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How to Become an Event Planner
How to Break Into a Fab Job as an Event Planner
A village feast to welcome home hunters in the wilds of Borneo and a glittering
fund-raiser soiree at a swanky New York hotel may not sound like they have much
in common, but they do have at least one similarity.
Someone, somewhere, got the ball rolling and - using a little resourcefulness,
creativity and sheer determination - successfully pulled off a spectacular event.
(Well, someone had to figure out how much food and drink was required at the
feast and where the chief would sit!) That person is an event planner.
If event planning sounds like it could be your dream career, here are 7 steps to
become an event planner, based on the
FabJob Guide to Become an
Event Planner by Jan L. Riddell, Carol Palmatier and Peter J. Gallanis.
1. Assess Your Skills
Before you quit your day job to become an event planner, take the time to
honestly assess your current skills to ensure you have what it takes to succeed
as an event planner.
Event planners must be creative and well organized, but they must also have
excellent interpersonal skills. Events are about people, so successful event
planners must be able to effectively listen to what clients want, develop
relationships and negotiate with vendors (companies that supply products and
services for events).
TIP: If you’re creative and have great people skills, but could use some
help getting organized, event planning software is available to help you keep
track of event details.
2. Learn How to Plan Events
Almost all events have common components such as some type of meal or
refreshment, a form of entertainment or speaker, invitations or registrations,
etc. The event planner is the person who pulls all of the components together.
There are excellent resources available to help you learn how to plan events and
assist with each stage of event planning including how to: choose a date, decide
who to invite, budget, create timeline schedules, work with vendors, and market
events. If you want a formal education, many colleges offer degrees or
certificates in event planning. If you would rather break into event planning
without a formal education, you can quickly learn how to plan events with books
such as the FabJob Guide to Become an Event Planner.
3. Get Hands-On Experience
The easiest way to learn about the steps involved is through personal experience
(i.e. planning events for family and friends).
Non-profit groups are always looking for help with their fundraisers and galas,
and you’ll get the double benefit of helping a worthy cause while you hone your
skills. This is also an excellent way to make contacts in the community to help
you land a paying job when you are ready.
You could also volunteer to organize events at your own workplace, if you have
one. For example, if your company has a public relations department that is
notoriously short-staffed, offer to help them out. The beauty of this plan is
that you will be learning a new career while still being paid at your old job!
4. Create a Portfolio
A portfolio is a collection of samples of your work, plus any other documents
that can show people why they should hire you. A portfolio helps you stand out
from other applicants, and prove that you have the skills to do the job. Your
portfolio might include pictures, recommendation letters and anything else that
shows prospective clients and/or employers what you have done or can do.
Material for your portfolio can come from any event you have organized (such as
a family reunion, birthday bash, etc.) or from ideas and themes you have for
future events. Show your best work and don’t worry about giving away your
great ideas. People will believe you have many more brilliant ideas that
you haven’t yet divulged.
5. Get Hired as an Event Planner
Getting hired as an event planner (even if you plan on opening your own event
planning business) will give you invaluable contacts and referrals for the
future. Meeting and convention planners are projected to have faster than
average job growth in the coming years. This is good news for the industry and
for you.
Companies that hire event planners include hotels or resorts, non-profit
organizations, convention centers, country clubs, and even fun destinations like
theme parks!
Some people work their way into a position as their company’s event planner just
by volunteering to organize internal events such as company picnics and
meetings.
6. Start Your Own Event Planning Business
If the idea of being your own boss and earning up to $100,000 or more per year
as an event planner sound appealing, it may be time to take the plunge and set
up an event planning business. Many event planners have home-based
businesses, which makes this type of business inexpensive to start. With the
wealth of information available on starting a business you should be able to get
your own event planning business off the ground quite easily.
When starting your own business, you should consider what types of events you
want to plan. If you have a flair for the spectacular you may want to tackle
proms, charity events and galas. If you prefer planning corporate events,
you may choose to plan meetings, conventions, and the like.
TIP: Unsure of what type of event you’d prefer to plan? Consider
interning or working for a number of companies whose specialties are quite
different.
7. Develop Relationships with Vendors
You’ve probably heard the adage “it’s not what you know but who you know”.
The most important relationships you will build as an event planner are with the
vendors for your events. These are companies that supply products and services
for events, such as caterers, florists, equipment rental companies, hotels,
photographers, etc.
Learn about each one’s business by conducting informational interviews and ask
about discounts they can offer you. Be polite and courteous with the
owners and their staff and always follow up afterwards with some sort of
acknowledgement or thank you. You can also arrange to have vendors refer clients
to your event planning business.
Further Your Career
You can continue to learn and grow after you have become an event planner. One
of the best ways to succeed as an event planner is to look upon every social
occasion or event you attend as an opportunity to learn. Make a mental
note of what worked well and what bombed. Attend tradeshows, read
everything you can related to event planning, and watch for what’s hot.
Seek out the advice of trendsetters and don’t be afraid to try something a
little different. You may start a trend yourself!
This article is based on the
FabJob Guide to Become an Event Planner. The complete guide gives detailed
advice on how you can break into a career in event planning, get hired as an
event planner, or start your own event planning business. Visit
FabJob.com
for information.
by Jan L. Riddell
Jan L. Riddell has been planning events for more than 15 years. As an event
planner she has organized public events attended by over 2500 people, television
show premieres, corporate annual meetings, dinners with high-profile politicians
and corporate leaders, as well as family reunions, birthdays, weddings and
anniversaries. She is co-author of the
FabJob Guide to Become an
Event Planner.
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