8 Key Factors Of A Successful Event Planner – Learn To Pick Wisely

May 10, 2013 by  
Filed under  Featured, Planning Event on Budget

Planning an event is a big job. No matter what type of event it is, you will find that there is a lot of different things that you have to make sure get done. You need to be focused and ready to take on this type of challenge when it comes to planning an event. If you are not able to handle it all yourself, you will want to think about hiring an event planner to make it a little bit easier.

There are a few different key factors that are important when you are trying to find a successful event planner. You need to think about the person that you are hiring and what they can do for you. You have to learn to pick and choose your event planner wisely so that you are not finding yourself in a bad situation later on.

  1. You will want to make sure that you are getting a highly successful event planner to take care of your next event. You need to make sure that you are finding someone that is ready to take on a challenge and do the best job that she can for you. You want them to be devoted and able to help you though anything that is thrown your way.
  2. You want a professional. You want to have someone help you with your next event that has the extensive training that is necessary to make the most of the event. You need to have someone that you can count on that has the experience that you need to make this the best ever. You can make the event highly successful and very professional when you have help that matches your needs.
  3. Getting a professional event planner that pays attention to detail is very key. This is one of the most important key factors in making an event a great success. You will want to have the person helping you very interested in making you happy. You need them to be very efficient and willing to do what you need them to.
  4. You will want to interview your event planner to make sure they are the person that you feel comfortable with. You want to have someone help you with your special event that you can trust and get to know. They will want to be make your event the best that it can be and give you all that you are looking for and maybe even a little bit more. You will be surprised at the amount of help you can get from your wedding planner when you chose them well. Ask them important questions that you are going to need to know. You want to make the most of this time and get to know them very well.
  5. The person that you are hiring to take care of your event will have to know the financial part of the business. They will have to be willing to make sure that they take care of all the business transaction s that have to be dealt with so that you can get the event rolling on the right budget. They will have to be aware of the process and that they have to stay within the budget to keep on track.
  6. Get the references that you need to make a good decision about the event planner that you need. You want to make sure that you have someone that is going to have former clients that are happy with their work. You want to contact these people and find out what they like and disliked about the event planner. This will help you make a better decision as to who is the right person for the job.
  7. You will also need to make sure that the event planner is able to get word of your special event out there. You want them to be able to get the advertising part of the business out there for everyone to know about. You want to get as many people to your event that you can. This will mean a lot of hard work and effort to go into the great event that you have been planning and waiting for.
  8. Price. This is one of the most important things that you need to consider before you hire an event planner. You want to make sure that you are getting someone that you can afford to do the job. You want to get an event planner that is going to be in your budget and also be very good. You do not want to pay for someone that you do not think will get the job done. However you also want to make sure that you are getting someone that you can trust and feel good about the price at the same time.

Effective Ways To Negotiate With Your Event Suppliers

May 10, 2013 by  
Filed under Planning Event on Budget

There are many things that will go into making a great event happen. You have to be ready to take on anything and go for the best that you can. There are so many ways to make sure that you have the best event ever. However, you will find that it takes money to do all these things.

Getting your suppliers to give you a little bit of break on your materials and the other things that you need will be a great way to save money. All you have to do is be willing to barter with them and try and make the best deal possible.

  • The first thing that you can do is ask they them to give you a break on your materials and supplies. This will be a great way to save money and to get the things that you need at the same time. You will find it easier to get these things fast so that you can make your event great.
  • Another way to negotiate with your event suppliers is to get them to sit down with you and talk it over. You would want to be face to face with them so that you can describe the type of savings that you are after. This will be a great way to talk to them directly so that they can see what you need.
  • You can also know prices of the other places that you could use if they do not come through. Most of the time a supplier will want to get the sale and they do not want to chance their competition beating them out. They will usually lower their price so that you will take their offer.
  • If your event is for a charity reason, you can talk to the suppliers and let them know this. You may be able to make them a deal so that their name is included in the people that are supporting the event. This is a great way to get their name out there for others to see and they may cut you a great break on the prices.
  • Get a great negotiator. You will want to have someone that is not afraid to ask for a discount. You want to make sure that the person that is helping you is going to be willing to ask for a great deal. You will want them to be very open and able to negotiate with the suppliers so that the materials are a lot less costly.
  • Go around and try and find bargains or even free items that will help you with your event. This is a good way to try and find things that you do not have to pay for. You will actually be surprised at how much you can get for free by people and organizations that are willing to help you out. This is a great way to get exactly what you want and need for your next event.

