Press releases can help you reach your target audience quickly and effectively if done right.

Writing press releases is a crucial step in event and business marketing, yet many event planners dread the thought of writing one. They don't know where to start, they don't know how to get it in front of journalists, and they are simply afraid of writing one.

A press release is a story that is sent out to mainstream media and online publications, with the intent to publicize an event with the goal of getting published.

Two things must be kept in mind when writing a press release. First, it has to suit the news writing format and appeal to the editor or reporter. Second, it has to include all the important information that is relevant to the event – date, time, venue and links to the website and registration site.

There are certain things you can do to give your press release a good chance at being published.

1. Make it newsworthy. A press release should satisfy the requirements of a publication, which in turn, wants articles that will interest the reader. Your press release has to be of a publishable quality.
2. Find a good angle. Perhaps your event is going to include a widely known speaker, or a speaker who is very famous with your target market. That will be the angle of your story. For example, “Dana Thomas will be inVermont next week.”
3. Use subheads. A subhead beneath your headline will amplify the headline and is a great way to hook the reporter. For example: “Bestselling author will read a chapter of her new book at the Strand on Tuesday.”
4. Do the 5W lead. A standard news story should tell the whole story in a nutshell by saying who, what, when, where and why. For example: “Bestselling author Dana Thomas will be at the Strand Theatre, Vermont, on Tuesday to launch her new book, Fabulous.”
5. The body. At this point, you want to back up your lead. This can be done by adding quotes, quoting your client, and even adding an extra quote from an authority. For example, “Thomas will read a chapter from her book, Fabulous, and take questions from the audience. She will also autograph copies of her book during the event. Mary Suzanne Thomas of Picador Publications said, "This is very exciting for all of us. Dana is eager to come toVermont and meet her readers. Picador expects that her new book is going to be another bestseller."”
6. Wrap up. The last paragraph should wrap up your story and include information about your client and what they do. For example, “Picador Publications is a veteran book publisher that has, for decades, worked with some of the most popular authors in the country.”

One note: The example we have given above is entirely fictional, and is only intended to provide an example of how a press release should be written. Other things to bear in mind in press releases are:

1. Read good newspapers regularly to get the feel of news writing.
2. Some publicists add a pitch letter with the highlights of the story attached.
3. Avoid bloated adjectives like “state of the art” and “breakthrough.”
4. Only use “I” or “we” if it’s in a quote.
5. Keep it short. Ideally one page, two pages maximum.
6. Three #’s are placed at the end of the press release, centered, after the last sentence.
7. The press release can be sent by snail mail, email or fax, and can also be included in a press kit.
8. Learn the basics of AP style to make journalist's job easier.

To help you get started, if you haven't, download free press release template by choosing your file format.

Photo by Kenichi

There are loads of  "Virtual Event" offerings on the market.  Some offer a good audience experience, but generally I think many of these products haven’t been created with the audience in mind. Now, I know many of them have multiple bells and whistles that allow viewers to do all manner of things, but ultimately shouldn’t a Virtual Event be similar to a real event? Isn’t that what we as audience members and viewers recognise? We don’t want to sit in front of our laptops and see a face in a video box with PowerPoint in another box and several other boxes asking for feedback, questions and audience interaction. It’s all too confusing! (Well, for me it is anyway!) These types of products are fine for virtual meetings and exhibitions, but not for events.

In my opinion a Virtual Event needs to replicate a real live event. This is what the audience recognise as an event. Something that looks polished, on brand and can be viewed through one screen. This is why we created VirtualStudio.TV, to deliver high quality Virtual Events that encompass all of the visual elements of a live event, but that can be viewed from the comfort of your desktop or mobile device.

Our Virtual Events use one viewing screen in which the presenter and PowerPoint can both be seen simultaneously. The audience isn’t bombarded with confusing boxes, but should they need to ask questions, take part in polls, download supporting documentation and have discussions with one another, there is always the option for interaction.

We have produced a wide range of Virtual Events since our launch, and here are our top five tips on maintaining your audience’s engagement, because at the end of the day it’s the audience who determines the success of any event!

