Trabajador Social

Chapter 1

The Event Planning Industry

T

his book is a guide to developing a thriving business in this rapidly

growing industry. It is an exciting time to throw your party hat into the event planning ring, as event planners are being called upon to develop and stage literally millions of events every year. These events range from first-birthday parties to political fundraisers,anniversaries, bar and bat mitzvahs, fashion shows, product launches, conferences, graduations, and reunions, to name just a few! According to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal, it takes about 150 hours for a planner, working with her staff, to produce a major event from start to finish. You do the math. Millions of events multiplied by hundreds of hours spent planning equals many, manyopportunities for those entering this field. Yes, working in the field of event planning can mean long hours and high-stress moments—when the kitchen is accidentally set ablaze, for instance (something that Cheryl Hagner, Director of University Events and Scheduling at Wesleyan University, faced with aplomb). For the event planners interviewed in this guide, though, the rewards far outweigh any possiblenegatives. The field of event planning is fast-paced, creative, innovative, energizing, and offers the real possibility for earning big dollars. This first chapter offers an overview, looking at what event planners do and why they do it. The chapter also includes an overview of the special events industry and a sampling of ideas for conducting your own market research, a must-do when creating a newbusiness of any kind.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, AND WHY OF EVENT PLANNING
We begin by considering the who, what, when, where, why, and how of event planning (although not in that order).

What Is Event Planning?
This question actually breaks down into two questions: What kinds of events are we talking about? What is event planning? First, what kinds of events are we talking about? Theyinclude: ▲ Celebrations (fairs, parades, weddings, reunions, birthdays, anniversaries, bar and bat mitzvahs, first communions, sweet 16s) ▲ Education (conferences, conventions, meetings, graduations) ▲ Promotions (product launches, political rallies, fashion shows, conventions) ▲ Commemorations (memorials, civic events) The above list is not an exhaustive one, but as the examples illustrate,special

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Chapter 1 The Event Planning Industry

events may be business related, purely social, or somewhere in between. The advice in this book is relevant to the planning of both business and social events. Now we move to the second What question: What is event planning? Planners of an event may handle any or all of the following tasks related to that event: ▲ Conduct research ▲ Create anevent design ▲ Find a site ▲ Arrange for food, decor, and entertainment ▲ Plan transportation to and from the event ▲ Send invitations to attendees ▲ Arrange any necessary accommodations for attendees ▲ Coordinate the activities of event personnel ▲ Hire employees to work the event ▲ Supervise at the site ▲ Conduct evaluations of the event How many of these activities your business engages in willdepend on the size and type of a particular event, which will, in turn, depend on the specialization you choose. Your specialization will, of course, depend on your areas of expertise, but also will depend on your location. If you live in rural Iowa, for instance, you may be planning to develop a social event planning business since you may not have a strong corporate presence in your town.Event Planning News
For anyone thinking about developing a career in corporate event planning, the time is right. According to the most recent Meetings Market Report, a biannual source of information for planners, 90 percent of event planners anticipate holding the same number of events or more in the coming year, an indicator of the robust and growing state of this business field.

When Do...