Welcome to The Club!

Last Thursday, I attended Best Events Live, which was a networking reception and educational panel discussion. It was held at NYIT's Auditorium on Broadway, and started off with hors d'oeuvres and a cocktail hour, which allowed for mingling and networking. Networking is networking is networking, so I really won't get into that. My favorite part was the panel discussion. But first, let me give you the specifics.

The discussion was focused around the theme of "Trends & Tips: What's Up, What's Now", and the three panelists were Amy Kule, Group VP of Special Events, Macy's; Molly McCooey, Director or Event Marketing, J. Crew; and Sara Shenasky, Promotion & Event Director, The Wall Street Journal.

Here are some interesting tidbits that I took from the discussion:

• Social media is still a matter of debate: Interestingly, Amy and Molly weren't big fans of social media. Molly admitted to being a bit slow on Twitter but said that it "is great for outreach because J. Crew is about a lifestyle and not just clothes." Amy wasn't "sold" on Twitter or Facebook herself, and didn't feel that there were any measurable results to prove that it works in acquiring or retaining customers.
• I found this to be surprising, because social media is the big thing right now. On the other hand, I also agreed with their viewpoints. I often feel like most companies are a part of the Twitter movement just because everyone else is. When I look at companies (and people) who tweet every few minutes, I often wonder what purpose those tweets serve, and whether it's doing them more harm than good. Honestly, when I see back-to-back tweets on my timeline, they get the same reaction as when I'm bombarded by annoying television commercials: they get ignored. To me, tweets have to be relevant--and that's the only way that they can be successful. Sending out a bunch at a time doesn't mean anything to me.

• It's all about who you know: Connections are everything. Whether times are tough or you just need a favor, you often have to rely on the relationships you've made in the past. It's very important to make and keep connections, because these relationships can take you very far. You never know who you may meet through a common acquaintance, and you never know when their expertise may come in handy.

• Never underestimate the power of events: Sometimes an event has more of an effect on people's choices than advertising. Today's event planners are creating smarter, more targeted events and are doing more with less. As an event planner, you must learn to adjust with the times, make do with what resources you have, and still create an amazing event.

• "We're not saving lives": While planning events is very serious business, and requires a lot of hard work, it is still something fun! You must enjoy doing it, and remember that it's about creativity!

What I enjoyed the most about the discussion panel was that I was surrounded by experienced event professionals, who were willing to talk and share. I felt like I was part of some secret underground club, and I loved it! I had access to wonderful people, who could provide great insight into the event planning world. But, it also got me thinking about other newbie event planners out there. Did they know about events like this? If not, how could they find such events? After all, I only knew about it because I attended the Best Events Expo in March.

So, what's today's lesson? You've got to get out there! Event planning is a very hard industry to break into, and there's no one way to go about it. My best advice to you (and to myself) is to get involved, and stay involved. RSVP'ing and attending one event can put you on a mailing list to stay informed about other events, and it continues from there. It's no secret. The opportunities are out there, you've just got to look for them.

These Small Things

As a burgeoning event planner, my imagination often runs wild thinking of the extravagant, hundred-thousand dollar budget events that I will plan in the future--events where money is no object, and I have complete freedom of creativity. But for now, I'm starting small.

On Saturday, April 3rd, I was in New Jersey for a salon grand opening. I was first introduced to the owner through a mutual acquaintance who knew I was an event planner. I was extremely excited, honored and flattered that although we never met face-to-face, he was willing to trust my judgment enough to let me plan such an occasion. After all, it was my input and insight that would to help make the salon a success. Talk about pressure! 

At first I wanted this post to be about the event itself, but I kept getting stuck. I’ve been working on this for weeks now, and it just wasn’t coming out right. After some thought (and time away), I realized that I was putting too much thought into it. After all, this blog serves not only to share tips with newbie event planners, but as a means to share my experiences as well. I am a firm believer that each experience presents a lesson to learn from, and the grand opening was no different. So, instead of breaking down the event itself, I’m going to break it down into what lessons I learned that will help me (and you!) in the future:

• Event Planning goes hand-in-hand with PR & Marketing: Almost anything can be turned into an event. However, proper research needs to be conducted beforehand. One needs to identify the target market and its needs, figure out what will attract them (marketing), identify the proper media avenues to reach this target market (public relations), and of course, plan an engaging event (event planning).

