As you well know, event planning and organising is no small feat – it’s often met with stressful situations, tight deadlines and high expectations from somewhat demanding clients. Thankfully, most event planners are well armed so that no challenge is ever too much or too frustrating – hooray!
So what, exactly, is a great event planners’ secret? How is it possible for one to stay so calm and collected whilst dealing with a guest list as long as one’s arm? We researched 10 things all successful event planners do in order to pull off the perfect event – budding EPs take some notes!
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Event planners…
Start the day early
Several studies performed in recent years have confirmed that early risers are generally more proactive and productive – ‘get-up-and-goers’ use their morning quiet time for organisation, goal-setting and planning out their upcoming days and weeks. This rings very true with the successful event planner – the earlier the start, the more tasks that are successfully underway.
Communicate effectively
Events run smoothly if there’s an open, clear and efficient line of communication between everyone involved. Ensuring that both the planner and the client are sharing ideas and visions openly is the basis for a successful event. It’s also equally important to be open to criticism and accepting of new and alternate ideas.
Have a Plan B
Event planners are always one step ahead – accounting for absolutely everything, paying attention to every solitary detail and most importantly, foreseeing potential threats and risks. Every successful event planner has a Plan B if things go a little awry (they’ll also probably have a C and a D, too!)
Pay attention to detail
Whether small-scale or astronomical, every event has hundreds, albeit thousands, of details that really make the bigger picture that much more special. As an event planner, it’s vital to track all of these details – and be 100% on top of anything that may need changing or altering. It’s a lot of understanding how the finer pieces fit together, in order to create the bigger product.
Have a vision
Having a clear vision allows an event planner to picture how all the different pieces will come together – without a vision everything can seem a little direction-less! This wider vision also allows event planners to stay motivated and driven to creating an amazing end result and work that little bit harder in order to achieve it.
Prioritise the most important things
Event organisers may often find themselves with an enormous list of things to do in an extremely small time-frame so it’s critical that they understand which tasks are the most important. These priorities must also be communicated to the wider team, where necessary, to ensure that processes are carried out to the most efficient level.
Research new ideas and trends
A successful event is one that stands out and is memorable for all involved. In order to achieve this, successful event planners will always be on the hunt for new ideas and trends to experiment with (see these 2016/2017 wedding trends!). Keeping a finger on the industry pulse will also stand you in good stead against your competitors and will wow your clients – and their guests (your future clients…)
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Nurture relationships
Whether it’s with clients or suppliers – maintaining and nurturing a great relationship is a huge building block for becoming a successful event planner. Catching up with clients, both old and new, will keep you in the forefront of their mind when they next require an event organiser and will help you get word of mouth referrals – the bread and butter of your business – too.
Ask for feedback
Every good event planner takes criticism on board – successful event planners will most likely send out feedback forms post-event as part of their performance measurement. There are lots of ways you that you can learn and improve each time you host an event, so be open to constructive criticism and listening to what your clients and guests want!
Listen to the clients’ goals/expectations
The main aim with every event is to make the client happy. So, every great event organiser will listen to their clients’ needs and goals to make sure they can do whatever’s within their power to meet the requirements.
What do you think makes a great event planner?