You do not have to worry about things being so incredibly expensive when you are trying to pull an event together. You want to be able to keep your budget and make things happen so that you can have the best time ever.

9 Ways To Organize Your Events On A Shoestring Budget

May 10, 2013 by  
Filed under Planning Event on Budget

When you want to have a great event, but you have to do it on a budget, you will want to make sure that you are finding ways to cut your expenses. There are many different things that you will have to pay for and you will want to make sure that you are able to get all that you need with the money that you have set for the party.

The first thing that you will need to do is figure out what your budget is and what you need to do to stay on it. There are many ways that you can stray away from your budget and you will want to make sure that you stay on track and keep your budget in play.

Here are a few ideas when creating an event on a shoestring budget.

  1. You will first want to find ways to save money. This is most important. However you do not want to go too cheap if you do not have to. You want to stay on the proposed budget and not take shortcuts that you do not have to.
  2. The next way to save money is to find all the friends and family members that you can to help you out with your party. You do not want to have to hire people unless you have to. If you can save money by having volunteers help, you should take advantage of it.
  3. Shop wisely. You will want to try and bargain shop any time that you can. This will help you save money so that you can get the materials that you will need and not have to spend all of your budget on the things that you need. You will also want to shop as much as you can so that you can find the discounts that will help you with your shoestring budget.
  4. Donations are a great way to save money. If you know someone that can help you with your party, you should ask them for a contribution. This will help you raise money that you find necessary to get the things done that you need. You will find that a lot of people like to help out for a good cause.
  5. You need to find a location that will be very inexpensive. You want to get a location that will make your party great but also save you money in the long run. You will want to make sure that you are first finding out if the location that you have is going to be the better place for the event. You will want to shop around until you find the price that fits your budget as well as accommodates all your needs.
  6. Make the food for your event. You need to have food and appetizers for your event. You will find that you can save a lot of money for your budget when you decide to make the food. Buying or having someone make everything for your event can sometimes be expensive. You will want to make sure that you are allowing enough in your budget to get all the food that you need to make your event a great success.
  7. Advertising can take up a big part of your budget. You will want to try and get your event out there for the public to know about. However you will not want to over spend on your budget for this. You want to try and find inexpensive ways to get your event advertised. You can use the local newspapers or make up your own flyers to hand out.
  8. There is nothing wrong with trying to make a deal with the things that you need. You will want to try and get the cheaper price for just about anything that you are going to need. This will be a good way for you to save money and get the better deal that will fit your shoestring budget.
  9. Ask for support from your community. You will want to try and find the support that you need to make your event happen. You can ask anyone that you know to help out as much as they can. This will give you a break and let you relax a little more when it comes time for the event to happen.

10 Ways To Make Your Event Interesting And Exciting

May 10, 2013 by  
Filed under Planning Event on Budget

There are plenty of ways that you can make an event interesting and exciting. You will need to let your creativity flow and not hinder you. The way that you do this is simply by brainstorming. Every time that you come up with an idea you should write it down. At this point you don’t want to judge the idea. Some of the worst ideas can turn into being a blessing. Even if your ideas seem silly and outrageous you should still write it down. At the brainstorming stage you don’t judge your ideas. This process will help you come up with hundreds of ideas and then later narrowed to a few good ideas.

The first tip to coming up with making your even interesting and exciting has to deal with the point of the event. If you can, you should have famous entertainers to help out with the cause. This way you can bring people in with your celebrities, but then you are able to save some money on the interesting aspects of the event. You should always make sure that they are willing to donate their time so that you don’t end up paying, making this tip one of the most interesting concepts of the event. You should also think about what kind of person you would like to help with the event, rather it be a singer, actor, or dancer.

