How to become an event planner (and hold any type of event)

Virtually every business, whether for profit or not for profit, requires running events. But what kind of event should you run? And what do you want to get out of the event?

So ultimately: how to become an event planner is the main question you are asking!

These are tough questions with no easy answers. Some events can go great but some can fall pretty flat.

But we have you covered.

So here is the definitive list of all the types of events you could possibly want to throw and how to run them.

Then you will now know how to become an event planner and become successful at it.

Art Exhibit: displaying painting with a twist

If you are an artist, getting your art out there is of paramount importance.

You need people to see what you got so you can sell your pieces.

One thing to think about is a theme for your art exhibition.

If much of your art relates to beaches, for instance, consider having decor such as sand and shells aligning the area.

Of course you also need to consider a location.

You can be very creative with your venue.

You can make use of empty storefronts fairly easily.

Lastly consider finding other artists and exhibiting together. This way you get to share in the costs and work in terms of getting everyone’s art out there to the public.

Estimated Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Medium

Auction: this is how we do it and sell things

The first question you have to ask yourself if you want to throw an auction is what kind do you want. There are many types of auctions the choice essentially comes down to a silent auction versus a live auction.

A silent auction is one that does not require an auctioneer. Instead, you have the attendees fill out bill sheets for how much they want to bid on a certain item.

While having an auctioneer can be fun and lively, their services can be expensive. And since a silent auction is a favorite for nonprofits, a silent auction is usually the way to go.

To throw a silent auction, make sure to have the written materials in advance. This can include the master list of items available for auction, the auction catalog for attendees, bidding instructions for attendees, bid sheets (a must!), and pickup receipts.

Auctions are difficult events to put on because of all the legwork in getting all the items, materials, volunteers, and donors ready to go. But they can be very lucrative depending on your base!

Estimated Attendees: 100-500

Time Requirements: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Baby Shower: something old / something new born

You will want to hold the baby shower 1-2 months before the baby is due. But planning the shower can take up some time so we recommend planning 10 weeks prior to the shower.

In terms of a menu, a brunch or tea is traditional and having light finger foods is a must.

In terms of a venue, there are many options.

You can have it at a family member’s home or at a restaurant or catering hall. In fact, there are many halls for rent for baby showers.

6 weeks beforehand, you want to send out invites to the guestlist with an RSVP deadline of no more than a week before the baby shower.

And yes, this is the kind of event for which you need to send thank you notes.

Expected Attendees: 10-50

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Bachelor Party: it’s time to stop thinking it has to be crazy

When people think of bachelor parties, there’s a tendency to think of Las Vegas and movies like The Hangover.

But it turns out the most meaningful and fun bachelor parties do not have to be that dangerous.

For activities, you do not need to carouse in a big city.

Rather, consider something outdoorsy like a big camping trip, fishing, or skiing/snowboarding.

If the groom wants to stay in the city, you don’t have to go to a casino. You can hire a dealer and have a casino night at someone’s home.

At some point though there should be a festive meal. And this can be the time for the groom’s friends to get silly and roast the groom.

Expected Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: Multi-Day

Difficulty: Easy

Bachelorette Party: save the maid of honor speech

Like the bachelor party counterpart, bachelorette parties do not have to have any hard and fast rules.

Typically, they are held a month before the wedding.

It also does not need to be about night-club hopping!

If you are planning your friend’s bachelorette party, just ask her what she wants.

It could be nightclub hopping in a veil but it doesn’t have to be.

It can be related to some of the bachelorette’s interests.

They key of course is communication.

Oh and in case anyone was wondering, gifts should not be mandatory.

There are so many more occasions for gift giving. This one should just be about fun.

Estimated Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: All Day

Difficulty: Easy

Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah: being an adult for the first time

Mazal tov!

A bar/bat mitzvah is a celebrated Jewish rite of passage into adulthood and coming of age (13 years old for boys, 12 years old for girls).

As a monumental lifecycle event in the Jewish tradition, these can be very large events.

Parents should start the planning process at least 2 years before the ceremony. At the very least they should figure out the synagogue and service providers.

One standby which has become traditional is ordering customized kippot/yarmulkes for the bar/bat mitzvah.

These are memorable party favors which many families will keep to use when Jewish holidays or Shabbat role around.

And of course, make sure the bar/bat mitzvah boy/girl has a great time with all their friends.

L’chaim!

Expected Attendance: 100-500

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Birthday Party: become the best birthday party planners

Whether for adults or for children, birthday parties can take a lot of effort.

What are the big differences between adults and children with birthday parties?

The main one involves gifts.

At a children’s birthday party, everyone gets gifts.

This is in the form of goody bags.

Why is this necessary?

Kids need to get gifts if they see another child getting gifts. It also may be very difficult for a child to not open gifts at the birthday party whereas an adult can wait until later.

At an adult birthday party, just remember that while alcohol is appropriate, you don’t need to have too much.

After all, it’s a birthday, not wine tasting.

For adults, it may be appropriate as well especially for monumental birthdays like a 50th birthday to rent out a space. There are plenty of places to rent for birthday parties.

Most venues that serve food and alcohol are appropriate.

Expected Attendance: 10-50

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Bridal Shower (aka Wedding Shower): the best bridal shower ideas

Bridal showers or wedding showers (as they are sometimes called) can be particularly informal affairs. There is one must: the maid of honor has to host it. Those are the rules.

Aside from that, you want the mood to be lighthearted so everyone invited feels at ease to tell stories about the bride, eat/drink, and have a great time. This is not the time for a detailed complete wedding checklist. Here you don’t want to worry about expensive sounding questions like what to consider when choosing a wedding venue. Pick a simple, inexpensive venue, sit back, and enjoy.

Because here’s the thing:

It turns out one of the best wedding hacks to save money is not to spend a lot of money on any wedding activity other than the wedding.

Consider having some games or fun activities like getting a cupcake bar.

As for the menu, don’t be afraid to get creative!

If you want to go traditional, you can have tea, tea sandwiches and cookies.

But you can also have other pastries and if you want to go all out, themed spreads that celebrate the couple.

Expected Attendance: 2-10

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Charity Event: name your own price

Maybe this is the big event your nonprofit puts on every year, or maybe this is the cause you have been dreaming about raising money for.

Either way, charity events are no joke.

Charity events can come in all shapes and forms so picking the right one can be difficult as there is no one cookie cutter approach.

One popular charity event is the “a-thon” approach such as a “walk-a-thon” for your cause or even a “dance-a-thon”.

Whatever approach you take, getting the word out to sell as many tickets as possible and staying organized are key to having the most successful charity event.

