Event Experts

November Tips

Tip 1 - Our Recipe for Success in Business

Let’s start at the very beginning a very good place to start. When you read you begin with ABC, when you plan you begin with Chris & Kylie. Welcome to the first day of our project. Our aim is not to bore you with lots of quotes you have heard before, or drown you with dry and dull business tips that have been used since the dawn of time. We want to inject some fun into what will be a year’s journey together. So, let’s start of with a tip that applies to all of us. There is no actual defined recipe for business success, but being creative girls we have come up with a recipe that should appeal to all you planners out there; a pinch of talent, a dash of motivation, a spoonful of determination, a dollop of grit, a dusting of passion and a dirty great big fistful of hard work.

Tip 2 - Keep your focus!

The hills are alive with the sound of ideas. Ideas are fantastic and should never be ignored. However, don’t let them distract you from your core business. If you are focussed on destination weddings then don’t go hurrying off down the path of garden weddings if it isn’t going to enhance your existing business. Focus, focus, focus! It’s all too easy to have a flash of incredible inspiration which consumes you and allows you to loose sight of everything else. Whilst we wouldn’t advise smothering this creativity we would suggest putting it on your inspiration wall. If that doesn’t float your boat try keeping an ideas book so you never forget these wonderful ideas, but you can pull them out at the appropriate time.

Tip 3 - Take the Lead

Gimme, Gimme, Gimme a bride after midnight. So how many of you have been faced with a bride who calls you at some ungodly hour? More than care to admit it probably. So how do you avoid this? Set the ground rules right from the start. Yes, the customer is always right, but just like a child she needs to know her boundaries. Let her know what your expectations as a planner are. She needs to know when it is appropriate to call and when it is not. A good tip is to put your opening hours into your contract. She may not always read it, but at least it is there in black and white. It is your responsibility to make sure she knows and understands. Perhaps look at putting together a schedule that starts from 12 months out and allows the bride more access to you as the wedding gets closer. Whatever you do you need to be firm and upfront. Take the lead right from the start - after all you’re the professional.

Tip 4 - Give a little back

Money, Money, Money, must be funny in a rich man’s world. Hmm… so true. Now the chances are that most of your couples are not going to be millionaires, so they will be relying on you to get them the best deal possible. We have often been asked about our take on receiving kick backs from suppliers & vendors, and I have to say we are firm believers in the supplier kick back. Now before you all condemn us and start screaming about ethics, the reason we do this is because it enables us to then pass these savings onto our clients. Every time we are offered a financial incentive to send clients to our suppliers, we ask them to show this as a discount on the bill they send out. It shows our client we have their best interests at heart and we can honestly tell perspective clients that we will save them money and they will end up covering our fee with all the savings they make.

Tip 5 - Style Versus Dollars

Hey Big Spender…spend a little time on Style. Have you ever heard the phrase less is more? Well when money takes over from taste it’s a phrase you should be using with your clients. So how do you do that without mortally offending them? You need to ask questions and find out why they like using every colour under the sun in their colour scheme and are having a hard time deciding between circus performers or the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. By gentle questioning you will soon find a common theme that keeps reappearing. Run with that theme and try to sieve out all the stray ideas that don’t match with anything and clash completely and utterly with the chosen venue. Remember though this isn’t about you. Their ideas might not float your boat but remember to be objective about this. Know the difference between ideas you dislike and plain bad taste.

Tip 6 - Education is Key

The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly in the Plain. Make sure you venture out of your little plain and go on a journey of growth. For those of you that don’t know My Fair Lady, the main character, Eliza Doolittle, was trying to educate herself by throwing herself to the mercy of Professor Higgins and his side kick. And that my dear friends is my advice to you too. Put yourself in the hands of your wedding planning idol. Subscribe to their newsletter, read their blog, follow them on Twitter, attend workshops they are speaking at. You will never stop learning in this industry and the sooner you get that the better. I have been in the industry now for over 18 years, but I still attend industry workshops and conferences. I listen to Podcasts from the experts, follow the trend setting blogs and follow my favourite planners on Twitter & become a fan on Facebook. Remember you are only as good as your next wedding and if your next wedding is a carbon copy of the last you won’t make it very far in this industry.

