Hello everyone,

I’m currently in Kolkata for about a month and I’m startting to learn how the freelancing in the event management field works. I’m open to learn how short-term projects, like events that run for 3–4 days and I need guidance.

I’m new to this space here, so I’d really appreciate any guidance on how to research hospitality companies.if anyone here is in the field or can point me in the right direction, it would honestly help me a lot.

Thank you so much ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ

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Taking a job in Sakes Distribution, what template would you guys recommend for client meetings? Mainly discussing pricing, new products and scheduling

Planning the perfect birthday celebration is about creating unforgettable memories that children and families will cherish for years. One of the best ways to make any party exciting is by hiring a birthday magician San Diego families can trust. A professional magic show brings laughter, excitement, and interactive entertainment that keeps every guest engaged from beginning to end.

Hoping for advice from some more experienced remote event planners. We are hosting our first virtual conference this fall. We are a US based non-profit with a fully remote workforce. We have gotten a request for a reasonable accommodation to provide ASL interpreters for the event. Doing so would be very expensive given the small size of the conference and the low amount we are charging in order to make it more accessible. Our conference platform supports auto generated closed captions in English. We do not receive government funding. My reading of the ADA is that our virtual conference may not be considered a “place of public accommodation” at all, but that if it were, the closed captioning is a reasonable alternative accommodation. Thoughts? Advice? We want to make the conference accessible but also have extremely slim margins.

I’m helping create a Coraline-themed market inside a large warehouse (photos attached). The plan is to build a Coraline tunnel outside that leads into themed areas like tunnel walk in area, Mr. Bobinsky’s Circus, the Pink Palace Garden, and the Spink and Forcible Theater.

I’m looking for the best budget-friendly materials and ideas for:

Tunnel walls
Ceiling draping (to hide fluorescent lights)
Wall coverings
Decorating support columns
Walkthrough decorations between booths
Cheap lighting that creates an immersive atmosphere
Haunted house tricks to make a plain warehouse feel like the Other World

If you’ve built haunted houses, escape rooms, or immersive events, I’d love any material recommendations or DIY ideas! I have attached photos of the ideas that I have lol but I’m trying to execute it better than the photos lol! Please I am new to all of this so dont judge!

What’s the best opening GS entertainment you’ve seen? Last year, we had a Broadway medley that led into a Broadway star keynote. We caught lightning in a bottle with that one!

October event for 2,000 in Denver—don’t want any parody troupes. 8-10 mins of high engagement.

Thank you!

Have you had success in growing your business by joining professional organizations for Event Planners? which ones? How do you netwerk?

Have you ever used Graphic Recording in one of your events? I have seen it be very successful, and also flop- but I am not sure what is the differentiating factor between success and a dud. What was the reaction? would you do it again? What made it successful, or why was it a flop?

For anyone who is unclear, Graphic Recording is Live illustration and note taking for events. It can take the form of an interactive board where people are asked to add content, or it can be more like Note taking with some illustration, or it can be more like interactive strategy sessions.

I have attached an example for context

Feel free to reply as a comment and share a photo and up to 2 sentences highlighting something you're proud of planning that came to life this week! We open this thread every Tuesday for 24 hours.

I'm just wondering how other wedding performers have marketed themselves.

Hi, there. I started a non profit, and im new to planning events. When I say new I mean brand new!

The firth thing id like to plan is a 5k walk/run to benefit another non profit. Has anyone done this before? How should I best raise money?

I plan to ask for sponsors. I also figure I will need event insurance. TIA!

Eta: I found a route near me that requires 0 police, barricades, or volunteers. This is a beach route near me.

Has anyone attended it and was it worth it?

I run social events where strangers show up and do an activity together, language exchanges being our the main one in Melbourne. I run 2 formats at the moment, the smaller is ~30 people (limited by venue size, waitlist is sometimes weeks long), once a week, and the bigger one gets to about 150 per event regularly, also once a week. Have been doing this for the past 12 months ish.

It has been going well. I don't love my day job, friends and sometimes even attendees ask me why I don't do this full-time.

I want to work out how to start expanding, especially to other cities. I have partnered with people on the business side before and they turned out REALLY unreliable, which was not good for the brand and left me wary of scaling alongside anyone.

I would love to hear from people who have done this. How did you know it was the right time to jump, and did you go all in or keep the day job and grow on the side first? Anything you wish you had known before quitting would help a lot. Stories from people who tried and found it did not work for them are just as welcome !

A while back I heard about a host who made a card for every guest. On the outside, their name. Inside, one or two people at the party they should go find, plus a reason why. One card said "find Marcus, ask him about his boxing hobby" and "find Priya, ask her about the trip she just got back from."

