Sample
Web Site This specializes in
business meeting events ins specific location .
Role-specific questions
What do you know about event
technology?
How many events
do you plan per year?
What types of
events do you usually plan? Do you have a specialty? Why did you choose it?
What elements must be considered before you start
planning an event?
How do you assess the success of each of your events?
How would you persuade a client of the value of your
services?
Before you even o talk to clients.
1 Gain Event
Planning Skills and Experience
The long-term success of an event planning business
will be based on the experience that the planner brings to his or her clients.
That means, if you’re thinking about starting an event planning business, you
should have a solid grasp as to what an event planner is, and make sure you
have some solid skills:
Verbal and written communications
Organization and time management
Negotiation and budget management
Creativity, marketing, public relations and more
It would also be helpful to obtain professional
certification in the industry,
2 Determine
Your Event Planning Market/Forte
Okay, let’s say you’ve been working in corporate
meetings for five years and are ready to create a business. The first thing to
realize is that your strengths are in the corporate arena. A common error many
planners make is to say that they are willing to coordinate all kinds of
events, including corporate meetings, weddings, fundraising galas and more.
Stop. While the urge may be there to offer a variety
of services, the reason you’re ready is based on your collective previous
experiences. In time you may handle a full range of events, but initially recognize
that there are distinctive differences between corporate, association,
nonprofit and social events. Determine your market accordingly.
3 Develop a
Business Plan
Because you decided on your market, you may be
thinking this is a good time to share the news about what you can offer to the
world. Not so fast. Starting your own business isn’t as glamorous as such
fantasies. Like everything else, starting an event planning business requires a
business plan.
4 Designate
Which Business Entity Fits Best for Your Firm
Now that you realize that creating an event planning
business should be viewed as a “work in progress,” it’s very important to
determine your business structure in the beginning. The most fundamental step
is to make sure you decide what type of business entity works best for your
plan. For this, it’s important to secure professional advice.
There are several options available to you, and it’s
important to select the type of business organization that best represents your
interests. The Expert to Tax Planning William Perez outlines the six forms of
business organizations recognized within the U.S.
5 Obtain
Business Insurance
Business insurance is mandatory. Event planning
businesses should secure general liability and other forms of insurance to
protect the business owner’s interests. Several forms of insurance exist, so
it’s best to speak with an insurance advisor to learn all of the requirements.
Whether you plan on starting a home-based business or
if you will have a small office elsewhere, ask questions about these forms of
insurance (but not limited to) as follows:
General liability
Product liability
Home-based insurance
Worker’s compensation
Criminal insurance
Health and other benefits
6 Develop Your
Network of Suppliers and Staffing Resources
It’s time to try to lighten the burden of business
structure for a moment. Now it’s time to consider who you want to include in your
network of suppliers. Event planners work with a variety of suppliers,
including caterers, florists, photographers and more.
And although you may think that you can handle all
tasks, ultimately you are going to need to establish an infrastructure of resources
to support your events and overall operations. This includes staffing resources
for administrative, sales, marketing, communications, legal, accounting and
other functions. More
7 Define Your
Event Planning Services
Some of you may be disheartened by the reference to
“legal” and “accounting.”. Don’t be. They are very important friends and
resources. But now it is also a time to think a little deeper and continue
pondering what types of event planning services you will offer.
We recognize that many of you have probably already
thought of this, but it’s important to stay focused on your core services.
What’s your product? Who is your target market? Will you offer full-service
planning and execution on behalf of your client for venues, catering, production,
speakers, gifts, transportation, lodging and more? Will you specialize in one
particular aspect of the planning? What about communications services for event
communications and more?
8 Establish an
Event Planning Fee Structure
Have a contract prepared to cover all
contingencies. Cancellation, etc.
With services in mind, it’s important to determine
your fee structure. Many independent and small event planning firms should be
conscious of the various ways to cover their expenses and make a reasonable
profit. After all, this will help keep you in business five years from now.
Most event planners charge based on the following:
Flat fee
Percentage of expenses
Hourly rate
Percentage of expenses plus hourly rate
Commissionable rate
9 Secure Funding
for Your Business
In most cases, this shouldn’t be step 9, but it’s
important to be motivated by the work that your new firm will bring so that you
don’t get discouraged when considering the necessary realities. And each
business owner will vary how he or she chooses to secure and source such funds.
