Having multiple talents is beneficial, but not everyone has the opportunity to gain experience in the many different fields. I am one of those people who has not had and has not taken advantage of the opportunities.
I recently decided I am going to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad so I can accomplish my goal in my last blog post, which is to be fluent in Spanish. The next wedding I plan, I hope to be able to communicate in two different languages if needed.
During the ceremony, the piano player did not show up on time, let alone show up when the ceremony began. A few people and I were calling around looking for anyone who knew how to play the piano. All I could think about was that I wish I knew how to play so I could get up there with no worries. Since that was not an option and I knew many of the people attending the wedding, one little boy stood out to me. One of the fourth graders that attends the school that the bride and I work at, competes in many piano competitions and has won many. He is a natural on the piano. I knew if the piano player did not show up, I would have to ask this 8 year old boy to get up there and show off his skills.
Luckily, the guy finally came right before his part. Secretly, I would have much rather used the little boy because it would have been extremely cute.
Overall, I knew that if I knew how to play, it would have saved my self a gray hairs.
I am happy to say the wedding we remarkable and no one in the audience knew that there was one single problem. Everything went smoothly.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The Big Day pt. 1
I recently had the opportunity to plan a wedding for a co-worker. The experience was overwhelmingly amazing. As you all know my career goal is to be an event planner but I have gone back and forth on whether to be a wedding planner or an event planner. I have been told by a few professionals that it is wise to choose one. This experience has helped me decide that I would love to do both. I would love to continue wedding planning on the side, but make event planning my main career.
The first thing the bride and I did was go to the Bridal Extravaganza. This event is a huge event at the George R. Brown Center for soon to be brides. Brides are running around like they are getting married the next day. There are many booths with employees promoting their businesses. You can find anything from cakes to photography to great honeymoon deals. Catering businesses make it their duty to make the brides feel special by letting them taste test the food. The bride and I grabbed brochures and flyers from every booth she needed one from. I took each home and calculated which companies best fit her budget. Luckily we were able to eliminate many of the companies because so many friends and family of hers wanted to do her a favor.
Most brides have a budget, so it is very beneficial to have close family and friends that are willing to help. The DJ, the cake, a singer for the ceremony and the wedding planner (me) were all favors to her. The most important lesson I learned the day of the wedding is that favors DEFINITELY need backups. When people are not working for money, it may not be a priority for them to make the wedding number one on their list.
The day of the wedding I started off by running to the reception hall to check on the decorations, make sure the cake is set up and make sure the tables were labeled properly. Everything was amazing and beautiful in the reception hall. I was so excited and nervous.
Planning this wedding I learned that there are two things I would love to learn that could be beneficial to me as an event planner. The first was speaking Spanish. I am making it a goal of mine to become fluent in Spanish. A few minutes after I left the reception hall I ran into the maid of honor and we needed to find a place cool to keep the flowers for the ceremony. We found a man that works there that ONLY spoke Spanish. All I could think about was that the process of communicating could have gone so much faster and smoother if I was even decent at Spanish.
During the ceremony was when I figured out the next thing I need to learn in case of any emergency, which you can read about on my next blog.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
The first thing the bride and I did was go to the Bridal Extravaganza. This event is a huge event at the George R. Brown Center for soon to be brides. Brides are running around like they are getting married the next day. There are many booths with employees promoting their businesses. You can find anything from cakes to photography to great honeymoon deals. Catering businesses make it their duty to make the brides feel special by letting them taste test the food. The bride and I grabbed brochures and flyers from every booth she needed one from. I took each home and calculated which companies best fit her budget. Luckily we were able to eliminate many of the companies because so many friends and family of hers wanted to do her a favor.
Most brides have a budget, so it is very beneficial to have close family and friends that are willing to help. The DJ, the cake, a singer for the ceremony and the wedding planner (me) were all favors to her. The most important lesson I learned the day of the wedding is that favors DEFINITELY need backups. When people are not working for money, it may not be a priority for them to make the wedding number one on their list.
The day of the wedding I started off by running to the reception hall to check on the decorations, make sure the cake is set up and make sure the tables were labeled properly. Everything was amazing and beautiful in the reception hall. I was so excited and nervous.
