Marketing Your Event Planning Business: A Creative Approach to Gaining the Competitive Edge

by Judy Allen

Overview

Practical, prescriptive advice on successfully marketing your event planning business

Recent years have been tough on the event planning industry. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, economic downturns, wars, and SARS have all negatively impacted the business. There are fewer corporate dollars dedicated to travel budgets and special events, creating even more pressure on businesses in an already highly competitive industry. This book tells you all you need to know to market your business and build your client base in good times and bad.

Marketing Your Event Planning Business shows you how to gain a competitive advantage by setting yourself apart from the competition, pursuing new markets, and soliciting sales. It covers all the vital topics in event planning marketing, including how to diversify your client base, develop niche markets, improve your customer service, establish emergency business plans, and much more.

• Ideal for event planners, marketing managers in the industry, and professionals in the hospitality, culinary, or travel industries
• Includes actionable advice on successfully marketing an event planning business
• Features illustrative examples, practical tips, and useful checklists and other resources

Marketing Your Event Planning Business is packed with practical tips and examples, giving you creative new ways to showcase your talents, build your business, and bring added value to your clients.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470963821
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	05/20/2010
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	610 KB

About the Author

Judy Allen is one of the world's leading authorities on staging, event and lifestyle design and the bestselling author of ten books for the professional, business and consumer markets. Allen, a master of creative design, has flawlessly executed successful special events-corporate, social, and celebrity-for up to 2,000 guests at a time in more than 30 countries around the world. She has designed and produced memorable events such as Disney's worldwide theatrical opening-night gala for Beauty and the Beast, and the orchestration of Oscar-winning director Norman Jewison's 25th anniversary celebration for Fiddler on the Roof.
Highly skilled in staging events that are strategically designed to be one-of-kind experiences and a master of transforming the energy of an event environment by engaging the senses with trademark primary design principles, Allen has worked closely with CEOs, CFOs, presidents and their executive staff around the globe to create, implement and oversee their corporate and social business events.
The many diverse events that Allen has designed and executed extend from complex one-day events to elaborate arrangements of theme productions taking place over the course of a week. These events ranged from very exclusive VIP events to multimillion-dollar, multimedia fantasy extravaganzas including seven new-car product launches and involved high-tech stage and show productions.
Allen, and her 2jproductions (www.2jproductions.com) partner, Joe Shane, are now bringing their dynamic creative energy, innovative style and perceptive insight to home, life and lifestyle design and world class resorts around the world through Sensual Home Living^TM (www.sensualhomeliving.com) and other initiatives.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xv