Brent Burns, professional business speaker and "Book Yourself Solid" Coach, speaks at the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce in Crystal Lake, Illinois, for their Business Builders Breakfast on March 6, 2009.

I’ve been going at this speaking business for seven years now.  To say “I have learned a lot” would be the understatement of the decade.  One of the biggest things I’ve learned is also one of the most basic: What does the job of “speaker” mean?

The most common answer is to define the task as being similar to a school teacher. After all, for most of us that’s more or less how we perceive an individual speaking in front of a group. And an awful lot of the time that’s exactly what you get: A lecture with PowerPoint slides.

But I’ve come to discover that the art of “speaking” is something way beyond that. Or maybe I should say way closer than that. To illustrate, let me tell you a story:

A few weeks ago I was invited to a little dinner party with a small group of people I didn't know very well. I’m always a little antsy about such events, because what usually happens is I become the de facto entertainment for the evening.

But, much to my surprise, there was another guest at the party who was going through some very melodramatic issues in her life, and she proceeded to tell us a story that was absolutely riveting. I had never met this person before, and she was not famous, but I found myself enthralled by her story and the intensity, honesty, and humor with which she told it.

Another story: I was visiting a friend in the Bahamas and we went out to a popular restaurant. The only way we could get seated was if we shared a table, and we ended up sitting with two huge local guys who were total strangers. I was braced for an awkward 90 minutes, but one of these guys (it turned out they were both “narcs”) started to tell us some stories of his recent adventures, and all through dinner we were all just laughing hysterically. Totally unexpected and one of the best memories I have of any trip anywhere.

Hopefully, at some point in your life, you have accidentally bumped into a total stranger at a party or a bar, and they proceeded to share a story or some information with you that was perhaps not the latest in scientific breakthroughs or remotely applicable to your work but was still both fascinating and unforgettable, and gave you better insight into human nature generally. And when I try to define myself as a “professional speaker,” that’s about as close as I can get to defining what it is that I try to do every time I get up in front of a crowd.

Yes, there is “information” being imparted, but that’s the school teacher speaker model creeping in again. “Speaking” is much more than teaching. It’s about creating a state of momentary interpersonal connectedness, and sharing a true story about the reality of life that in some way mirrors your own experience but also expands your perspective a little bit. You want to hear more because it’s so pleasurable to “be told a story” and have these images dance in your mind. You laugh and feel a shared connection, and this can happen anywhere, any time, even with a total stranger.

Photo by James Jordan

The system has its advantages, but it also has disadvantages as there are some things that just don’t fit into a 60-minute time slot. You just can’t get very deep in that amount of time.

So for your next conference or weekend event, here’s a little different take, stolen completely from the swing dance world.

Once or twice each month, the swing dancers of America take over some unsuspecting hotel and take lessons and workshops all day. After dinner, everyone competes, then the pros put on exhibitions, and then everyone social dances from midnight to dawn. (Yes, they are crazy.)

But there is one very different kind of weekend dance event, run by a guy named Mario Robau. Mario is one of the top swing dance instructors in the world. Once a year he comes to New England to give what is known as “The Mario Intensive.”

This takes an entire weekend. It’s 12 hours of him teaching dance, with social dancing at night.

Now to be honest, I am generally not very big on doing dance weekends. Two hours of dancing is about my limit. But I got talked into going to this Mario Intensive event. I was little nervous, because I was afraid of being on my feet for 12 hours of dance instruction.

Well, silly me. Much to my surprise, it was a 12-hour classroom lecture on dance. We did some dancing every once in awhile, but for the most part he just stood there and talked, and we sat there and took notes. Because it was 12 hours, not just the typical one hour class, he was able to really delve into the fundamental elements and put them all together in a way that would have been far too complicated to do in a single hour session.

Many people take “The Mario Intensive” year after year, as it is so “intense” that one gets something new out of it each time.

