Reflections on Event Planning

August 30th, 2010

by Chelsea Gross

This summer has been a unique opportunity for me to broaden my experience planning events for non-profit organizations. Ginger Donnan Events (GDE) is currently working with two organizations promoting cancer research, and supporting the families of those with a cancer patient: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and the Family Reach Foundation, respectively. While I’ve planned events for a non-profit organization in the past, it’s been interesting to balance a variety of clients without being limited to just one cause. Our work is benefiting all sorts of institutions and their missions, making me a more well-rounded event planner. I find this very rewarding.

Another unique experience has been creating the maps for the LLS Light the Night Walks. My previous experience making maps included receiving an assignment, creating the map, and the job was complete. The maps for the Light the Night Walks require me to be more interactive as we adjust Walk routes and place tables and tents in various locations.

Just as with any job, there is a set of specified skills which are used on a daily basis to successfully achieve a goal. We are creating timelines and managing tasks, which contribute to the greater goal – a successful event. However, I’m finding that the beauty of being an event planner does not necessarily stem from the repetitive use of dozens of skills but rather from the freedom to use those skills to work with a variety of different clients. The skills remain the same, but the application differs. This opens up a world of opportunities to both the client and the event planner to create a more enriching planning experience. I’m looking forward to continuing to expand this event planning experience for both personal growth and the growth of the relationships with our clients.

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How to Become an Event Planner

August 10th, 2010

It has only been in the last few years that colleges have begun offering in-depth event planning courses and for many recent graduates interested in event planning, it can be tough to find the right stepping stone to an event planning role.

So how do you become an event planner?

Volunteer at work, school or with non-profit organizations to handle parts of an event – anything from greeting guests to printing the name tags. Every experience helps.

Talk to other event planners about how they got into the business.  Ginger Donnan interned at a PR firm while in college, aiding account executives in the implementation of special events, and at the Recycling Division of a Department of Public Works, researching and attending community events for recycling promotions. After becoming the Editorial and Production Coordinator in the Marketing Department of the law firm White & Case, she was the only person available to organize client seminars. Ten years later, Ginger Donnan Events manages events for the professional services and non-profit industries, including client-facing marketing events and fundraisers.

To learn more about how Ginger Donnan and others became event planners, visit About.com: Event Planning.

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Cartographer Chelsea Gross Joins the Team

July 21st, 2010

Chelsea

A passion for geography and a desire for organization has led the newest member, Chelsea Gross, to the Ginger Donnan Events team. A recent graduate of Hunter College, Chelsea will be joining our office to create the site maps for the five New Jersey Light the Night Walks for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and assisting with administrative responsibilities over the next few months. So, don’t be surprised if you hear a new voice at the other end of the phone line! 

To learn more about Chelsea’s cartography skills, visit chelseathecartographer.tumblr.com.

Please join us in offering a warm welcome to Chelsea!

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The Cost of a Meeting Planner

July 19th, 2010

Corporate Meetings & Incentive magazine recently published a Senior Meeting Manager Survey with some statistics about salaries in the event planning industry. Although they didn’t track company location or include non-profit organizations, we thought the following findings were interesting:

  • The average salary of the experienced meeting planners they surveyed was just over $100,000, plus a median bonus of $10,000.
  • Professional  services firms are still paying an average of $15,000 less than financial and insurance firms.
  • The Certified Meeting Planner designation is worth about $3,000 more a year.
  • More than 50% of respondents outsource finding venues/vendors, registration and on-site logistics to meeting planning companies like Ginger Donnan Events.