Estimated Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirements: All Day

Difficulty Level: Hard

Christmas Party: DIY Christmas decorations and more

Related to a general holiday party, a Christmas party is more specific due to the decor.

You’ll want to get red, green, and white streamers for a Christmas Party.

One thing to think about is whether you want there to be gift exchanges. While it’s not required, gift exchanges can be great to bring out the festive nature of the season.

And as with any good holiday party, you need lots and lots of food.

This is not the season for eating healthy.

Eggnog and pastries are must haves.

And while alcohol is appropriate, remember that a Christmas party is festive but not raucous.

So keep it mellow!

Estimated Attendees: 50-100

Time Required: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Cocktail Party: how to be smart with this fun event.

Cocktail parties can be very fun affairs, even for the busy host.

In terms of drinks, you either want to have a full bar or a drink menu that you come up with beforehand.

Mixing drinks for everyone can be difficult so consider hiring a bartender for your cocktail party.

This is not a must but it will be very helpful if you have the budget for it.

Otherwise, guests can pour drinks for themselves.

One thing you can’t forget:

Food! A good assortment of finger foods is a must for cocktail parties.

Cheeses and crudites go great with cocktails!

Expected Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Concert: the struggle is real while rocking out

Whether for fundraising purposes or for music promotional purposes, concerts can be difficult to plan. But with the right promotion, they can be very successful and worthwhile.

Concert promotion is highly important to get the right buzz going.

Consider promoting at locations such as:

• Record stores
• Music instructional institutions
• Venues

Venue selection is also key. Think about how many attendees you want. Many local venues like auditoriums will have capacities in the hundreds of people so make sure to check out those capacity charts!

You also want to make sure you do not overlook security. If anything goes wrong at the event, it could be disastrous for the concert so beefing up security is great for risk management.

Expected Attendees: 100-500

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Convention: go big or go home

Remember that big conventions such as ComicCon started out small.

To create that big, annual convention everyone wants to go to, you will have to engage in some hardcore planning.

For picking a venue, be realistic about how many attendees you expect you can get.

If you get too large a venue, it will seem that there just was not that great a turnout.

So what makes a convention stand out?

Getting the best speakers.

In whatever industry you are in, try to get the best and most reputable speakers you can to speak at your convention.

These are your influencers and their presence can make or break your convention.

Estimated Attendees: 100-500

Time Requirement: All Day

Difficulty: Hard

Cooking Class: palette vs palate, which one applies?

It’s supposed to be easy. Just show people how to cook something, right?

Well, not exactly.

Holding cooking classes can be a great investment but even an expert chef has to prepare.

The key here is starting small. Holding a 50 person class of strangers before you have ever taught anyone can lead to nervous situations, mistakes, and frustrated students.

So how to fix this?

Practice, practice, practice.

Hold a cooking class only for close friends. You will see where your slip ups come and how you can improve your teaching method.

Once you are ready for a full on class, one pro tip is making a handout for your students. This will be something they can take home and which will provide an outline for the class itself.

As for a venue, any commercial building for rent should be fine as long as they can accommodate kitchen materials.

Estimated Attendees: 10-50

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Corporate Party: I don’t want to work anymore

It’s time for your business to create a buzz. That’s why you are throwing a corporate party.

So what are the goals of a corporate party?

Some goals can include:

• Attracting the media
• Creating awareness
• Building a list of potential customers
• Sell slow moving products

Whatever the case, you need to set your business apart, and get the word out.

Consider using social media heavily and contacting local media outlets for letting people know when and where the party is.

Also make sure to get the right venue for the event. For a corporate party, do you want a hotel ballroom or an alternative space? Really any party room for rent will do.

These are important questions for creating the vibe you want at the party.

Estimated Attendees: 100-500

Time Requirements: 4-6 hours

Difficulty Level: Hard

Dance Shoot: so you can learn how to dance at a party

One problem that dance photographers face is how to capture still moments when dancers are constantly on the move.

This is a problem.

The skilled photographer will know what shutter speed to use to capture the desired effect. The faster the shutter speed, the more crisp an image you will get off of a moving dancer.

So if you’re used to a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second and you want to get rid of the blur, try a shutter speed of 1/125 of a second to get the perfect image for that dance shoot.

When holding a dance shoot, it is also important to address the tension between improvisation and preparation.

You are capturing moments. And you want to make sure that while your dancers are prepared and have an outline of what they should be doing that they have a degree of freedom to improvise.

You have to let artists express themselves!

Expected Attendees: 1-10

Estimate Time: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Deposition: when the going gets tough, the tough gets deposed

Of all the events listed here, this may be the least fun one to go to with the possible exceptions of funerals and memorial services.

If you are not a lawyer or a court reporter, that means you are a party or a witness to a lawsuit which is never fun.

The structure usually goes something like this:

You’ll be in a conference room with your lawyer and the opposing lawyer. The conference room will either be one that the opposing lawyer’s law firm controls or one of a series of conference rooms for rent. There will also be a hired court reporter who will transcribe everything that everyone says.

Do not be surprised if the two lawyers start yelling at each other, scoff, sneer, or generally act rude.

This is very common.

The only good news:

At some point the deposition will end.

Estimated Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Dinner Party: it’s time to stop posting and start cooking

Dinner parties are best when you have a close knit group of friends coming together to share a meal.

One thing to think about immediately at a dinner party is whether any of your guests have any dietary restrictions or food allergies.

You wouldn’t want to cook a delicious meal to find out that one or some of your guests cannot eat it!

In terms of what is on the menu, go with what you know.

Only cook something you’ve made several times before.

While being adventurous can be fun, it is also risky. You wouldn’t want to burn or undercook your meal because you had not made it before.

Estimated Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Documentary Shoot: how to get the real news real fast

One of the big things that sets documentaries apart from a conventional film is a lack of control.

In most documentaries, you have to interview or talk to various people to get valid, authoritative pieces of information.

So what’s the problem with that?

You just do not know exactly what they are going to say.

So documentaries turn into situations where preparation is key. You don’t need a rigid script, but a working outline will help tremendously.

Additionally, make sure to have real conversations with your guests. Do not stick to reading note cards as that will take away from the human appeal.

Remember, you are telling a story through film.

Another tip:

Use still photographs. This means using photographs on screen. Ken Burns popularized the concept and they can be very effective in getting a point across.

As far as venues, any building where you can put up a backdrop will do fine. That usually means any commercial building for rent is good.

