For those who’re like me, once you consider an occasion planner, you consider Jennifer Lopez within the 2001 movie, The Wedding ceremony Planner; crisp, polished, is aware of what they’ve wished to do their entire lives, working in an enormous, fancy workplace – the entire 9 yards.

Which will have been the case till just lately (i.e., occasion planners working for large companies), however in 2018, almost any enterprise can have distant workers — no fancy workplace with white leather-based couches wanted!

Are You Lower Out For Occasion Planning?

The very first thing it’s essential to do earlier than beginning a digital occasion planning enterprise — or any home business, for that matter — is to establish if it’s the proper alternative for you.

Occasion planners are sometimes extroverted; or, even when they’re not, they know that they need to be people-focused.

You’re going to need to construct a robust consumer base and really feel comfy asking for evaluations on Yelp!, Google+, and Fb. Networking is vital to constructing your distant occasion planning enterprise.

For those who’re extra introverted or want a traditional, 9 – 5 desk job, then occasion planning will not be the perfect profession path for you.

One other key consider turning into your personal boss is having the authority to take action. Anybody can begin a enterprise, however it actually helps when you will have a number of years of expertise within the discipline you’re diving into.

Nonetheless, tons of expertise (and even any expertise) is not all the time essential to do nicely. Take a look at success story Stacy McCain, for instance.

She has been “planning and executing high-end occasions by her personal boutique firm, Stacy McCain Occasions, for seven years.” Stacy operates within the Bay Space, a really aggressive market! In order you may see, it’s doable to turn out to be a profitable occasion planner with lower than 10 years of expertise, even in a bigger market.

Keep in mind that everybody has to begin someplace. For those who handle your small business nicely and actually get on the market and market/community to seek out purchasers, you might need your personal success story in just some years!

The place To Get Formally Licensed As An Occasion Planner

You do NOT need to get licensed to begin your personal occasion planning enterprise. Nonetheless, having a certification from a revered faculty, college, or occasion planning faculty actually is not a nasty factor.

A proper certification not solely lends you an air of credibility, however can even aid you promote your occasion planning companies with confidence, as you’ll actually know and perceive the business you’re working in if you happen to acquire the right certification.

There are many occasion planning certification lessons you may select from — particularly:

• Emory University Event Planning Certification – The worth for this certification class is available in at round $1,995, and it’s a widely known Atlanta-based college. If I had been seeking to get into occasion planning, that is possible the course I’d go for. In spite of everything, Emory is named the “Harvard of the South.” Subjects deal with occasion planning, weddings, occasion advertising and terminology, to call however a number of!
• International Institute of Event Management (IIEM) – These certifications are available in a wide range of choices, from a Certificates in Wedding ceremony Planning ($495), to a Certificates in Occasion Administration ($495), to a Masters Certificates in Occasion Administration ($995), all of which provide, after all, totally different values to various kinds of occasion planners. All programs are on-line, making it handy for brand new, busy enterprise homeowners. College students rave about this institute, making it one among our prime ideas.
• Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP)   – This designation helps wedding ceremony planning professionals and occasion planners get seen by people within the business. It is also probably the greatest certifications you may acquire to lend to your credibility as a planner. The CSEP “acknowledges occasion professionals who’ve efficiently demonstrated the data, expertise and skill important to carry out all parts of a particular occasion.”

Different certifications you could need to take into account are: the Certified Meeting Professional certification from the Conference Trade Council (CIC) in addition to the Certified Meeting Planner program from Assembly Planners Worldwide (MPI).

These certifications — in addition to the CSEP designation — are thought-about the perfect certifications to have as an occasion planner. They provide the most cred, whether or not it’s as a marriage planner or as a basic occasion planner.

Different (Non-Formal) Occasion Planning Assets & Coaching

We have scoured the net and located a group of e-book and e-courses that you could be discover useful if you happen to’re severe about going into enterprise as an occasion planner and/or studying to do occasion planning, however do not have the time or cash to get a proper certification.

All of those are extremely rated and there’s a selection for each price range.

