Attack of the Newbies

In my daily quest for information about event planning, I came across an article through Special Events magazine’s Eventline e-newsletter titled, ‘Newbie “Wedding Planners” Plague the Professionals’. It detailed the disdain and uproar that newbie wedding planners are causing amongst veteran wedding professionals. As a new event planner myself, I took an immediate interest.

Apparently there has been a "wave" of new so-called wedding planners (or people who think that they would like to take a stab at the industry), when in reality, they have no clue what they’re doing. Among the many ways they are sabotaging more experienced wedding planners is a trend of offering low-cost, “day of” wedding coordination services. Really!? You can't possibly plan a wedding in one day! As Joyce Scardina Becker, president of Events of Distinction, said, “No wedding planner of sound mind, experience and education would simply show up on the day of a wedding, wave their arms in the air like a symphony conductor and expect everything to flow flawlessly.” She’s right. It just doesn’t make sense.

Another tactic newcomers are using is undercutting on price, which often times leaves the veterans having to explain why they charge what they do, which is time consuming. In addition, as Siobhan Craven-Robins said, "...it devalues the brand and makes the industry unnecessarily cutthroat." I couldn't agree more. I like to think of event planners as a big network of colleagues. Sure, we all essentially do the same things, and therefore compete against each other, but overall, I think we all prefer when everyone succeeds. There's so much that we can learn from one another instead of fighting for business/clients.

Newcomer wedding planners are not only driving down fees, but compromising the reputation of wedding planning with their ignorance of the professionalism it entails. Planning a wedding is no joke. After all, it is the one day that most women have dreamed of since they were a little girl. To a pro, watching someone inexperienced try to step in and take over must feel like a slap in the face. The fact of the matter is that quality beats out quantity on any day. Quick, easy and cheap might be all the rave now, but once people realize they're not getting their moneys worth, they'll go back to the experts.

Here are some tips to help you become an enlightened newbie:

• Do as much research as possible
• Find someone experienced in planning & see if they’re willing to mentor you
• Consider getting a certificate in Event or Meeting Planning
• Volunteer at events
• Register for conferences, career panels, networking events, etc.

No one wants to be is a failure. Event planning is not easy, and it certainly isn't an easy industry to break into. After reading this article, I feel more determined to shine. I don't claim to be a veteran and I know that there is so much more for me to learn. Although my focus is not weddings, I still plan to use all resources available to me so that I too will become one of those veteran event planners whose work and talents people trust and admire.

After all, you must learn how to crawl before you walk.

I'm Not A Spring Chicken Anymore

I keep hearing the phrase that "30 is the new 20."

This may be true, but at the tender age of 24, I'm starting to feel my old age creeping up on me. Okay, okay, I'm just kidding---but only a little.

I like to think that I keep up with everything that's going on and try to stay current, whether it's with music, fashion, trends, celebrity gossip, technology, etc. I recently came to the realization though, that I had fallen behind a bit when it came to technology. Sure, I have an iPhone, I had a BlackBerry, Palm handheld, iPod, etc, but nowadays, technology is so much more than the physical gadgets we use.

In today's world, there's Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, podcasting--the list goes on and on. I have only begun to scratch the surface by recently creating this blog, and joining Twitter a few weeks ago. Although easy to navigate and get the hang of, I surprised myself by how long it took me to tackle these two things. After all, so many people have been blogging and "tweeting" already, could I really just jump into it? I'm still young and cool, right?

On March 16th, I attended the Best Events Expo at the Sheraton New York. It was my first ever event planning-related conference, and I was super excited. I registered for it on my own, and attended it on my own. I didn't really know what to expect, but I assumed that it would consist of a variety of business vendors exchanging business cards, in business attire, and acting very...well, business-like. Typically, that's not my kind of scene (I like meeting people more organically), but I was willing to do it for the sake of event planning. However, upon arrival, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong.

Everyone, from the hotel staff to the event attendees, was very friendly. Dress was business casual--professional, yet comfy. As a matter of fact, the whole atmosphere felt relaxed and stress free. It was obvious that we were all there to learn. I quickly connected with a young woman and her colleague, who actually became my "Expo Buddies" for the day. Overall, it was very easy to meet people, which I definitely think added to my pleasant experience.