There is another fabulous nationally known swing dance instructor named Mary Hoedeman. She once came to Boston for a weekend of lessons and workshops, and I booked four hours of private lessons with her in that weekend. Because we had so much time, we were able to deal with lots of basic technical things, drilling and drilling for the four hours.

I only learned one single thing in that four hours, but it was the core basic element of all partner dancing, and it changed my life forever. It never would have happened in a single hour workshop or lesson. It took that long to get the concept thru my thick skull.

I have taken dozens of individual classes and lessons, and I have watched dozens of DVDs. but those two in-depth events had more effect on my ability to swing dance than all of the others combined.

I am not suggesting that just anybody walking down the street can give a worthwhile 12-hour intensive, or a worthwhile, four-hour, one-on-one session. But there are some people who can. For some super presenters, limiting them to a single hour prevents some fabulous in-depth sharing of knowledge. Just an idea if you’re looking to do something different.

Photo by Bob Doran

Imagine RIT is an annual spring festival that showcases innovative and creative work of students, faculty, and staff. The campus-wide festival attracts over 30,000 people in one day. May 7, 2011.

As warm weather comes around, more outdoor events are planned. These can be lovely, but be forewarned — outdoor events are sometimes much more difficult to organize than indoor events.

Here are some tips on how to plan an outdoor event and to minimize stress:

1. Get a permit

Do this as soon as you’ve finalized where and when you'll have your outdoor event. Do this first. The fastest way to shut down an event is to hold it without a permit.

2. Check up on all ordinances

What are the noise ordinances? Every town has them. Is noise prohibited after a certain time? You should also look into fire and safety codes. The latter may have restrictions on overselling tickets, advertisements and seating. Talk to the state and local authorities, the local fire department and the police about these.

3. Some outdoor events need more work than others

Is your event being held in an already existing outdoor facility? Great! That cuts your work in half. Otherwise, are you targeting a raw, uncommon area? Then advance planning and coordination is critical. You can expect to be in charge of everything — power, toilets, communications, equipment and food, among others. Make arrangements to bring everything to the venue, and taking everything out of the venue after the event is done.

4. Load in, load out

Think beyond the event schedule itself, and factor in "loading in" and "loading out" time for everything, including arrangements for power, security, sanitation and other elements of the outdoor event.

5. Logistics and layout

Take photos of the venue, include a sketch and use markers to denote where you want your vendors, et. al. to be set up. How will the equipment be loaded in? The crew and guests? Have a meeting at the venue in advance, with all of your suppliers, so that you can all coordinate the downloading of equipment, parking of trucks, parking space for guests, and other possible needs.

6. Power

Foodway stations, DJ, and areas that will need lights all will need power stations. If there are not enough, tell your vendors to bring extension cords, and check the power load per plug. Coffee makers and crock pots should not share extension cords with sound equipment. Also, have a back-up power system on standby.

7. Ensure the comfort of guests

Have a steady supply of drinking water and drinking fountains. Make sure they're spread all around the venue. Some events, like concerts, provide hosing for crowds. Consider renting portable air conditioners, too.

8. Sanitation

You don’t want any mistakes made here. A lack of restroom facilities, or poor toilet facilities, can ruin your event. Make sure you have enough sanitation equipment not just for the guests but also for the crew.

9. Pest control

Have an exterminator spray the area. Take note of how long it will take after extermination for the food to be safely set up in the area. Keep cans of light scent (such as aloe) repellant handy, and incorporate decorative citronella candles. Decorative plate covers can keep the food protected and also make the table setting look attractive.

Keep a few electric fans running. It keeps the guests comfortable, and blows the mosquitoes away. Another strategy: Place a plate full of sugar water around the perimeter area to keep the bugs busy and out of your party.

10. Amenities

Keep hand wipes, light blankets, sunblock, bug spray, wraps and any other things available that you think will make your guests more comfortable.

11. Lighting

An evening event will require lights even for exit paths, walkways and parking areas for convenience and safety.

12. Health precautions

Have medical professionals on standby, especially if your event is in a remote area. Or at least keep a first-aid kit handy. Prepare a list of the nearest hospitals with directions on how to get to there.

