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What Makes a Great Event Planner?

Will you be a super event planner or just average?

So what is it that sets a super event planner apart from those who are just meh? Is it the insider tips and tricks they have learned from years in the business? The access to trusted partners and contractors they have built and accrued over the years? Or is it their level of organization, knowledge of every aspect of planning an event and the support of their team in creating an event that will WOW! their clients every time?

The answer is that it is a combination of all of these things and more!

Owning your own successful, profitable event planning business requires you to be a great business manager, sales manager, project manager, creative manager, contract negotiator, customer service manager, and client relations expert all at the same time. Feeling overwhelmed yet? No worries! Although, looking at the big picture, it may seem a bit daunting, owning your own business and becoming a cutting edge event planner with the skills and knowledge to become a leader in the industry is doable and can be a very rewarding and exciting career.

The keys to being able to perform all the different roles required to be successful as an event planner are to be confident in your work, know your clients and what they are looking for and be prepared to put in the hard work necessary to create returning customers.

Need a push to take that first step?

If the idea of starting your own event planning business is exciting, but you’re not quite sure how to get started or if you’re new to the event planning business but need support to grow your business to the level you want it to be, you may be wondering how you can do so.

After running my own event planning business for the past 30 years, I have been contacted by countless people just like you who are looking for advice on how to start their own event planning businesses.

After a few years of answering those questions, I started to see a pattern. I would get questions from wanna-be event planners who had pieces and parts of the equation, but not the whole picture. For example, I had one young intern who had taken event-planning classes at school, but had no idea about starting a business. Then I’d work with someone who knew about starting a business but had no idea about how to plan an event. There was even the one lady who had business experience, and some event planning from the corporate world, but she didn’t know how to get started building her own clients and sources of trusted vendors for an at-home business.

So, my team and I started thinking about how we could provide ALL of the information people needed to know to start an event planning business without having to go through different sources to learn the ropes. That’s how we came up with the idea for Event Heroes.

We wanted to offer a coaching program that would provide a step-by-step guide on how to establish yourself as a business owner to finding clients, booking events, planning and producing shows and winning life long customers. And the one thing we really thought was super important was to be able to provide live support for our Event Hero members.

It’s all about the support!

So, that is what we did! Event Heroes, is an all-inclusive event planning coaching system that includes how-to coaching lessons, a complete library of pre-formatted business and event planning forms, fully developed event themes and instructions, access to our fully vetted and trusted black book of partner vendors, and live support sessions presented by leaders in the event planning industry.

At Event Heroes our goal is to help our members produce events that provide the WOW! factor that will establish them as leaders in the event industry.

Sign up to be an Event Hero VIP member on our signup page to take advantage of our great support system!

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Protecting Your Events: Preparation for Unforeseen Weather

Winter is coming. As much as we would all like to deny the fact, winter weather is on our heels. When outdoor elements become more unpredictable than ever, do you know what to do to protect your meetings and events from this event villain?

The first thing you should do is ensure you have a backup plan in place. If flights are cancelled, the venue could close, or any other weather related issues could arise – make sure you have a backup venue or date secured in unforeseen circumstances. Read more in the following article “Protecting Your Events from Inclement Weather” which shares six important points on how to secure your event during perils such as the snow miser.

It never hurts to be over-prepared! What’s your number one way to handle unforeseen weather conditions?

Original photo by Paul Itkin

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Accountability Partners

In the event world, you are surrounded by all sorts of people. Vendors, clients, guests… but sometimes you need someone who motivates and understands your position as an event professional. That is where an accountability partner comes in!

An accountability partner is someone who keeps you and your goals on track. An entrepreneurial definition is someone who “provides guidance and hold their partners to their commitments to help them take their success to the next level”, there is a “duality to the relationship” and each person “holds them accountable to their goals”.

This is a unique relationship, and unlike a mentorship, both partners help each other to reach their career goals. But this doesn’t mean that you won’t learn from each other! These relationships can be great for business and bring unexpected benefits.

An example for someone in the event profession could be another event professional, or someone completely different. Your accountability partner doesn’t need to be identical to you. For example it could be someone creating a marketing startup, a PR professional or another business area.

The point of having an accountability partner is to keep you motivated and on track. Everyone has bad days (or week), and it is good to get advice from someone outside your business who understands the struggles and successes.

There are many benefits to having an accountability partner, just make sure you choose wisely. The most important thing when choosing is making sure you will each benefit each other.