Planning this wedding I learned that there are two things I would love to learn that could be beneficial to me as an event planner. The first was speaking Spanish. I am making it a goal of mine to become fluent in Spanish. A few minutes after I left the reception hall I ran into the maid of honor and we needed to find a place cool to keep the flowers for the ceremony. We found a man that works there that ONLY spoke Spanish. All I could think about was that the process of communicating could have gone so much faster and smoother if I was even decent at Spanish.
During the ceremony was when I figured out the next thing I need to learn in case of any emergency, which you can read about on my next blog.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Monday, April 26, 2010
Benefits of Event Planning
I am happy I chose this field as my career. I feel as though I will never be working again becuase it is something I enjoy doing so much.
The first benefit of being an event planner is that EVERYONE, at some point in their lives, will have something to celebrate. It may be anything from a birthday to a religous celebration to a work social. The list goes on. Someone will always have a reason to celebrate which leads me to my second reason.
The second benefit is that this career is nearly recesion-proof. Some parts of the year may be better than others but for the most part, celebration is really popular in the American culture.
There are many other reasons that I am sure that I can think of but these two really stook out to me while deciding on my career.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
The first benefit of being an event planner is that EVERYONE, at some point in their lives, will have something to celebrate. It may be anything from a birthday to a religous celebration to a work social. The list goes on. Someone will always have a reason to celebrate which leads me to my second reason.
The second benefit is that this career is nearly recesion-proof. Some parts of the year may be better than others but for the most part, celebration is really popular in the American culture.
There are many other reasons that I am sure that I can think of but these two really stook out to me while deciding on my career.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Sorority Soiree
The event that my partner and I have been planning is finally only three days away. We were able to expose this event all over campus and to the Houston Panhellinic Council (HPC), who is our target audience.
After weeks and weeks of planning and collaborating with the president of the HPC, we found the best way to benefit the boutique and the sororities.
The sororities can use this event as a social to get to know one anohther. This has been a goal for the HPC. Instead of the groups being rivalries, they can all come together.
My partner and I learned that not all sororties on campus are under the HPC. Some are under the National Pan-Hellinic Council. The two separate groups would like come together and form a stronger bond. This event and the activities at the event will make that happen.
Our goal as the planners is to create a relationship between us, the sororities and the boutique. We are learning many ways to make that possible.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
After weeks and weeks of planning and collaborating with the president of the HPC, we found the best way to benefit the boutique and the sororities.
The sororities can use this event as a social to get to know one anohther. This has been a goal for the HPC. Instead of the groups being rivalries, they can all come together.
My partner and I learned that not all sororties on campus are under the HPC. Some are under the National Pan-Hellinic Council. The two separate groups would like come together and form a stronger bond. This event and the activities at the event will make that happen.
Our goal as the planners is to create a relationship between us, the sororities and the boutique. We are learning many ways to make that possible.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Monday, April 19, 2010
Media Kits
Planning this event at the Boutique has not only been about the planning and the decorative aspects. It has involved putting together a media kit which contains press releases, biographies, pictures, historical sheets, contact information, schedule, published news stories and etc.
I have had the opportunity to interview the managers, write press releases and do a lot of research on the store.
I am learning that planning an event is not all glitter and gold. It is hard work and it takes a lot of time to gain media exposure.
These media kits that my parter and I have been putting together is such an easy way to get the writers' attention. It is also an easy way to pitch the event to reporters so they can have everything they need to write about the event.
We have found it very helpful. The hard work is completely worth it.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
I have had the opportunity to interview the managers, write press releases and do a lot of research on the store.
I am learning that planning an event is not all glitter and gold. It is hard work and it takes a lot of time to gain media exposure.
These media kits that my parter and I have been putting together is such an easy way to get the writers' attention. It is also an easy way to pitch the event to reporters so they can have everything they need to write about the event.
We have found it very helpful. The hard work is completely worth it.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Successful Event In a Bag!
Tote Bag to Success
Wish Boutique will be hosting an event for University of Houston Sororities. Planning this event has taken lot of time and great planning techniques. Let me tell you what I keep in my tote bag to help me remember our techniques for the planning and programming of this event. The tote bag represents the shopping bag for Wish Boutique. What goes in it is what makes the event successful.
