Description
Book SynopsisPractical, prescriptive advice on successfully marketing your event planning business Recent years have been tough on the event planning industry. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, economic downturns, wars, and SARS have all negatively impacted the business.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements xv
Preface xvii
Part 1: Marketability 1
Chapter 1:Making Yourself Marketable 3
Target Your Talents 4
Distinguish Yourself and Your Company 10
Manage Your Reputation 16
Chapter 2:Acquiring Areas of Expertise 19
1. Business Development 28
2. Creative Design 30
3. Event Management 32
4. On-Site Production 34
5. Acquiring Expertise 35
Chapter 3:Creating Your Niche 51
Meeting a Need 53
Specialty Market 56
Income Driven 59
Emotional Hot Buttons 62
Specialized Expertise 64
Part 2: Market Development 67
Chapter 4:Defining Your Objective—Who Is Your Client? 69
Visualization 72
Research 74
Development 75
Planning 75
Execution 77
Reconciliation 77
Chapter 5:Targeting Your Talents 81
Matching Your Talents to Your Advance 85
Chapter 6:Customizing Customer Service Requirements 99
Expectation 102
Excel 104
Embrace 105
Enlighten 107
Educate 109
Enrich 111
Energize 112
Excite 113
Environment 115
Employees 116
Efficiency 118
Evaluate 120
Ethics and Etiquette 122
Part 3: Marketing Endeavors 125
Chapter 7:Marketing to Your Audience 129
Lots of Energy 130
A Platform 132
A Strong Hook 134
Sharp Focus 135
Marketing Opportunities 136
Chapter 8:Soliciting Sales: Innovative Ideas 147
Creating Sales Opportunities in Unconventional Ways 150
Bring About an Emotional Response 153
Captivating a Client with Creative Concepts 158
Chapter 9:The Value of Diversification 161
Widening Your Existing Client Base 164
Expanding Your Market 167
Generating New Income Sources 169
Chapter 10: Going Out on Your Own— Costs and Benefits 175
Personal and Professional Independence 176
Financial Freedom 177
Unlimited Authority 178
Costs and Benefits of Going Out on Your Own 179
Conclusion 205
Appendix A:Leading Internationally Recognized Industry Certifications 209
Appendix B:Industry Associations and Councils 215
Appendix C:Industry Magazines, Books, Online Publications and Resources 219
Appendix D:Industry Conferences, Congresses, Trade Shows and Award Shows 223
Appendix E:Sample Creative Concepts 225
Sample A: Concept for Corporate Event 225
Sample B: Concept for a Fundraising Event 229
Sample C: Concept for a Theme Event 235
Index 241
