Become an Event Planner
Becoming an event planner does not require a
college degree, but it does require a solid networking base for attracting and keeping
clients. If you are personable, enjoy being around people, and you love to plan events,
then this might be a smart career move.
Even though you don't have to have any type of degree in event planning to perform the
functions of the job, it is always a good idea to enter into any new business venture
being as prepared as possible for the work you will be doing. If you are not already
familiar with marketing, accounting, or sales practices you might want to consider taking
a few classes to strengthen your skills.
Taking the time to educate yourself about the finer points of managing an event planning
business will not only save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run, it might
also help make your business a success.
Choose Your Area of Specialization
While it may be tempting to launch your new business claiming to plan events for every
conceivable type of venue, you might want to concentrate your efforts on choosing a particular
niche that you are really good at. If planning weddings is really what you're interested in,
then market yourself as a wedding planner. If children's birthday parties are more your style,
then market yourself as a children's birthday party planner. I'm sure you get the idea.
Once you have determined what your specialty will be, you will be ready to start planning
a marketing strategy for getting the word out about your new business. As you are figuring this
out, you should also calculate what your initial out of pocket start-up costs are going to be.
It is important that you have a very good idea of how much you will need to spend up front so
that you are not surprised along the way with unexpected expenses.
Don't Be Shy
The best way to get the word out about your business is through word of mouth.
This is best accomplished by telling everyone you know about your new business.
Have some professional looking business cards printed and always have several of them on hand.
Don't worry about what people might think of you when you randomly hand them a business card;
just do it. You might be surprised at how many customers you get over the months just from
giving your business cards to people wherever you go.
You should also develop a website to promote your business. It doesn't have to be a very
detailed or complicated site; it just needs to explain what you do and what you have
to offer to potential clients. Make sure you optimize your website for search engine rankings.
If you don't know how to do this, ask some of your friends or family members if they can help.
If you think you can comfortably afford it, it might be well worth it to spend the money to
hire a professional to optimize your site so that it can be ranked fairly high in the search
engines within a relatively short period of time.
Once you have planned successful events for a few clients you will want to start a
portfolio showcasing your talents. Creating a portfolio is an excellent way for you
to show potential clients some of your previous work. In addition to having a print
portfolio, you might also want to consider creating an e-portfolio. This will allow
you greater flexibility in showing highlights of your work to clients in different locations.
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