Tip 7 - Choose your Dream Team wisely

Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch. Matchmaker, matchmaker look through your book and find me the perfect supplier. That’s what your brides expect of you. They are coming to you as the expert believing that they will be entrusting their wedding to your dream team of pre-screened and trusted professionals. So what happens if that team isn’t so dreamy? Well it is your job to make sure they are. Don’t just trawl through your favourite Wedding directory and pluck all the suppliers from there - if it was that easy everyone would be doing it. You need to search out your suppliers, you need to be prepared to put in the hard yards. Interview them, take them out for coffee, ring their references and speak to other people in the industry about their reputation. Your suppliers are your product and we all know what happens when we put dodgy products out on the market - they get recalled and a load of bad publicity follows. You only have one chance in this game to make a first impression and each wedding gives you a new opportunity to meet new clients. Your suppliers are your advertising billboard so make sure they are worthy of that position.

Tip 8 - Let’s Get Physical

Can you keep up with the pace that an efficient planner sets in her busy day? If the very thought of running around in your stilettos leaves you gasping for air it’s time to channel your inner Olivia Newton John, pull on your leg warmers and spandex and get moving! Ok before you have a heart attack (or if you are under 30 ask who the heck Olivia NJ is and what is a leg warmer?) the point I am trying to make here is that this job is not for the unfit. Amongst the toolbox of qualities you have to have to do this job well is stamina and strength. Even the most exclusive Wedding Planner has had to get up on a chair to fix a rope of lights, heave a sobbing ‘mother of the groom’ off the floor as she waves goodbye to ‘her boy’, and even change a tyre (yes a tyre!). If you don’t have a basic level of fitness, its time to get moving! So put moderate exercise, including some strength training on your ‘to do list’ – dancing to cheesy 80’s music is a great place to start.

Tip 9 - Build on the Basics

Julie Andrew taught us that singing is as simple as building on the basics of Do Re Mi and planning a wedding or event is exactly the same. The basics are what we know has to be done with every event and we use our checklists, budgeting tools and team of suppliers as building blocks each time we work on an event, regardless of what it is. Our job is to be ‘excellent’ at the basics and attention to detail and superb organisational skills are essential. However you must never assume you know where the Do Re Mi is going to lead you - wedding and event planning is as much about the routine as it is about the creative and innovative. Use the consultation process to learn all you can about your client and what they what from you and the event they have asked you to plan. Without doing this you could deliver your client heavy metal when they actually wanted Rodgers and Hammerstein!

Tip 10 - Singing in the Rain

Wet weather is almost every bride’s worst fear and for this reason most will avoid discussing wet weather at all. But weather should never be the undoing of a Wedding, or any event for that matter. It is up to you, as the Wedding/Event Planner to raise this issue with your client and help them to determine how they will handle wet or bad (for e.g. extreme heat) weather should it arise. Every event needs a wet/bad weather strategy. Even an indoor event must consider how guests will travel between venues, or from car parking in the case of bad weather. For some events this may be as simple as having umbrellas on hand for guests as they move about, but if the Wedding or event will be held outdoors, the plan will need to be much more comprehensive. You should also include some fun elements to keep your bride feeling positive about her day. There are some great ranges of stylish and even cheeky gum boots out there now and similarly you can buy beautiful umbrellas that will make a statement in photos; in fact photographers say that an overcast day is a great backdrop to photos. You should also be watching forecasts ahead of the event; both long range and from up to 2 weeks before the date of the event. Approach wet/bad weather as you would any other event planning challenge - with creativity, innovation and good humour.

Tip 11 - Be a Girl Guide

The Girl Guide motto is, ‘be prepared’ and just like them a Wedding/Event Planner must expect the unexpected. The best planning, organisation and attention to detail can be undone on the day if you are not ready and able to respond to unexpected challenges and trust me, they will arise. Flat tyres, broken heels, missing Wedding party members and power outages are just a drop in the ocean of the things that can go wrong on the day of a Wedding or Event. So, just like a good Girl Guide you must be prepared for anything. How do you do that? Well firstly it is about attitude. When something goes wrong people often panic but you can’t. You must stay in control and trust in your ability to pull things back to where they need to be – this is where your checklists (including the phone numbers of absolutely everyone involved with the wedding) are essential - they are your bible; they provide the framework for the day/event and guide you to where you need to be when things go wrong. Secondly, be equipped. Assemble a toolbox full of essentials to help you deal with emergencies; band-aids, headache tablets, makeup, hair brushes, hair gel, chalk (for stains), baby wipes (great for stains also), pins, needle and thread, stockings and spare socks in neutral colours are just the beginning. As you become experienced you will add to the box and remember to always take an inventory at the end of an event to ensure it’s ready for the next one. By being prepared you can trust yourself to handle anything - go girl!

