indulge on items such as the cake. You will always need to keep money for emergencies in case they occur. It can also work the other way, just because an event has a low budget doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be enjoyable. It just means that you’ll have to be more creative in your approach.

5.      Social Media

Event planners should utilise social media when planning their event. It is a great tool for promoting the event, as well as relaying any information to guests. You can create event pages on Facebook, twitter pages and more. A great way to show off your event is by giving it its own snapchat story, making people interested in using you in the future.