Estimated Attendance: 1-10

Time Requirement: Multi-day

Difficulty: Hard

Engagement Party: here’s some material for your funny maid of honor speeches

Engagement parties should be held 2-3 months after the engagement. This is the sweet spot between newly engaged and being in full-on wedding planning mode.

In terms of decor, keep it simple.

Flowers are a great centerpiece.

As far as dress, you have options depending on the venue and time of day.

For backyard barbecues, don’t wear a nightgown. A sundress will do.

For nighttime affairs, you can go with a cocktail dress.

Remember that an engagement party is for the newly engaged couple so whatever they say goes!

Expected Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Fashion Event (aka Fashion Shoot, Fashion Show or Clothing Shoot): how to tie a bowtie

Fashion shows can be a great way to showcase different products, not just clothing.

You can showcase jewelry and shoes as well or any sort of apparel.

And what’s the point of a fashion show?

You need the media there to review all the products you are showcasing and allow journalists and bloggers to tell everyone what’s hot and what’s not.

Of course don’t forget the consumer aspect as well.

More than other types of events, you need to have a rockstar venue. Your venue, the lights, the sound system, are there to enhance the models and the products you are showcasing.

If this is your first time putting on a fashion show, check out schools, auditoriums, or performing arts centers.

Also of crucial importance:

Find your models quickly and find good ones. And by good ones, I don’t mean the most sought after supermodels. I mean personable ones who are willing to work with you and who will understand and appreciate the products you are trying to showcase.

Lastly, don’t forget to have a theme.

For instance, if you have a retro 1920s line of clothing, consider a jazz theme.

Estimated attendees: 50-100

Time Requirements: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Medium

Filmed Interview: all hands on deck

If you are the interviewer, your movements, mannerisms, and eye contact can determine the overall outcome of the interview. And all this even though you aren’t even the one on film!

Think of it this way:

If you are asking the questions, the filmed person answering you is directly engaged with you and responding to you.

So consider these tips:

• Always maintain eye contact with the interviewee. This will allow your camera people to get the right angled shot.
• Encourage the interviewee to repeat the question in the answer. For example, if you ask the interviewee “What’s your favorite animal?”, don’t let the interviewee just say dog. Have the interviewee say “My favorite animal is a dog”. This gives context to the audience.
• Control the pace of the interview. Do you want the questions answered rapid fire or slowly?

Once you have control of the interview, you will be able to be better prepared with your camerawork and audio.

And best of all:

You will know what to expect from your interviewee.

Expected Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirements: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Fitness Classes- Yoga Class, Pilates, Dance, Workout: avoid the see through yoga pants

First, what kind of class do you want to hold? Yoga, pilates, dance?

These types of classes are very popular but marketed and run very differently from one another.

For example, yoga can be a calm and relaxing form of exercise whereas dance is fast pace.

Whatever the case, you need to be the leader of your fitness class. And you need to develop that persona.

But how do you do it?

Aside from developing the necessary charisma, you should find your allies.

These are the people who will provide the proof to everyone else that you are an authority in the kind of class you are running.

The allies are the regulars will help you out and want to make sure you stay successful.

Expected Attendance: 10-50

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Fitness Video (aka Workout Video): tell everyone, “you can do it!”

You can make a fitness or a workout video on a tight budget but you have to know what you need.

One key element is lighting. You need your fitness instructor to be clear and well lit on camera.

In terms of music, to save some money, use royalty-free music services.

Anything else you need to know?

A script can be very useful. Your instructor needs to have at least some idea of what to say in between exercises to explain to the audience what each exercise does.

It can’t just be, “Do this, and do that” without any explanation.

Estimated Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Focus Group: here’s my one question, what are you doing the rest of your life?

Focus groups are great ways to understand consumer behavior regarding a service or a product.

They are essentially interviews with 6-10 people that will help a company determine consumer satisfaction.

So how to make them as best as they can be?

One key for a focus group is to set a written agenda.

Let the attendees know why they are there, what they are testing, and what the ground rules are.

One thing to keep in mind with the interviewees is to not let 1 or 2 people dominate the conversation.

Focus groups are only useful if you get everyone’s honest opinion and you won’t get that if some or most of the group is quiet.

Estimated Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirements: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Food Tasting: should I bring out the old fashioned glass?

Food tastings are a great way for a restaurant or a chef to showcase their food. It is almost like a product demo for food.

First, think of your goals. What do you want out of the food tasting?

Maybe you want bloggers and food critics to write positively about you.

Or maybe you want to just get covered in a number of publications.

Whatever the case, as you can see, it’s not only about food.

A successful food tasting takes into account hosting guests, taking pictures, and doing general PR to get the best people available to attend.

So put on a smile while you cook!

Expected Attendance: 10-50

Time Requirements: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Medium

Fundraising Event: name your own price- as much as you can give!

All nonprofits know how difficult fundraising can be. And an event can many times be the best way.

So first step is figuring out your target audience. Who do you want to come to your fundraising event? Who is the most likely to donate?

Here’s a fun fact:

81% of consumers switch to a brand that supports a good cause.

So think of that as an incentive to get local for profit businesses to support you. These can be your sponsors. They will be glad to help.

Many nonprofits are strapped for cash so it is always good when you can are doing more with less.

Regarding the event itself, a lot of the legwork should go into finding the best speakers. Your speakers need to captivate the audience and make the attendees want to come back the following year.

Because as we know, fundraising never ends and your fundraising event needs to become an annual or bi-annual occurrence.

Estimated attendees: 100-500

Time Requirements: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Funeral: a solemn and meaningful event

As opposed to planning other events, planning a funeral is never happy.

This is why it is important to first of all:

Slow down.

While some religious traditions have strict time constraints in the burial, you do not need to move as fast as lightning.

This is a difficult time and everyone understands that.

Because of the emotional weight a funeral carries, it is extremely important to delegate tasks, maybe even all the tasks.

The important questions that will face you have to do with cremation or burial, and what type of funeral package you want.

Close friends and family can help you make these choices.

Remember that if you really feel constrained by time, you can separate out a memorial service (discussed below) and a funeral. The funeral can be much smaller than a memorial service.

Expected Attendees: 10-50

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Gala: time to watch the how to tie a bow tie video step by step

Related to the fundraising event, a gala is a great way to engage donors and discuss your nonprofit’s accomplishments for the year.

The goal of the event is to show donors how much your organization has accomplished.

So how can you make it better?

Have a captivating video that you air the night of the gala showcasing your impact.

And while food at a gala is important, remember that the younger millennial donors care more about impact than style.

So if you’re a disease prevention nonprofit, bring patients you helped, bring doctors you worked with.