13. Communication

This is especially important for events at remote sites. If the land is hilly, make sure your walkie-talkies have enough power to get through.

14. Monitor the weather

The most common reason to cancel outdoor events is inclement weather. Buy weather insurance, and start monitoring the weather as far in advance as possible. You can get forecasts at weather.com. Also, keep the wind in mind. You don’t want things to blow over, so make sure that everything is anchored securely.

15. Plan for the rain

Have a “plan B” in case of rain. Bring a tent, and know in advance where the DJs can go, the desks, and the food. Portable pavilions can double to provide shade for guests and protection in case of rain. Some of these pavilions even have lovely sidings that can be rolled down in case of rain, and intake vents to accommodate portable air conditioners.

16. Clean up

The event may be over, but your work is not. Make sure that you have made arrangements with the local sanitation department for cleaning up afterwards. Otherwise, have a hauling firm on hand for clearing the area, once the event is over.

Do you have any additional tips to add? Share with your peers in the comment section, and get a link back to your blog.

Photo by Viktor Nagornyy

Every event is a performance, it's alive.

When I was a little kid, my mother worked as a freelance church organist. She hired herself out to the highest bidder each year. So now when people ask me about my religious background, I say Methodist. I also say Baptist, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist, and for two weekends every year I even attended Temple.

Anyway, regardless of the denomination of her current employer, my mother had this unique way of speaking about her work. She never referred to it as playing a church “service.” She always talked about Sunday morning church services as being . . . “a show.”

When I was old enough to care, I asked her, “Mom, why do you call it a show? Everyone else says it’s a ‘service’.”

She replied, “you have an overture, you have dialog, you have songs, there’s choreography, a guy does a standup routine for 25 minutes, and then you have the big finale. That’s a show.”

So — my mother’s blasphemous cynicism aside — for you, dear reader, here is my question: Are your events . . . a show?

The reason I ask is, many “events” are really just a collection of classes. In terms of form, it’s very much like going back to high school. Every hour, you shuffle into a room, you sit in a chair, and someone stands up at the front and gives a little scholarly lecture. Presumably, the “value” is in the data, not in the entertainment. That’s a class, it’s not a show.

I have no objection to the classroom format per se, but I grew up in show business. As a speaker, I consider myself to be a performer, not a lecturer, and to me a series of classes is not an “event.” It’s a school. And since every kid in America from age 5 to 16 takes classes all day every day, there’s really nothing special about school.

So, for what it’s worth, let me give you a few pointers as to how you can convert your classroom “event” . . . into a “show.”

The Form

In showbiz, well, there is always a broad sense of FORM. Time and energy is not linear — it moves in arcs and waves: It must be portioned out so as to maintain audience focus. The longest show you might do is a ballet or an opera, which is three hours 15 minutes. But that is always broken up into three acts, and at the end of the first and second act some kind of dramatic dissonance is presented that leaves you absolutely dying to know how it will resolve itself. You go out to the lobby for 20 minutes to hobnob and have a drink, and then you go back in to find out what the villain is up to next. Anything that isn’t essential to the flow of the plot is cut.

People who are steeped in “classroom conditioning” really don’t get the concept of an arc of time being an integral part of a show. For example, with one of the actual “package shows” that I rent to orchestras, I'm often asked if I can cut 15 minutes from it in order to accommodate the bus drivers. They have no concept of a performance being an organic entity that takes a set amount of time. It’s like asking someone to do half a somersault. You can’t play Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in 10 minutes.

But just as you can’t go short, going long is even worse. In a class, the content is adjusted to suit the time limit, but in a show, the time is adjusted to maximize the audience energy. An audience’s attention span and ability to focus on anything is limited, so it must be used wisely. If you abuse it, you’ll lose it all together. Overly long introductions kill energy. And in terms of “form,” a show of any length typically has one big climactic scene. If the climactic scene is the idea you are presenting, well, you still need to build up to that, and if you add too many other ideas you dilute the effect. Effective communication of either a thought or an emotion pretty much follows the same rules of performance form. Too many characters or subplots, or just taking too long to get there, can ruin the overall effect.

