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Plan a party/function in failsafe steps

By Eliza Kendall / Events | Tuesday, April 1, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Women's Business News

Planning a party? Whether you’re organizing a corporate or fundraiser party, or celebrating a milestone birthday or a retirement, you’d like to pull off the event without a hitch.

Unfortunately, the old adage “anything that can go wrong...will” usually holds true. But don’t despair: Success, or failure, is literally in your hands. There are three steps that are absolutely key to organizing a successful event:

Create a Vision. In order to plan, you must begin with a vision or theme. The theme is the glue that holds the party together and dictates everything from the venue and invitations to the decorations, centerpieces, food, entertainment and party favors or giveaways.

Once you settle on your theme, you can make your affair really stand out by adding in some fun entertainment, such as a palm reader or strolling minstrels. For a corporate function, consider basing the theme around a new line of business or the launch of a new product or service.

Make a Budget. Next, it’s time to get real about the budget. If you are planning a corporate function, you’ve probably already been advised of a specific dollar amount to be expended. In your planning, even if an individual party-giver, factor in an additional 10 to 20 percent to allow for extra “wiggle” room for unanticipated expenses.

You’ll need to further budget each aspect of your event (i.e., food, flowers, invitations, decorations and entertainment) after you have made a plan. That way, you’ll have a better idea of how much money you will be able to allocate to each aspect of your event without going over your budget.

On a shoe string budget? Get creative with your resources, and you’ll do just fine. For example, if you want to have a square dance theme, call your local senior center and see if a member knows how to call a hoe-down. Go listen to bands that are recommended to you and talk to them to ensure they can provide the right music and presentation you want. If having a band is too costly, then hire a recommended disc jockey.

Plan, Plan, Plan. Careful planning within the parameters of a specific budget is a recipe for success. Don’t be afraid to enlist an event planner – this is someone who will know which service providers work best together, whom to call, where to find anything needed, and how to get it all done.

Whether you enlist the aid of an event planner or not, surround yourself with the best your budget can afford. Be sure to create a checklist of items that must get done at the outset, such as booking the venue and entertainment. If you do, things will run like a smooth machine.

Most important, don’t try to do everything yourself. Enlist the help of friends or family or hire professional help. Good caterers will create wonderful menus, no matter what budget they have to work within. The same holds true for all the other vendors – the good ones work with you and within your budget.

Avoid Cutting Corners. Leaving out a step in the process is like leaving out an ingredient in a recipe. The end result just won’t be what you want. Envision what you want, plan it out thoroughly, and rely on those extra hands and your service providers to come through for you.

Eliza Kendall, president of the ElizaJ company, is a former event planner with more than 17 years experience in the special event business.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/womens/general/view.bg?articleid=1084149