Looking for a home-based business with low-overhead and great growth opportunity? Then working as a freelance event planner might be the perfect business idea. Event planners can specialize in various fields (corporate events, nonprofit fundraisers, educational conferences, etc.) and work on a local, regional or even international level. Here are some suggestions to help you evaluate if starting your own freelance event planning business is right for you:
While there really aren’t any special educational requirements for event planners, many have backgrounds in marketing, public relations or business. A successful event planner is someone who is organized, able to pay attention to myriad details and someone with strong people and interpersonal relation skills. It is important to be able to balance the details and paperwork with the ability to work with all sorts of people in all sorts of potentially stressful situations. A typical event will require coordination and planning, marketing, the ability to make travel arrangements, advertising and sales, and working with vendors and attendees.
Even with all the job requirements and details, working as an event planner is well-suited to the home office. Since much of the advance work will be done via phone and computer during the weeks and months preceding the event, and the actual event work will be done on site at the hotel, conference center or other location, a freelance planner can set up his or her own office and run a professional operation from home. While it is a good idea to check for local zoning regulations, this isn’t the sort of job that should be a problem in the typical home or neighborhood. Depending on the type of event planning, however, there may be additional storage needs-you may be required to store supplies, product, decorations, marketing materials, mailings, etc. and will need to make accommodations for this.
Wondering how to break into the event planning field? You might consider starting out by doing some volunteer work. Many nonprofit organizations and schools hold special events, performances, fundraisers, and auctions that are staffed entirely by volunteers. Joining a committee or volunteering your services as a participant or planner will help you gain valuable experience, as well as make contacts and earn referrals. On even a small project you can learn the basics of organization, event planning and working with committees and volunteers.
Event planning can also be seasonal work, depending on the type of events you coordinate. This makes it possible to work part-time, or continue a more traditional job and build your event planning business “on the side.” Fund raisers tend to take place during the spring and around the holiday season, while corporate events will likely depend on the trade or field of business. Wedding, anniversary and reunion planners do the bulk of their work in the spring and summer months.
Prior to embarking on your new career as a freelance event planner, it is a good idea to get in touch with other planners in your area. Do an online search or peruse the phone book and see if you can set up meetings or at least have conversations with local event planners. They can fill you in on current pricing and the market needs for planners in your community or area of interest. A trip to your local library can also help you find out more about the field and current prospects in the world of freelance event planning.