You have to get everyone on board to help out. Don’t just bring the doctors, but get as many volunteers as you can get to help. Remember that as a nonprofit you have to get used to doing more with less.

Estimated attendees: 100-500

Time Requirements: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Graduation Party: what are you doing after school

Whether graduating from high school or university, graduations are a time of endings and new beginnings.

Everyone has something to celebrate. So to save money and time, consider throwing a joint graduation party.

Keep in mind that your guests will probably not be staying that long, so don’t go nuts with the food.

Small finger foods that people can pick up and walk around with are best.

As for decor, consider using school colors and slogans as banners, streamers, and tablecloths.

And while Facebook invites can work, try to add a touch of class by sending out paper invites. You don’t have too many graduations in a lifetime so make it count!

Expected Attendance: 10-50

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Group Work: more than just team building games

This may not seem like an event at first, but a group project can seem like a marathon when done poorly.

One common complaint many working in groups find is that one person ends up doing most if not all the work.

So how do we get around this?

The key is to assign tasks to the different members of a group.

There should be one person as well who monitors everyone, making sure each group member accomplishes each task on time.

In a small company, group work may comprise much time especially in the early startup stages.

And here’s the thing:

It is crucial for a founder know how to increase work efficiency. So knowing some productivity hacks for entrepreneurs is a must.

One issue that comes up regarding productivity is where you will work.

Not just any business space for rent will do. You need to find one that is suitable to the culture of your company.

Many businesses have really liked the coworking business model, of finding a month to month space shared by others. You don’t know where your startup will end up in a few months or a few years so having the flexibility is one of the coworking space benefits.

Coworking also supports the concept of remote working.

What does it mean to work remotely?

Many companies are not centralizing their work forces any more. Rather, some if not most of a company’s workers are more commonly working remotely. The coworking business model supports this nicely with flexible fee structures as opposed to multi-year rent.

One of the benefits of remote working also is that a company does not need to invest in a huge rent overhead. Some of the other advantages of remote workers include the ability to hire people from all over the world. And with all the technological developments that allow for easy online communication, remote working is a great possibility for many companies.

However, you cannot just have people all over the world not talking to each other with different tasks and then expect the work to be done properly.

So here are some tips for working remotely:

• Communicate a lot
• Meet up every now and then (Team meetings will become fun affairs since they’ll be rare. It’s one of the great reasons to work remotely!)
• Create set boundaries regarding working hours.

So if you haven’t considered remote working, maybe now is the time!

Estimated Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: Multi-Day

Difficulty: Easy

Hackathon: a long time ago in a galaxy far far away the techies appeared

Hackathons are a great way to get all the tech talent out there together for a fun event. And hackers love them because as far as games go, they are part of the genre of fun team building games for adults.

They are also fantastic ways for a tech company to get their APIs some exposure as everyone involved will be tinkering with the company’s software.

One key is to have flawless wifi. If the wifi goes out for even a little bit, it can ruin the entirety of the hackathon.

Anything else?

Get lots and lots of food and drinks.

Hackathons can last a very long time, even all night. And while you don’t need the fanciest food (pizza and soda is fine), you will need a lot of it.

As for the hackers, they will have a great time. Hackathons are great for team building problem solving activities.

So programmers love them, especially as far as team building exercises for small groups go.

Estimated Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirement: Half Day

Difficulty: Medium

Holiday Party: how to address an envelope with holiday colors

Tis the season!

If you are planning a holiday party for friends and family, it’s all about food and beverage. This is no time to be health conscious.

A delicious blend of sweet and savory treats will keep everyone happy, and there’s no problem if the drinks are sugary.

Another great tip:

Pick a holiday theme. You can pick themes from popular movies such as The Nightmare Before Christmas or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

If you are an employer, consider taking the holiday party offsite. As an employer, you are always looking for how to increase productivity of employees and how to reduce stress at work. A holiday party kills those two birds with one stone.

How does a holiday party increase productivity?

Think of it this way: any time you can let employees let loose a little, they will feel more comfortable at the office. Creating this comfort zone is one of the key factors that increase productivity.

And employers are always wondering, what qualities make a company a great place to work?

When you throw social functions for your employees, they are more likely to take that energy with them for the following work week. Many employees believe that these types of events, when handled properly, are what make certain companies better places to work than others.

So as an example, you can have a weekend skiing retreat.

This is a great way to get the employees bonding over fun activities, a new environment, and new experiences.

Expected Attendees: 10-50

Time Requirement (for home holiday party): 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Individual Work: how many hours is part time anyway

Now you’re saying, “you have to be kidding me”.

How can working alone be an event?

Of course some people love working alone.

However, those who do not like being alone when working have many options these days.

Freelancers and entrepreneurs have the option of working in coworking spaces.

Popularized by growing companies such as WeWork, ROC, and Industrious, coworking spaces provide an outlet for those accomplishing individual work in group settings.

This allows for easy communication, networking, and a feeling of comradery amongst all attempting to accomplish individual work.

In the list of productivity hacks for entrepreneurs, finding the right coworking space can many times help tremendously, especially when your team works remotely around the world.

What does it mean to work remotely?

As we stated above, remote working is the idea of not working in a generic commercial office day to day.

So what are some of the benefits of working remotely as an individual?

Ironically enough, extroverts seem to thrive in this type of environment. Because communication is so important, one of the advantages of remote workers, especially for extroverts, is they get to feel the sense of constantly being engaged either with coworkers or clients.

So for extroverts, this is one of the main reasons to work remotely!

And as an employer, if you have one of these extroverted remote workers, one of the most important tips for working remotely is that the worker needs to feel constantly engaged. Otherwise, the entire remote working enterprise can backfire.

So you see, even working alone can be an event!

Estimated Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: Multi-Day

Difficulty: Easy

Job Fair: we’re pulling for you looking up wedding planner career information

Job fairs are almost like trade shows for recruiting. There are booths, informal interviews, display of company products, and so forth.

Due to the nature of a job fair, it is important to start planning at least 4 months ahead of time.

The first thing you need to decide is whether the job fair is generalized or for a specific industry.

You need to make sure enough companies come to the fair as well to set up booths so get on that ASAP.

During the fair, you will want to take lots of photos and videos to promote future job fairs. You want the fair to become a known annual event.

Afterward, follow up with the companies and share any success stories of companies finding great recruits at the fair.

That’s your proof that the fair works!

Expected Attendees: 500-1000

Time Requirement: All Day

Difficulty: Hard

Launch Event: your product- it is what it is and what they say it is

Your product is ready for market. Now it’s time to get noticed.

