Any Event Planning Professionals?

[LittleMissMagic]

I'm taking a Special Events class at Clemson University, and it would be really helpful if you could answer the questions below! Thank you so much!!

What skills, talents, and experiences are needed to become a successful event leader?

How long have you been working in your field of event planning, and do you have any experiences with other areas of special events and event planning?

What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of working in event planning?

In what ways has your special event evolved over the years, and how have you adapted to these changes?

Have innovations in technology changed your event - for better or worse?

In what ways have you changed your process to adapt to new technology?

What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing event leaders in the next 10 years?

If you don't mind, I'll follow up with a PM asking you about your experience, education, and title.

Thanks again so much!

 

[crazyme5kids]

What type of special events are you hoping to get information on?

 

[Ceila]

If this is an assignment for school, I would think that answers from an anonymous poster won't be acceptable. After all, anyone could say that they're an event planner, whether they really are or not. Maybe you could look online for event planning companies in your area and call one?

 

[frndshpcptn]

That's a long list of questions to answer...

Is this for an assignment?

 

[mdsoccermom]

Why not pick up the phone and call local event planning companies? Or contact banquet halls and other venues that have event planners? Get out there and have a conversation.

I really weep for the future.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Thanks for your concerns -

I've already talked to event professionals in the area and a few I have contact with from other states. I just thought I could get even more diversity by going to a public forum.

I guess I was assuming that anyone who responded would have actually had to work in special events to give good feedback and that anyone who isn't really "qualified" wouldn't sit around making up stuff?

If anyone would like to help, I'm interested in responses from all areas of event planning. To throw out some examples, I've spoken to wedding planners, convention coordinators, and even a bowl game coordinator.

 

[frndshpcptn]

Can you provide a bit more context as to why you need the information and how it will be used?

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Can you provide a bit more context as to why you need the information and how it will be used?

I'm writing a paper based around these two questions -

What skills, talents, and experiences are needed to become a successful event leader?

and

What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing event leaders in the next 10 years?

I'm comparing and contrasting different professional event planner's thoughts on the future of event planning - what changes they've had to adapt to in their work, and what changes they see continuing to occur. Not only that, but what has stayed the same in their field (the title of my textbook is, Special Events and the Next Frontier, and in the introduction, the author said, "The purpose of this book isn't to prepare you for your first job - it's to prepare you for your last one.")

The conclusion I believe I'll end up coming to (though I don't want to persuade any one in their answers) is that the skills needed in event planning stay the same, but the world is changing and event planners have to adapt to and take advantage of ever-changing technology.

 

[Ceila]

I'm writing a paper based around these two questions -

What skills, talents, and experiences are needed to become a successful event leader?

and

What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing event leaders in the next 10 years?

I'm comparing and contrasting different professional event planner's thoughts on the future of event planning - what changes they've had to adapt to in their work, and what changes they see continuing to occur. Not only that, but what has stayed the same in their field (the title of my textbook is, Special Events and the Next Frontier, and in the introduction, the author said, "The purpose of this book isn't to prepare you for your first job - it's to prepare you for your last one.")

The conclusion I believe I'll end up coming to (though I don't want to persuade any one in their answers) is that the skills needed in event planning stay the same, but the world is changing and event planners have to adapt to and take advantage of ever-changing technology.

I'm sorry, but if you are planning to cite sources, and for a college-level paper you should be, you should not be using anonymous posters. No decent professor would accept that. I think you're wasting your time, when it could be better spent on finding other sources of information.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

I'm sorry, but if you are planning to cite sources, and for a college-level paper you should be, you should not be using anonymous posters. No decent professor would accept that. I think you're wasting your time, when it could be better spent on finding other sources of information.

I think you're wasting your time responding on a thread that clearly doesn't apply to you. I copied and pasted my interview questions on the thread which took less than five minutes - you're the one wasting my time.



If you want to answer the questions, I'd love feedback. If you don't, then that's fine. Let's let this thread die.

 

[marlynnp]

I'm going to pass on the 'interview', though I'll give you one tip. A successful event planner has excellent people skills and the ability to handle any situation with aplomb and courtesy. 'Word of mouth' is the biggest source of new clients, make sure that 'word' is a good one.

 

[Ceila]

I think you're wasting your time responding on a thread that clearly doesn't apply to you. I copied and pasted my interview questions on the thread which took less than five minutes - you're the one wasting my time.

If you want to answer the questions, I'd love feedback. If you don't, then that's fine. Let's let this thread die.

Gee thanks, but no time was wasted on my end - I'm just poking around the Dis while waiting on some things to finish. You obviously didn't get the responses you were looking for, but when you post on a discussion thread you don't get to pick and choose the answers you get.

ETA: As a librarian, I got curious. And, I actually do want to help you, although I doubt you believe me at the moment. Your university library has online resources you can access as a student. Included in this is a variety of professional resources, including Event Management. If you aren't familiar with this, go to your library home page, click on the link for Cooper, click on Locate a Journal on the left-hand side, and type in Event Management. Once you enter your login information, you should be able to search for articles that relate to your topic. I am finding that more and more students, even college students, don't know how to fully utilize their library resources and databases. I do wish you the best of luck.

 

[crazyme5kids]

OP, my husband said he will answer your questions. He just got home and is too tired to answer them tonight, can it wait until sometime tomorrow?

 

[LittleMissMagic]

ETA: As a librarian, I got curious. And, I actually do want to help you, although I doubt you believe me at the moment. Your university library has online resources you can access as a student.

I'm actually very familiar with the library and its online resources, and thanks for helping. I'm an architecture major, so I usually use Gunnin - they have a great collection of online periodicals. I'm actually in the middle of an architectural/insect (don't ask) case study, so the libraries have been my best friend recently.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

OP, my husband said he will answer your questions. He just got home and is too tired to answer them tonight, can it wait until sometime tomorrow?

Thanks so much! Definitely - whenever he has time.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Sent you the answers to your questions, check your pm. Let me know if you have other questions.