Here are 4 benefits that you get from an accountability partner:

  1. Business growth: An accountability partner will hopefully give you new insight into your business, and build on your own ideas. This relationship can bring business recommendations and referrals by your partner, and vise versa. The right partner will contribute to your career and push you to succeed.
  2. Motivation: An accountability partner should always motivate you and make sure you do your best! In times of stress or moments that you are unsure, they will pick you up and give you advice. This comes from a different standpoint than a friend or relative, because they most likely have gone through similar situations.
  3. Tracks your goals: Make it clear to your partner what your goals are in the beginning (and continue to update!). Their job is to keep you on the straight and narrow. They will be there to remind you why you are doing this.
  4. Friendship: Your accountability partner may have started out as an acquaintance or a stranger from a networking event. But, depending on your time talking, your relationship may have turned into a friendship! This is great! You know you can trust each other with business ideas and growth, but you have built something much deeper. This may not always be the case, but the point is mutualy understanding your goals and accomplishments and pushing you to achieve those.

There are many more benefits that come from an accountability partner, so start your search! Know what you want to get out of this relationship before looking. A great way to meet an accountability partner would be networking or joining a business group. Find out what there is in your city and don’t be afraid to try new things!

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Event Technology: Instagram Stories

If you stay up to date with social media apps, you may have noticed a new feature in Instagram. The photo-sharing app recently added a ‘story’ option for users. Similar to Snapchat, a user can now upload a picture or short video for followers. Unlike regular posts, these only last 24 hours.

This is an unexpected change for Instagram, which seems to take this idea from another popular social media tool, Snapchat. So how does this effect the event world?

We all know that live feeds are becoming popular, and that Snapchat is great for communicating directly with attendees. However, Instagram is still more popular and has double the users Snapchat does (around 300 million!).

For events and event planners, who already have a good following on Instagram, and may struggle with Snapchat, this is your golden ticket! Now you can tease your audience with behind-the-scenes peaks, your planning process and more!

It is more common to post multiple times on Snapchat than compared to Instagram, so use these stories to give you more exposure to your followers! Use it to your advantage, because stories appear at the top of the screen, every time a user opens the phone app.

For those not familiar with Snapchat, but want to get the most out of the Instagram stories, know that these can range a lot of different topics! Tease guests with previews of your next event, or if the theme is a secret give them hints. Show off your event team and your work area. The possibilities are endless!

With new updates to social media apps coming in lightning fast, it is crucial that you stay updated; especially if you are targeting millennia’s who are tech-savvy. Just think of this as one more opportunity to reach out to your audience and gain potential attendees!

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State Fair Themed Event: Unique food and Entertainment Ideas

There are so many great events that happen during the summer, but for some people the greatest event is the State Fair! Here in Des Moines we are proud have the Iowa State Fair, one of the largest in the country.

Not only do people come from around the nation for our fair, but many corporate companies have State Fair themed events. Keep reading for food and entertainment ideas to make your next event a success.

As a general rule state fair food is insanely awesome and either fried or on a stick, but how do you make Fried State Fair food on a stick unique and interesting for a corporate event?

1) Deep-Fried Twinkie:

Ahhh a classic! This delicious deep-fried treat is a must have for any party. Yep, we know you love them but for a higher-end event consider deep fried cheese cake pops.

Photo Source: Willow Bird Baking

2) Cheese:

Cheese, period. You can fry it, melt it or smother it on almost anything. It is a staple state fair food. For an upscale feel, hire a food truck that specializes in the ooey gooey deliciousness!

 

Photo Source: Memphis Daily News

3) Corndog:

Another great go-to-snack, the corndog! Step it up a notch with Lobster corndogs… this will really get your guests talking with their mouth full!

 

Photo Source: Style Me Pretty

4) Corn on the Cob:

Always a classic dish for the fair! The good thing is this can be dressed up very easily. Serve as an appetizer on a stick or use it during the main course.

Photo Source: Style Me Pretty

5) Cotton Candy:

This may not be the easiest to enjoy without getting slightly messy, but when you have cotton candy in a tub guests can eat it right then or take it home. We find attendees want a treat for the moment and a treat for later. Plus, you can choose the flavors that are unique and different or dyed into the company colors.

Photo Source: Chocolate Story Book

Entertainment

Okay, we’ve visited the foods. Now how about your entertainment? Of course you can choose to have the standard midway games, but there are ways you can take it to the next level as well!Here are 5 ways we’ve found that our clients love to step it up:

1) Custom photo booth – we have had great success and fun creating photo booths that are interactive. This has included duplicating the American Gothic painting and allowing guests to become the couple in picture, which has been a hoot! – and the longer the night goes on the more fun it becomes! – Have a photographer there to help guide the subjects and print photos on site. This makes for a memorable keepsake.

