Event planning
It may sound like an effortless feat, but planning an event – be it large or small – takes intense planning, troubleshooting and coordination. Planning stages begin months – sometimes even years – before the event is scheduled to take place. There are various things that may need to be ordered in advance to ensure their availability, while some venues are fully booked months in advance. If you intend on having an event in the venue you want, with the entertainment you envisioned, and the quality food you require; you need to ensure that everything that every contingency plan possible is organised in advance.
The elements that need to be taken into consideration for even the smallest of events are endless – lighting, seating , invitations, decor, menu, speakers, entertainment – each one of these aspects that make up your event will need to be minutely planned; organised and implemented on the day. There are various elements that can be completed at the last minute, while there are others that cannot, including the following:
- Finding a venue. It is often impossible to find a venue to accommodate larger events at the last minute. Booking the venue in advance will enable you to ensure that any entertainment that you require will be available on the set date. This also applies to the MC of the event – if a celebrity is to be used, they usually have hectic schedules and are often not available at short notice.
- Deciding on the theme of the venue (if any) and compile a detailed plan of the elements that will be needed with the theme you have chosen far in advance – at least 4 to 6 months before the event is scheduled. This will influence everything from the venue used and the decorations within, to the type of entertainment that is hired.
- Invitations need to be sent out with ample time for people to RSVP – they need to be conceptualised, created and mailed to the correct people.
- Promoting the event – even if this is within the smaller spheres of the event by word-of-mouth. Many larger events will either hand out fliers and pamphlets, or advertise on radio or television (if they have the resources and budget). Venues that are constantly used for high-profile events usually have a web site wherein they showcase current and future events – or, alternatively, a temporary web site can be established for the event.
Planning and coordination does not end when the event ends. Planners usually have their hands full for days or weeks after the event, organising everything from cleaning up the venue to returning all the supplies and offering feedback. Some planners are hired by large corporate clients who want feedback from the people who attended the event – which may even fall into the planner’s hands to correlate and present to the client. Event planning is a multi-faceted discipline that requires much hands on work and intense dedication on the part of the planner.
Commentary: The power of the Internet
The Internet may seem like a harmless tool that is used for a number of business and social interactions – but think again. Hands up if you have Googled either your name or that of someone you know. Most of the time, the results would come up with pages where you have listed your details. But what happens if one day, someone posts some information about you that you are not aware of? Regardless of whether or not the content is posted in the name of fun; or for more sinister reasons – you may never see it. You could be completely oblivious to the fact that someone on another continent is using the photograph from your home page as their avatar on a dating site. They could even be using your name. How do you know? Well; you don’t if you are an average individual much like the other few billion of us out there.
There are so many things that circulate on the Internet, that sometimes people are lucky, and they find these things out when a co-worker sniggers as they walk past you in the hallway. Many web sites take photographs of people and comment on them – often in a rude and derisive manner. On a web site called Ugly Dress, there are some comments about the dresses and the people that wear them – all in the name of humour. The odds are that the women in these photographs are not even aware of the fact that they are being made fun of in this way. They may never know that someone has used their photograph on a web site such as that; and may even be refused when asked to remove the photograph.
So what happens if your co-worker does snigger at you one day, and you find that you have been wrongly “named and shamed” on a web site such as Do Not Date Him? Now your name is out there for anyone you know to Google – and regardless of whether or not the allegations are true; you are associated with something immoral, and you have no control over it because the information was placed there by a third party. In addition, that third party may go ahead and post your name, photographs and information about you on any number of web sites – which you may or may not find out about.
The power of the Internet is immense – especially when considering the impact that one individual can have with a few keyboard strokes.
The blog – often overlooked in online marketing
Having evolved from a basic online diary, the blog has become a powerful social, personal and business communication tool that is used by millions of people worldwide. Although much of the blogging that takes place is of a personal nature, more and more businesses are seeing the value in having a blog linked to their business web site.
By employing individuals to populate the blog daily with relevant and interesting content, businesses are increasing awareness of their brand; improving their search engine optimisation (due to the keyword rich content, among other things); and offering a platform wherein they can communicate directly with their various public audiences.
According to the World Internet Statistics web site, there are currently over 1.4 billion Internet users across the world – each of whom is a potential audience; client or investor in your business. Without making use of all the marketing resources that are available online – including effective blogging – businesses cannot hope to reach their intended markets.
Freelance writing services
I am a freelance writer with a background in journalism and web design (management; SEO and web site copywriting), who can assist you with services such as:
- Writing
- Editing
- Proof-reading
- Copywriting
- Web Copywriting
- SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) copywriting
- Research
- Press release text
- Brochure copy
- Re-writing / re-working text
I charge an hourly or a per word rate for these services; based on the scale of the project. Contact me for more information.
