The Business of Event Planning: Behind the Scenes Secrets of Successful Special Events Hardcover - 2002

Event planning is like performing a high-wire act without a safety net. Once your event starts, there are no second chance. It is all done in one take, and there are no dress rehearsals. You cannot predict how your guests and suppliers will interact and react when you bring them together, but you can organize, plan, and be prepared for the unexpected.
The Business of Event Planning covers all the behind-the-scenes aspects of special events, whether it's an event for thousands or a handful of guests. Before any thought is given to the timing or location of the event, before the menus are selected and the decor designed, there are strategic objectives to be determined, proposals to be written, fees and contracts to be negotiated, and saftey issues to be considered.
The Business of Event Planning helps event planners and their clients produce outstanding events that meet and exceed both client and guest expectations, by going beyond the details of the event itself. This book explains every aspect of the business and the strategy behind successful events. Its comprehensive coverage includes:
* How to prepare winning proposals, and how to understand them if you're the client.
* How to determine management fees and negotiate contracts.
* The safety issues that every event planner needs to take into consideration.
* Designing events in multicultural settings.
* New technology that makes operations more efficient (such as online registration and response management, database project management tools, videoconferencing and virtual meetings, and more).
* Practical tools such as sample letters of agreement, sample layouts for client proposals, forms, tips, and checklists.
* A detailed case study that runs throughout the book-- one company that is organizing two very different events.
* Features a companion website with forms from the book, as well as additional material. Visit www.wiley.ca/go/event_planning.
The Business of Event Planning provides indispensable tools and strategies for anyone who has to plan an event:
* Professional event and meeting planners-- seasoned veterans or beginners
* Clients who are dealing with planners, suppliers, and consultants
* Public relations and communications companies
* Marketing and corporate communications professionals
* Fundraisers and not-for-profit organizations
* Professionals and students in the hospitality and entertainment industries.