Starting an event planning career is like stepping into a world full of possibilities and exciting challenges. It’s the perfect job for anyone looking for creative, innovative, and personal growth. However, there are some hard truths that every aspiring event planner must face. Let’s take a look at the unspoken truths about being an event planner, and learn how to navigate them gracefully and with resilience.
What’s an Event Planner’s Early Morning Routine? The sun comes up, the alarm goes off, and it’s time to get up.
The Organized Chaos: A Typical Day for an Event Planner
Every day is full of new opportunities and learning experiences as an event planner. You’re responsible for a lot of different duties and tasks to make sure events go off without a hitch. One minute you’re looking at venues and scheduling meetings with clients. The next you’re dealing with caterers and last minute changes. It is a lot of effort and quite stressful. But for the creative problem solver, the chaos and speed of events can be incredibly rewarding.
A Sea of Emails and Calls
On a typical day, you’ll wake up around 7 or 8 in the morning, check email and answer voicemail. There’s a constant flow of communication with venues, suppliers, sponsors and clients that needs to be handled. You’ll review contracts, check details and put out fires. Communication is the best way to avoid missed deadlines or missed details.
Site Visits and Meetings Galore
If there’s an event coming up, you’ll do site visits to look at the setup and meet with the vendors. You’ll want to know everything’s going according to plan.You’ll also meet with your clients to get the go-ahead, sign the contracts, or adjust the event schedule. In the meantime, you’re looking to add new vendors, tour venues, and make any necessary phone calls.
Problems Are Just Puzzles to Solve
No event is perfect. Problems happen. The caterer is late, the entertainment is canceled at the last minute, the venue is out of power, and so on. Event planning is all about staying calm under pressure and coming up with solutions. Think of the problem as a puzzle to solve, not an obstacle to overcome. Experience makes you better at anticipating problems and having backup plans. The work day ends around 6 or 7 p.m.
Events require long hours, long nights, and long weekends. However, for those who love the thrill of putting on a great event, the long hours and chaotic, creative career can be worth it. The key to success in event planning is staying organized, good communication, quick thinking, and a positive problem solving mindset.
If you have all of these skills, you may be the right fit for event planning.
