How to Become an Event Planner – 100 Ways To Make Money

If you are highly organized and have excellent people skills, you might have what it takes to learn how to become an event planner. Many people have the idea to become an event planner after putting together parties for themselves or friends and enjoying the process and the satisfaction that comes from organizing a successful event.

A very lucrative business, event planning is the process of helping companies or individuals take care of all the tasks that go into putting on a winning event. Overhead and startup costs are low, and your clients will pay you part of your fee in advance and pay for all the food, entertainment and extras that need to be purchased for the event. You are simply the facilitator that makes it all come together.

Event planners plan a wide range of events. Some of the common occasions people hire event planers for are:

Wedding Receptions
Anniversaries
Bar and Bat Mitzvahs
Holiday Parties
Birthdays
Retirement Parties
Business Conferences
Grand Openings
Vendor Shows
And more!

Because there are so many possibilities, with creativity and superior service skills, you can certainly make a healthy living when you become an event planner.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

Event planners have a similar job, regardless of the type of event they are planning. In all cases, organization and multitasking skills are essential. It will be your job to make sure your clients’ events come out flawlessly, and a missed deadline or miscommunication can damage the event and your reputation.

Before being hired for an event, your prospective clients will want to meet with you to get your ideas for the event. This is where your creativity and people skills come in. Rather than a hard sell, a consultative approach that digs to find out the client’s needs, preferences, and budget works best.

You will have your work cut out for you leading up to the event, arranging everything from catering and entertainment to party tents and table rentals. Then, on the day of the event, you will have a duel role. You’ll be there to make sure everything is going as planned, and you will support your client, responding to any last minute needs.

A big part of your success will lie in the hands of others, which can be somewhat nerve-racking and frustrating at times. You will need to depend on caterers, rental companies, florists, cake decorators, and entertainers to all do their part. The key to handling this pressure is that when something doesn’t go as planned, you focus on solutions, rather than who is to blame.

To gain additional experience and learn more about how to become an event planner, check out your local community college and vocational schools. Many of them offer courses related to event planning, as well as general business classes, which will also come in handy.