event organiser start-up
DESCRIPTION
We discuss the information you need to start your own event management business.TRANSCRIPT
EVENT
ORGANISER
Cashzilla’s ‘Turn Your Hobby into a Business’ Series
Image by Pink Sherbet
SO YOU WANT TO
PLAN EVENTS?
You’re the one all of your friends turn to when
something has to be organised. Be it a birthday party, a
holiday or even just a Friday night down the pub,
you’re there behind the scenes, making sure that
everything goes down without a hitch.
If this sounds like you, then why don’t you put your
organisational skills to good use and turn your hand to
event planning?
This guide will talk you through all you need to know
to get started in the exciting world of event
management…
If you think event
planning is all glamorous
parties and champagne
receptions, think again.
The work of an event
planner is widely diverse
– you could be organising
a corporate party one day,
and getting your hands
dirty setting up an
exhibition the next.
WHAT DOES THE
ROLE INVOLVE?
It can be an exciting
career, however stay away
from event organising if
you like your 9 to 5,
because planners work
very long and sometimes
unsociable hours.
Image by Garry Knight
Some of the day-to-day tasks that an event planner is
responsible for include:
Conducting research
Creating an event design
Finding an event location
Arranging for food, decor and entertainment
Planning transportation to and from the event
Sending invitations to attendees
Arranging any necessary accommodation for attendees
Coordinating the activities of event personnel
Supervising at the event
Conducting evaluations of the event
MAIN
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Most people automatically
think of wedding planners
when they think of what an
event organiser does. However,
parties and events have become
a big part of modern life, and
what’s more, people’s
expectations of events are
increasing. This puts pressure
on individuals to bring in a
professional event planner to
‘wow’ their guests.
TYPES OF EVENT
MANAGEMENT
There is always a steady stream of
domestic events for event planners
to work on. These could include
surprise parties, important birthday
parties (like an 18th, 21st, 60th etc.),
children’s parties, weddings,
retirement parties, or engagement
parties.
But there is also a lot of money to
be made from commercial events.
Companies need product launches
and shops need opening nights,
plus don’t forget about political
events, charity events, and
town/city celebrations. There are
loads of opportunities out there.
The best asset you can have
in the events industry is
experience, so if you have
previously worked for an
events company or in a
related industry, like PR or
marketing, then you will be
at an advantage.
But there are also lots of
educational courses you can take to
learn the trade and prepare yourself
for becoming a freelance event
planner. Most colleges (and some
universities) run event planning
courses which will give you an
event planning qualification to add
to your CV and impress potential
clients. One of the organisations
you will find by searching online is
The UK Academy of Wedding and
Event Planning, which offers
certificates in wedding planning,
event planning, and event design.
SO HOW DO I GET
STARTED?
If you choose to specialise in
commercial event management
it is important to create a legal
contract with your clients. This
is to protect your business and
help deal with problems, should
there be any. The contract with
your client should set out all the
terms and conditions of the job
and the event details, plus it
should state how and when you
will be paid.
It is essential that you discuss the
way you charge for your work
before any work is carried out.
One method you could use to
charge for your work is a fixed-
price. This means that you charge
a fixed price for a set event project
which is agreed with the client
ahead of time, and is irrespective
of how long it takes to complete
the work. However, this could be
difficult to determine when you
first set up your business and have
little experience of working out
the overall cost of certain events.
CLIENT CONTRACTS
You could also charge your clients
per hour. This method means it is
much harder to be under or overpaid
for a project. Charging by the hour
also requires you to fill out
timesheets, so there needs to be a
fast and reliable way to transfer
timesheets back and forth between
yourself and the client. One way of
doing this is by using small business
accounting software which allows
you to track the time you spend on
each project and generate flexible
timesheet reports to pass on to the
client.
If you will be specialising in
domestic event management,
then your clients will probably
prefer to pay you a fixed
amount - perhaps a percentage
of the overall event cost. You
could also create a much
shorter and less informal
contract-type document when
working for domestic event
clients.
CLIENT CONTRACTS
Don’t be scared to take the plunge into the world of
event organisation. It’s a fast moving and exciting career
that is ideal for anyone with strong organisational and
negotiation skills.
With careful planning and a strong execution, there is
no reason why you can’t become a successful event
planner, even in this difficult economic climate. Good
luck!
IN SUMMARY…