by Deanna Tassoni
I know, I know: you do it all by yourself. You program your meetings, decide your catering, perfect your invitation lists, plan your seating arrangements, set up your venues, book your own speakers, and work all day and all night to pull off your perfect event. Now you’re absolutely exhausted, and you’re too stressed out to enjoy the work you’ve done.
You’ve seen them: event planners who run on coffee instead of food and water. By the time the day of an event arrives, their nerves are so thin they’re ready to blow up if anything goes wrong. Don’t be the stereotypical, crazy-eyed event planner. It’s time to start thinking about how to work smarter instead of working harder.
Okay, well, I know you won’t stop working hard, but at least consider how to work hard and smart.
You’ve seen them: event planners who run on coffee instead of food and water. By the time the day of an event arrives, their nerves are so thin they’re ready to blow up if anything goes wrong. Don’t be the stereotypical, crazy-eyed event planner. It’s time to start thinking about how to work smarter instead of working harder.
Okay, well, I know you won’t stop working hard, but at least consider how to work hard and smart.
Here are a few common areas in which many meeting and event planners feel they need to bring in extra support. By reaching out to people who have different sets of proficiencies, you can have others watching your back while you stay focused on taking care of your client.
Believe it or not, it’s okay to ask for help!
Securing Talent.
You’ve spent weeks trying to get hold of a certain comedian’s agent for your corporate event, only to get an email back from the assistant to find out the price tag is way out of your budget - or, worse, it’s in your budget, but the act isn’t available. Now what? Call an entertainment buyer. Instead of working directly with an agent who represents a small number of entertainers or speakers, a great entertainment buyer will help you save time and money. Talent buyers maintain working relationships with many agents and usually already have an immediate grasp on who is available and at what fees.
Bonus: Usually, entertainment buyers can save you money on the cost of hiring a performer. Also, working with someone who is credible in the industry may allow you to put down less money upfront, help you sort through artist riders, and modify the contract to the needs of your specific event.
Event Production.
Now that you have your speakers or performers booked for your event, it’s time to think about where you’re going to put them. Staging and production is another area that can cause major stress for planners, so consider bringing in an event producer. Just as you are proficient in the minute details of a seamless event experience, an event producer has the same expertise in the running of the stage, lights, sound, or presentation behind your perfect planning.
Bonus: Having a team in charge of lights, sound, and the backstage area will free you up to cater to your clients and perfect everything going on in the front of house. Plus, you won’t have to worry about being dragged in to work the spotlight when you’re trying to put out other fires!
Technical and Online Support.
The internet is not a fad. Stop running from the future and embrace it. Better yet, contact a web design or e-ticketing provider who can embrace it for you. Getting plugged in with a knowledgeable technical support team will save you time and money. Instead of using your Facebook page as your online presence, you can outsource to an e-wizard for the creation of a stunning event website all your own, which will be much more time effective than trying to do it yourself.
Bonus: Many online providers already have technology in place to streamline ticketing and reservations for your events, which saves you a ton of time and worry from trying to keep a list and sending out confirmations yourself. Plus, having a great online presence will increase awareness about your event, cause, and mission.
Surrounding yourself with the right people to support your work will allow you to do the things you need to do - and to do them well. By calling in backup to make sure your operations run smoothly throughout your events, you can impress your clients with your own professionalism and your knowledge about the industry.
Deanna Tassoni is the marketing and social media coordinator for entertainmentBuy™, a full-service event production company dedicated to providing meeting and event planners with entertainment services. As a source for booking big-name talent for corporate and private events, entertainmentBuy™ negotiates, contracts, and handles all aspects of live entertainment. Deanna integrates her passion for music with her love of marketing. Creating social media strategy and implementation processes, she ensures that entertainmentBuy, along with its clients, stay on the forefront of social media and inbound marketing opportunities. Learn more at www.entertainmentbuy.com.
Believe it or not, it’s okay to ask for help!
Securing Talent.
You’ve spent weeks trying to get hold of a certain comedian’s agent for your corporate event, only to get an email back from the assistant to find out the price tag is way out of your budget - or, worse, it’s in your budget, but the act isn’t available. Now what? Call an entertainment buyer. Instead of working directly with an agent who represents a small number of entertainers or speakers, a great entertainment buyer will help you save time and money. Talent buyers maintain working relationships with many agents and usually already have an immediate grasp on who is available and at what fees.
Bonus: Usually, entertainment buyers can save you money on the cost of hiring a performer. Also, working with someone who is credible in the industry may allow you to put down less money upfront, help you sort through artist riders, and modify the contract to the needs of your specific event.
Event Production.
Now that you have your speakers or performers booked for your event, it’s time to think about where you’re going to put them. Staging and production is another area that can cause major stress for planners, so consider bringing in an event producer. Just as you are proficient in the minute details of a seamless event experience, an event producer has the same expertise in the running of the stage, lights, sound, or presentation behind your perfect planning.
Bonus: Having a team in charge of lights, sound, and the backstage area will free you up to cater to your clients and perfect everything going on in the front of house. Plus, you won’t have to worry about being dragged in to work the spotlight when you’re trying to put out other fires!
Technical and Online Support.
The internet is not a fad. Stop running from the future and embrace it. Better yet, contact a web design or e-ticketing provider who can embrace it for you. Getting plugged in with a knowledgeable technical support team will save you time and money. Instead of using your Facebook page as your online presence, you can outsource to an e-wizard for the creation of a stunning event website all your own, which will be much more time effective than trying to do it yourself.
Bonus: Many online providers already have technology in place to streamline ticketing and reservations for your events, which saves you a ton of time and worry from trying to keep a list and sending out confirmations yourself. Plus, having a great online presence will increase awareness about your event, cause, and mission.
Surrounding yourself with the right people to support your work will allow you to do the things you need to do - and to do them well. By calling in backup to make sure your operations run smoothly throughout your events, you can impress your clients with your own professionalism and your knowledge about the industry.
Deanna Tassoni is the marketing and social media coordinator for entertainmentBuy™, a full-service event production company dedicated to providing meeting and event planners with entertainment services. As a source for booking big-name talent for corporate and private events, entertainmentBuy™ negotiates, contracts, and handles all aspects of live entertainment. Deanna integrates her passion for music with her love of marketing. Creating social media strategy and implementation processes, she ensures that entertainmentBuy, along with its clients, stay on the forefront of social media and inbound marketing opportunities. Learn more at www.entertainmentbuy.com.
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