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The truth about "party" planning and wedding planning, and why event planning is different

TYPES OF EVENTS AND EVENT PLANNING JOBS

Many people who are just beginning in the industry just know that they want to be an event planner. But do you know what type of planner you want to be? Just as someone who decides to be a doctor needs to pick a specialty, it helps if you narrow down what niche you're interested in.

You need to consider your personality and interests when narrowing down what event planner jobs to look for. For example, do you also enjoy sports? Then sports event marketing would be for you. Do you enjoy knowing that you are helping people? Then planning fundraising special events would be perfect. Do you have a corporate background? Then corporate event planning would be a natural next step in your career.

Let's take a quick look at the types of events that are needed by us as planners to plan them:

Corporate Events and Meetings: Nearly every company holds meetings during the year, that range in a number of people (from 20 to 20,000)....and they all need planners! There are usually more opportunity for meeting planner jobs, and they are much more lucrative than party planner jobs and many event planner jobs.

Conference Event Planning: Conventions and conferences are a huge piece of the event industry pie; with everything from huge computer and software conventions to hobby-themed conventions (think Star Trek), the job opportunities are endless!

Corporate Incentive Programs: Incentive programs are truly one of the most exciting parts of corporate event planning. Travel the world to five-star resorts, go along on fun excursions, and host some of the grandest events in the business! This is one of the most competitive event planner careers to land; but if you are able to, it's worth it!

Special Events and Festivals: This is a great option if you don't want to travel as much (although you can definitely travel with this specialty too). Every major city and most local communities have special events and festivals throughout the year. Just a few examples include food festivals, wine festivals, beer festivals, Oktoberfests, music fests, concerts, shows, theater-in-the-park, product promotion parties, and so on.

Sporting Events: On a larger scale, this can include any "Bowl" event; Super Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, etc. On a more local scale, this can include bike races, golf tournaments, triathlons, marathons, ski events, the Olympics, Special Olympics, horse races, car races, etc.

Fundraisers: If you have any non-profits of any size in your area, then they need to raise money! This can include fundraising galas, silent auctions, marathons (think "Race for the Cure"), political events, church events, or any event associated with non-profits and fundraising. While not as lucrative as other event planner jobs, it can be extremely rewarding.

Trade Shows: Trade shows are where customer interaction and "big business" often take place. With over 2500 trade shows bringing in billions of dollars each year, maybe this is where you can find your niche!

Wedding Planning: Wedding planning is a multi-billion dollar industry. While it is possible to find opportunities in the wedding planning industry, We discuss why we discourage you from pursuing a role as a wedding planner

Your Own Events: Once you gain a little experience, it is easy to become an event planner and how to coordinate events!

....and this is only scratching the surface. As you can see, there are literally countless opportunities to find your niche and therefore narrow down your search as an event planner as a career.

Do you have a "niche" in mine and if not, choose one as soon as you decide to become an event planner in business

Once you start to narrow down a niche or two type of event planning events that you might be interested in marketing, that will help you determine where to look for work. For example, if you want to plan fundraising events for non-profits, then you will focus your work search differently than someone who wants to go into sporting event planning; if you are interested in trade shows, that's an entirely different world than wedding planning.

Remember- All event planning is not the same.....

Why is all event planning is NOT the same; determine what event planning means to you?

Most people, when they envision the life of an event planner career, see mostly these glamorous, exciting elements of events. What they don't see is that the event planner also spent countless hours cross-checking attendance lists, arranging for proper insurance, conducting countless logistics meetings between vendors, and managing tight budgets.

So, it's important to realize that while the perception of event planning is often that of a glamorous, exciting job, in reality, most of your time is spent behind the scenes in preparation of the event. It's called "event planning" for a reason; a small percentage of your time is spent at the event, and most of it is in the planning!