What do you need to start your career in event planning? Clients, of course!

It can be a challenge for event planners just getting started in the business to find those opportunities, though. It’s not that these opportunities don’t exist. It’s just that you can easily feel overwhelmed at the thought of putting yourself out there to make the introductions.

#1 Strategy to Start a Career in Event Planning

When I first launched my event planning business almost a decade ago, I purposely didn’t carry business cards. This was a great way for me to talk about my company to potential clients instead of simply handing them a card they may stuff in a drawer.

My strategy was for these people to get to know me and my company, even in a few short minutes. They put a face, a personality with my name and my company. This made me more than a name on a business card when I was having to work hard to prove myself as a business owner.

I recently talked about networking with Alex Durant of Durant Consulting. As someone who’s been chosen to work with Food Network’s Wine and Food Festival in both South Beach and New York, she knows a thing or two about making those connections and working them to her advantage!

Watch the conversation below and then share your networking strategy in the comments.

A career in event planning revolves around networking. You network with your clients. You network with vendors and suppliers. You’re continually networking to grow that web of people who could be clients or could help you pull off the most important event of your life.

What’s The Hardest Thing You’ll Have To Do To Start Your Career In Event Planning?

But the hardest networking you’ll ever have to do is when you’re marketing yourself, especially when you’re first starting your career in event planning. This means you have to be ready to talk about your company 24/7. You have to put yourself in the spotlight without sounding like you’re holding a megaphone in front of someone’s face screaming for business.

Your neighbor may mention his niece’s bar mitzvah is coming up. The woman you always talk to at the gym might make a comment about her company’s annual fundraiser. Talk to your friends.

Talk to clients.

Find common ground to open new doors.

Walk into businesses.

Join the Chamber of Commerce. Attend business expos. Smile. Shake hands. Make those introductions.

All of those meetings will lead you to that a-ha! moment when someone says, “Hey! We were just talking about planning a luncheon for our clients” or “My company doesn’t have any events coming up right now but I just got engaged and need someone to plan my wedding.”

Networking is the easiest and best way to attract new business and every introduction you make could lead to new clients.

I’d love to hear from you.

How do you kickstart you business in event planning? Let me know in the comments below…