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Are you someone who wants to become an event planner? But find your dream halted due to the pandemic: covid-19. Don’t put a fullstop to your dreams just yet.
Events did move online this year but are also slowly hitting back to the real world. Why live one day every day and call it a life when you have a chance to pursue what you want.
Event planning is not just a job but an adventure with missions to complete every day and you feel every second of it. So days are not “calendar dates”, but festivals every day.
We have covered everything that’s needed for you to become a successful Event Planner.
Let’s go through each step and I don’t think that you would need any pen to note down because this exciting journey is going to be instilled deep inside you without any effort (you can’t help it).
So let’s start from here….
Who is an Event Planner?
A person who specializes in organising an event (corporate events, weddings, parties, business convention, or any group meetup).
He/She, with their “we-love-what-we-do” team, makes this happen by arranging all the necessary things required for that day and also choosing the place, time, arranging food services, etc).
They make your day (event) a loving or profitable memory.
What do Event Organisers do?
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A hell of a lot of exciting things. Most of the time, you would see them talking to vendors or clients on the phone.
Right from planning to the running of the event to post-event assessment, Event organizers are responsible for all things event-related.
First, they gather all the necessary requirements from their clients for the event and then contact the suppliers, vendors, and sponsors.
After negotiating prices and setting the budget, they often work with creative teams for pre-event planning checks. They first check the place where the event is going to happen and analyze if it can accommodate all the attendees in the guest list and if there is proper equipment (such as a projector and mic in place).
Next, all the necessary things for the guests and clients are arranged such as food, first-aid etc. So, the event or meetup can go on smoothly and become a wonderful experience for all attendees with all the services available.
Lastly, All the marketing and promotion tasks are also duties of event planners to help spread the word and reach out to the target audience.
From the choice of the venue to food services, every minute detail is handled by the event planners.
These guys are always on a mission. No two days are the same.
Qualifications Needed -
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There are many undergraduate programs in Event Management for 3 or 4 years that give you a good grasp of the knowledge and skills that will put you in front of the industry for hiring purposes and make you eligible for jobs.
After you have done your bachelor’s, you can also go for a post-graduation degree if you want to learn a particular skill in more depth like marketing in event management or mastering the accountancy, costing, and budgeting roles.
Likewise, people generally focus on short paid courses or diplomas to get knowledge about the industry and how to move forward as beginners or career-switchers.
The duration of these courses vary from 3 months to 6 months or sometimes longer than that, but they are successful in providing knowledge and building your resume. The International Career Institute in London provides a lot of short courses for this industry.
There are many certifications available to build your knowledge and resume.
Here are a few examples:
- Certified Meeting Professional-Healthcare (CMP-HC) — If you want to become an event planner in the healthcare industry.
- Certified Government Meeting Professional (CGMP) — If you want to plan events for government meetings (federal, state, or local).
- Certifications in Wedding Planning — Plan wedding events. There are many professional certifications available for the same.
In Event Management, the more focus is on your knowledge and your experience, not so much on the institute you got certification from.
And so, let’s see…..
How to become an Event Planner without qualifications
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As mentioned earlier, the very exciting part about Event Management is you don’t have to look for a degree. If you’re done with your bachelor’s in a different field and killing time in the profession you don’t like, you will just need a moment to get into Event Management.
And so that’s the best thing about this industry, you will never see a person who doesn’t love to work here. Also, if it’s your passion, then all you need is a decision to enter into this adventure.
Yes, some prior knowledge will be appreciated, check some short courses to get to know the industry and the work, and after that as they say, get your hands dirty.
Take experience from anywhere you can. Do some internships, no matter if they are not paid in the starting because the main objective is to build your resume so that you can gain hands-on experience while working for clients and become a professional in this industry.
Plan your own events, collect your team, and trust me, you will love every step.
Attend some industry events and get to know the public. What they like and what they don’t. Get an insight into how the whole process works.
The last and the most important one, get a mentor. You are new in this industry and maybe you have the knowledge and the right passion but you need a direction.
A mentor will surely guide you on how you can start with your first client and then how to achieve success in this industry.
How to start your own Company
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Now, if you can work for a firm then why can’t you have a firm?
So, it’s all about who is solving the real problem and giving a “hard-to-forget” memory.
So, if you want to start your company, then follow these five easy steps below -
A rigid and thunderbolt plan to make it easy for you to judge who your target audience is.
How you can solve their problem and give them an amazing experience.
Set a long-term goal, like what and how your company will be doing after 10 years and what’s the main purpose of this firm. And after that, set some short goals to reach the bigger one. Setting goals is an easy way to be on track and offer what you promise.
