Event planning

The event planning industry generates over $500 billion a year. Starting your own event planning company will require a big time and financial investment on your part but once its up and running, you can make a great living. Event planners helps companies and others host large parties and events (like conferences). Being an event planner gives you the opportunity to set flexible working hours, however you have to have a creative mind and organized personality to become successful.

To get started as an event planner, get a job with an event planning company and shadow them for a couple years. You need to gain experience with all types of events from corporate parties to weddings. Event planners need to have an organizer of some sort in order to keep on task with the different things they are working on. It also helps to have a laptop with access to high-speed internet. Keeping a laptop with you will help you meet with clients and discuss some of their plans and you can show them actual locations and pictures of some of your ideas. Several colleges offer degrees in event planning. Many of them will offer certification courses which can help you get your first job with an event planning company while you are trying to build your reputation.

Most event planners rent equipment for the party so you really only need to devote a room in your home to be your office. This saves you a lot of money since you don't need to warehouse all the extra equipment that is needed to host large events.

Event planners will need to devote a large amount of time to their company. You will spend hours coordinating with other companies to make sure the event goes off without a hitch. Then you will spend countless hours with your client in person, on the phone, and via email. The event will reflect upon them so they are going to hold you to a high standard so they look good. Plan to spend at least 40 hours on your event planning business per week.

Event planners can make a great living. Many of them will start out small because it takes time to build a big reputation. The first year you should only expect to make about $25,000. After that, event planners can easily charge $50 an hour or more and pull in $60,000 or more per year.

To build your career as an event planner, you need to learn how to network. Event planners can build their reputation by remaining professional at all times. Your clients will have a certain image in their head as to what they expect from you so it is important to meet this standard. Everything your customers see from you must be consistent. This includes things like your emails to your business cards. Join online social networking groups to spread the word that you help to plan events. Another way to boost your reputation is to have a strong network of affiliates and partners you can call to make the impossible happen for your clients. Get a good relationship built with catering companies, DJs, photographers, and decorating companies. These individuals will have a big impact on your ability to become a successful event planner.

One of the biggest risks you take with an event planning company is investing too much into it. If you are investing a large amount into the equipment and your clients take too long to pay, you will need to come up with money to live off for a few weeks. Be careful about getting into debt or getting in too deep. Always purchase liability insurance when you start your own company to protect yourself from any legal ramifications.