Tips & Tools
We help you create an event with our knowledge & Skills
Tips & Tools
The key to planning an event is giving you enough to plan it with us and allowing enough time for participants to get in on savings with early bird registration offerings. Smaller-scale events should have at least a 3-4-month window. You might have to reserve a venue sooner than that, so plan that accordingly.
Set goals and a plan for your event. Decide whether is this going to be a retreat or a workshop. Is it a planning event, a teaching event, a wellness event, a therapeutic event, or a coaching event?
Planning: Once you know your topic, planning the workshop ultimately means you need to figure out what you want to do to guide your participants through the experience and what you hope they’ll learn from it.
Consider your audience and who you want to invite to attend. The people who will be prospective participants is probably the most important piece of the puzzle. Understanding your client/employee base and their needs will do more than anything else in determining when, where, how, and when you want to do your event.
What does your prospective audience already know? This will help you to determine what type of event you want to do, and what you want to present to them.
Consider the size of the event to determine the location and venue. An ideal size for an event is 8-20 attendees This allows for connection and community and allows the participants to get their needs met and questions addressed and answered.
Consider time availability, the season of the year, and calendar events (such as holidays). Most of the events being a retreat, or a workshop can be 1 day-1 weekend or several days/nights to 1 week, and lastly 1-month. It is important that your goals for the event match the time availability you are wanting to promote, and book. You should try and design a mock schedule before you choose the number of days needed to see everything you want to cover. Allot enough time, to cover your agenda. Rehearse your agenda and time it to be certain. You will seldom be 100% accurate, but it is a benchmark to see what to expect.
Vary activities. More than two hours of talking can send people out the door screaming. When planning a getaway, make time for fun too. All work and no play are not what people sign up for when they invest in the expenses to get-a-way.
Start looking at venues and locations.
Decide if you want a retreat center, villa, Airbnb, hotel, or resort property.
Choose a date (have a second one too, as a backup in case the location is booked on your first choice)
It is important to choose one that does not coincide with a holiday. You might find that a weekend is best to limit the time off they need from work and family. If most people you are inviting are not free on weekends, then choose a weekday event.
Create a preliminary budget: While you do not have everything yet planned, you need to have an approximate idea of how much participants can afford. Where are the attendees all departing from? Are they in one geographical location or spread out across the United States, or globally?
What do you need to earn as a stipend to do the event? Carefully think through what the lowest fee I will take, and what is my preferred fee I would like to make the event happen.
What are the must-have items that need to be included in the fee:
*Event Costs
*Lodging for all nights
- Meals, beverages, snacks
- My fee and commissions for the event planner
- My airfare, lodging, and meals
- Speaker’s fees, lodging, and meals
Reserve the venue site
Choosing a site can sell the event. Find one that is generally appealing to the participants for a get-a-way.
Decide what type of accommodations you want. Dorm rooms, cabins, shared rooms, individual rooms?
Do you want to cook and prepare meals, or have meals provided? If we want to cook, are there kitchen facilities available and grocery stores nearby? Is this an extra charge?
Is the venue accessible for people with disabilities?
How many bathrooms do you want? Shared or individual?
Do we need meeting room space, and if so, how much space? Do we want the room set-up as classroom style, a theater style, or banquet style with round tables?
Is there an additional charge for meeting rooms? Did I need Audio Visual equipment? What is the charge of the type of equipment I need? (Many venues will not allow you to bring your own in, as they might be a union hotel/site)
Are all linens available or do we need to bring our own?
Can the facility provide food for special dietary restrictions such as diabetes, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, or Dairy Free?
Most venue sites require a deposit. Can you provide a deposit upfront? Most are non-refundable. Do you require a refundable deposit?
To host a successful event, it takes planning, preparation, and implementation.
We are excellent at doing this for you to allow you the opportunity to just show up and lead your event.
Why choose an event planner?
An event planner knows how to build an effective schedule, locate exceptional venues, negotiate contracts, and save your money and time.
They know there is no such thing as long, just that it is too boring. They know how to blend work with play, find the best speakers, and find delicious food.
An event takes hours of relentless and countless hours to plan. Hiring a planner to do this frees you up to do what you do best, “your profession”. You are not just hiring someone to help you handle logistics, you are hiring a partner with will ensure the best results.
By offloading the task of researching and bookings, you will be saving money right out of the gate. The planner knows when, where, and how to save money for an unforgettable experience.
Lastly the planner will give you a chance to breathe. Doing everything yourself is a challenging task. Hiring a planner allows you to step back, focus on the areas you know best, and be your most productive self. Not all of us can be experts at all things.
An event planner can troubleshoot for you. They can ensure that your event adheres to a set time frame, the food looks delicious, and other things are all in play. Planning an event does not have to be stressful when there are professionals trained to make the events go off without a hitch. By hiring an event planner, you save time, money, and stress while ensuring your guests are thrilled, they came.
Contact us now. Email: braveheartworkshops@gmail.com