2) Caricature artist – Make this unique by having a roaming artist that walks around to guests instead of vice versa. Also create a custom logo’d canvas for them to draw on. Having them walk around will help with those guests that are reluctant or shy to have their caricature done. This is another item for them to take home and you bet it gets featured on the social media!

3) What fair theme is complete without carnies? The balloon man, the inflatable items and the games. Have a few of these characters set up around your event to really set the mood.

4) Create games of chance – it’s really easy to do a balloon popping game, a weight or age guesser or a ring toss game.

5) Dunk tank – this might not work for all events but if you can get your CEO to sit in the dunk tank, this is a real winner and your guests will stand in line just to get the chance to dunk the CEO.

We like to end the evening with a wonderful headliner. As with all fairs, yours should include a concert. Consider the crowd and pick your headliner carefully to ensure you entertain the crowd and send them off with a wonderfully warm feeling of the all-American pastime of the State Fair.

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Music Licensing for Events

So, you have an event and you plan on playing some music in the background…No biggie right? Not quite. Before you plug in your iPhone to play your favorite tunes, you need to know a little bit about music licensing and how it affects your events.

Licensing for music is as big of a deal as using someone else’s artwork on your PowerPoints and not paying for it. If you don’t get the proper licenses, the penalty can be huge. As event planners, this is all very confusing and time consuming; trying to figure out who, what, and when of the music licenses – plus how they work!

Although getting licensing isn’t the most convenient task on your event planning checklist, it beats the alternative. The alternative to purchasing a license is to contact each artist who’s music you intend to play and get their written permission. You may also have to ask your band to play original material only. We all know that when we hire a band to play covers, that having them only play their original tunes might not be the best request.

Can you image trying to track down the correct people and having them respond to this request? It would take one person dedicated to this specific task many hours and many weeks to complete. This would require you knowing your playlist well in advance. Doesn’t sound like a task I want to take on. I am sure the hours I would spend research, making phone calls and sending emails would be more than the cost of the license itself.

When researching licenses you might find that the responsibility falls to the venue to purchase and hold the licenses for music. However, many venues are now passing on that responsibility to the entity holding the event. Check in with both the facility and licensing bureaus to make sure you are covered in order to avoid the high penalties if you aren’t.

We searched the internet to locate the best descriptors of ‘what’ license you need and ‘when’ you need a license. Here’s what we’ve found:

  1. There are three different licensing entities (ASCAP, BMI, & SESAC). Each one is a little different.
  2. For just ASCAP alone there are over 100 different license types and each one has pretty strict usage rules.
  3. For each event type, there are different rules which can get fairly specific
  4. Pricing for the license depends on the type of the event and how many attendees you will have at the event.
  5. Charity events are NOT excluded from needing a license for events (usually they are covered under a one-time event license)
  6. Copyright law says events for only friends and family do not need a license – Hey wedding planners, you’re in the clear! Based on a chat conversation with Frank at ASCAP online. Connect Here .
  7. Licenses are based on the TYPE of event, not who is hosting the event.
  8. There are 3 licensing entities that you need to consult with on your event.

CAUTION: Pay for only one license from one licensing bureau and any song used that doesn’t fall under their license is susceptible to a fine. I suggest playing it safe and getting a license from all 3 entities so that you don’t have to waste time figuring out which songs are covered by a specific entity. Whereas if you get all three, you’re covered no matter what.Here are the links to all three licensing agencies:

Although music licensing can be quite confusing, I found the online chat to be most helpful. ‘Frank’ from ASCAP answered all my questions and was very courteous. I didn’t find an online chat at BMI or SESAC, but both have phone numbers for you to contact them.

**Event Heroes, having this event knowledge in your arsenal will keep your clients abreast important information and prevent them from having to pay heavy fees for something they weren’t aware of.

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Event Setup: Gaff Tape

When doing event setup you need to take good care of the venue. Tracy Fuller gives a short tip how to do just that! Watch below!

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10 Business Practices To Save Time

We get it, you’re busy, your time is important and you have a lot of things to check off your to-do list. Being in the event industry is non-stop, you can’t remember the last time you had a free weekend, and time = money! Luckily we have put together a list of ten business practices to save time.

1) Schedule in advance

Your calendar is your best friend. Write down your deadlines and event dates so you know what your month looks like at a glance. This way if you get a call out of the blue for a quick job, you know if you are available or not.

2) Be organized

Nothing is more distracting than a messy work-space; make sure you tidy up your area every now and then. Have your contact information in a specific area, so when you need to make a call you know exactly where to go.

3) Save your files!

