Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Importance of Utilizing all Marketing Tools to advertise Your Business.....

When I first began my Event Planning Company, I had no idea how I was going to get started.  All I knew was that I had a passion for planning events and that planning events was something I wanted to do. Without a Company name in mind nor any business cards to hand out, I was given the opportunity to go to a Wine Festival Event and push the business of my unidentified company. With that I had to think fast about what I wanted my company to be called and think fast on where to purchase advertisement material. With that being said, I ended up calling my company Events...By Stephanie and ordering my first business cards, which only included my name, number and email address from Vistaprint.com.

Today as my business continues to grow, I continue to use more and more marketing tools to advertise my business. I think that it is important to use as many marketing tools as one can use. Though you may be thinking "Who would I ever attract on this website?" you just never know. I also recommend utilizing the Social Medias out there as well. You can do a lot for you business, by setting up information about your company on varies sites. This element alone will help your business grow.  The more people that see your business the better the chances are that you will get more business.

Some of the FREE Sites to take advantage of are LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. Some other marketing tools to take advantage of are blogs, associations, newspaper listings, networking events, flyers, brochures, etc. If you are looking to grow your business, you have to THINK BIG and utilize every marketing tool possible.

Today my company not only has business cards, but I also have and use a company website, brochures, blogs, social medias, word of mouth and an occasional networking event.

By using every marketing tool possible, you are giving your business more explosure, which in turns only helps your business.

Stephanie White
http://www.eventsbystephanie.vpweb.com/

Monday, January 10, 2011

Don't Stress; With the Cost of Weddings today, Everyone is not going to be invited to Your Wedding!!!!!

It's your "Big Day" and you have waited for this day to come "FOREVER". You have your Wedding Gown already picked out, you have the ceremony and reception site picked out, your flowers picked out, etc. In your mind, probably years before this day, you had your bridal party all picked out; your BFF is on your list along with family members and friends. If you are "Me" of course, you have your favors picked out along with the Limo you would like to have drive you and your Bridal party on your Wedding day.

But then you get to your "Guest List" and things begin to get REAL SERIOUS!!!! You begin to think about all the people who have helped guide you along in this life. You think about the people who have helped you physically, spiritually and mentally. You think about your Parents, who are a given, your Aunts, Uncles, Godparents, your Spiritual Advisor, your Pastor, your cousins, your cousin's husband's mother, etc. And the "Guest List" can go on, and on, and on and on......

In all reality unless you are Donald Trump or Oprah Winfrey, you will not be able to invite everyone that you want to your wedding; and PLEASE KNOW that it is OK.  If it makes you feel better, send a small gift from your Wedding Day to the people who you were not able to invite. In today's economy and with the cost of Weddings, many couples are finding less expensive ways to get married.  So when you start looking at your guest list and you begin to stress, remember that at the end of the day it is "All about" the person you are spending your life with and not about the guest list for the actual event!!!!

Stephanie White
http://www.eventsbystephanie.vpweb.com/

Friday, January 7, 2011

Why Do People Hire Event Planners?

It wasn't until I was asked to coordinate my first event, that I understood why "People Hire Event Planners".

The definition of an "Event Planner" is Someone who plans social events as a profession; usually for government or corporate officials.

Today people hire event planners, for not only corporate events but for personal events as well.  People hire event planners for weddings, birthday parties, anniversary parties, house warming parties, bar mitzvah parties, holiday parties, dinner parties and more.

As an Event Planner I can say that in my experience of planning events I have executed events from start to finish. As a Planner it is my goal to get the client's vision for their event and coordinate their event in such a way that they receive exactly what they ask for. 

People hire Event Planners because they are too busy to plan the event themselves.  Sometimes all the details for the events are too overwhelming for people and they would much rather outsource the planning of their event. People hire event planners because they sometimes need a "Buffer" (a cushion-like device that reduces shock due to an impact) in place, that would help with any conflict between the client and their family, or the client and their vendor.

As an Event Planner it is my job to coordinate the parties involved, any vendors they may have, the timeline for the event, etc.  My job as the planner is done when my clients leave for the evening and all items are back in their correct place.

Each Event Planner does their job differently.  No two are the same!!!!!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Importance of Having a Contract....

When I began planning events back in 2006, I did not use a contract with my clients right away. We pretty much went off of a verbal agreement.  As time went on and the more I learned about planning events and dealing with people who tried and in some cases succeeded in taking advantage of me I began to use contracts.  Now today, I don't begin the planning of any event, without first having a signed contract in hand.

The definition of a "Contract" is an agreement with specific terms between two or more persons, in which there is a promise to do something in return for a valuable benefit known as "Consideration".

I believe that contracts should be used in any situation where as two people want to benefit from what the other has.  Contracts should include specific information about what the job is of the two people.  Contracts should then include signatures from all parties.  If there is every a change to the original contract both parties should know about the change and apply their initials or signatures again.  Contracts are binding agreements and one can be taking to court if they don't follow through on their end.

Events...By Stephanie
http://www.eventsbystephanie.vpweb.com/

Monday, January 3, 2011

Ideas on How to Pick Your Wedding Date....

Sugguestions on How to pick your Wedding Date.....

-Pick a date that has meaning to the both of you; the date of when you began dating, your birthday, etc.

-Pick a date that fits into your budget; like for example, having your wedding in the summer at the location you want may cost you a little more, because of the season. Or having your wedding on a Saturday will be a little bit more expensive than a Sunday, bacause Saturdays are a popular wedding day.

-Pick a date that lines up with both of your schedules.

-If it is important to you that everyone is present on the day of your wedding, pick a date and day to where you know everyone can be there.

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