Event planning isn’t easy, but you probably already know that otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this article. If you have been charged with planning an event, then it’s absolutely essential that you plan it meticulously, so that your guests enjoy themselves.
If you are trying to start a career in event planning, then each event you organize needs to be fun, engaging, and worth talking about. If your first event goes down badly, it could damage your reputation.
This article will provide a few tips you can use to organize an event worthy of a magazine’s front page:
Start Planning Early
If you are planning a large event, then you need to start planning several months in advance. If you are planning a small but significant event, like your friend’s stag party, then you should also start planning early, which you can do by searching for stag ideas, or for inspiration for whatever your event is. For small, unimportant events, then you can begin planning a month – or a few weeks – in advance. Make sure that you don’t leave it too late, however. If you leave planning your event too late, then you might not be able to arrange entertainment, catering, and a venue.
Purpose and Goals
You need to work out your event’s purpose and goals from the very beginning. If you aren’t sure what your event’s purpose is, then how can you plan it effectively? The best way to work out your event’s goal is to determine what the event is being held for. If it’s for a friend’s stag party, then it is a celebration of their marriage. If the event is held in honour of a person who has recently died, then it is to commemorate that person. Write down your event’s goals on a piece of paper or on a board and go back to them from time to time to make sure that your event is being planned properly.
What’s Your Budget?
It’s also very important that you work out your event’s budget early. If you don’t know how much you have to spend, you won’t be able to organise your event properly. You need to know how much you have to spend so that you can arrange entertainment, catering, and most importantly, your event’s venue. If you are organising your event for a company, they will likely give you a budget to work with before you even begin planning. If you are planning an independent event, then you will have to draw from your own bank account to fund it.
Who’s Being Invited?
Your guest list is very important, especially if the event is a private event or a party for a loved one. If the event is a party for somebody else, then make sure that you invite all of the people that you think they would want to have there. If they know that you are planning something for them then you should ask them exactly who they want to come to their party. Make sure that you invite their friends, not yours. This is a common mistake made by planners, who invite people that they want there, rather than people who the guest of honour would want to be there.
Choosing Your Venue
Your event’s venue is crucial. If you don’t choose the right venue, then the event could go down like a tonne of bricks. You need to make sure that your event’s venue is large enough for your guests and will be a fun place to be. If you are going to be planning a party, then you need to ask the venue if they allow loud music, food, and drinking. A type of party to bear in mind if you are planning a party is a bar crawl, which involves going from bar to bar, drinking and celebrating along the way. This will save you the hassle of having to book out a single venue.
Catering and Entertainment
Catering and entertainment are important if you are going to be holding your party in a single venue. You can find lots of online directories, detailing the names and contact information of entertainers. The same is true for caterers. If you are going to be catering an event, make sure that you hire a caterer that can offer the type of food that your guests want. Don’t get the food you like, if nobody else does. That’s selfish.
Planning events can be difficult. With this article, it doesn’t need to be anymore. The most important thing to remember when you are planning events is to plan for your guests, not for yourself. If you do this, then your event should go off without a hitch.
