Believe it or not, to successfully plan an event, you must learn a few things. Choosing a good decorator, dressing a table, and paying a DJ to keep everyone awake are essential; however, event planning goes way beyond a rouse of applause at the end of the day. Here are five qualities a planner should develop.
Organizational skills: Organization skills will help you fix the priority and stick to the deadlines. In the event planning world, respecting deadlines is very important. The event you are planning must have a deadline, meaning a day and time you agreed on. Therefore, each step must have a day and a time attached. You should give yourself time to deal with emergencies as well. There are things you can put their deadlines in a few hours or even a few days before the time that you need them. However, other things require a specific time on the event day.
Communication skills: Communication is what will hold the chain together. What I mean by that is you will need practical and clear communication with your client, vendors, and team members. Lack of communication can be business destructive. For example, Not communicating with your client might lead you to plan an event but not the event they are paying you for which is "very bad for your business." Your client asked you for a fancy cocktail by the pool, and you started working on a pool party concept. Or your client does not want some ingredients in their menu recipe, but you forgot to let the caterer know.
Negotiation skills: If you cannot negotiate, please, find a different career path because it will be all about negotiation. You will negotiate the prices with vendors, days and times for the venue, the decor concept with the decorator, and the list does not stop there. From point A to point B, until you reach your goal, you must negotiate with all parties involved. A good negotiation will help your client find the best options and pay for the correct event. Remember, good communication also helps with bargaining.
Management skills. Always remember if event planning is how, you make a living, you should do it well. It will help if you manage your business, your team, and your time properly. Otherwise, it will not be worth it. Whether you do it as a full-time job or on the side, you must do it right. That is the best way to grow your client list and social media pages.
Problem solving Problem-solving abilities will help you to anticipate chaotic situations, limit awful consequences, and find quick and suitable solutions to any crisis. You will need to learn how to address a problem from different points of view and how to set your emotions aside. You will need self-control and maturity to understand why a situation happened. Maturity will help you maintain long-term partnerships with the vendors and help you not to take things personally.
You must develop and master many other skills to become the planner you want to be. However, if you master these five (5) skills above, you will be on your way to your best achievement.
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