One of the keys to a product launch is timing. As opposed to annual events, this type of event can only happen once per product so you have to make it count.

You also need to keep in mind the goal: to create the buzz you need to get that sales boost.

One easy way to keep such goals in mind is to display the product for people to interact with.

If your product is a video game, let those who come play the game.

How could you make it better?

Think about getting a celebrity or a spokesperson to come to connect your product to a cause.

You are targeting the media and consumers so whatever creates a positive buzz is worth it.

Estimated Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Medium

Lecture: one topic to think about - how to get free wifi anywhere

A lecture can vary in a multitude of ways depending on topic and frequency. For example, a college professor will lecture every week. Other times, organizations will host a speaker for a one-off lecture.

Either way, the goal is to keep the audience engaged, informed, and awake (don’t be boring!).

Lectures should not run too long in length. 1-2 hours is usually long enough.

Make sure to do a lot of preparation beforehand.

Do not spread yourself too thin. Stick to 3-4 discussion points and go in depth.

As far as presentation, make sure to not look down at your note cards too often and to make eye contact with the audience as much as possible.

Estimated Attendees: 100-500

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Marriage Proposal: this is step 1 before creating a wedding budget checklist

I know what you’re thinking:

Since when is a marriage proposal an event?

To make a marriage proposal more meaningful, consider getting others in on the action.

This of course requires you to first know if your future fiance(e) would be comfortable with a public proposal.

So what’s the bottom line:

Get creative with your marriage proposal.

You can surprise your future fiance(e) by having a pop-up party right after the proposal, creating a surprise.

If you have the budget, consider a professional photographer to be strategically placed to capture the moment.

This is one of those, “once in a lifetime” things so you want to make it count!

Expected Attendance (for the surprise party): 10-50

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

How to become an event planner and plan meetings: liven things up with team building activities for work

There are many types of meetings so we will break this down even further for you. Remember that all meetings are suspect to become inefficient or run too long.

But we have you covered and we’ll go through how to conduct a meeting step by step, no matter what the meeting.

That’s right:

We will teach you how to make staff meetings more fun and the ground rules for effective meetings. Remember that conducting effective meetings and implementing effective meeting strategies is a skill so it’s something you get better at over time. Effective meeting management will not come overnight and you may make mistakes along the way. But no matter the type of meeting, you can always get better.

So remember that the big take away is to create an environment where you get the job done and do so in a timely manner.

How to become an event planner: Audition (aka Casting)

For whatever you are casting roles, it is important you are prepared.

You don’t want your potential actors spending too much time at the audition, reading line after line.

You need to get through each actor quickly.

So how can you reduce time at an audition?

Give lead roles 3 pages of script to read and supporting roles 1.5 pages.

Also make sure you have a reader there as well.

It’s also possible that at any single casting call, you will have dozens of auditions for different roles. It is therefore important for you to record the auditions so you can come back to them later.

And one final piece of advice:

Read the script beforehand.

Expected Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirements: All Day

Difficulty: Easy

How to become an event planner: Corporate Meetings

One of the top questions for businesses is how to make staff meetings more engaging.

First off:

Corporate meetings for a specific purpose can be small.

In fact, famous CEOs of the past 20 years have pretty much been all in agreement that meetings that get too large are a waste.

Rather, it is better to only have people there who need to be there. The rule Jeff Bezos of Amazon made is the “2 pizza rule”. If you need more than 2 pizzas to feed everyone there, it’s too large of a meeting.

Additionally, if you don’t need to talk, don’t come.

Because what’s the one thing you want to avoid at all costs at a corporate meeting?

Boredom. One of the key ground rules for effective meetings and one of the effective meeting strategies you need to implement immediately is to reduce boredom and increase engagement as much as possible.

One of the characteristics of effective team building in the corporate environment is that every member of the team is engaged. And having a smaller meeting can be something you put in your arsenal for easy corporate team building activities for work in small groups. Just your normal, everyday meeting can be a team building exercise.

Now you might be wondering, what is the purpose of team building in a meeting?

Rather the question should you be, how can you incorporate team building into as many activities as possible?

The more your team works together, the more they will be comfortable with each other.

But the key is everyone must be engaged.

That’s ultimately the bottom line.

For these types of meetings, a boardroom or conference room is sufficient.

However, for large corporate meetings, larger venues such as hotels may be in order. These can be shareholder meetings or large corporate events.

Estimated Attendance (for smaller meetings): 1-10

Time Required: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Medium

How to become an event planner: Creative Meeting

In a creative meeting, the goal is to come up with a new design concept either related to a product or marketing.

One approach which seems all too common is trying to mimic or copy what someone else is already doing.

This is the wrong approach.

Why?

There’s no problem of course being influenced by a large brand. But slightly modifying something is not very original and not the best you can do.

So how do you hold this type of meeting?

At least for the first iteration of the idea, ban all web surfing and looking at your phones. This is a good rule for conducting effective meetings in genera.

For a creative meeting, one question that comes up to get everyone engaged is how to start a meeting in a fun way.

Just come up with as many ideas as you possibly can on your own. People should feel free to spit out any idea that comes to mind, no matter how crazy it sounds.

At the end of this brainstorming session, you will have a bunch of ideas which, when combined, can lead to something great.

This is very effective meeting management and will generate a ton of ideas for your team.

Expected Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

How to become an event planner: Interview

In-person interviews are cornerstones of any business. These are your opportunities to pick the best and brightest out there and to avoid any problem employees.

It turns out that the cookie-cutter script of asking questions such as, “Tell me about yourself” just doesn't cut it. Those type of questions are not suitable to finding out a candidate’s true potential.

Instead, try to suss out the necessary information. Ask how a candidate assesses his/her skills. Ask the candidate about what they are most proud of from a previous job.

What’s the bottom line?

You want to get to know the candidate as much as possible beyond the resume.

It also doesn’t hurt to ask some conflict resolution questions. For instance, “How do you handle conflict?

Estimated Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: 0.5-1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

How to become an event planner: Offsite Meeting and Retreats

Offsite meetings are dicey tools. If they work, they can be great for team building and bringing a positive energy back to the office. If they are planned poorly though, it can be a complete waste of time. You have to be careful with your offsite meeting meaning you need to think carefully about what you want to accomplish.

So how should you go about planning an offsite meeting?

One of the keys is team building exercises. Let your coworkers let loose a little. No dress code, no formalities. Planning an offsite meeting is about delving deep into what you want to achieve and taking into account how your employees will feel during and after.

You want your coworkers to feel as comfortable as possible to say whatever they are thinking.

If your offsite is a multi-day affair, this becomes a retreat.