First step to planning and programming is to define the problem or opportunity. Wish has the opportunity to hold an event at their store for sororities. The events and activities that will be going on at Wish will provide them with the chance to sell more clothes and make more money. That is what the wallet in my tote bag represents. Many companies and organizations find opportunities to make money whether it's for them or for charity. When they have that chance, more than likely they will take.
The second step is the situational analysis. I carry a small agenda in my tote bag to remind me of what we plan to do for Wish Boutique. An agenda consist of a plan just like the situational analysis. You always have to have one!
The third step is to program the goal. My mirror in my bag is what represents the goal. When people look in the mirror sometimes they may set goals for themselves based on what they see. When Wish Boutique looks in the mirror they see a successful clothing store that can be improved. They set a goal for themselves to increase awareness of the store among UH student population by presenting this event to sorority members.
The fourth step is to create the strategy. My phone in my bag represents a very important part of our strategy. We need to reach out to the sororities and promote and advertise the event. We will be using a lot of social media for this. This will involve twittering, posting the event on Facebook and most of all communicating with presidents and leaders of these organizations. All of these strategies can be done from a little thing I like to call my phone. Don't you just love technology?
The fifth step is to decide on the target publics and objectives. This is where my I.D. comes in. The I.D. represents demographics which is what we needed to look at to decide our target audience. An I.D. has everything on it from race to height to age. In your bag you will also need a spare tape measurer. This tape measurer represents the objectives. All objectives must be measurable. The tape measurer in your bag will remind you of that every time! Keep it handy!
Live*Laugh"Love*Learn
Wish Boutique will be hosting an event for University of Houston Sororities. Planning this event has taken lot of time and great planning techniques. Let me tell you what I keep in my tote bag to help me remember our techniques for the planning and programming of this event. The tote bag represents the shopping bag for Wish Boutique. What goes in it is what makes the event successful.
First step to planning and programming is to define the problem or opportunity. Wish has the opportunity to hold an event at their store for sororities. The events and activities that will be going on at Wish will provide them with the chance to sell more clothes and make more money. That is what the wallet in my tote bag represents. Many companies and organizations find opportunities to make money whether it's for them or for charity. When they have that chance, more than likely they will take.
The second step is the situational analysis. I carry a small agenda in my tote bag to remind me of what we plan to do for Wish Boutique. An agenda consist of a plan just like the situational analysis. You always have to have one!
The third step is to program the goal. My mirror in my bag is what represents the goal. When people look in the mirror sometimes they may set goals for themselves based on what they see. When Wish Boutique looks in the mirror they see a successful clothing store that can be improved. They set a goal for themselves to increase awareness of the store among UH student population by presenting this event to sorority members.
The fourth step is to create the strategy. My phone in my bag represents a very important part of our strategy. We need to reach out to the sororities and promote and advertise the event. We will be using a lot of social media for this. This will involve twittering, posting the event on Facebook and most of all communicating with presidents and leaders of these organizations. All of these strategies can be done from a little thing I like to call my phone. Don't you just love technology?
The fifth step is to decide on the target publics and objectives. This is where my I.D. comes in. The I.D. represents demographics which is what we needed to look at to decide our target audience. An I.D. has everything on it from race to height to age. In your bag you will also need a spare tape measurer. This tape measurer represents the objectives. All objectives must be measurable. The tape measurer in your bag will remind you of that every time! Keep it handy!
Live*Laugh"Love*Learn
Are You Meant To Be An Event Planner?
I am reading a book called "How to Start a Home-Based Event Planning Business" and at the beginning there is a self assessment to see if Event Planning is really the field you are supposed to be in.
1. What would you rather do... watch a play or be in one?
2. One a rainy day... redecorate your room or read a book?
3. Drive or be driven?
4. Plan the menu for holidays or let your sister bring the food?
5. Host a party or attend one?
6. Do masquerade parties frustrate you?
7. Can you juggle several tasks at one?
8. Do you enjoy solving problems?
I'm sure you can decide which answers mean you would fall in love with the industry. Let me know if you think this is something you would enjoy.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
1. What would you rather do... watch a play or be in one?
2. One a rainy day... redecorate your room or read a book?
3. Drive or be driven?
4. Plan the menu for holidays or let your sister bring the food?
5. Host a party or attend one?
6. Do masquerade parties frustrate you?
7. Can you juggle several tasks at one?
8. Do you enjoy solving problems?
I'm sure you can decide which answers mean you would fall in love with the industry. Let me know if you think this is something you would enjoy.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Why Event Planning?