The Overture

Another obvious element of a show is having an overture or a warmup act. If you go to any big pop music concert or TV show taping, they will typically have an up-and-coming comedian come out to “warm up” the crowd. This doesn’t happen in classrooms because it’s presumed that everyone is going to sit there very passively. But in the show, you want people to be excited and focused when the show starts, and you don’t take that for granted. You build anticipation, you sell the excitement. It typically takes at least 15 minutes to convert a crowd from focusing on their seat, their popcorn, and arguing with their spouse about why they parked so far away to being ready to watch the show. Again, audience warmup takes a certain amount of time, and you can’t really rush it.

Our collective “classroom conditioning” creates a fairly low bar of expectation, for both presenters and audiences. And now, with so much information available online, gathering in a “class” only for the purpose of acquiring information, well, it’s slowly becoming obsolete, and is therefore getting harder and harder to sell. But people love to get together and have a tribal connection experience. Show business is booming. There’s no reason why you can’t incorporate your classroom information into that format, and when you do that, wow, what a great show . . . er, event.

Photo by Rodrigo Denúbila

Audience at the Y Combinator's Startup School held at the Stanford University on October 29, 2011.

With globalisation and the increasing participation of the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China) in the meetings and conferences industry, a greater flavor of diversity is evident in conferences these days.

An increasing number of attendees are flown in from various parts of the world, whether it is for a sales training conference of a multinational corporation or an annual conference of a medical association, or even a team building event for a company staff; there is a greater cultural mix in the audience today.

There is so much interaction and networking that takes place that it is easy to not realize that someone else could have a different approach or meaning about something. So what are we doing to face this challenge then? There is quite a lot of effort put in to satisfy the multicultural audience from a logistical and operational point of view.

For instance, conferences are providing the right food and accommodations, timings for prayer for certain cultures and even the provision of having translators or simultaneous interpretation systems for attendees who may not understand the primary language well. However, is there anything being done on the strategic side of event planning to make sure that multicultural audience learns content at an event without being left out due to the differences?

This could be tricky though. To begin with, what do you mean by culture and multiculturism? Does every individual with a certain nationality represent his/her culture? And then learning? Perhaps it is an individual personality trait?

Having said that, previous research in fact suggests that cultures do tend to have specific learning styles and preferences that are  part of their cultural values.

Some cultures learn very well with interaction and discussions, with graphics and activities, while some learn better by observation, listening and reading materials, and being given time to think and apply it later. Although some cultures are open to adapting and changing their style in another learning environment, some are quite conservative and don’t want to get involved, but yet learn.

In a scenario like this, most of our conferences offer either the usual lectures by speakers or only long sessions, while some would probably mix them. But could there be a way to form new formats, or use formats and tools or techniques that could accommodate and support the learning styles of your multicultural audience? Or, are there great minds already using such plans that some of us are not aware of?

Some conferences create engaging environments with innovative formats like the Unconferences, but did they think about multicultural learning before deciding on the format? Or are we just ignoring the fact that we are not allowing all the cultures to learn equally well and take information back at the end of the day?

Indeed, various cultures have very different ways of learning and it may not be possible to satisfy them all, but do we then do a cultural background check to support their learning or do we organise the usual standard presentation or lecture by a speaker and hope everybody learns?

It was announced by IMEX’s Industrial research in July 2007 that culture would soon be a challenge that the industry would have to face, in terms of gaining a return on investment. Of course, after all like it or not, conferences are for the attendees and if they don’t learn anything or enough to apply it later then, I’d say the conference hasn’t been of great value.

I have been thinking about this for quite some time now, and now have the opportunity to do research to find out what conference organisers and planners do, and how they design their conference content to accommodate the multicultural learning styles of a their audience at the international conferences.

It would be great to talk to some planners and organisers to gather some facts and opinions to find out what is being done and how, and if not, why.

