An event planner plans and organises events from start to finish, from booking the venue to lighting, sound, photography and catering.  If you are an enthusiastic person who enjoys talking to other people, why not start an event planning business? It is extremely popular in our country, some experts even say that the events industry could boost South Africa’s growth.

Getting Started

An event planning business is not just about throwing great parties, a lot of the work is done in the run up to the event and you have to make sure everything runs smoothly. While fun and exciting, event planning can be very stressful as you have to depend on various people to come together to create the perfect event.

To start an event planning business you have to decide which events you’re going to plan. Here are the most popular ideas:

  • weddings;
  • anniversaries;
  • corporate meetings and retreats;
  • fashion shows;
  • memorials;
  • civic events;
  • birthdays

and many others.

Target Market

Your target audience can be divided into two three parts:

  • Companies. In this case, you’ll be working in a B2B (business to business) segment (Example of a task: organizing a corporate meeting at a game development company);
  • Ordinary people. They often need help in celebrating weddings, birthdays, anniversaries;
  • Groups of people (schools, universities). They are not big companies, but they still need help in organising civic events,  conferences between the parents and teachers, etc.
Expenses

A great thing about an event planning business is that you don’t need an office. You can work from home. When it comes to meeting your clients and making deals you can meet at a nearby cafe. This is a common practice for event planners.

Watch a video of a lady who’s running an event planning company this way:

This doesn’t always apply to a B2B segment, where a office may be a requirement to project a professional images, a tiny yet cozy office in a business center is will do the job.

More Information:

Event Planning: learn how to plan a great event

Successful Events: Event Planning, Marketing & Management

Further Reading
What Does an Event Planner Do?
Event Planning
Learn About Being an Event Planner