I want to become and events organiser?

Question

I'm 21 and would love to do events organising, parties, weddings etc. I don't really want to work for a firm, as i would prefer to work for myself. Can somebody please give me an in depth answer to the best ways of going about it and if i would have to register it as a business or not. Also what sort of prices do I charge for what. Please help!

Answer 1

First, yes, you do need to register it as a business. You are performing a service, and for both your protection and the protection of your clients, you need to be legal.
Second, if you would like to work for yourself, start small with the people you know. Do a few parties, get some feedback on what you can improve, try to get referrals to other people.
Join a local community organization like Chamber of Commerce, to make your business known in the community.
Get to know ALL of the vendors in your area: florists, dj's, dress and clothing shops, caterers, bands, etc. Let them know what youdo and that you may want to contract with them for some parties.
Charge what your services are worth. You can either charge a percentage of the overall budget (say 10%), or an hourly fee. You may have to charge less for your first few jobs as a coordinator, but your fee will certainly go up as your experience grows. I know people that charge anywhere from $120-500 an hour for their services, but those people know the business inside and out.
Gain experience, and you will be able to charge more :)

Answer 2

the first thing you need to do is get some experience. you may have natural talent, but event planning is a very taxing and demanding business. you need to know how it works before you charge people for doing it.

if you are not going to go to school for it or take classes for it, then start by doing a few free events for friends and family to get your feet wet. you will not even be able to join local wedding/party guilds or associations without having some experience, so start with doing a few free events. you will probably at least get a sizable tip from grateful friends and family if you do a good job.

there is a great deal to know about doing weddings and other parties....especially weddings, because they are legal ceremonies and have legal aspects which must be observed as well as proper etiquette which you will be expected to know.

you have to have knowledge of things like local noise ordinances and laws, insurance issues, correct receiving lines, seating etiquette, how to find the best prices for what the client wants and how to find hard to find things.

i once spent two days looking for live yellow lily blossoms a client wanted to float in her pool at her outdoor wedding.

net working is important so you will need to visit with local vendors to get to know them. go to local event or wedding shows and put up a booth for your business. you will definately need a business license and some insurance to protect you and your clients. you need to know how to negotiate with vendors so that you get your client the best prices...plus you will want a finder's fee from the vendors you use to suppliment what you get from the client.

you need to be able to read and help your client customize vendor contracts and how to make sure the vendors follow through with their part. you will need to know what to do on the day of the event when one of the vendors forgets something but it is time for the event to start and you need to improvise.

as for what to charge, the price breakdown depends on what your client wants from you. for a full event planning package where you are involved from day one for every aspect of the event, the fee is normally 10% of the total cost of the event or a minimum of 1500 depending upon which is greater.

for a package where the client only wants some basic direction from you at one or two meetings and then your presence at the day of or the rehearsal and day of, that would be more like 500 to 2000 depending upon how involved you are.

day of only or day of and rehearsal packages are normally from 500 to 1000 depending upon how many hours are involved.

or you can charge by the hour....for a newby, 65 to 75 dollars an hour is a good price. you can get much more once you have built up your portfolio and have recommendations and photos to show clients.