Being organized in your physical space is just as important as being organized in your cyber space. Working in events you are going to have endless documents and images that you need to be able to find instantly. Have detailed files where you save everything, that way when a client wants a copy of their event images, you know where to go! Don’t forget to back up your work; computers crash and you can’t afford to lose everything.

4) Meet your clients virtually

Attending meetings is essential for every business; it’s how you expand, but they also take a lot of time. Consider a meeting on Skype or GoToMeeting. Make sure you are still professional and watch your background space, but you are still getting face-to-face time in the comfort of your own office.

5) Manage social media better

In this day and age, social media presence is essential to your business. Don’t waste your time posting every single post by hand. We prefer HootSuite or Buffer to schedule social media posts in advance! It’s super convenient and allows you to post your content days or weeks in advance.

6) Delegate!

This might be hard for some, especially small business owners, but once you get more exposure, the more work there is. You cannot do everything by yourself so hire someone to help you! Find someone that is passionate about your business and will help you succeed.

7) Know what’s important

There will always be things that fall on the same deadline; you have to learn how to prioritize them. Take charge on what is the most important and (delegate!) those that others can complete.

8) Have an end time

Being an Event Planner, you may have crazy hours. Take advantage of your office days. There is always going to be more stuff to do, learn to end the day at a reasonable time. Enjoy the days where you aren’t running around at an event, take a class or spend time with friends and family.

9) Turn your attention to one thing at a time

This may sound insanely hard to do, but hear me out. Focus your time on one thing; whether that is a client, a task or an employee, they deserve your undivided attention. Event planning is a juggling act, keeping everything balanced is tough. Focus on the task at hand. An email or text can wait for you to finish up.

10) Schedule breaks

Things get hectic and you get stressed, and it may seem like the best idea to power through the day. Take a break when things get tough, clear your mind and come back to the task at hand refreshed. It will amaze you what a walk outside or a tasty treat can do for you!

Whether you just started your business or you have been doing it for thirty years, you know how important time is. There never seems like there are enough hours in the day. Follow these 10 practices to save time in your business so you can succeed!

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8 Holiday Cocktail Party Ideas

A list of popular cocktail party themes for your holiday celebrations

The holidays are QUICKLY approaching and if you are prepping last minute – well shame on you! However, with the following list of creative and fun cocktail party ideas you can easily plan a memorable party that will WOW everyone in attendance.

1) Winter wonderland – Decorate your party with crystals and use blue lighting to create an icy effect. Add snowflakes for additional winter ambiance. Have a hot chocolate or hot tottie bar to warm guests up. Doing a company event? Surprise guests with snow from a snow machine or bubbles.

2) Naughty or nice – This theme can be created using food and drinks that are “naughty” vs. “nice.” You can also decorate one side of the room in red and black and the other side in white. If you want to be a little riskier, ask guests to dress in celebrity naughty or nice costumes.

3) James bond – This is a black tie affair. Have guests wear suits and formal dresses. Décor should parallel a royal casino or upscale dinner party with martinis being served shaken, not stirred. Tell guests to watch their favorite Bond movie prior to attending to get in character. You can even rent a red carpet for the entrance to set the stage for the evening.

4) Fire & Ice – Use red and blue décor to signify fire and ice. Guests wear red, blue, or a touch of both. A strong fire in the fire place and an ice sculpture in the center of the food display will really set the two areas apart. If you don’t have a fireplace, faux fires are safe and inexpensive and can add a warm touch to any party.

5) Ugly sweater – This is a more laid back and fun theme. Guests wear the ugliest Christmas sweater they can find and take lots of awkward photos while wearing them. Adding family pets is always a great touch.

6) Festivus – For those frustrated with commercialism and the pressure of other December holidays, Festivus is a secular holiday that occurs on December 23rd made popular by Seinfeld. Celebrations are of grievances, feats of strength, the aluminum pole, and Festivus miracles. “Festivus for the rest of us!” – Frank Costanza

7) Break your resolutions early – Before your new year’s resolutions take full effect, have a food smorgasbord with your friends. Have a pie bakeoff, bring your favorite sweets, or set up a chocolate fondue party and pair each chocolate with a wine! This is our favorite theme!

8) White Christmas – To get you in the holiday spirit with the lack of snow on the ground, have a party decorated in all white. Request your guests to wear all white too. It might be a good idea to stay away from red wines for the night. Use white leather furniture or white drape to really carry the theme through! Need help with the details? Buy this theme in our theme library.

Now that you have the theme of your cocktail party picked out, the rest of the planning elements will fall into place more easily. Make sure you choose foods, favors, entertainment, and décor that aligns with whichever theme suits your celebration best!

What is your favorite holiday cocktail party theme that you’ve created or attended before?

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