How do I Become a Party Event Planner?

Becoming a party and event planner is a career choice that has caught the attention of a number of creative people. The broad range of events and parties taking place in different settings allows anyone who is serious about earning a living as an events planner to find ample work, assuming the planner is good as what he or she does. In terms of procedure, the process to become a party event planner follows a fairly straightforward course: develop skills, gain practical experience, and obtain the financing necessary to open a business.

As a prerequisite to the educational process, it is often a good idea to think about what types of events and parties you would like to take on as projects. Some types of event planning are more suited to working for a corporation, while others are better options for people looking to establish their own business. Corporate event planners often are connected with organizations that handle the details for organizing conferences and conventions that involve a national audience. A sports event planner may focus on local sporting events or work with a league or major sports club. Knowing what type of events you would prefer to work with will have a direct impact on your goal to become a party event planner, since you will want to concentrate your training and skill development in areas that equip you for those events.

After developing some idea of the direction you wish to take with your career, you can move on to the training process. Some institutions of higher learning do offer courses in event planning. However, a more common approach to the educational process is to learn the basics of the business by working with an established special events planner. At first, this will probably be work behind the scenes, such as running errands or making deliveries for the planner. The benefit to this approach is that you learn all the little things that must be done in order to support the creative effort.

Becoming an apprentice to an established party planner also has the advantage of learning firsthand how to network with vendors, how to develop a marketing and publicity campaign, and how to handle the accounting aspect of the business. As you pursue your dream to become a party event planner, you can augment what you learn at work by taking courses in basic accounting, financial management, and marketing at a local college or trade school. This will equip you to set up a viable structure for your own business at some point in the future.

If you truly want to become a party event planner, gaining practical experience is essential. After working with an established planner for some time, you are likely to be included in more of the creative process of the business. At first, this will be in very small ways, such as helping to arrange decorations for the event, or planning the arrangement of chairs in a dining area. Over time, your role will probably expand, or you will feel confident enough in your ability to take the final step and establish your own event planning business.

Your final step in achieving your goal to become a party event planner is to obtain the financing you need to launch your business. Much of what you observed during your training will help you to determine what you need in the way of startup capital. Fortunately, starting an event planning business does not require a great deal of money, especially if you can establish accounts with local vendors who will extend at least thirty days for payment on items purchased. Still, you will need some money for advertising, business cards, and creating a web site. Plan carefully and you should be able to land enough work to keep ahead of your expenses, and make a profit at the same time.