• Some types of events are self-sufficient: Although anything can be turned into an event, sometimes there’s just not much that you have to do to make it a success. In the case of a salon, grand opening festivities are a great way to attract customers, but they’re not completely necessary. For example, I had great activities and incentives prepared for customers on opening day, but I'm not quite sure if they came to the salon because of those incentives or just because there was a new salon open. As a matter of fact, it didn't appear that any of the customers knew about the raffle or prizes despite the various marketing efforts—they were just there to “check out the new salon”. Either way, we were prepared to welcome and thank them for their patronage. As my NYU professor once said, "It is always better to under-promise and over-deliver."

• Don't be afraid to take control: Although you're a newbie, that doesn't mean you're not qualified to plan an event. Skills that you may already have such as being detail-oriented, the ability to multi-task and work under tight deadlines, and oral & written communication skills (to name a few) all come in handy and are vital to event planning. The first step is believing in yourself and your capabilities. You can do it!

Even though it wasn’t a grandiose affair, the salon grand opening event was still a success. I was excited to do the best job I possibly could for one of my first solo events, and learned a lot in the process. In addition, knowing that I helped someone accomplish their dream all the while advancing towards mine, provided tremendous satisfaction for me. Although there was no hundred-thousand dollar budget this time around, I realized that sometimes the small things make the biggest impact.

To Be (Certified), or Not To Be (Certified)? That is the question...

We all know that education is fundamental, no matter what field we pursue. After all, we spend most of our lives in school, beginning with pre-school and sometimes ending with college. Nowadays, it doesn't even stop there as more and more people are pursuing graduate degrees. Degrees in event or meeting planning are relatively new, and didn't even really exist when I was in college (which was only three years ago!). As a matter of fact, the closest related major that was offered was Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management. With event planning's growing popularity as a career choice, it leaves one to wonder how it's possible to get a start if you've had little to no experience. There are two sides to this coin: either you go to school and enroll in a degree or certificate program, or get out there and start working!

As a student currently enrolled in the Meeting, Conference and Event Management certificate program at the New York University, I've been asking myself that same question. These programs can be a bit expensive, so I'm always looking for ways to be more resourceful and still gain experience. I did some research and found a few articles that addressed this issue.

The first, "Meetings Industry Certifications", was about just that. The article gave a very helpful run-down of commonly found certifications for corporate planners, and broke down their meanings and qualifications. 
Read it here: Meetings Industry Certification

The second, "To CMP or Not to CMP", addressed whether it was beneficial to become a Certified Meeting Professional. Some interesting points were:

• John Touchette, CMP, general director for John Hancock Financial Services stated, "I believe that having a CMP helps to get a meeting planner's resume to the top of the pile when interviewing."
• Meeting planners view certification as a key tool in efforts to enhance their professional image.
• Rob Cingras, Asst. Director, Conference Management for Cigna said, "Having the CMP doesn't necessarily add to your skills, but it gives you recognition. It says that you are more than a party planner."

Read it here: To CMP Or Not to CMP

The last article, "Expand Your Event Planning Knowledge", gave more of an overview of the things that a new event planner can do to bolster their skills. Their advice:

• Education for event planning: "If you've got the time and the money, go for it."
• Intern
• Moonlight: "You don't necessarily have to start your company and have that be the only thing you do."
• Research: "Don't always go looking for a job. Go looking for information."
• Attend tradeshows: "Tradeshows are a great way to stay on top of trends, educate yourself about the process, network with vendors and make fabulous new friends."

Read it here: Expand Your Event Planning Knowledge

After reading these three articles, I side with the statement that "If you've got the time and the money, go for it." I think this is the best way to receive a great educational foundation, while applying what you've learned in real-world situations. Perhaps if you're more of a school person, you should switch it up and try getting out there and volunteering. If you usually steer clear of books or anything school related, maybe its time to get back in there and hit the books.

If event planning is a new undertaking for you, don't be afraid to think and step outside of the box. I always remember the saying "If you always do what you've always done...you'll always get what you've always gotten."