Why You Should Host a Launch Party for Your Party Planning Business
As a professional event planner, you’re probably used to hosting a variety of events for other people, companies, and organizations. Have you ever thought about hosting a party for yourself, specifically for your business? Your initial thought is that it probably seems a bit self-congratulatory or that it may be a waste of money—money you could be diverting to advertising for your company’s services! But hosting a party for your event planning business can be one of the most business-savvy decisions you can make.
We’re going to give you a rundown of all the reasons why you should host a party for your event planning business, and we promise your skepticism will be gone by the end of it. Scout’s honor!
Show off your party planning skills!
It would make sense that you plan the party you’re throwing for your event planning company. It’s a great way to show off your skills and save you some cash! Just like how a bride who plans her own wedding would hire a day-of coordinator, you should also do the same! Putting someone else in charge of making sure nothing goes awry during the actual part is important. How can you be a good party host if you’re too busy running around making sure that everything is going smoothly?
Remember, just because it’s an event you throw to ultimately network and grow your business, doesn’t mean that you should burn yourself out catering solely to others at a party dedicated to your business. You deserve to enjoy yourself!
The Buzz factor
Is your company new? Is your company changing its goals or direction? Are you taking on a new long-term project to foster continued growth in your company? If you said, “yes” to any of these, you should know that there’s no better marketing tool than a successful event!
Generating positive buzz around your party planning business by going the extra mile is proven to increase inquiries into your business and increase profits. Most times it’s more effective than paid advertising! If you’ve ever soft-launched a new service, you’ll know that people won’t be snapping up the offer, even if it’s a good one, simply because they don’t know about it.
Take a page from Apple’s playbook and throw a party in celebration of yourself and your new ventures. They’re one of the most profitable companies in recent years, so they must be doing something right!
Appreciate your clients
When you throw your big event, you want to make sure that you connect with everybody in your network and make them feel important—your clients are the ones giving you business, after all! Take any opportunity you have to nurture a better relationship with your clients in real life, not just through social media and newsletters. Use this as a chance to reconnect with old clients and garner new referrals!
If you throw a memorable party, your reputation will be boosted in event industry circles, and you’ll be the first person people think of when they consider planning their own. Even if they aren’t looking to throw an event in the near future, you never know who they might speak to. If you’ve left a great impression, they’ll likely mention you and maybe even pass along your contact information. Your dedication to clients will shine through genuinely, and you’ll find your client base expanding exponentially!
Network with other industry groups
It may seem counter-intuitive to invite other event planners to the big event, but hear us out. While other planning groups and independent planners are your competitors, it’s important to accrue goodwill with others in the industry as the market grows and expands. Together, you set the standard in your area for good, memorable, and effective events that achieve your clients’ goals. Sharing best practices can only benefit everyone in the business and put more stock in the event planning industry. Who knows, maybe you’ll even find yourself with a new business partner!
You should not only network with other planners, though. While you’ve probably built up a reliable list of excellent suppliers, distributors, and vendors who you’ve established a great rapport with, it’s never a bad idea to make new connections. Having a well-curated list of contacts comes in handy when your go-to vendors are busy with other events!
Celebrate your team members
If you’ve built up an event planning empire, you need to celebrate your successes with your partners and employees. You’ll be surprised how far a small gesture of thanks can do to make everyone in your business more motivated and happy to be part of the team. But it’s not just those who work in your company who are integral to the execution of a good event…
Your suppliers, distributors, vendors, and entertainment contacts are a huge part of all your successful events. In the same way that you appreciate your clients, you should also show appreciation for the businesses and vendors you collaborate with.
Another plus is that your current and potential clients get to see how you interact with vendors and your event team. People want to see team dynamics and how well everyone meshes together—a strong internal spirit equals great creative output! This is a subtle but highly effective way of marketing your party planning business.
An opportunity to follow up…
The conversation doesn’t end as soon as everyone leaves the venue! Like we’ve mentioned before, your guests are the people who made you. Make sure that you take the time to follow-up with the people and organizations who attended your event. Not only does this show that you’re attentive and are client-oriented, but you’ll also be able to get useful information straight from the horse’s mouth! You can ask for feedback about your party and get suggestions from attendees about how to improve your next event. This is crucial information that you may not be privy to otherwise.
If you’re confident about your business’ event, you may use this opportunity to put out a call for testimonials of your skills. Be warned—most attendees probably went to your party to find out what your company is all about, and don’t want to be pushed into a forced review. Keep the door open just in case they are inclined, though!
Want to know more about the latest marketing techniques? Check out this guide to modern business marketing for your event planning business!
