3 Reasons Why You Should Share Your Event Planning Secrets

Event planners need to share their secrets. Yes, really! During my time as an event planner, I’ve noticed one major aspect of this industry: it’s guarded and secretive. Try to ask a fellow event planner about a design idea of theirs and you’ll probably get a politician sort of answer, where they skirt around the question and talk about something else. You say, well what about books? Aren’t event planning books designed with all the need-to-know secrets? Nope! Books and event planning certifications are chock-full of how to run a wedding and technical advice, but they contain no realistic details or help when it comes to a planning and designing an event.

What gives? As many other event planners will tell you, the event planning industry is oversaturated with people, making competition a huge deal. Well, let me just say this, event planners, there’s enough people getting married out there for everyone to have a slice of the pie. If my Facebook feed is any indication of the weddings to come, there will be plenty of need for event planners. But if you need more convincing to get you to share your secrets, here are three additional reasons!

Reason #1- The Right Client

Event planners all have unique styles and techniques for how they plan/design weddings. A client might approach you with an idea for their wedding, or have eclectic requests that simply don’t fit your style of design. What do you do? Do you force it and try to make it work? Well, if you knew another event planner’s style and design, you could recommend the client to try their services instead and vice versa.

Don’t force yourself to work with a client that isn’t a good fit for your business. Define your niche and what makes you, you in the event planning industry!

Reason #2- Raise the Bar

Thanks to Pinterest, everybody thinks a professional event planner is irrelevant. This only makes the argument for sharing your secrets stronger!  When you share ideas, trends, and styles with your fellow event planner, you are setting the bar—no one else!

Work together and take the event planning industry back from the DIYer. Start working together to do so, today.

Reason #3- Inspiration

Although you might share your idea with a fellow event planner, we’re all individuals and will have a different way of creating something. What you do to gain clients, decorate a reception area, or stay organized is what works for you, but it can also be inspiration for someone else to find what works best for them. Sharing secrets can help you become someone’s inspiration!

There’s plenty of fish in the sea, so don’t be afraid to share your secrets with your fellow event planners. When you do, not only are you helping the industry grow stronger, you’re honing your skills and standing out in the crowd as a voice of the industry. Here at Inspherio, we’re an open book! Stay tuned to hear all our secrets on how to be successful in the event planning industry. Or to stay a step ahead, join Inspherio. It’s the business management solution designed exclusively for the event planning industry. We’ll help you plan your success. And did we mention, it’s free for 30 days?

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Keep on Schedule with the Itinerary Feature from Inspherio

Let’s start with a scenario, shall we?

It’s the day of your client’s event. The festivities are beginning, but the musicians haven’t showed up yet and the photographer is wondering when she should start taking pictures. You tell everyone to rest assured; you have it all figured out. You reach for your itinerary, only to realize that it isn’t there. Panic rushes over you. What do you do? Everything you’ve planned, all of your hard work, is on that sheet of paper. People are starting to gather around you, growing more and more anxious by the minute. How will the event go on? What time do people arrive? The questions begin to swirl, and you’re sinking lower and lower into the floor—how could you forget the itinerary?

Freeze frame!

OK, so it’s bit extreme, but you get the point! You never want to be caught at an event without all of your necessary items—nor do you want anyone to start panicking. As your Crew, we don’t want that either, which is why we created the Inspherio Itinerary feature to help keep everything on schedule. And the best part is, you can access your itinerary from your computer, phone, or tablet anytime and anywhere.

So without further ado—introducing the Itinerary feature from Inspherio!

How-to Guide

Knowing when everything is supposed to happen during your client’s big day is important. But, it doesn’t have to be a difficult task to keep up with. Just let Inspherio’s Itinerary feature help. To get started, follow these simple instructions!

• Click on the “Leads” tab on your Inspherio dashboard.
• Select the client you are creating an itinerary for from your Active or Incoming Leads folder.
• From there, click on the Itinerary icon located under the the “Just For You” section.
• In the itinerary management section, you can choose to upload your own template or use the one that we provide.  
• If using the one we provide, click on the “Add Itinerary” tab. A popup screen will appear allowing you to enter in important information—time, duration, and client and vendor information. 

• Now just rinse, wash, and repeat a couple times until your itinerary is complete.
• Once you’re finished, you can save it for your records, print it out, and/or send it to your clients and vendors. It’s really that easy!

