I was putting together an event at work last week and a single thought rang through my head.
“I hate putting events together.”
Now, this is a scary thought for a person who has built her life and career towards putting together events. I did an event internship in college. I have gone through certification training for events. My blog is about events!
So, I took a day, ran to the beach to work out what had gone wrong and how to fix it. The beach is one of my calm places and has very few distractions. I put my feet in the sand and worked through this.
So what has gone “wrong”. I had 4 main points that I came up with.
1.My personal life has been intense lately.
For various reasons, I had to cancel my bachelorette party. (I am sitting about 100 yards away from the house that had been rented for that weekend as I write this.) My bridal party has had some shake ups, due to no fault of the people involved but life in general. Plus, working a full-time job, running a blog, and creating an online course about trade shows that will be released in the next two months. Oh, and wedding planning (with help). It has been a lot and your personal life spills over into your work life and vis-a–versa.
2. I have been focusing on the negatives of what people say about my events.
Before my above scary thought, I was running through the litany of complaints that I was sure would be aired because they had been aired at previous events. Complaints about location, decorations, food, the choice of drink, etc. Now, none of these complaints have been stated about one single event – but about events over two and a half years. But that was all I heard in my head.
3. I have done enough events that they have started to become routine.
With over a decade of events under my belt, I have learned a ton and I am able to put together simple events with ease. I now have an instinctive knowledge of what needs to be done and no longer get excited about the company happy hour or other events that I have done dozens of times. It is the same basic items, just the minute details change. I can plan, set up, and tear down on autopilot.
4. Events are hard work.
Events often require long days with very little breaks. Often, setting up the tables and chairs is the least strenuous part of the day. If you do not enjoy the events, it just makes the days longer.
Now, how am I going to turn this around? I refuse to give up. I love events too much to walk away from them but I obviously need to refocus.
My first step was to ask myself why I love events so much? What drew me to them, even after I knew the long hours and hard work needed?
I believe that my purpose in life is to make someone’s day.
Events have always been a great vehicle for me to do this. A great party can put a light in someone’s eyes as they let the worries and cares of a crazy world fall back and enjoy the moment. That feeling of enjoyment can carry on for weeks and the memory of a great event can last forever.
This holds true with business events as well. I want to provide content that will allow the attendees to grow their business or career. Helping people to reach for the next level – or just giving them the knowledge to protect their business is what I love to do.
With this answer the next step was to find my new areas to focus on.
I need to focus on the impact I am making on 80% of the attendees at any event.
I will never make everyone happy – even if I had a candy store I couldn’t make everyone happy.
I need to focus on the outcome of the event, not the set up and tear down.
I need to focus on the details and let the routine happen.
I am grateful for the years that I have spent planning and running events. I have wonderful memories from so many events – and all of those great memories correlate with the outcome.
So, when you look up one day and realize you hate doing your passion I would suggest doing the following
Ask yourself what has gone wrong?
Ask yourself why that was your passion? What was your driving force?
Can you refocus or is it time to find a new passion?
I wish you the best of luck on all of your journeys and hope you never come to the point I did but wanted to share my story to help those who do reach that fork in the road.
Hosting an educational event can be a great way for your company to showcase its expertise and to gain new leads. Here are my top three things for hosting an educational event that will draw a crowd.
1. Pick a Timely and/ or Popular Topic
One my of the best-attended events was about the 2018 Tax Laws for Small Businesses. Pick a topic that will help your customers and your target audience.
If you are a makeup artist, offer to do live tutorials with people you will pick from the audience. If you are a real estate agent, bring in a mortgage person to discuss lending. If you are a boutique, do a fashion show where you pick audience members to wear your clothes and show people how to dress for their success
2. Pick the Right Speakers
I encourage you to bring in guest speakers for your events. Your customers hear from you in your social media, blogs, etc. Bring in a new perspective for them. Consider who your customers would benefit hearing from and invite them to speak. I love to create panels with two or three speakers. It gives my audience multiple perspectives and allows for debate. The other reason to bring in guest speakers is that they come with their own following that you can then use as leads.