Aside from the networking opportunity, the main reason I registered for the expo was because I was interested in the many workshops that were being offered. One in particular was titled, "Social Media: Get It, Got It...Good." This session was presented by Tatiana Byron, President of 4PM Events, and served as a brief introduction/tutorial for how to use social media to promote your events. In her presentation, Tatiana gave tips for how to start and maintain a blog and Twitter account. Some key points were:

• Post entries at least three times a week
• Focus your posts around a common theme
• Personal and business matters should never be mixed

Before I joined Twitter, I didn't understand it all. The concept didn't make much sense to me and I figured it was just a simpler version of Facebook status updating. Basically, I joined because I figured it was the right thing to do.

Now, I understand that Twitter is a wonderful way to engage and disseminate information to a large group of people. As a small business owner, it's perfect because I can get the word out to my followers quickly and easily. It also motivates and forces me to stay on top of the happenings in my field. And yes, I must admit, it's fun! However, like so many other things, Twitter is not for everyone. Check out this interesting article, "5 Signs You Might Not Be Ready for Twitter": http://bit.ly/9jvCyq

Although the session only lasted about 40 minutes, it was Tatiana Byron's clear and concise presentation that gave me the motivation and courage to start my own blog & Twitter accounts. If I hadn't taken the initiative and attended the expo, I'm not really sure if I would've taken that step both on my own, or so soon. That being said, I highly recommend the Best Events Expo for these reasons:

• It was a smaller scale conference, with an intimate feel.
• The informative workshops were short enough to learn, but didn't bore you to death.
• It was a great way to connect & network without the usual forced "networking" atmosphere.
• The expo hall was packed with vendors, but was still small enough to maneuver without getting tired or lost.
• The venue itself was contained to a small area, so you didn't have to go too far for anything.
  
• The "green" gift/tote bag was cute and sturdy enough to hold all of the information you collect.

So, if you've been thinking about joining a social media network, but have been hesitant, I say go for it! You might surprise yourself. Maybe being "in the know" doesn't come easily to me anymore, but I'm still young. Hey, if 30 is the new 20, then that would make me 14, right?

Follow me on Twitter! @RedLotusEvents

Welcome to Said By Red!

Do you remember trying to picture yourself as an adult when you were younger?

I do.

I could never fully see the "grown" me--it was like a photograph that wasn't completely in focus and was slightly blurry. Physically, I imagined myself looking pretty much the same, perhaps showing some maturity, but with no drastic changes to my outward appearance.

Career-wise, I couldn't really picture that either. There were so many things that I was interested in becoming: a chef (I was always experimenting with ingredients in the kitchen), a pediatrician (I love kids and sometimes science), and an entrepreneur (I wanted to--and still do--open my own restaurant & hotel).

Throughout the years, I struggled with what exactly it was that I wanted to do. In college, I majored in Public Relations knowing that I wanted to focus on event planning. However, none of my core classes focused on this. Therefore, when I graduated, I didn't really know where to go. I wasn't sure if I wanted to work for a PR agency, or even pursue the typical 9-5 kind of job. So, I bounced around a few positions, trying to find something I liked. As the years flew by, I began to worry a tad. Where exactly was I going? And most importantly, how was I going to get there?

Now that I've been out of college for almost three years, and at my present job for two, I've had some time to figure out what I want out of life, what I want for myself, and the kind of career that entails. After feeling pretty lost, I feel like I've finally had an epiphany. My interest in event planning has never diminished, and I decided to take a stab at it again: I enrolled in the Special Events Management course at NYU, and oh, how I loved it! I knew right away that THIS was what I was meant to do! Slowly but surely, everything has started to click, and the gears are moving things into place. Though I may not be the most experienced at the moment, I am certainly on my way. That's where this blog comes into play...

I plan to use "Said By Red" as a resource for not only myself, but other up-and-coming event planners out there. I believe that experience is the best teacher, and as I experience all that event planning has to offer, I hope to pass that knowledge onto you.

Here's to bringing that photo into focus!

~Red Lotus Event Design