OK, they didn’t actually say Ginger Donnan Events! But the facts about outsourcing did get us thinking about our own statistics as we approach our third anniversary. Our average fee to plan an event has been $11,500, depending on the services selected. While no outside provider can take the place of a long-term, senior meeting manager in terms of institutional knowledge, HR decision-makers should weigh the value in bringing on additional event help as needed, rather than maintaining a full-time events team at all times. Some of our most requested services are:

  • Budgets – From the initial draft, through countless revisions, to reconciliation, we track every dollar so you always know where you stand.
  • Communications – We correspond with attendees to confirm registrations and maintain consistent communication with you through bi-weekly progress reports.
  • Contracts – We make sure arrangements are correctly outlined in contracts and negotiate the best rates and concessions on your behalf.
  • Food and Beverage – We make recommendations that will delight your guests but stay in line with your budget.
  • Master Event Plan – This document of all services and event details is updated throughout the event planning process and provided on a regular basis as a reference for you.
  • Material Writing and Production – From solicitation letters to programs, we write compelling copy specific to your audience, your event.
  • On-site Management – We arrive early and stay late so you can focus on developing relationships with your attendees, rather than managing logistics.
  • Post-Event Evaluation – We lead and/or participate in closing discussions to make sure learning opportunities are captured.
  • Production – We identify production needs, solicit proposals from vendors and manage their tasks through the event, including lighting, audio-visual, photography and videography.
  • Timeline – We lay out the list of tasks from the start of our involvement to post-event evaluation with a detailed timeline and report back as each item has been accomplished.
  • Vendor Selection – We work with your preferred vendors or can recommend trusted sources.

Would your company like to save the cost of an additional, full-time meeting planner by outsourcing some of these tasks to Ginger Donnan Events? If so, contact ginger@gingerdonnanevents.com today for a proposal!

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Entrepreneur Insights

July 9th, 2010

This year, I participated in a PhD candidate’s study on female entrepreneurs that provided a lot of insight into my path to become a small business owner. I wanted to share a few of these discoveries with you:

I don’t ever think about being an entrepreneur, really. When I think of the term entrepreneur, I think about a different industry, like biotech. Running an event planning business, for some reason, it doesn’t bring ‘entrepreneur’ to the forefront of my mind. Yet I define entrepreneur as somebody who starts a business, someone who is a risk-taker. And I don’t see myself as a risk-taker, which is funny! I also believe an entrepreneur is someone who’s good at building relationships and making things happen for themselves and I can easily identify with that. When I look in the mirror, I see the person who gets things done. I’m the doer.

I took a risk in starting this business but generally, everything is very calculated and thought through and planned. I have timelines for my life the same way I have timelines for my event, but I remain flexible. Once the business started to slow with the economy, I realized that’s what makes you an entrepreneur – going out to get that business and proving how you’re different from other people who also claim to be an event planner. How do I stand out? What do I do that’s different? How do I provide a better service? Defining that and promoting that. I think a lot of it also is the ability to work independently and to be self-motivated. That’s always been a part of me, even when I’ve been in-house in a full-time position, because my roles were always developing something from nothing. Positions didn’t exist, and I had to create them and mold them and make it something that could be carried out by someone else.

In regards to marketing, I get all of my business through referrals, so without those personal and professional relationships, I would have no business. Everything I do is about making relationships with other people to provide a service for me or for my client. Since I’m an event planner, I gather together resources to make something happen. So relationships are everything.

When I meet with a potential client, instead of sharing my stories and telling them what I can do and what I have done, it’s important for me to look at everything from the opposite person’s direction. So what are you trying to do? What are you trying to achieve? It changes the way you think and act and talk on a regular basis when you’re always asking that question. What do you need? What can I provide you? Focus on the other person sitting in front of you telling you what they need and what’s going on in their world.

I’ll send out four proposals for the same month, and I don’t like to do more than one event a month, because I want to provide a high level of service to my clients. I’m an external, internal person. I become ingrained in their company. I know, just like my full-time positions, if something is going on in another department that’s going to affect this event, and to do that, you need a lot of time for each project.

One of the things that I love about entrepreneurship is the ability to teach and tell others about your experience and help others move their efforts forward. So I could see myself eventually teaching a class on event planning or even teaching about building a business and sharing my experience. That’s something that I’d like to do in a couple of decades.

I’d love to hear from other entrepreneurs about your personal and professional insights! ~Ginger Donnan

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