Tips to Pick the Best Event Planners
For a host to make sure that everything is picture-perfect can be stressful and requires hiring an event planner. The best event planners know that it takes a great deal of time and effort to organize an event and demands communication and collaboration with different teams and vendors. Following are the tips that will help you in choosing the best event planner.
Having Legitimate References
Know your occasion and the experts who manage such occasions, all occasions are not equivalent. Then you must find an event planner with an authentic professional record. First, it will help to know about their expertise and second, it will give you an idea of the quality of the events planned by them and what type of experience their customers had with them.
For example, if you want to plan a birthday event for your child but the event planner you chose is amazing at planning corporate events but has zero experience of household events then you may want to look for someone having relevant experience.
The Best Event Planners have Passion
“Do what you love and you will never have to work a single day in your life”, as put forward by someone who knew that if you enjoy your work then it enables you to cope with its stress. A true passion helps you overcome the obstacles that stand in your way and stay put when everything seems to go south. It also boosts your imagination to create beautiful things.
Passion is something that no one can teach you, either you have it inside of you or you don’t. If you find a passionate event professional, then do not let go of him/her because passion drives the ability to deliver great events.
Social Intelligence
Successful event planners have the ability to work with all kinds of people: sponsors, suppliers, traders, volunteers etc. Good collaboration with such a wide range of people requires social intelligence. is this profession one cannot succeed on his own. Also, what’s an event planner without its team players? The collaboration and support of a team are fundamental to the event planner’s work.
Good Communication and Listening Skills
Good planners should be able to listen and understand what do their customer wants, be clear and get their point across concisely when it comes to communicating with the customer. To successfully work with a range of people, a planner needs to be able to nimbly resolve conflicts, be a confident but pleasant negotiator. Moreover, it is not just about communicating the information from person to person but also the ability to present and share their ideas.
Budget Management
It would not be wrong to say that the ability to handle budgets is the key to success. An event planner needs to define the guideline of the event and plan of actions, all under the set budget. Also, nothing could be worse than a planner suddenly springing hidden fees or policies on their client. Professional event planners are always open about fees and policies. Also, they will always ask before taking any actions that might increase the agreed-upon budget.
Availability and Flexibility
Event planning is a job that requires being on the lookout at all times. Most event planners don’t work around the traditional office hours and their availability depends upon the nature of the event. Event planners need to be flexible and adaptable as they don’t have any room for single-mindedness. They often find themselves in a situation that requires last-minute changes. Besides, no matter how prepared they are, the unexpected happens faster than one thinks.
The event planner must be resourceful and imaginative to overcome these obstacles. It also applies to the new methods and innovations which continue to flow into this fast-moving industry. You could compare event planners to a chameleon, capable of adapting quickly to circumstances and its continually changing environment.
Organization and Time Management
The event industry is based around organizational skills, period. As far as traits for success are concerned, an absolute non-negotiable is the need to be organized. Now, working in the event industry requires having an overall view, while keeping an eye on a series of small details. Organization and timing are key factors and planners are required to multitask and do 100 things at a time to execute a successful event. There are a lot of tasks flying around, and everything needs to be aligned at a single point in time. The best organizers have a flawless plan of action, detailed to-do lists, and helpful technological tools.
In conclusion, event planning is a very specific job depending upon a wide range of skills and experience. Only the best event planners can take the stress and frustration of organizing an event away from you. Therefore, having an event planner is a sure-fire way to allow you to relax and enjoy the event.
What’s a Good Budget for Your Child’s Birthday Party?
Birthday celebration is one thing on our children’s minds that they look forward to every year, from attending the most extravagant fun-filled birthday parties to wishing to celebrate their own surrounded by their loved ones. However, Child’s birthday party and budgeting are two things that may get difficult when it comes to the arrangement. It all adds up to how much would it cost to arrange your child’s birthday party as it often gets a little elaborate and pricey for the parents.
Nevertheless, there are many ways to throw a child’s birthday party on a budget without emptying your pockets completely and here are a few low-cost tricks that may help you in creating a good budget for a birthday party.
Make Your Own Budget
If you plan on arranging a birthday party without breaking the bank, then first decide how much you’re willing to spend and make a to-do list that covers your essentials and desires. Once you have made the list, start crossing out items but the key is to keep the expenses aligned with your budget, by doing so you will have a record of everything and it will also help you to be on your track.
Guest List
It may sound exciting to have your child’s friends invited; the classmates, sports team, playground buddies and same-age cousins but it’s not practical. Aim to restrict your guest list under 10-20 kids and keep in mind that there might be some parents hanging around too, which can affect your birthday budget.
Birthday Party Venue
The second tip for creating a good budget for your birthday party is to choose a free or an inexpensive birthday setting or location, renting out a restaurant or club can take a big chunk of your allotted money. You can choose from several budget-friendly options including your own house or backyard, neighbourhood park, beach or a relative’s house (if offered). Arranging things on your own may require more effort than outsourcing the venue and the services, but you will save more if you choose the prior option.
Budget-friendly Activities
Most children are fond of artsy activities, save your money by letting the kids do arts and crafts activities. There are countless ideas like making their own goody bags, decorating a picture frame or doing collage work. You can also research your options on Pinterest or Google.
Moreover, for our teenage kids or shall we say, BRATS, plan a slumber party at home with a limited number of kids and watch them having the time of their life.
Party Food
Another tip for saving money is to host a birthday party between regular mealtimes, from 4 pm to 6 pm. This way you don’t necessarily have to serve a proper meal and even snacks can satisfy your guests’ appetite. Next, we talk about the most essential thing i.e. the birthday cake. If you’re a good baker, then baking a cake at home is a great idea but if you want to get it made then look for home-based cake bakers instead of commercial bakeries as it would cost you a little less.
Finally, comes the food. You can prepare cheese pasta or chicken spaghetti at home for the meal and set up snacks like popcorn, chips or French fries as children are fond of eating this kind of food. Also, if you simply do not want to cook or do not have time, then search for the cheapest pizza outlet and serve it with soda and you’re good to go.
Birthday Décor and Resources
Nice décor and adequate resources are necessary to execute a successful birthday bash but at the end of the day, everyone remembers the food and entertainment provided by the host. Try not to fuss over the fancy ornamentation and invest in simple décor stuff like party poppers, balloons, streamers, etc. Also, opt to serve your guests in disposable cutlery instead of fine china that will also save you the hassle of dish cleaning after the party is over. The key here is to buy your party resources in bulk so that you end up saving more money and be time-efficient amidst your party planning.
The Vibe of the Party
Vibe or the overall ambience of a birthday party is something that is not discussed too often but it can be a total game-changer for your party without costing you a dime or maybe a few if you don’t own speakers but you can always borrow them from a friend. Create a playlist of fun kids appropriate party songs or you can also search for one on YouTube and just hit the play button and let the kids groove on the beat.
Lastly, keep in your mind that there is no rulebook for throwing a party for your child. It is up to you how much you want to spend and save, and how grand or simple to make the celebration. rest assured, it is guaranteed that your child will be thrilled with any party that involves spending quality time with their favourite family and friends, which means you already have what you need to create a memorable birthday celebration without spending a cent. Remember, planning budget-friendly birthday parties for kids should be about having more fun while keeping down the stress.