3. Pick the Right Time
Take a hard look at your target audience for the event. Do surveys and see when most people will be able to attend. The timing of your event can mean everything.
Is your target moms? Do not schedule during pick up time at school. Is your target small businesses? After 6 pm may be a good target, or a 5 am breakfast before business starts. When possible plan an event at least 5 weeks out. One week for you and the speakers decide on times and topics and then 4 weeks to promote the event.
I love using educational events to get a businesses name and expertise out into the community. They are an inexpensive way to reach your target audience.
Site Visits are when you look over a venue before you sign a contract to host your event at that location.
Why do the site visit?
You can see the venue in person. We have all booked the hotel that has beautiful pictures and arrived to find that they used clever camera angles and outdated photos. Seeing the venue in person can make all the difference.
You get a better feel of the space. You see if there is enough room to have your event, look at the parking your guests will be using, see any obstacles, and observe the on-site staff at work. You are also able to observe the flow of the space and how people will move around.
Peace of Mind. As an event planner, this is huge for me, knowing what I am walking into makes all the difference. If I know the venue, I am calmer and able to cut the items I pack by about half. If I do not know the venue, I have a whole box of contingencies that I bring along from pens, zip ties, duct tape, and extra decorations.
When to do the site visit?
Do a ton of research before you consider doing site visits. You will want to read reviews and read venue websites for restrictions such as required vendors or hard cut off times.
Narrow your list to your top three venues and contact them. Ask them to send over pricing, rules, and venue layouts. Ask them for a list of past customers that will speak with you about their experience.
If you feel comfortable with the venue, schedule a site visit before you sign a contract.
What to look for during the site visit?
Does anything odd stand out?
If they provide tables and chairs, are they sturdy? If they already have a table set up – ask for them to pull out one more just to ensure.
Do you still like the venue?
Do you like the on-site team?
For most small businesses, you will be hosting events within your driving distance. I consider driving distance 2 hours. If this is the case, always do the site visit. If you are hosting an event out of town and have the funds to visit, always do the site visit.
If you cannot make the visit but are still set on having your event at the venue I would suggest the following;
Do you know someone in the area of the venue that can visit it for you?
Will the venue manager do a video call and walk you through the space?
Does the venue have stellar online reviews?
Site visits can be the difference between a perfect event and a catastrophe. Do them whenever possible.
A quick side note, speak with your accounting professional on how business travel can affect your taxes. Some travel is tax deductible but please confirm with your accounting professional before assuming this. Each state and industry have their own regulations to follow.
Trade shows can be 15 hour days and when you string 3 or 4 of those together it can be a recipe for illness. Over the years I have found with 5 ways to stay healthy and ensure I have energy after the trade show is finished.
1. Drink a lot of Water
Water is important and you need to drink enough each day. Water helps to keep away headaches, flush the salt from the snacks that you eat on the go, and gives you an excuse to step out of the booth for a moment.
2. Snacks
Always have quick, portable snacks on me at trade shows. The snacks help replenish your energy and it keeps the hangry at bay. No show attendee wants to talk to a grumpy booth staffer. Snacks help you push your trade show goals forward.
3. Sleep
You need to find what helps you sleep; white noise machines, sleep masks, melatonin etc. Find what helps and stick to it. There is little substitute for sleep – food can help for a short time but not in the long run.
4. Comfortable Shoes
You will be standing on concrete a lot. Carpet padding can help but you still need to ensure your shoes don’t cause you pain. Also, consider different shoes for different days. Wearing the same shoes for 3 days is a recipe for blisters.
5. Mindful Minute
Take a minute or two at least once a day to just sit and breath. Find a quiet corner, put your phone away, close your eyes, and breath. Use this to center and calm myself. These quick bursts of mindfulness help you to recharge.
Trade shows are long and stressful days, find a routine that works for you to keep you healthy.
Event planning in general is not easy, our goal is to make everyone enjoy the event if not feel genuinely happy – and you can never make everyone happy. It is a constant dichotomy that is at play. So how do you manage everyone’s competing wishes?
