How to Be Successful as an Event Planner

Event planning is a great career move. It is exciting, it provides flexibility and, with more people wanting experiences over material objects, it is an in-demand skill to have.

But just like any other business, event planning businesses aren’t always successful.

We took a look at some practices event planners do every day to ensure their business is a success. Read on to learn more about what we found out.

Check Their Metrics

Events can have several purposes but for many of them, a main goal is to bring in funds. Therefore, event planners should always have an eye on their metrics.

One metric that should be closely monitored is how many ticket sales are coming in and what sources are bringing them in. Then you can adjust accordingly to focus on the most lucrative methods while not investing as much time and money in those that aren’t as successful.

And while it’s important to keep track of the money that’s coming in, you should also keep an eye on your expenses. Your ticket sales will help you determine how much food you need for your event as well as what other supplies you need to purchase to make sure there is enough for everyone.

Prioritize

Anyone in business knows how important it is to prioritize. For an event planner, priorities can change from minute to minute. You may come across an emergency situation or you may have to go into marketing gear if ticket sales are down.

Planners must communicate efficiently with their staff so that everyone is prepared to take action as priorities switch. They must also be aware of deadlines that always loom ahead in the world of event planning and make sure everything is seen to in a timely manner.

Talk to Your Clients

Every event has a goal and it is important to get a clear vision of that goal to ensure that your client will be happy with the results. Therefore, it is essential to sit down with your client to get a good idea of what they are expecting before moving forward with the planning process.

Communication should be maintained throughout the planning of the event to make sure your client is onboard with all decisions that are made.

Take Some Time for Yourself

Event planning is a lot of fun, but it can also be quite stressful. Make sure to take some time out to relax and breathe during your busy day. Not only will this reduce stress levels, it will help you to return to work more focused for increased productivity.

Stay on Top of the Latest Trends

No matter what industry you are in, it’s important to keep up with the latest trends to stay on top of the competition.

In the event planning business, there are constantly new trends that come into play in the type of décor and layout used, the musical entertainment and other types of entertainment you hire, the activities you have planned, the food you serve, the way you serve it and the technology you employ.

Event planners must be on top of these trends to make sure they are creating cutting edge events and have the tools to plan efficiently.  To add a touch of these trends, use prints and colors for your chair covers and linens to compliment any design of your table decor.

Nurture Relationships

While it’s important to communicate with your clients while you are planning an event, it’s also a good idea to touch base with them periodically, even when you are not actively working with them. This will help nurture your relationship and ensure they will always think of you when they need another event planned or when someone asks them for a referral.

Relationships with event planning staff should be nurtured as well. Keep in touch with caterers, musical entertainment, vendors, photographers, etc. that you use often. Not only will this make for a great atmosphere when you work together, it will be more likely that these vendors will offer you discount rates and refer you to new clients.

Sending birthday and holiday cards and general updates about your business are all terrific ways to stay in touch.

Ask for Feedback

One great way to tell how successful an event was is to ask the people that attended for their opinions. Once you learn what guests liked and didn’t like, you can go from there to improve the experience. Asking for guests’ opinion will also let them know that you care about them and what they thought of the service your provided.

There are many ways you can get your guests’ opinions but if you plan through Eventbrite, you can take advantage of their Survey Monkey integration to find out what they thought.

Being an event planner is not easy but if you employ these practices you will see your business begin to flourish. What processes do you recommend to ensure professional success?