If you’re interested to participate in my research then please email me at: Anjalina.Pradhan@student.shu.ac.uk, and I would like to interview you. The benefit of participating in my research is to help understand what is being done to cater to multicultural audiences at events. Plus, you would be able to receive the results of the research study once it is complete.

Your participation could help give an insight to the conference industry on an area that appears to be often overlooked by the organizers, planners, and industry as a whole.

Photo by Robert Scoble

Most events rely on professional speakers - be it a keynote, a training seminar, a large convention, or even a small company meeting.

Having a good, well known speakers helps attract attendees to an event. But, having less known speakers, helps keep events fresh.

But as we are getting more and more connected through technology, mainly the internet, the disconnect between the speakers and the clients that hire them remains intact. Sure, there are speaker marketplaces that try to offer a way for speakers to get booked. But really, a Google search with a "contact me" page on your own website will do more good than a fancy "contact me" profile page.

One would ask us, why would you get into something that others have failed at? Recently, one such website (speakersite.com) shut its doors due to lack of revenue. They simply couldn't monetize it. But, it's not the idea that generates revenue. If it did, everyone would be rich and there would be no 99%.

What matters is the execution of the idea. Now that's the money maker.

Our equation is simple:
((passion to help others + a good idea + execution + market needs) x education) x community

That's our approach to business, period.

Welcome Book to Speak to the We ❤ Eventprofs family

We ❤ Eventprofs is our first line of products specifically designed to help make life easy and more profitable for event professionals. So we've decided to kill two birds with one stone, help speakers get booked and help event planners book the right speakers for their events.

We're excited to introduce Book to Speak (booktospeak.com). This is just a sneak preview of what is coming very soon. We wanted to get the word out, to tease you just a bit. Your feedback is key, and we will invite some of you to our early alpha in a few weeks to get an inside peek and offer your feedback. So do take a second to subscribe to be notified.

For Speakers

The speakers will absolutely love Book to Speak. We are developing every feature with speakers in mind, to increase bookings and make it easy to manage the whole process.

We start off with a rich public profile, giving speakers an opportunity to present themselves in the best way possible, with many tools at their disposal. We go beyond biography and experience, and pull together various mediums (images, videos, verified reviews, and other interactive elements). Every field will be searchable, to maximize relevancy of the search results.

You, and your clients, will absolutely love our booking engine. It will streamline booking not only for the speakers, but for the clients booking them. Here's a scenario.

An event planner finds a speaker that's right for the event, so they click on "Check availability" button. Instead of a boring contact form, that you usually get and want to shoot yourself over, you get a calendar with real-time availability. The speaker's Google calendar is connected to the availability calendar, so the event planner has an idea when the speaker is available. It works both ways, bookings populate Google calendar and manual entries in Google calendar mark the time unavailable in the Book to Speak system. Eliminating friction during a booking process ensures that it is smooth and quick. Plus, it will save both parties a ton of time.

The other small, yet pretty awesome feature, is the one sheet exporting with various templates. Hit a button, pick a template, and bam! There's a PDF waiting to be printed and handed out to your clients in person. We'll make sure there will be a way to personalize it. Easy!

OK, I don't want to spoil it in one post. Plus, I don't think you want to read a novel. Do subscribe to our email list, we will be writing about our awesome, innovative features in more detail. I guarantee you will love every one of them.

So, let me jump in and mention a few benefits for our awesome event planners who book speakers for a living.

For Event Planners

We love our event planners, and try very hard to help them succeed with our viktorix.com education content. Now, we hope that Book to Speak will bring relief to the whole process of finding and booking speakers for events, as well as managing them after the booking.

One of our innovative features will be verified reviews of speakers, that you can take advantage and see if the speakers is the right fit for your event. I will talk about the science behind verified reviews in another post, to keep this one relatively short and sweet.

One of our long term goals is to offer you complete suite of speaker management tools all in one place. Once you book them, you'll have all the necessary tools to manage them, including travel and hotel bookings without the need to email them the information as they will already have it in their inbox, marketing collateral for each speaker without going back to their profile to copy and paste the information. That's so old school.