Extremely Rated Occasion Planning E-Books

Extremely Rated Occasion Planning E-Programs

Know Your Model

Are you a marriage planner, occasion planner, or each? What do you focus on? There are various kinds of purchasers and phrases related to stated purchasers that you’ll want to concentrate on, like:

• Social purchasers – These are purchasers who need you to plan occasions like birthday events, weddings, bar mitzvahs, reunions, anniversaries, festivals, parades, child showers, engagement events, retirement events, and many others. These are celebratory occasions that require somebody who’s, like beforehand mentioned, a “folks individual.”
• Nonprofit purchasers – Nonprofit purchasers are nice for introverted occasion planners! Nonprofit occasions embody charity occasions and fundraisers, and are typically geared in the direction of good causes. Nonprofit purchasers ought to completely perceive if you happen to want to remain largely behind the scenes!
• Instructional purchasers – These purchasers embody, nicely, academic occasions for educational establishments! These occasions are sometimes extra formal, and may additionally embody graduations and conferences.
• Commemorative purchasers – That is an attention-grabbing space, because it consists of nontraditional occasion planners, i.e., planners who manage occasions like memorial companies and civic occasions — suppose historic occasions.
• Company and promotional purchasers – All these purchasers may also be Instructional purchasers or Social purchasers – the distinction being that they embody festivities and actions together with data.

No matter sort of consumer works finest for you, select one instantly. The truth is, choose a sort earlier than you even put the work into acquiring your certifications! You need to know your model first so you may construct your small business second.

Understanding your model is vital to advertising your self, no matter what promoting strategies you employ.

As soon as you discover your area of interest, you may start increasing to herald various kinds of purchasers. Or you may stick with what you understand, particularly if that’s what makes you happiest!

Advertising Your Occasion Planning Firm

Advertising is a crucial evil at the present time, significantly in the usage of social media. However by no means concern. It may be enjoyable, reasonably than daunting, particularly since at the moment’s on-line advertising instruments are just about dummy-proof.

First issues first: determine your price range. Are you able to afford to spend $100 monthly? What about $1,000 monthly? No matter your price range is, understand it, and stick with it. As you develop, you’ll be capable of improve your expenditures on promoting.

Second, make an inventory of the social media channels you need to deal with, whether or not it’s Fb, Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat, or any others.

Lastly, do your analysis! Work out what has labored previously for different digital occasion planners, and emulate what they’ve completed with advertising their model.

And sure, there’s that phrase once more: model. Understanding your model is vital to figuring out the right way to market. We love this Italy-based occasion planner, Centoro un Tulipano, for instance – they’re clearly a staff that is aware of their model!

Occasion Planner Incomes Potential

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that occasion planners make roughly $59,000 per 12 months.

These numbers are from round 2024. Additionally, they’re numbers taken from occasion planners who work for a corporation as an worker, not essentially ones who’re working freelance or ones who’re enterprise homeowners themselves.

Consider it’s also possible to make vendor commissions on every job, and you’ll cost your charge plus a share of all vendor charges.

For those who’re planning a marriage, that’s plenty of distributors! Give it some thought — vendor charges for the corporate offering the chairs, the corporate offering the catering, the corporate offering the safety element, the corporate offering the desserts or open bar … the record goes on and on.

Occasion planners could make a sure share from all of these firms, and the quantities can shortly add up. Moreover, salary.com reviews occasion planner salaries even larger at round $64,000.

Keep in mind that as your small business grows, in concept, so does your wage. You may as well earn additional revenue by including totally different advertising instruments onto your web site that earn you again the cash you spend — like a weblog, for instance.

In case your weblog turns into the go-to weblog for wedding ceremony and occasion planners and grows in reputation, then you may (and may) begin together with affiliate hyperlinks, which can make you cash regularly. Learn extra on affiliate marketing here if you happen to discover this intriguing.

And that wraps it up! I hope our publish has given you some concepts on the right way to begin an occasion planning enterprise and left you feeling motivated and impressed. Good luck!