Planning a party can be a pretty stressful event. There are so many things that you have to keep track of and make sure of and not forget. If you’re a professional event planner, then you probably have it down to a tee but unfortunately, not many who end up organizing the event have qualified training behind us. We are pretty much just winging it. Sometimes it comes out fantastic from the DJ to tablecloth and chair cover rentals but other times it’s a complete disaster. Here are a few tips for ensuring that the planning stages of the party go well so that the actual event is a success.
Keep a Binder
Your binder should be full of lists; to do lists, to buy lists, to remember lists. Whenever you think of anything, write it down. Renting linens for an event? Write it down. Write down the type of specialty linen rental you need and where to rent table linens. Jotting down every single little thing will help you not forget one detail, no matter how small. Then, cross them off as they are complete. Keeping it all in a binder will keep you organized and put together so you don’t get stressed out with all the details. It’s a good idea to organize the binder each evening once you get home. Don’t throw anything away but put the papers with complete lists at the back and rewrite anything that has gotten so messy you can barely understand it.
Research Party Rental Stores
If it’s a huge party then it’s best to look into warehouses, outlets and distribution centers for renting linens for an event or even tables, chairs, dance floors, lights and whatever else you’ll need. Don’t just go with the first store that you find. Lots of places will price match or you can compare yourself and go with the cheapest, but best quality for price store. However, in order to find these kinds of places, you may need to do a little research because they generally don’t need to advertise to the public. Distribution centers typically rent out to corporations and event planners but they do rent to the individual as well, they just don’t really market to them because that’s not where their main business comes from.
Get Some Help
Don’t try to do everything yourself. There have probably been people asking what they can do to help so take advantage of their willingness and delegate. Have someone look into renting linens for an event while someone else prices and vets caterers while someone listens to the local talent to find a DJ. This will free you up to take care of other details that need to be seen to like invitations or something like that. Everyone is good at something so play to people’s strengths when delegating. It’s good to involve people in your planning process so that you don’t get overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done.
Set a Budget
Not only set one, but stick to it. There’s nothing worse than going over budget for an event. Especially if it’s some kind of fund raiser, you’re going to need to make sure that the amount you make from the party is worth it compared to the amount that you spent. Have you ever wondered how such elaborate formal events can be made into fund raisers? Why not take the money that was spent on the event and give it to the charity or whatever they are fund raising for? Well, it’s because of careful planning and strategic thinking. Even if the budget is very high for the party, they can do that because the money they will make back from the party is so much more than if they just used the party money.
Renting linens for an event, sending out save the dates and invitations, picking venues and DJs, procuring sound equipment and everything else that needs to be done in order to have a successful party can be a lot, it’s true. But, done right, you should be able to stand back and look at your event with pride and satisfaction at a job well done.