Why do I want to be an event planner and when did I decide that this is what I wanted to do?
Someone recently just asked me that question and I remember the VERY day I fell in love with event planning.
I was a sophomore in high school and was asked to join the homecoming committee. I was not involved in any organizations at school except sports. My life goal then was to play in the WNBA.
I went to the first meeting and we had to discuss themes and other ideas for the the event. I literally stood in-front of the class and planned the entire event. It came out of nowhere and that was the first time I have ever felt confident standing in-front of a crowd. I ended up leading the whole committee and planning and planning the event more than I was doing my school work. Basketball wasn't even as important to me anymore.
The day of the event came and people had dates, they were dancing and having a great time. I was barely a part of any of that because I was working the event. Normally I would have loved to be out there with my date dancing and having a great time, but I realized it was more excited for me to see how many people were enjoying the event that I coordinated with my team.
That day I learned that I am very passionate about this field so I joined student council right away and became Event and Fundraising Chair and loved every minute of it.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Someone recently just asked me that question and I remember the VERY day I fell in love with event planning.
I was a sophomore in high school and was asked to join the homecoming committee. I was not involved in any organizations at school except sports. My life goal then was to play in the WNBA.
I went to the first meeting and we had to discuss themes and other ideas for the the event. I literally stood in-front of the class and planned the entire event. It came out of nowhere and that was the first time I have ever felt confident standing in-front of a crowd. I ended up leading the whole committee and planning and planning the event more than I was doing my school work. Basketball wasn't even as important to me anymore.
The day of the event came and people had dates, they were dancing and having a great time. I was barely a part of any of that because I was working the event. Normally I would have loved to be out there with my date dancing and having a great time, but I realized it was more excited for me to see how many people were enjoying the event that I coordinated with my team.
That day I learned that I am very passionate about this field so I joined student council right away and became Event and Fundraising Chair and loved every minute of it.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Just As Planned
So far so GREAT!! Everything for the boutique event is going perfectly. The feeling of having everything fall into place that you planned is a great feeling.
Now that we have everything for the event set in stone as far as a photographer, food, give-a-way gifts and the invites...we can finally reach out the sororities with facts about the event and start to get them excited about coming.
My partner and I have been brainstorming on the different approaches to get started on spreading the news about the event.
After a little researching, we came across the name and information of the president of the entire panhellenic.
We are going to approach her first by taking her out to lunch and proposing the event to her.
My parter and I have learned that face to face communication is the best way to go to get everything on the ball and rolling!
Wish us luck!!
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Now that we have everything for the event set in stone as far as a photographer, food, give-a-way gifts and the invites...we can finally reach out the sororities with facts about the event and start to get them excited about coming.
My partner and I have been brainstorming on the different approaches to get started on spreading the news about the event.
After a little researching, we came across the name and information of the president of the entire panhellenic.
We are going to approach her first by taking her out to lunch and proposing the event to her.
My parter and I have learned that face to face communication is the best way to go to get everything on the ball and rolling!
Wish us luck!!
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sororities and Shopping
When planning an event it is important to figure out the target audience. What target audience do you think of when someone ask you to plan an event at a women's clothing boutique that would be willing to spend money and has high fashion sense? Some women?...Obviously. But even more specifically, sorority girls.
My parter and I are currently planning an event at a nearby boutique and we are reaching out to sorority girls at University of Houston. Our goal is to have them engage in activities that involve trying on the clothes, winning gift cards, having free cocktails and working together as a sorority to win a huge prize for their house.
One issue is, I can't help but think we are stereotyping girls that are in sororities. If I was in a sorority I know that I would not want to be known as a girl that just likes to shop and would be overly excited about an event at a clothing boutique. I would want the planners to take the time to figure out how this event can actually benefit me and my sorority sisters.
So, that is just what we are going to do. We have thought about how the girls can use this opportunity to bond with their "littles" and other sisters, team building and get to know other sororities on campus.
The event will not only involve shopping, but an opportunity for each sorority to win a trunk show at their sorority house.
I feel better about reaching out to them knowing that there is a benefit for them other than just some new clothes. Planning this event I have learned that people want to know how an event will benefit them and they want to know if it will be worth their time.