Never get caught unprepared! With Inspherio, you can access all of your event information in one easy-to-use location. Sign up for Inspherio and make sure you’re always prepared. Try our free 30-day trial today!

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The Event Guide: Food & Beverages

Deciding how much food and how many drinks to prepare for an event seems like a guessing game. If you order too much, you take away budgeted money that could be applicable in other places. Order too little, and people get restless. In my earliest experiences as an event planner, I made these mistakes more than I’m willing to admit. But, I’ve gotten much better at expecting the unexpected when it comes to food and beverages. Here’s some of my secrets to help you get it right the first time! 

Know Your Guests

It doesn’t matter if it’s a bride & groom, a mother-to-be, or someone’s birthday—everyone wants their favorite food served at their event. As a planner/caterer it’s important to include those favorites, but don’t forget to keep the preferences of the guests in mind. 

One of the first weddings I helped plan, the bride loved sushi. Doesn’t seem like a problem, right? Well, it was when a majority of the guests were accustomed to more  traditional, home-cooked options. By not keeping the guests in mind, many of them left early—missing most of the festivities—because they were hungry. 

Key: Learn the demographics of your group. Men will eat more hearty food than women, and the older audience will prefer more traditional options compared to the younger generations. By knowing your guests, you can develop menus that include the host’s favorites, and also food options that appeal to the masses. 

Know Your Event

Knowing the type of event you are providing food for sounds like a no-brainer, right? Well, what I mean when I say know your event, is to plan food options and menus that fit the event. If you are hosting a long conference, loading your guests up with sugary foods will only make them crash later. 

Key: Choose foods that will fuel your guests and get them in the right frame-of-mind for your event. Protein is the best food group to have at an event that requires attention, focus, and for guests to be active. It will keep them wanting to participate and awake for the events. Brownies and carbs—although delicious—will send your guests into a food coma. No one wants zombies at their party, so remember to choose energizing foods. 

The Numbers Game

It’s always about numbers when it comes to planning the food and drinks. Get the numbers wrong, it won’t go over well. Whether it's a large party or a small one, it can be difficult knowing how much food to prepare. But with a little help, it doesn’t have to be! 

Key: Here is a handy chart brought to you by the PlanningHelpers to help you make sure you prepare enough food and drinks depending on the number of guests you will be accommodating.

Food Items	Portions per Person
Hors d’oeuvres if meal to follow	Total of 2 to 3 pieces per person per hour
Heavy hors d’oeuvres as a meal	Total of 5 to 6 pieces per person per hour   Less after 2nd hour
Chilled salads	4 ounces per person
Hot side dishes	3 to 4 ounces per person    Less if more side dishes served
Pasta as an entrée	6 to 8 ounces per person
Lunch entrée	4 to 6 ounces per person
Dinner entrée	6 to 8 ounces per person
Dessert	3 to 4 ounces per person
Dinner Rolls or Bread	2 per person

Added tip: When you are serving a heavy hors d’oeuvres for the meal, add another substantial food item to the menu, like pasta. Carbs and other filling foods can help lower the amount of hors d’oeuvres you need to keep you guests happy and full.

Type of Beverage	Number of Servings in Each	Ordering ONE type of beverage for 4 hrs. to 50 people
Beer	1 case = (24) 12-ounce servings	8 cases
Wine	750 ml bottle = (6) 4-ounce glasses	34 bottles
Liquor	750 ml bottle = (15 to 18) 1-ounce pours per bottle	13 bottles + assorted mixes
Coffee	1 gallon = (18) 1-cup servings	3 gallons
Soda	1-liter bottle = (11) 6-ounce glasses	18 bottles
Soda	1 case = (24) 12-ounce cans of (2) 6-ounce servings	4 cases
Punch	1 gallon = (32) 4-ounce servings	6 gallons
Champagne	750 ml bottle = (6) 4-ounce glasses	9 bottles for 1 toast

Added Tip: If you decide to offer a soft bar, remember that it is more expensive than a full bar. A soft bar will serve only six pours out of a bottle of wine, whereas a liquor bottle will have 15 to 18 pours. Also, don’t forget to order enough soda and water for your guests, people will prefer non-alcoholic beverages later in the evening.

Ordering food and beverages for your event doesn’t have to be difficult! With a little help and some positive encouragement, you’ll have happy guests and a great event! For more event guides, be sure to stay tuned to Inspherio. We’re on a mission to be your best crew!

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