I wish I could just write a book about the awesome features we'll be packing into the Book to Speak. But, nobody will read that. So, I'll save it for another blog post in couple of days. I encourage you to subscribe to our email list to be notified not only about blog posts, but also when alpha will be ready for some play. It will be very soon!

Well folks, that's the Book to Speak - Book. Speak. Profit. I do highly encourage you to join the email list to be notified of any updates, plus you can always leave a comment and we'll get back to you right away.

So, let me pass the microphone to you for the Q&A. You know what to do, don't be shy. It's just a commenting form, not a Godzilla.

Originally posted on Viktorix Innovative blog.

When we were creating our Video Streaming and Virtual Event offering at VirtualStudio.TV, we did a lot of market research on the products and services that are available in the market. There are some excellent companies offering very good virtual event production and streaming services, but what we found is the majority offer a very confusing mix of products and services that are very difficult to understand and make sense of.

When I organized my first virtual event back in 2009 before launching VirtualStudio.TV, I was totally perplexed by the technical jargon I was bombarded with by several companies offering virtual event and streaming services. I became so worried about taking on the job that I invested a hell of a lot of money getting a company to run all of the technical streaming elements for us. I was really worried about the live streaming of the show and was delighted when it was over!

Fast forward two-and-a-half years and I now fully understand how live streaming and virtual events work, which is a good thing as we offer them as products and services at VirtualStudio.TV! And you know what? It’s not as complicated as you might think. In this video, my colleague Rachel will talk through the 5 main points you need to think about from a technical perspective when organising a Virtual Event.

I hope you find this information helpful, and if you do have any queries at all please post a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Eliminate stress by hiring a professional event planner for your event.

Hiring an event planner may seem, to many people, to be an unnecessary and added expense. However, precisely the opposite is true. An event planner can save you large amounts of money, in proportion to the size of your event.

You may be thinking of planning and handling your own event. Before you do so, bear in mind that the total amount of money you end up paying may exceed what you would otherwise have paid, plus the added service of an event planner. This is because you can benefit from many discounts and perks that an event planner has access to.

Here are 5 ways that an event planner can save you money.

Professional Network

It's the job of event planners to retain a network of suppliers and vendors that they regularly deal with, from venues to flower suppliers to catering, among others. This special relationship enables the event planner to get discounts and deals that you may not get by going directly to the suppliers yourself.

For example, a supplier may give you a quotation of $4,000. However, an event planner who shares history with the same supplier, or even better ones who can give the same package, can perhaps get the same package for only $3,200. You benefit because you pay less for what you want, and the savings can go to the fee of the event planner.

Savings on Hotel Costs

You may want to book a block of rooms with a specific hotel, along with a conference room within the hotel itself. To save on costs, you can ask your event planner to refund the commission that the planner might normally get from the hotel. This can save you a chunk of money, dependent on the size of your event.

Plus, event planners have strong relationships with hotel sales managers, so they are more likely to get a better deal than you would.

Negotiation Skills

A good event planner will know what is important to the venue that you are booking, and should be able to negotiate a mutually beneficial contract for both you and the venue. For example, the event planner can negotiate complimentary services, reduced rates on rooms, upgrades, or perhaps lower rates or free use of meeting rooms.

Added Discounts

Because event planners handle multiple events, vendors and suppliers value the business these planners bring and oftentimes provide better pricing, with a special discount for the event planner. You can ask your event planner if the added discounts they get from their vendors can be passed onto you.

Time and Stress

They say time is money, and an event planner saves you time so that you can do other things that may be more important to you. You also have peace of mind in knowing that someone is taking care of the details of your event in a professional manner.

Others say that health is wealth. An event planner eliminates stress, especially in times of unexpected emergencies. For example, what if you planned an outdoor event and it suddenly rained? A good event planner will have trained staff and have a backup plan to handle such emergency.

Would you trust yourself to perform a brain surgery? Of course not, so why would you trust your event to yourself if you're not an expert? Be smart.