 Tip 12 - Find Your Abbey Road

In 1969 The Beatles released what would be their final album. This album is widely recognised as being one of the greatest collections of music of all time. The album was named after the studio it was recorded in and is where The Beatles recorded 90% of their recordings - Abbey Road was a place of creativity and inspiration for the Beatles and it is where they created magic. So, what does this have to do with us as Wedding and Event Planners, Designers and Stylists? We work in a highly creative industry and you will be called upon to find creative solutions in almost every event or wedding you work on. Creativity needs to be nourished and one of the ways you do this is to find your own Abbey Road - a place that inspires you and allows you to exercise creativity. If you don’t have an Abbey Road set about finding one; whether it be a space within your home or office, or somewhere you go that that brings out your creative side.

Tip 13 - Dancing in the Dark

Dancing in the dark may be romantic when its just the two of you, but when it comes to an event, every dance floor should twinkle! Lighting experts themselves say that lighting the dance floor is one of the most important aspects of lighting. A successful event owes much to the degree to which guests feel part of the event and nothing brings an event down more than if guests choose to stay glued to their seats, rather than hitting the dance floor. Cleverly designed lighting, that is neither to bright, nor too dark will put guests in the spotlight on the dance floor. This creates an environment people want to be part of, thus drawing them to the floor and engaging them in the event further. Guests who have danced the night away rarely leave an event with anything other than happy memories, so make sure that you use lighting to create an inviting environment on your event dance floor.

Tip 14 - The Boots are made for Walking

And that’s just what they’ll need to do! I love a heel as much as the next girl, but when it comes to the role of Wedding and Event Planner, comfort must come first. Your gorgeous sky high heels may work for consultations and interviews with suppliers, but they could be your undoing on the day of an event. You don’t have to abandon your heels altogether though, just be sure that whatever footwear you wear on the day of an event, is comfortable and that you can stay in it for the duration. When managing an event (and this is especially true of Weddings) you could be on your feet for 10 hours plus. Choose your footwear wisely, or do what I do, go for a reasonably comfy, low heel and add a pair of ’stylish’ flip flops to your toolbox; for when you really need to move!

Tip 15 - The Show Must Go On

The DJ hasn’t shown up, the caterer is running late and the top of the wedding cake has got squished, what do you do? First rule - don’t panic. Remain calm and work your way logically through the list of disasters. In an ideal world you will have already anticipated some of these problems and be ready with your solutions or back up plans, and if you haven’t you’ll know to prepare better for next time. One of the things I always had with me at any event was a list of back-up suppliers, those trusted people who would be able to help me out of a sticky situation. And this is where it pays to have good suppliers within your dream team, ones who would not show up without letting you know and would find you a replacement as standard. As far as the cake disaster is concerned I learnt a long time ago to always have a cake on standby, or at least one tier just in case. The main thing is to never let your client know you’re stressed and in the words of Freddie Mercury himself - The Show Must Go On.

Tip 16 - Show me the Money

Hopefully we all love what we do, but we don’t work for free just because we enjoy it. Getting paid can sometimes cause issues and it is certainly hard as you don’t have a product you can refuse to send when your clients don’t pay you. Even though contracts are important and you need to make sure they are water tight, is it really worth suing your client over $500 or even $1000? The chances are it will cost you more in legal fees and you don’t want to get yourself a reputation of being a nightmare planner. So how do you ensure you get paid for what you do? It’s really quite simple - no money no planner. I always got paid for what I did before I did the work. Normally I requested 50% of my fee up front and once that was received and cleared in my bank account then I started work. Once I had completed the work covered by the fee then I invoiced for another 25% and so on. If you are doing ‘On the Day Coordination’ only then make sure you are paid prior to the wedding and that it states that in your contract. You will be perfectly within your rights then to refuse to turn up to the wedding if they haven’t paid you. I know it sounds harsh but at the end of the day you are running a business the same as anyone else. I often found it helped to ask my client if they worked for free, and when they shook their head I would say well neither do I?