Let me know your thoughts on other ways sorority girls could use this event to their advantage.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
My parter and I are currently planning an event at a nearby boutique and we are reaching out to sorority girls at University of Houston. Our goal is to have them engage in activities that involve trying on the clothes, winning gift cards, having free cocktails and working together as a sorority to win a huge prize for their house.
One issue is, I can't help but think we are stereotyping girls that are in sororities. If I was in a sorority I know that I would not want to be known as a girl that just likes to shop and would be overly excited about an event at a clothing boutique. I would want the planners to take the time to figure out how this event can actually benefit me and my sorority sisters.
So, that is just what we are going to do. We have thought about how the girls can use this opportunity to bond with their "littles" and other sisters, team building and get to know other sororities on campus.
The event will not only involve shopping, but an opportunity for each sorority to win a trunk show at their sorority house.
I feel better about reaching out to them knowing that there is a benefit for them other than just some new clothes. Planning this event I have learned that people want to know how an event will benefit them and they want to know if it will be worth their time.
Let me know your thoughts on other ways sorority girls could use this event to their advantage.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Kids With Talent
Last week was all about planning the “Kids With Talent” talent show at a Charter School. Last week, to say the least, was stressful. I came up with the idea, so of course I lead the event and designated the responsibilities. I knew from the beginning this would be an amazing experience, but also a quick one. I had exactly five days to plan.
The week went by quickly and I was able to send invites home to parents, have the students sign-up and commit to a talent, make awards for the children and design posters to create the theme. Everything was under control and seemed as if it would go perfectly.
As I said before, I would be writing about my event planning experiences, both good and bad. The whole week was GOOD…but here comes the BAD.
The day of the event, the principle asked to see the lyrics to all the songs that the kids wanted to either sing or dance to. I printed them out thinking they were all pretty appropriate. Some of the songs were Can’t Touch This - MC Hammer, Thriller - Michael Jackson and You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift.
She DENIED all of them. What do I do? Go tell these precious kids who have been practicing all week that they can do their song/dance anymore? I was a nervous wreck after that. It eliminated almost half of the talent. The other students were playing instruments as their talent so we did not have to worry about them.
I figured that I should have definitely gone to her with the lyrics earlier in the week. I was really disappointed in myself that I did not think to do that.
The principle and I came up with a solution an hour before the event began. The students who had a “inappropriate song” could dance to the instrumental version of the song.
It turned out to be great, the students were not too upset that they had to change. They still rocked it!
I learned to be on my toes at all times and how important it is to be prepared for anything.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
The week went by quickly and I was able to send invites home to parents, have the students sign-up and commit to a talent, make awards for the children and design posters to create the theme. Everything was under control and seemed as if it would go perfectly.
As I said before, I would be writing about my event planning experiences, both good and bad. The whole week was GOOD…but here comes the BAD.
The day of the event, the principle asked to see the lyrics to all the songs that the kids wanted to either sing or dance to. I printed them out thinking they were all pretty appropriate. Some of the songs were Can’t Touch This - MC Hammer, Thriller - Michael Jackson and You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift.
She DENIED all of them. What do I do? Go tell these precious kids who have been practicing all week that they can do their song/dance anymore? I was a nervous wreck after that. It eliminated almost half of the talent. The other students were playing instruments as their talent so we did not have to worry about them.
I figured that I should have definitely gone to her with the lyrics earlier in the week. I was really disappointed in myself that I did not think to do that.
The principle and I came up with a solution an hour before the event began. The students who had a “inappropriate song” could dance to the instrumental version of the song.
It turned out to be great, the students were not too upset that they had to change. They still rocked it!
I learned to be on my toes at all times and how important it is to be prepared for anything.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
Introduction
After a few years of planning events and gaining experience through the opportunities, I am finally deciding to write about my experiences. I am also required to make a page for my PR writing course, but it is perfect timing.
From now on, I will be blogging about events I plan, situations (bad or good) that I have learned from and new techniques I have learned.
If you love event planning as much as I do, you know that it is somewhat stressful but extremely worth it.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
From now on, I will be blogging about events I plan, situations (bad or good) that I have learned from and new techniques I have learned.
If you love event planning as much as I do, you know that it is somewhat stressful but extremely worth it.
Live*Laugh*Love*Learn
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