Make a user-friendly website with your offers and your mission clearly mentioned. Always consider your customers or clients as your family and never give them any reason for disappointment. Generally, what we offer is the same as what others offer, but it’s the service that wins the heart.
Don’t go overconfident and think you can manage everything on your own. Collect a passionate and dedicated team who can work with you to make it a big success.
Many businesses fail as they can’t meet the financial needs. If you think your company is doing wonders in small areas or groups, then expand it. Set your budget and then look for investors.
What skills you should have to become #the best planner?
To be honest, a lot of things…
Organizing
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Whether it’s about meeting the deadlines or planning logistics, the organizing part is most crucial to plan out.
As an Event planner with good organizing skills (we believe you have it), you will organize the staff schedules or run marketing campaigns and many things, from the start to the end.
Detail Capturing
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Well, of course when a client hires you or your company to plan an event, the very first step is, know what exactly your client wants or whatnot. Always carry your notepad and write every single detail.
If you have any query to ask, then ask right away because if your plan is not aligned with their demands, it’s not right to charge them.
Yes, as a planner with a creative team, you can give suggestions but in the end, that should meet your client’s demands.
Budgeting
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What will happen if the money and your team’s efforts (their salary in a literal sense) will exceed the payment you will be getting from your client? Are you going to say, “we need more”?
Don’t even think about it. Before approaching any client, just be clear how much you spend on average and then calculate the profit you would happily want and then make a deal.
Budgeting is the most important skill because that’s gonna fulfill your needs.
Leadership
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Yes, for your team to work with full power and enthusiasm, you have to be a good leader. You should know your team well and you should have a clear picture of your aim.
A good leader assigns tasks to the team and is able to utilize each member’s strength. He doesn’t just give tasks but works with them as a mentor.
Networking
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Well, it’s all about a gathering you see. For that to happen successfully, you should connect with a lot of people and companies and build your network.
Marketing
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The last and the “it-should-be-the-first-to-mention” skill. Why should someone attend your event? Why should someone sponsor your event?
What’s the difference between you and others is answered by your marketing team. You must have those skills to sell your event.
How much money can you earn in this field?
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Well, that totally depends. If you are working for a company, the value is set.
If you are a Director of events then consider it to be a 60–70K $ average of 3 years or if you are a specialist or coordinator, then it’s less than that. It also depends on the company you are working for.
But if you choose to be a freelancer or you own a company then the sky’s the limit.
According to Glassdoor, the average Event Planner salary in the United Kingdom is £29,176.
In the starting, if you have joined as an event planner in a company, the starting pay Scale is not that much. But this is good because you will earn your way up. As we can see, the most important thing about this job is the adventure.
Even if you start your own company or work as a freelancer, in the starting your focus would be to earn clients and give them the best benefits with reasonable prices, and so you will experience less profit but you will build high authority.
So, there’s a lot of money in this industry, you can earn a lot. Just be patient and let the money come to you.
How to get your first client?
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Well, everything starts from here. Getting the clients after one amazing experience is not difficult (you get recommendations), but how to start your journey? How are you going to get your first client when the clients are only looking to merge with the ones who are experienced. Why should they take a chance with you?
Well, everyone has a beginning. So, do not worry!
Here are a few tips to get event contracts.
Let’s start -
Who knows you are new in this game? You just can’t add customer reviews for now, but what if you can convince them with an offer they can’t resist (have you seen that movie “godfather”?).
First, make a “user-friendly” website and walk the customer through your plan. How you can help them in the best way at the most reasonable price.
Again, who knows your first client was your friend or your relative. You just need to make their day an unforgettable memory.
Why will your relatives be convinced? Do you really wanna ask this?
Of course, in the first place, they are your relatives, the second thing is you are gonna give them good discounts.
So, they can be the reason for starting your adventure. And you will start getting recommendations from there, every guest can become your client, isn’t it?
Let the world know what you are up to. Be available on every social platform (Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook). Follow the industries or groups related to your idea and post articles or videos to provide knowledge. Give them value, and build your profile in the process.
The first step is to set your authority. Let the world know you are a professional, the best at your work. You do justice and everyone wants to get your service.
And there it is, your simple “easy-to-use-and-easy-to-imply” guide to becoming a successful event planner. Open your eyes and find out what is the problem the other planners are not able to solve.
Give your clients a delight factor and even after you have completed their job, just be with them always. Let them know what new you are adding to your services.
Build a strong relationship and then it’s an amazing and easy game to play.
Feel free to share this article with anyone who is interested in event planning and subscribe.
Let us know in the comments what inspires you to pursue a career in Event Planning?
Originally published at https://www.bylde.com.