At a retreat, you may want to consider a more rustic type of atmosphere. This really flips the office environment feel.

To make these even more fun, think of motivational games for employees.

As far as venues, you can get creative. You can think of a hotel conference room rental as in, hotels to rent for a few hours. If the meeting will be several days, you can even think about booking overnight rooms but this can get costly.

Otherwise, there are plenty of meeting rooms for rent and conference rooms for rent.

Estimated Attendees: 10-50

Time Requirement (for one day offsites): All Day

Difficulty: Easy

How to become an event planner: Sales Meeting

Sales meetings are great opportunities to bring the sales team together to discuss sales strategy, product developments, and lead generation.

But they still need structure.

One method you can use is K.I.S.S. (keep it simply simple). This is in line with the idea that a meeting has a specific purpose and you should shelve extraneous discussions for a different time.

So what’s the key to a great sales meeting?

Skill development.

You can make each meeting firstly about personal updates regarding specific sales but then try to motivate your team with specific techniques that anyone can take away and use for their own sales. And lastly, you want to make sure everyone at the meeting know how to prepare for a meeting with a potential client.

Expected Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: 0.5-1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

How to become an event planner: Therapy Session

Therapy needs to be a mix of informal and professional.

When holding a therapy session, you as the therapist need to make sure your client is comfortable.

So how can you do that?

Point to the sofa and say something like, “Make yourself at home”.

Also make sure you pay attention to your client’s emotional queues. Does the client appear happy, sad, anxious, depressed?

This will guide how you approach the situation.

You, however, need to be in a positive mood. As a therapist, you need to make sure that you are ready to actively listen to your client.

That will ultimately result in the most comfortable setting.

Expected Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: 0.5-1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Memorial Service: an event for remembrance

While funerals are typically held very soon after the death of a loved one, a memorial service can be held long after.

This makes a memorial more of a large event where extended family and friends are invited to pay their last respects to the departed.

One commonly overlooked aspect of the memorial is a legal issue: the will!

If you are planning a memorial, see if there were any last wishes the deceased had regarding a memorial service. Who knows? He or she may not want a memorial at all!

Try to line a great group of speakers who will give heartfelt and emotional eulogies for the deceased.

Remember that light humor at the memorial, depending on the circumstances, can be appropriate.

But mostly, you want speakers who really get to the soul of the person and remember him or her fondly.

Additionally, putting an obituary into the local newspaper a few days before the memorial is a reminder to all invited about the life of the deceased person.

Estimated Attendees: 100-500

Time Required: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Mixer: talk to that person - what are you waiting for

Whether for business or for a social purpose, mixers are about people getting to know one another.

At a business mixer, you want people to network with one another and make new connections.

At a singles mixer, you want people to meet each other and make well… a different kind of a connection.

Either way, you need people moving around, talking, and having fun.

That is why picking your refreshments is one key. If the food and beverage options are good, people will stay.

Here’s a great tip:

Don’t have too many chairs.

How does that work?

With limited chairs, people are forced to stand up and socialize instead of sitting off to the side.

Expected Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirements: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Medium

Music Video: there are only so many minutes in a day to dance on camera

Like any video, a music video requires planning and preparation.

These days, it is a necessity for any band trying to promote itself to put a video out for marketing purposes.

But what’s the good news?

It doesn’t have to cost a lot.

Here’s a great tip:

Film only in one location. Now you might be thinking how can you make a good video with only one filming locations.

It turns out if you intersperse other footage such as live performances and stock footage that you can achieve a very creative effect.

Once you have the finished product, put it up on YouTube and get people to share it and watch it.

Expected Attendees: 1-10

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Medium

New Year’s Party: what time does it get dark on December 31

As opposed to the Christmas Party which is held in the days before Christmas, New Year’s parties are held on New Year’s Eve.

Timing for a New Year’s party is everything.

Consider starting the party at 10 PM. Normally that’s too late for a party but with a New Year’s party, you want people staying long past midnight.

Little finger foods are good before midnight.

However, at midnight, consider serving up something more like a meal.

How does this work?

Having a midnight meal will keep things festive well into the morning.

Estimated Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Orientation: I don’t want to work today

When welcoming a new student or a new hire, a school or company should hold a robust orientation to lay out expectations.

Getting everyone on the same page regarding company or school goals is critical to behavior going forward.

For a company, this is where human resources will shine.

So how do you make sure the orientation goes well?

Have the employee bring his or her employment packet to the orientation. Then go over the Employee Handbook and different rules the company has.

Also make sure to go over the company benefit plan, safety procedures, and any administrative rules.

Orientation is usually an employee’s first day so want to start him or her on the right track. You can go over common issues such as how to reduce stress at work.

While you don’t need to bring up the issue directly, you can discuss the different stress relieving activities employees generally engage in.

Because from day one, what is one thing you should care about?

Burnout. You hired this employee, you want him or her to stay and making an employee feel comfortable at work is how to increase productivity for employees and how to increase productivity in an organization overall.

Think of it this way:

Who is going to be happier in the long run: the employee who just sits there all day alone or the employee who feels engaged with cool things like a hired food truck every Friday?

Probably the latter. These creative morale boosters and letting employees know about them from day one are therefore crucial.

But wait, it gets better:

Making a habit of caring about an employee’s well being from day one is how to improve employee morale and job satisfaction for the duration of employment.

As for venues, just remember that you do not need to hold an orientation on site. It is perfectly acceptable to make at least part of the training and orientation offsite. So you can check out training room rentals if you want the budget.

Estimated Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: Half Day

Difficulty: Easy

Popup: if you can dream it you can do it and sell it

Popups have become extremely popular, especially in the retail market.

They are a great way to engage with customers, to create a sense of urgency in buying something new, and create brand awareness.

Here you can be very creative the venue. You will want to check out business space for rent and a storefront for rent.

A storefront for rent is generally the way to go because they already have the infrastructure to support retail.

Other times, you can just get a vacant studio.

The next step is promotion. You need to get the word out like crazy to make sure people come by.

Generating a viral buzz is key. How you market the popup is different depending on the goal.

Are you launching a new product, giving a discount on an existing product? These questions will guide your marketing decisions.

Expected Attendance: 100-500

Time Requirements: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Medium

Portrait Photoshoot: all eyes on you and the cameras

If you are a portrait photographer, you first must think, “location, location, location”. Do you want to shoot outdoors or indoors? Time of day? And who is the client?

Booking a venue or finding an outdoor location is many times the easy part.

The harder part is figuring out what lens to use and what angles to use to get the best out your talent.

