Event planning is always a challenging job and those who enjoy it find it quite rewarding. It needs a lot of planning and putting various things together to make an event happen. So chances of stress are as high as those moments of pride and satisfaction and that’s why being an event planner is never that easy as it looks from the outside. On one side, you’re free to use creative knowledge and shape ideas into reality but on the other hand, you’re always under pressure to achieve the targets set by clients. In between all this, it’s the skill sets that stand a good event planner apart from the rest.

Here are some event-planning skills you need for success –     

1. A Basic Understanding of Events

A good planner is one who has a basic understanding of events. They need to know how the cookies crumble in the industry, how to get resources together and how to manage everything in a short span of time.  

• An event planner must have an understanding of how to handle each piece in the whole affair  

• A planner should be familiar with everything be it floor plan, RFP, location dynamics, season-wise pricing and so on

• An event professional is always expected to have the knowledge of décor & florists, DJs & bands, A/V companies and rental business, that can all be managed easily with the help of online booking software for rentals that saves time and improves the sales conversions.

• And event planners need to know how to maintain better relationships with vendors and other people in the event organization cycle   

2. Organizational Skills

Event planning is all about organizing things and maintaining sync between different aspects. There are a whole lot of steps and tasks that need to flow in a linear pattern to make event successful. And if an event planner lacks organization skills, there will always be difficulty in getting the best out of the occasion. Being a planner means you must have a keen eye for detail to manage things perfectly.   

More so, good event planners are always expected to manage timelines, have a tab on the budget and keep all the details ready to use for achieving success. They are always trusted to meet deadline, schedule works and don’t let slip event the smallest of details. All this is possible only when the planner has organization skills. 

3. Networking Mind        

All the top event planners in the world have a keen networking mind. They know how to get things done through their well-oiled network of people. It’s the result of their relationships with vendors, suppliers and others in the industry that ultimately paves the way for event success. If you want to succeed in the event planning industry, you just can’t say no to networking.  

• You need to have (or build) a network of diverse set of professionals 

• You need to be in touch with all sorts of vendors and suppliers be it caterers, DJs, bands, décor team, lighting, videographer and so on 

• You need to have some influence on event people so that all the things can be arranged with short notice 

4. Cool and Calm Demeanor 

In the world of event planning things are always not as smooth as they look from the outside.  A lot can go wrong all the time and worse still, the best of plans go awry due to last minutes hitches. A planner is always under pressure to live up to the expectations of clients and deliver the type of results expected of him.     

Clearly, a good event planner needs to have a cool and calm demeanor, together with having the sense of resilience and adaptability so that they can be ready for the worst of things. Apart from having a sharp mind to make quick decision, a good planner should also be ready to handle both brickbats and rose petals with equal zest and grace.      

5. Openness to New and Exciting ideas     

Event professionals should always be ready to experiment with new ideas and showcase their creative imagination to make the occasion stand out always. Since clients will always expect their events to be better and unique than others, it’s thus the job of an event planner to understand such needs and work in the right direction. More so, good planners are always open to new ideas and they never shy away from going out of the box. More so, it’s also the duty of event planners to provide right counsel to clients and make them understand what is right for them. They need to pitch different event ideas to clients and help them choose what is best for them.    

6. Dedication to Client Service

Client service is at the core of event planning and that’s why planners should have a sense of dedication to clients. More so, even professionals should have a positive attitude towards clients in every imaginable situation. Every question should be met with professionalism and with a shred of “I will do it mindset”.  

Since it’s the clients’ money that event planners will use in shaping their ideas, there has to be gratitude enshrined in every aspect of actions. After all, event organisation is always for delivering benefits and value to clients and that’s why a planner needs to have that positive mindset all the time.

Clearly, being an event planner needs some key skills which you will either learn at job or develop in the course of joining the industry. You will need those skills to make things happen there.

Author Bio:
Nitesh Ranjan is a digital marketing expert with keen interest on topics, trends and ideas related to brand promotion and advertising. He regularly shares information on the ways to market businesses across digital channels for better ROI, increased conversions and more sales. His blog can help anyone interested in boosting the online visibility in the digital world and eyeing access to a wider and bigger marketplace without spending big on marketing. Trust his digital marketing knowledge to enhance your brand’s presence on the internet.