Learn the Basics of Event Planning Hi! I'm Lindsay Pellegrino with Just Perfect Event Planning for About. com, and I'm here to talk about event planning basics. Plan Your Event Budget Clients never really give you a budget-they never really give you a number. So we kind of sit down and see what theyre most interested in, what they want to focus on, and we kind of work from there- we kind of do a line budget with them. Rentals are huge. This big tent in the background is probably one of your biggest costs for today, as well as-because we're at a track-insurance is another large liability, depending on the number of people and the tasks that are going on in the day. and food -food and alcohol, food and beverage is one of your largest costs as well. Get the Event Sponsored Sponsorships really depend on the type of event that you are throwing. If you are throwing a charity / non-profit event, you pretty much rely on sponsorships to cover all your costs as well as make money for the charity you're covering Anytime you can have a sponsor, it really cuts down any of your costs. I highly recommend getting a sponsor. Pick Your Event Date(s) Setting a date for your event can really rely upon what the event is, what the clients interest is Also, cost wise, if you're going to do a mid-week event, your costs are going to be substantially lower than an evening on a weekend, on a friday or Saturday night. You should always have a an indoor option for your event if it's outdoors. Also, a tentative reschedule of the date as wer contingency plan for your event- if the weather isnt suitable, you need to have a tent option Choose an Event location When you are deciding on your venue, you really need to figure out what the event entails. First how big is your guest list? Will the venue hold enough people? Do you want a music venue Does it allow for proper sound for that event? Does it allow for proper lighting of an event? Is there ample parking for your event? Cut Corners Carefully When budgets are really tight, you have to cut corners in some areas, and I think your client calls the shots in those areas where i think we have a better idea of where not to cut corners Today, for example, we're a little shy on helmets, and that's kind of messing up the whole races, because you dont want to send a driver out on a racetrack without a helmet• Hi! I'm Lindsay Pellegrino with Just Perfect Event Planning for About.com, and I'm here to talk about event planning basics. Plan Your Event Budget • Clients never really give you a budget - they never really give you a number. So we kind of sit down and see what they're most interested in, what they want to focus on, and we kind of work from there - we kind of do a line budget with them. Rentals are huge. This big tent in the background is probably one of your biggest costs for today, as well as - because we're at a track - insurance is another large liability, depending on the number of people and the tasks that are going on in the day. And food - food and alcohol, food and beverage is one of your largest costs as well. Get the Event Sponsored • Sponsorships really depend on the type of event that you are throwing. If you are throwing a charity / non-profit event, you pretty much rely on sponsorships to cover all your costs as well as make money for the charity you're covering. Anytime you can have a sponsor, it really cuts down any of your costs. I highly recommend getting a sponsor. Pick Your Event Date(s) • Setting a date for your event can really rely upon what the event is, what the client's interest is. Also, cost wise, if you're going to do a mid-week event, your costs are going to be substantially lower than an evening on a weekend, on a Friday or Saturday night. You should always have a contingency plan for your event - if the weather isn't suitable, you need to have a tent option or an indoor option for your event if it's outdoors. Also, a tentative reschedule of the date as well. Choose an Event Location • When you are deciding on your venue, you really need to figure out what the event entails. First, how big is your guest list? Will the venue hold enough people? Do you want a music venue? Does it allow for proper sound for that event? Does it allow for proper lighting of an event? Is there ample parking for your event? Cut Corners Carefully • When budgets are really tight, you have to cut corners in some areas, and I think your client calls the shots in those areas, where I think we have a better idea of where not to cut corners. Today, for example, we're a little shy on helmets, and that's kind of messing up the whole races, because you don't want to send a driver out on a racetrack without a helmet. Learn the Basics of Event Planning