Here’s a tip:

Bring various lenses with you. You never know which one may be useful for a particular shot.

Not to get too philosophical but also remember that in a portrait shoot to focus on the eyes as they are “the windows into the soul”.

Your audience will focus on the eyes and so should you.

Expected Attendance: 2-10

Time Requirements: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Presentation: a 5 part series on what does RSVP mean

You may need to give a presentation for a multitude of reasons: in house meetings, educational purposes, shareholder meetings, etc.

Whatever the case, if you prepared your presentation in slide format, you need to do a good job of engaging with the audience.

So how do you get better at giving presentations?

Practice, practice, practice.

To keep your audience engaged, you cannot spend more than 1-2 minutes per slide.

It is important for you to be able get through each slide without stumbling and trying to remember the right words.

While you do not need your presentation fully written out, having a working outline other than the slides will help you tremendously.

And after enough practice, you will see that you will have formulated a script in your head to the point it is second nature when the time comes.

Expected Attendance: 50-100

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Product Demo: what are you doing without my product

You may be thinking here of Steve Jobs in a turtleneck unveiling a new product and to some degree, that’s what you are doing!

That may seem daunting as it is just you telling a lot of people how your product works but if you prepare well enough, you will be fine.

The key is a script. You may think you know your product inside and out but without a script, you will most likely fumble a lot and not have a cohesive story.

Yes, I said story.

A product demo is a story starting from the type of problem a customer may have to how your product solves that problem.

You probably won’t have a teleprompter to read your script but practice the demo over and over until it is a solid story. Better yet, test your script in front of a friend to see how compelling your story is!

Expected Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirements: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Promotional Video (aka Product Shoot): I have no idea what I’m doing and here’s a video about it

For your business, this is the time to spend money and time. A promotional video can be a fantastic way to get your name out there to market your brand.

So what does this mean?

This is no time to cut corners.

Get the fancy camera, get the tripod (for still shots), and use great editing software. One great video could drive a tremendous amount of traffic to your site.

But remember:

You want to keep a promotional marketing video short. 2-3 minutes should be enough for most cases.

Why is this the case?

Audiences are fickle on the internet and if you cannot draw them in the first 10 seconds, you will lose them.

Estimated Attendees: 2-10

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Medium

Quinceanera: You are 15 for the first time in forever

A quinceanera is a coming of age ceremony for girls at their 15th birthday in Mexican and Central American traditions.

First consider whether you want to have a religious ceremony to begin.

Traditionally, the quinceanera begins with a Mass at church before the party. This is called the Misa de acción de gracias: the mass of giving thanks for the end of childhood.

This is a formal affair so make sure the girls have nice dresses and the boys know to wear suits.

Here’s a tip:

The birthday girl is close enough in age to her prom that you could potentially use the quinceanera dress as a prom dress.

You will spend some money on this but it’s your daughter’s entry into adulthood. It’s worth it!

As far as a venue, looking for a party room for rent is fairly simple in most cities. Quinceaneras are popular enough that many venues have experience hosting them.

Expected Attendance: 100-500

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Recital: with all due respect I practiced quite a bit for this moment

If you are a music or dance teacher, recitals are a must. They are not just great for promoting your business. They are also great for your students to feel what it is like to perform in front of a crowd.

So how can you make a recital great?

Make it feel like a real concert. Create written programs with all your students’ names and what they will be playing.

And at the recital, remember that as the teacher, you are the MC.

You should announce each student and tell the audience what each student will be doing.

By the end, your students will feel certainly feel nervous but by the end, they will feel like stars.

Expected Attendance: 50-100

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Rehearsal Dinner: wedding rehearsal dinner ideas- let’s make it bigger than the wedding?

Rehearsal dinners have become much larger events recently. But still keep in mind that rehearsal dinners are rehearsals (literally) for the wedding.

This is why it may be a good idea to keep your rehearsal dinner casual. Much less stress. Enough said.

You can even pick a more casual venue like a restaurant to host it.

This can also be an opportunity to let your guests speak. Typically, those invited to rehearsal dinners are close friends and family of the bride and groom.

And at your wedding, speaking will probably be limited. So let everyone let loose, make their toasts, and talk!

Expected Attendance: 10-50

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Reunion: I haven’t seen you in forever and kind of care- what are you doing now

Are you planning a class reunion or are you planning a family reunion?

Either way, you will want to plan this long in advance.

Hint: planning well in advance is how to become an event planner in general.

Reunions are particularly difficult in terms of a guest list because you do not keep up with the people you are inviting.

For class reunions, you probably only keep in touch with a handful of people from school. As for family, they could potentially be all over the world.

The difficulty in contacting people means that for a class reunion, you should put together a committee comprised of a chair, treasurer, promoter, and producer. This is essentially the leadership council for making sure you book a venue, invite all the right people, and hold to a budget.

Family reunions are less formal but having a few point people will make the process go much faster.

Expected Attendance: 100-500

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Rooftop Party: the venues for rent had no rooms so I got the roof

Rooftop parties are a summer staple. The weather is great and everyone wants to barbecue.

In terms of decor, you should consider putting plants in different spots.

Make people aware that they are outside with the presence of wildlife.

Rooftop parties cannot be that large generally so consider some fun icebreakers.

This is no time to spend a lot so bring out the board games and musical instruments.

This will loosen people up to get to know one another.

Anything else to consider?

Even though you are deliberately outside, make sure there is some shade. The summer sun can get hot if your party is during the day.

So bring out the large umbrellas!

Estimated Attendees: 10-50

Time Required: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Screening (Film): a zombie move from the ground up

Move over drive-ins. Pop up film screenings are the new thing and they are great summer events.

Remember we discussed how to increase productivity in the workplace?

Events like holding a screening for employees can be a great team building fun activity for your employees.

What’s the point?

How to increase productivity in an organization is key for any company but you have to mix up work with some fun.

First off, be creative with the venue. In fact, select the venue based on the film. With a projector and a computer, you can play a film virtually anywhere.

One thing to keep in mind is the legal stuff.

What does this mean?

Films generally have distribution licenses which means you need permission to distribute a film.

This is not as hard as it sounds. Many studios make it very simple to distribute their films. Check on the DVD box to see which studio controls the distribution rights and go from there.

Estimated Attendees: 10-50

Time Requirements: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Summit: how to become an event planner and plan an offsite meeting for the leadership

Related to the offsite meeting or retreat, a summit is a company-wide event for the leadership to come together and discuss a specific issue.

You should not characterize the issues in general terms such as “Moving Forward” or “Increasing Vision”.