You should also think about the food. When it comes to the food you can do a lot for an event. You can make it exciting and interesting easily by adding some exotic foods. You may also want to blend your ability to offer some foods that are traditional for an event of this kind and some food that is wild and new.

When it comes to planning an event ahead of time, you will find that your ideas will be pouring in, however, it comes a time when you hit a wall. You don’t know what to do or how to present an aspect of the event. This is when you have to do some things to generate the ideas.

Another way you may be able to generate some interest is not just by having high celebrities, but some of the local celebrities as well. This way you can get the community to back your guest and to open them to the event with open arms. You will find that most of the local TV personalities are more than willing to offer some help in the name of charity. However, if you aren’t a charity you may want to think about other things that don’t cost a lot of money and you don’t have to fuss over. Once of these things would be some interesting facts.

If you do a lot of research, you are able to entertain your audience with facts. You can celebrate your numbers and you will find it to be a rush. However, you should make sure that the facts are true. The last thing that you need is to read in the newspaper tomorrow about how you lied. You don’t have to stretch the truth to have interesting facts.

If education isn’t the thing then entertainment is. If you would like to have some examples of entertainment you can go with dancers, singers, and actors. This way you can entertain your guests and be able to celebrate how well your wallet is doing. Basically if you are able to find some local school to help you out with the entertainment, you can cut your costs in half.

Do something outrageous as well. Hire someone to set off fireworks or have sky divers. This will make your party unique and special. To have an entertaining party you may also want to think about the drinks. You may want to expand the bar or to decrease. Alcohol is a great way to start a party, but it’s no way to celebrate for one.

You may also want to go online and help with you entertainment. You never know who you might be able to book to make the party out of this site. If you have your people call their people, this will work out great.

Another way to add some excitement is by adding some animals to the batch. The animals will make the party wild and crazy. Everyone will love this outrageous party.

You may also want to add some excitement with the music. Make the music go with the theme of the party and go wild on the dance floor.

Finally, you may want to have several things going on at once. This way you can have everyone entertained to keep things interesting and entertaining.

Event Planning Tips The Pros Use

May 10, 2013 by  
Filed under Planning Event on Budget

Putting together a big event is no small accomplishment. That’s why many organizations call on a professional event planner. Sometimes, however, you may have to organize a big event by yourself.

Kara Mickelson, a corporate planner for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc., has planned everything from intimate dinners to corporate meetings to citywide events for 20,000 people. Here are some tips that she has found to be helpful:

Get everyone on the same page. According to Mickelson, the first step is to sit down with everyone involved in the planning and set the objectives for the function. She also suggests that this can be an excellent time to assess what funds or resources will be available for the event. Mickelson believes one of the biggest mistakes planners make is improper budgeting. One way many pros save money is by printing their own meeting materials, including tent cards, signs, badges and more, with a company such as Avery Dennison.

Think backwards. When should you start planning? “The best way to start is by backing everything out from the event day,” Mickelson advises. It’s critical not to plan too much until the event date is set.

Build in extra time. What makes it hard for novice planners is they have no benchmark for how long it will take to research a hotel, negotiate a contract or find a band. “Give yourself more time than you think you need,” she recommends.

Some find it helpful to use a tool, such as those available on the Avery Meetings and Events Solution Center Web site (www.avery.com/meetings). It provides templates, tips and tools to make it easier to plan meetings and events.

Write it down. Mickelson suggests using a notebook to write down all the basics. Do you need invitations, meeting materials, flower arrangements? The details will help you create a timeline for your event. She contends that once it’s written down, the time-line will start to reveal itself.

Play pretend. How do you avoid forgetting an important task? “Do a mental walk-through,” advises Mickelson. “Pretend you’re actually at the event. Go through the process of driving your car there. Where is parking? At the venue, do you need signs? Badges? Table tents for seating? Visually, if you can walk yourself through the entire event, it becomes clearer.”

What is her foremost bit of advice? She suggests to plan for the worst, and hope for the best.

« Previous Page