EVENT

ORGANISER

Cashzilla’s ‘Turn Your Hobby into a Business’ Series

Image by Pink Sherbet

SO YOU WANT TO

PLAN EVENTS?

You’re the one all of your friends turn to when

something has to be organised. Be it a birthday party, a

holiday or even just a Friday night down the pub,

you’re there behind the scenes, making sure that

everything goes down without a hitch.

If this sounds like you, then why don’t you put your

organisational skills to good use and turn your hand to

event planning?

This guide will talk you through all you need to know

to get started in the exciting world of event

management…

If you think event

planning is all glamorous

parties and champagne

receptions, think again.

The work of an event

planner is widely diverse

– you could be organising

a corporate party one day,

and getting your hands

dirty setting up an

exhibition the next.

WHAT DOES THE

ROLE INVOLVE?

It can be an exciting

career, however stay away

from event organising if

you like your 9 to 5,

because planners work

very long and sometimes

unsociable hours.

Image by Garry Knight

Some of the day-to-day tasks that an event planner is

responsible for include:

Conducting research

Creating an event design

Finding an event location

Arranging for food, decor and entertainment

Planning transportation to and from the event

Sending invitations to attendees

Arranging any necessary accommodation for attendees

Coordinating the activities of event personnel

Supervising at the event

Conducting evaluations of the event

MAIN

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Most people automatically

think of wedding planners

when they think of what an

event organiser does. However,

parties and events have become

a big part of modern life, and

what’s more, people’s

expectations of events are

increasing. This puts pressure

on individuals to bring in a

professional event planner to

‘wow’ their guests.

TYPES OF EVENT

MANAGEMENT

There is always a steady stream of

domestic events for event planners

to work on. These could include

surprise parties, important birthday

parties (like an 18th, 21st, 60th etc.),

children’s parties, weddings,

retirement parties, or engagement

parties.

But there is also a lot of money to

be made from commercial events.

Companies need product launches

and shops need opening nights,

plus don’t forget about political

events, charity events, and

town/city celebrations. There are

loads of opportunities out there.

The best asset you can have

in the events industry is

experience, so if you have

previously worked for an

events company or in a

related industry, like PR or

marketing, then you will be

at an advantage.

But there are also lots of

educational courses you can take to

learn the trade and prepare yourself

for becoming a freelance event

planner. Most colleges (and some

universities) run event planning

courses which will give you an

event planning qualification to add

to your CV and impress potential

clients. One of the organisations

you will find by searching online is

The UK Academy of Wedding and

Event Planning, which offers

certificates in wedding planning,

event planning, and event design.

SO HOW DO I GET

STARTED?

If you choose to specialise in

commercial event management

it is important to create a legal

contract with your clients. This

is to protect your business and

help deal with problems, should

there be any. The contract with

your client should set out all the

terms and conditions of the job

and the event details, plus it

should state how and when you

will be paid.

It is essential that you discuss the

way you charge for your work

before any work is carried out.

One method you could use to

charge for your work is a fixed-

price. This means that you charge

a fixed price for a set event project

which is agreed with the client

ahead of time, and is irrespective

of how long it takes to complete

the work. However, this could be

difficult to determine when you

first set up your business and have

little experience of working out

the overall cost of certain events.

CLIENT CONTRACTS

You could also charge your clients

per hour. This method means it is

much harder to be under or overpaid

for a project. Charging by the hour

also requires you to fill out

timesheets, so there needs to be a

fast and reliable way to transfer

timesheets back and forth between

yourself and the client. One way of

doing this is by using small business

accounting software which allows

you to track the time you spend on

each project and generate flexible

timesheet reports to pass on to the

client.

If you will be specialising in

domestic event management,

then your clients will probably

prefer to pay you a fixed

amount - perhaps a percentage

of the overall event cost. You

could also create a much

shorter and less informal

contract-type document when

working for domestic event

clients.

CLIENT CONTRACTS

Don’t be scared to take the plunge into the world of

event organisation. It’s a fast moving and exciting career

that is ideal for anyone with strong organisational and

negotiation skills.

With careful planning and a strong execution, there is

no reason why you can’t become a successful event

planner, even in this difficult economic climate. Good

luck!

IN SUMMARY…