Preface xvii

Part 1: Marketability 1

Chapter 1:Making Yourself Marketable 3

Target Your Talents 4

Distinguish Yourself and Your Company 10

Manage Your Reputation 16

Chapter 2:Acquiring Areas of Expertise 19

1. Business Development 28

2. Creative Design 30

3. Event Management 32

4. On-Site Production 34

5. Acquiring Expertise 35

Chapter 3:Creating Your Niche 51

Meeting a Need 53

Specialty Market 56

Income Driven 59

Emotional Hot Buttons 62

Specialized Expertise 64

Part 2: Market Development 67

Chapter 4:Defining Your Objective—Who Is Your Client? 69

Visualization 72

Research 74

Development 75

Planning 75

Execution 77

Reconciliation 77

Chapter 5:Targeting Your Talents 81

Matching Your Talents to Your Advance 85

Chapter 6:Customizing Customer Service Requirements 99

Expectation 102

Excel 104

Embrace 105

Enlighten 107

Educate 109

Enrich 111

Energize 112

Excite 113

Environment 115

Employees 116

Efficiency 118

Evaluate 120

Ethics and Etiquette 122

Part 3: Marketing Endeavors 125

Chapter 7:Marketing to Your Audience 129

Lots of Energy 130

A Platform 132

A Strong Hook 134

Sharp Focus 135

Marketing Opportunities 136

Chapter 8:Soliciting Sales: Innovative Ideas 147

Creating Sales Opportunities in Unconventional Ways 150

Bring About an Emotional Response 153

Captivating a Client with Creative Concepts 158

Chapter 9:The Value of Diversification 161

Widening Your Existing Client Base 164

Expanding Your Market 167

Generating New Income Sources 169

Chapter 10: Going Out on Your Own— Costs and Benefits 175

Personal and Professional Independence 176

Financial Freedom 177

Unlimited Authority 178

Costs and Benefits of Going Out on Your Own 179

Conclusion 205

Appendix A:Leading Internationally Recognized Industry Certifications 209

Appendix B:Industry Associations and Councils 215

Appendix C:Industry Magazines, Books, Online Publications and Resources 219

Appendix D:Industry Conferences, Congresses, Trade Shows and Award Shows 223

Appendix E:Sample Creative Concepts 225

Sample A: Concept for Corporate Event 225

Sample B: Concept for a Fundraising Event 229

Sample C: Concept for a Theme Event 235

Index 241

What People are Saying About This

Joan L. Eisenstodt

In an ever-competitive marketplace, a meeting practitioner must know the niche in which she or he wants to establish credibility. Once established, marketing oneself and one's services becomes an exciting challenge. Judy Allen's tips, provided with the insight of experience, and with humor, allow the reader to look differently at the opportunities available.
—Chief Strategist, Eisenstodt Associates, LLC, Conference Consulting, Facilitation & Training; and 2004 CIC Hall of Leaders Inductee

Lisa Hurley

For event planners who are tired of being a well-kept secret, Marketing Your Event Planning Business offers invaluable advice on targeting talents and targeting clients. It's a wonderful boost for event planners looking to expand their client base.
—Editor, Special Events Magazine

Richard Aaron

Judy Allen has crafted another meaningful book in her series on event practices. Every business owner must immediately add this treasure chest of useful ideas to their bookshelf.
—CMP, CSEP, President of BiZBash Media, NYC

Ramey Warren Black

Judy Allen has given us the ultimate resource guide to event planning. It's everything you need to know to launch a successful company.
—Partner, Media-Savvy

From the Publisher

Praise for

Marketing Your Event Planning Business

"For event planners who are tired of being a well-kept secret, marketing Your Event Planning Business offers invaluable advice on targeting talents and targeting clients. It's a wonderful boost for event planners looking to expand their client base."
—Lisa Hurley, Editor, Special Events Magazine

"Judy Allen has crafted another meaningful book in her series on event practices. Every business owner must immediately add this treasure chest of useful ideas to their bookshelf."
—Richard Aaron, CMP, CSEP, President of BiZBash Media, NYC

"In an ever-competitive marketplace, a meeting practitioner must know the niche in which she or he wants to establish credibility. Once established, marketing oneself and one's services becomes an exciting challenge. Judy Allen's tips, provided with the insight of experience, and with humor, allow the reader to look differently at the opportunities available."
—Joan L. Eisenstodt, Chief Strategist, Eisenstodt associates, LLC, Conference Consulting, Facilitation & Training; and 2004 CIC Hall of Leaders Inductee

"Judy Allen has given us the ultimate resource guide to event planning. It's everything you need to know to launch a successful company."
—Ramey Warren Black, Partner, Media-Savvy

Editorial Reviews

Imagine you had the chance to sit down for a few hours and chat with an expert in your chosen field - someone who was willing to share his or her knowledge and experiences, someone who could help you avoid industry pitfalls and prepare for unexpected challenges. Many people never get such an opportunity, but those in the event management business are lucky enough to have Judy Allen, a highly regarded expert in the field. Marketing Your Event Planning Business is Allen's fourth book about the event industry and it comes at a time when the business of event planning is more competitive than ever. The book shows event planners, event planning management companies, and suppliers how to gain a competitive edge by showcasing their talents, building their business, and bringing added value to clients.

Allen organizes the book into three sections: marketability, market development, and marketing endeavors. In the first part, she explains how event professionals can make themselves marketable and carve out a niche within the industry. The second section delves into the nuts and bolts of defining objectives, targeting talents, and customizing services. In part three, Allen looks at the all-important marketing strategy, the value of diversification, and striking out on one's own. Each chapter concludes with a list of thought-provoking questions that will help guide readers as they move forward with their own pursuits. The book also includes several useful appendices and sample creative concepts for corporate, fundraising, and theme events.

Well-organized and well-written, Marketing Your Event Planning Business is chock-full of expert advice and helpful examples gleaned from Allen's years of experience in the event planning industry. It would be a valuable addition to any event professional's reference library, though much of her advice will resonate with motivated individuals in almost any industry.

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