A trade show is not done until everything is packed up and you are on your way home. If it is a multi day show, your job and marketing lasts long after the trade show floor hours. The hours after the trade show floor closes are precious and you need to use them. Here are the ways you can.
Once your booth is packed up and you are safely back home from a trade show, it feels like a huge relief. Take a deep breath, get a good nights rest, and then finish off the trade show. Here is the after show checklist that I go through.
Getting paid as an event planner is not easy. Below are three options on structuring your fees to get paid what you deserve.
Option 1: Packages
For special events where I know the average time that will go into them, I put together Packages. This allows my customers to choose at what level they would like me involved and at what level they would like to pay.
Now, when I was first starting out I had people ask me to put together an event proposal and a budget. I put together a lot of proposals and budgets – only to never hear from them again. I quickly realized that they were taking my idea and budget and then putting the event together themselves. I was speaking with Victoria Lewis, owner of Genesis Masters of Events and she gave a great piece of advice to combat this.
“I tell my customers that if they want me to put together an event, they have to hire me. They can see my past work and either trust what I do or can find something else.” Victoria said. “People think they are being sly, but their dishonesty shines through. I did proposals and had people walk away. I no longer do them. I do give a free hour consultation and talk about my services in the last 5 – 10 minutes.”
Now, I get my full fee upfront. I put together various packages for clients at different price points. If someone balks at the price, I offer to let them think about it and reach back out to me.
Option 2: Hourly
Business events I often charge my services by the hour. I do this for two reasons, the first is that business people are used to being charged by the hour. They equate that to their lawyer and accountant and you can get more respect. The second is, that a few times the business has canceled the event and wanted all of their money back.
Now, businesses also like to know how much they are going to be charged. I have them buy 100 hours of my time at the rate we negotiate. When I hit 80 hours of work, I let them know and ask if they would like to purchase another block of hours or if they want me to wrap up what I have done. This allows them to feel in control while also ensuring that you get paid.
Options 3: Percentages
When working with non-profits, I will often offer for them to pay me a percentage of the money that they raise. This percentage will is negotiable but 10% seems is my standard. This means that if I work 100 hours but only raise $100, I get paid $10. Make sure you make the distinction between how much money is raised vs. how much money is earned. If you go off how much money is earned, you take out all of the expenses of the event and get a percentage of that.
A word of caution, I make sure that I have 75% of the control on events like this and I can affect the money raised. If they will not cede that control to me, we move back to the package deal. I must also be able to review and audit the fundraising efforts. I also have a payment clause in the contract if the event gets canceled.
As event planners, we need to know what we are worth. Don’t let penny pinchers bully you into dropping your prices. If it is so easy and they can do it thank them for their time and wish them well on their event planning.
I loved the movie Oceans 8. It has a great cast but from an event planning standpoint – it has a great moment. The scene where Sarah Paulson’s character is talking about the need for a nutritionist on hand because of all the special request foods made me think of all the pitfalls that feed a large crowd can bring. I wanted to highlight the 3 main pitfalls that I have seen at events.
Food Allergies – Peanuts and Gluten are the most common food allergies that we hear about. I will often ask for food allergies in my event registration and then work around them as I can. Most adults with food allergies take responsibility for themselves. I worry about this more with children. In a buffet line, I will post the ingredients under the dish title.
Cultural Restrictions – Beef and Pork are the cultural issues that come up most often. This is easily solved by having a chicken or fish option. This is why beef and chicken are often the main dish choices at events. It covers 80% of the average population.
Vegetarian and Vegan – Vegetarian is often an easy item to fill with a pasta dish. Vegan is harder but not impossible to accommodate if you have enough of them. I look closely at the target demographic of the event that I am hosting before choosing to eliminate these option.
One thing to remember that unless you are hosting the Oscar after party or the Met Gala – you cannot please everyone. Work within your means to accommodated who you can and apologize when you can’t. Showing that you have made an effort to include everyone will go a long way.
What is the biggest food issue that you have faced at an event?