Rather, the topic should relate to something specific. Something like a cost-reduction program or addressing any issues in how to prepare for a meeting with a potential client. Ultimately the goal is figuring out how to increase productivity in the workplace.

You can think of a summit as a Q&A for the leadership of the company.

But it gets better:

A summit provides an opportunity for a company’s leadership to come together and discuss issues in an offsite setting.

But here’s the thing:

You want employees to feel like they have a say in the decision making processes of the company.

Polling employees and truly getting their feedback is one of the types of creative morale boosters that you can implement to gain employee trust.

Bringing together the C-level executives of a company can generate new ideas. This leads to further company growth and development.

Since summits are about letting employees getting to know the leadership of a company, you should also think of a list of fun activities for employees. Anything to keep the employees engaged so you can see how to improve employee morale and job satisfaction.

Having great summits and other offsite meetings and knowing how to plan them can really stand out as what qualities make a company a great place to work and how to become an event planner for your company.

Estimated Attendees: 100-500

Time Requirement: Multi-day

Difficulty: Medium

Sweet 16: I don’t know what to do with my life but I’m only 16

Sweet 16’s are coming of age parties but for parents who still see their daughters as their little girl, there needs to be a balance.

One of the first things to think about is a theme.

Consider a seasonal theme.

A winter party for example can have a snow kingdom or a winter wonderland theme.

Other themes can have to do with your daughter’s favorite books or TV shows. Perhaps she likes Harry Potter or the Twilight series. It’s very easy to make themes out of those.

As for venues, this depends on how many people you are inviting. Restaurants or hotels can work for larger groups. Regardless, there are plenty of event halls for rent and sweet 16 party venues for rent.

If you are really looking to pull out all the stops, then you will also want to find a good DJ, photographer, and caterer as well.

Coming of age ceremonies are once in a lifetime so you’ll want to make this memorable!

Expected Attendees: 100-500

Time Requirement: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Tournament: It’s time to stop losing. That’s encouragement, right?

Tournaments come in many different forms and for many different types of competitions.

Outdoor sports such as baseball, soccer, and football require renting a venue sometimes for many days.

Mind sports such as chess, checkers, and backgammon or e-sports require a venue.

Before selecting a venue, think about how many attendees you expect to have.

If you have 100s of expected attendees, consider using a hotel. Many hotels are used to holding tournaments for board games.

For smaller tournaments that last than less than a full day, check to see for hotels that rent by the hour. This will save you a bundle and you would not need to worry about the multi-day cost.

Are there any downsides?

Tournaments are not as easy as they seem to put on. At the very least, if you are holding a tournament for a sport where children participate, get ready for some angry parents, no matter how well you have organized the tournament.

The key is to keep a cool head.

Estimated Attendees: 100-500

Time Requirement: Multi-day

Difficulty: Hard

Training Seminar: how to become the jack of all trades

Training seminars are a great way to keep employees and like-minded professionals engaged and informed about new and emerging topics in your industry.

Remember that employees want to gain new skills. And you want your employees to feel useful and engaged.

Certain professions such as law, medicine, and accounting require or encourage training seminars as well for continued education.

One key is to keep the training focused.

Do not cover a broad array of topics. Focus on individualized topics that employees can use immediately after the seminar ends.

Other than that, basic presentation skills are key.

Use humor and have regular breaks to keep those attending engaged.

As for venue, check training room rentals in your city. Many hotels and large public spaces are used to holding professional events and can accommodate you.

Expected Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirement: 1-3 hours

Difficulty: Easy

TV Series Shoot: breaking into the biz- the struggle is real

Have you ever wondered how TV shows are made?

It used to be a very long and costly process to shoot a TV show. Nowadays, you can film pilots on a shoestring budget.

For instance, the FX show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia had a pilot budget of only a few hundred dollars.

If you are ambitious enough, you can film a pilot by yourself without a big studio backing you.

Just know it’s going to be a big time investment. Writing and finalizing a script, finding a cast, and shooting will be a very long process, no matter how many people you have involved.

Estimated Attendees: 1-10

Estimated Time: All Day

Difficulty: Hard

Wedding: is this 6 month wedding checklist still good if the wedding is only 1 month away

Talking about a wedding and wedding planning tips could be its own blog. This is obviously more about how to become an event planner in general.

There’s obviously a lot that goes into a wedding but some of the main things to consider are budget and delegation.

Weddings can be extremely extravagant affairs all the way down to low budget. You need to pick what’s right for you.

But the big thing and probably the best of all wedding planning tips is to delegate, delegate, delegate. You can be the most organized person, have a detailed complete wedding checklist, but it will be too much.

For larger weddings, you simply cannot do it all on your own. Use your friends and family to help you out.

As for where you’ll have the wedding, you need to know what to consider when choosing a wedding venue.

If you want to know how to become an event planner and plan a wedding on a small budget, one of the great wedding hacks to save money is to use an alternative event space. Event halls for rent are generally expensive but converted spaces for all sorts of events can be much cheaper.

If you have to use a more conventional space but want to save money, check to see if you can find hotels that rent by the hour. Not worrying about overnight bookings can save you a bundle.

If you have the budget and the wedding is large enough, get a wedding planner. Just do it, at least for the day of.

The day of the wedding is so stressful that trying to coordinate it as a bride or groom is near impossible.

Expected Attendance: 100-500

Time Required: 4-6 hours

Difficulty: Hard

Workshop: wait, I thought the procrastination bulldozer method was going to involve an actual bulldozer

What sets a workshop apart from other sorts of talks and presentations is the expectation of attendee engagement.

A workshop is generally broken down by agenda into presentations, discussions, and activities.

After the presentation is given, attendees participate in discussions related to the presentation.

It is imperative that all attendees participate.

Many times workshops are employment related so having a disengaged employee is a big waste of time.

So brighten the mood by making the discussion lighthearted at first. Make sure there is a discussion leader to get the ball rolling.

This is a great opportunity for team building exercises for small groups.

And here’s why:

Team building problem solving activities like workshops bring people together so that they can learn how to work together and solve issues. These skills can then be taken back to the office later.

By the end, you want a more educated and engaged audience.

Estimated Attendees: 50-100

Time Requirement: Half Day

Difficulty: Medium

Conclusion

No matter the event, preparing a plan, a budget, finding guests, and selecting a venue are important tasks.

Ultimately, every event, whether for work or for a social reason has a purpose.

And if you are planning the event, it is up to you to keep that purpose in mind whatever type of event you are planning.

Let us know in the comments below of helpful tips you have for planning some of these events and how to become an event planner.