Holiday Gift Guide for Event Planners
The holidays are fast approaching; a time for decorated trees, warm drinks, and Christmas cheer! If you haven’t already gotten your gift-shopping done, you’re really cutting it close! We realize it’s not always easy to go gift shopping for the people in your life who seem to have it all, but it really all comes down to careful consideration of their lifestyle! If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably been wracking your brain for gift ideas to gift your event pro friend who has been nailing it for all the gifts they’ve given you over the years. What can you give them that they will actually use? Try these!
Sustainable Event Management: A Practical Guide by Meegan Jones
Eco-friendly events are in vogue right now. As people are becoming more and more conscientious of their environmental footprint, being mindful of the environment and integrating sustainable practices to a planner’s services will give them a leg up in the industry. If you’ve noticed that your event planning friend is attracting clients who have goals towards sustainability, why not make it easy for them to incorporate their client’s green vision with the event they’re planning for them?
Written by event professional Meegan Jones, this book focuses on implementing sustainability to live events. The book leads readers through sustainability management solutions with guides on how to “identify, evaluate and manage event sustainability issues and impacts”. She also features case studies to show readers how they don’t have to go out of their way and cost their clients significantly more money to apply.
Power Bank
Having a power bank would have been extremely helpful when palm pilots were all the rage. Planners are still using their phones to schedule meetings, make calls, and conduct some research, but they may not always be next to an electrical outlet. We all know just how slow the charge seems to trickle in when using a car charger, so what’s the next best thing? A power bank!
We scoured Amazon and found the highly rated Anker PowerCore 13000 compact power bank. This ultra portable power bank has two ports and can charge a standard smart phone 3-5 times depending on the phone. The advantage this particular model has over its competitors is its lightweight and small size that’s perfect for tossing into a purse or bag when running out the door.
Slice Planner
For the busy planner, there’s nothing more indispensable than an agenda, but a pen-and-paper approach to planning isn’t always efficient in an increasingly digital world.
Slice Planner creators want to eliminate the every-day compromise of choosing between a paper planner and a digital calendar. They came up with a notebook and phone app system that syncs notes seamlessly between the two platforms. The notebooks feature a clock face diagram for visual planners to break up the day while planning their tasks. All notes and drawings on the pages of the notebook can be uploaded to your Google, Apple, and Outlook calendars using the accompanying app with the help of augmented reality.
The best part? The planner flags conflicting events in the user’s schedule so they’re not double booked for meetings and events! This user-friendly agenda helps merge the physical with the digital in a way that blows all other notebooks out of the water.
Reusable coffee mug
Chances are, your friend is likely fueled only by caffeine during the busiest times of their job. They may forget to eat, but they’ll never forget their cup of Joe. If they’re always grabbing a latte twice a day, and don’t already have a reusable tumbler, this could be the perfect gift! Not only will using a reusable tumbler or mug save them a couple dimes per order, but they’ll also decrease the amount of waste from disposable cups, sleeves, lids, and coffee stoppers. You may think that the paper cups are recyclable, but if they’re coated in waterproofing plastic, they’re only able to be recycled at select facilities.
Thermoses and regular tumblers have been around for a while, but they’re often tricky for baristas to determine how much to charge in accordance to their drink sizes. For style and functionality, we recommend the KeepCup that comes in a variety of materials including recyclable plastic and glass in barista-standard sizes.
Aromatheraphy candles
There’s no denying that event planning is a seriously stressful job! Especially in the days leading up to an event, the busy planner will find themselves zipping across town attending meetings, running errands, and working exceptionally long hours. While it can be easy to give them a bottle of wine to help them unwind at the end of the day, you can introduce tranquility through the power of scent!
If they’re self-employed and work from home, you can gift them candles with warm scents, essential oils (with a diffuser if you wish), or aromatherapy candles like the handmade ones on Etsy. In fact, key essential oils such as lavender and peppermint can change the atmosphere in an instant from helping them relax to boosting their concentration if they’re trying to meet a deadline. When such a little can go a long way, this is a gift that the event planner in your life can incorporate into their everyday rituals.
