What Event Planning Training Do You Need to Succeed?

Are gaps in your event planning training keeping you from reaching your goals?

Are you afraid of failing?

The most successful event planners are the ones who regularly take stock of their skills and get the training they need to fill in the gaps.

Those training gaps fall into three categories.

Use the following sections to identify what you’re missing…

Don’t stop there – use these tips to also learn how to get the best training in the quickest possible way.

Business Management Training

Before you can become truly successful as an event planning professional, you need a solid foundation for your business. If you’re constantly tripped up by late payments, lack of cash flow or poorly written contracts it’s going to be very difficult to grow your business.

To fill this gap in your event planning training, find an event planning program that helps you keep track of your event business. As you learn to use a business management program, that training will reduce your stress and put your business on stable footing.

This kind of program doesn’t have to be complicated; after all, you’re busy planning and executing events. Pick the program that best fits your ability to keep it updated (with a little training.) Taking the time to learn basic business management skills is absolutely necessary if you want to grow the event planning business of your dreams.

Marketing Strategies Training

Here’s the place where so many event planning professionals fail to grow. Writing your business goals, putting a business management program in place and learning how to plan events are all necessary skills for the event planner. But if you don’t understand basic marketing strategies, how will you reach your customers?

Event Planning Training

Here are two simple ways to fill the gap in event marketing training:<.p>

• Choose an event planning program that walks you through how the basics of successful marketing: how to find your first customers, how to ask for referrals, how to define your event niche, and so forth, or…
• Identify a successful event management professional who will mentor you in basic events marketing.

Tip: belonging to an event planning industry organization will allow you to network with those who have mastered the skills you need.

A word about mentoring: these relationships can be invaluable in growing your business, but keep in mind your mentor is also running a business. Be reasonable about requesting information and guidance from your mentor and always respect any time boundaries they set.

Using a two-pronged strategy to fill this gap in your event planning training can produce results quickly. First, depend on the event planning program of your choice to teach you the basics of marketing your business and then call on your mentor to help you fine tune your approach to marketing.

Events Management Skills Training

It’s possible to set up a successful event management business without previous experience, IF you have the right training. Here are three ways to fill the events management skills training gap and get started planning events.

1. Take online or on-campus courses in event management through a college or technical school. This is the most expensive method of learning how to manage events and requires the greatest time commitment.
2. Intern or volunteer for an organization that regularly hosts events and learn the basics of event planning from the professional in charge. As with Option 1, this requires a time commitment and you won’t be getting paid as you train.
3. Purchase an event planning program that includes all the steps for planning an event from start to finish. Consider hosting your first event or volunteering your services to a favorite charity to sharpen your skills. As you’re choosing the program you’ll use, find out if it includes on-going tips and mentoring from an event planning professional.

Running an event planning business that creates the income you desire requires strong skills in all three of these categories. If reading through the above categories has helped you identify your training gaps, take action quickly to get the training you need.

With the right event planning training, marketing and event management skills, you can find the right customers and serve them in ways that grow your business.

In the comments below, I’d love to hear from you.

What areas of event planning do you need training?

What steps can you take right now to get started?

As always, thanks for reading, sharing our posts and commenting.