Learn to Plan Great Events for Your Business with Event Planning Courses!
Are you the owner of a local brewery? Do you run your own hotel? If you’re a business owner in the hospitality or entertainment industry, you’re likely going to be planning lots of events for your business. Whether you’re planning small-scale, private event or a large, open-invite, multi-day affair, you’ll still have to plan a budget, contact vendors, secure sponsors, and figure out all the other event logistics.
Event planning is intimidating when you don’t know what the proper procedures are. Do you know how to promote the event, apply for a liquor license, or make a memorable and lasting impression to make it all worth the money? If you don’t want to be overwhelmed, you’ll want to learn about all the components of event planning. The best way to do this is to take an event planning course!
We’ve already covered the pros and cons of taking an event planning course online or in-class. We’re convinced that online courses are the best bet for business owners, so stick around for our guide on getting the most out of your online event planning course!
1. What does your business need?
Ask yourself why you’re taking the course! There’s a reason why you decided to take a course and plan events for your business yourself instead of outsourcing the job. If you head a business that wants to host events often, you’ll save a lot from having to hire event planners every time. And you’ll also better your own skill set—boosting your own salary since you’ll be tackling the planning here on out!
The best part about learning how to plan your own events? You know exactly what your business needs. You know your business’ strengths, weaknesses, industry partners, and goals intimately. You know exactly what you want to get out of all the events you wish to plan. Once you get professional training and start planning successful events, you’ll see steady growth in your business.
2. Finding the right event planning school
Choose an event planning school that gives you the most bang for your buck. Make sure your event course provides you with a real certificate and designation at the end of your schooling. You’ll feel more confident in your skills, and if you plan a joint-event with another business, you’ll be able to show off your designation and build trust with the other business owners.
You’ll also want to check the school’s accessibility. Are they flexible with deadlines for assignments, enrollment intake, and instructional time? Most online courses are designed with busy individuals in mind. If you are running a business full time, you can’t be expected to attend classes at your local college during peak business hours.
Do they provide you with support? Having a support system is essential. As a student, you’ll have questions about what you’re learning, your assignments, and how online education works. Not only do you want to make sure your event planning school supports current students, but they should also help out graduates, too! You’ll find yourself referring back to your old course materials from time to time, so make sure you still have access after you graduate!
3. Find an in-depth course that teaches you how to thrive in the industry
You may not be looking to switch careers into event planning when you take an online course. But why not get the most out of your education and use your event planning training to earn a second income?
If you just learn the absolute basics, there’s no potential to take your planning skills to the next level. You’ll be stuck planning events that won’t actually help you grow your business! The competitive know-how for planning a successful event is a skill honed through theory, and then experience.
If you have industry professionals as instructors and tutors in your courses, you’ll be sure that you’re getting the best advice, critique, and guidance when it comes to event planning. They’ll be the most up-to-date on any changing industry standards or regulations because they are actual, practicing professionals! These top-tier professionals will be able to help you tie event planning in with your primary business better than any generic textbook. Building a connection with these “human libraries” is the best resource you can get out of your online course.
4. Keep yourself motivated
If you’re going to be enrolling in an event planning course, you probably don’t want to spend every minute of your life studying, and that’s okay. We all have busy lives, so finding a school that allows you to work around your commitments and hobbies is a big perk.
Event planning courses online give you high flexibility so that you can work around your busy schedule. But sometimes your personal and professional life will get in the way. You might push your course to the back of your mind in favor of other commitments. Luckily, self-paced courses allow you to do so without penalty. No deductions off your total marks for an assignment, and you won’t be kicked out of your program!
Your event planner training should be fun and flexible with no harsh deadlines. A self-paced class will let you get to know the content intimately and submit your best work, rather than rushing to get everything done! No one can succeed if they don’t have time to study and apply their knowledge.
But high flexibility comes at a cost. You’ll have to keep yourself motivated and possess a huge amount of personal accountability, otherwise you’ll never finish your studies! Besides, it’s great practice setting these personal deadlines and goals. You’ll be expected to do the same once you graduate and have to keep up with a tight planning schedule. If you’re not adept at working independently, you’ll find yourself struggling to pull an event together!