Most businesses require an operating budget, and it
will be important to have access to a comfortable base of cash while
establishing the firm. While it is possible to establish a business on limited
funds, it is still important to have enough money to start your business and
cover any living expenses while waiting to become profitable.
10 Focus on
Business Development and Marketing for Your Event Business
With your business model in place, an understanding of
your services, a sense of how you will charge for your services, now it’s time
to begin to develop important business and marketing materials.
Well, now you’re ready to choose the right name for
your business and work your business development plan. You will also need to
create Sales leads and referrals are the lifeblood of every event-related
business.
And while this
holds true for almost every industry, the reality is that marketing any event
service is not easy. New event projects launch every day behind the closed
doors of board meetings, emails, and phone conversations. The problem is, as a
service provider, you rarely have access to these happenings. This means you
are always reacting to inquiries instead of being part of the discussion.
In a perfect world, your event
planning services should be mentioned in the first stages of
a client’s
event dialogue. To make this happen you need to be an effective
marketer. Follow the strategies below to position your service in
the minds of potential clients at the very moment they discuss hosting an
event.
Build Your Online Assets
The internet provides the largest network for
generating sales leads, so it should come as no surprise you’ll need an
attractive website and active profiles on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Each
one of these online assets has
the capability to drive unique prospects, but none of them are passive
outlets. To reap the benefits of each one you need to participate in
discussions, share your expertise, and join groups where you can leverage the
assets of others. Engagement is the key, and this is where those who try to “do
it alone” often fail.
Go Public
Even the most qualified planner will struggle to land
new clients without live exposure.
This includes public participation at industry events
and media appearances. You might think it is difficult to land a spot on
a television or radio show but often times it is as easy as submitting a great
story idea to the producers. It is not an easy job to fill a show with content
every single day, and if you can approach the right person with a unique angle
then you will have no problem getting your foot in the door.
Aim to become a resident expert on event planning and
you might even land a regular spot on the airwaves!
Help Those in Need
Donating your time to a worthy cause can open several
new opportunities to gain new clients. A lot of non-profit events would
appreciate having the expertise of an event planner available. Even if you
can’t commit to running their event, there are plenty of other ways to
participate. Perhaps you can be in charge of the floral arrangements or
marketing materials? Little tasks like this can still bring exposure and allow
you to network with others. Non-profit advisors and committees are typically
staffed by local dignitaries and business leaders, all of whom have the
connections to drive large quantities of leads to your business.
Refresh Existing Customers
Sometimes we get so focused on landing new customers
that we forget about the existing assets sitting dormant in our contact lists.
Go through your email, LinkedIn and Facebook contacts and ask yourself: Does
each person on this list know what I do for a living? Obviously, you want to
reach out to those who are unaware to update them on your career, but you
should also reach out to everyone you haven’t talked to in over a year.
Let them know what projects you have been working on
and give them the necessary information to refer business your way.
Trade Prospects
This is one technique that is very powerful and
woefully underutilized by most. The concept is to network with related
businesses in an effort to identify ways you can share customers and prospects.
Can you guest post on their blog, or share a discount on their Facebook page?
How about trading featured spots in each other’s email newsletters? At the very
least it makes sense to feature the business card of related businesses at your
shop and trade show booths. As long as you aren’t competing with your partners
then the relationship should benefit everyone.
Sales leads and referrals are the lifeblood of every
event-related business. And while this holds true for almost every industry, the
reality is that marketing any event service is not easy. New event projects
launch every day behind the closed doors of board meetings, emails, and phone
conversations. The problem is, as a service provider, you rarely have access to
these happenings. This means you are always reacting to inquiries instead of
being part of the discussion.
Job Description – For event planer employee.
·
Event planning, design and
production while managing all project delivery elements within time limits
·
Liaise with clients to identify
their needs and to ensure customer satisfaction
·
Conduct market research, gather
information and negotiate contracts prior to closing any deals
·
Provide feedback and periodic
reports to stakeholders
·
Propose ideas to improve provided
services and event quality
·
Organize facilities and manage all
event’s details such as decor, catering, entertainment, transportation,
location, invitee list, special guests, equipment, promotional material etc
·
Ensure compliance with insurance,
legal, health and safety obligations
·
Specify staff requirements and
coordinate their activities
·
Cooperate with marketing and PR to
promote and publicize event
·
Proactively handle any arising
issues and troubleshoot any emerging problems on the event day
·
Conduct pre- and post – event
evaluations and report on outcomes
·
Research market, identify event
opportunities and generate interes