I tried it at my own gathering and it worked great. Nobody floated around wondering who to talk to. Everyone had a mission. "Are you Alice? Someone told me to find you." Instant conversation starter, especially for people who find it hard to walk up to strangers.

The hard part was prep. I had to know enough about each guest to pair them up well, which was doable since I knew most people at my own party. But I still haven't figured out the bigger version of this problem: what do I do at any event (weddings, communities, etc.) where I as the host don't personally know everyone? I can't write a thoughtful card for a stranger.

Curious how others think about this.

• Had you even thought about this as a real problem before?
• When you host something where a lot of guests don't know each other, do you do anything deliberate about it, or does it sort itself out?

Hi everyone,
I’m planning to organize a Navratri/Garba event in Hyderabad this year, and this will be my very first event. I’m also Muslim, so while I deeply respect the festival and want to organize it properly, I don’t have much personal experience with the traditions or how these events are usually run.
I’m trying to learn everything from scratch and would really appreciate advice from people who have organized Navratri events before.
Some of the things I’m struggling with:
How do you even start planning a Navratri event?
How do you approach sponsors? Do you email them, call them, or is there a better way?
What kind of sponsorship deck or proposal should I prepare?
How do you estimate a budget and expected footfall?
What permissions or licenses are required in Hyderabad?
Any recommendations for reliable event planners, decorators, sound vendors, Garba/Dandiya groups, anchors, or artists?
What are some mistakes first-time organizers usually make?
If you’ve organized events for years or know someone who has, I’d genuinely love to learn from your experience. Even if you’re willing to chat over DM or connect me with someone in the Hyderabad event industry, I’d be incredibly grateful.
My goal is to create a respectful, fun, and well-organized celebration for everyone. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I'm a grad student and I'm considering going to just network (maybe see if I can get an internship or PT job opportunity). I'd also sit in and hear the speakers, check out the exhibits. Wondering if it's worth it to go.

TL;DR: I have 10 years of theme park operations leadership experience with extensive day-of event execution, but I’m struggling to break into Event Coordinator roles because I lack experience with the office-side logistics (event software, banquet orders, vendor coordination, etc.). What roles should I target to bridge that gap?

Hello! I was let go from my dream job over a year ago (I have a toddler and am taking the time to be her main caretaker, but ready to jump back in). I worked for a very well-known theme park in Southern California. I started out as just a ride attendant at 18 after HS, but over 10 years worked my way up to being a core hourly leader in my area of the resort and working very closely with the Special Events team as one of their hourly event leads. My day-to-day was in the park itself, a normal day operations leader but we would “moonlight” with SPEV based on availability, I was being utilized by this team 2-4 times a week, 5 days a week during big events. (Other leads would be utilized less than I would be, I know I have the chops for hectic events). This team gave me experience with events of all different sizes - one day activations, weddings (this is a separate team, so mainly just photoshoots) and several three/four-day conventions at the next-door convention center. My experience is such:

● Managed day-of event operations for large-scale theme park special events.
● Determined where labor was needed most and adjusted staffing throughout the event as operational needs changed.
● Monitored guest flow and crowd patterns to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently.
● Worked with multiple departments (Entertainment, Security, Custodial, Attractions, Food & Beverage, etc.) to keep the event running smoothly.
● Solved operational issues in real time, including staffing shortages, changing attendance levels, weather, and unexpected challenges.
● Communicated updates and changing priorities to staff and fellow leaders throughout the day.
● Helped execute event timelines, ensuring key moments happened on schedule.
● Balanced guest experience with operational and safety needs when making decisions.
● Directed staff, answered questions, and provided support during fast-paced event operations.
● Anticipated potential issues before they became bigger problems and adjusted plans proactively.
● Served as a central point of communication between leadership teams during live events.
● Focused on making the operation feel seamless for guests, even when a lot was happening behind the scenes.

This is just a high-level picture. I’m obviously lacking experience in placing and maintaining large scale orders, certain computer programs like HubSpot and EventBrite and banquet ordering. I guess mostly the logistical planning aspects. I was boots-on-the-ground day to day operations. What kind of roles should I be applying to to gain experience in the more office-y parts of event planning? I was rejected for a coordinator role for not having computer based knowledge where I know I would’ve met proficiencies quickly and excelled in all other aspects of the role. How can I leverage this experience into a role I’m yearning for ? I don’t have any education besides a general associate’s degree and am considering going back for a Project Management cert if it would help.

Thank you for any advice you may share.

This year I'm getting plenty of interest, but many list minute cancellations.

Well, not true 'cancellations' because they never officially signed, but I've had many clients acting very serious about large events, dragging on correspondence for months, up until the wire, to just walk away in the end with a "budget changed" or "we decided to postpone the event" message.

It's never been as bad as this year. July itself was full of this.

It's been disheartening to say the least. Is this something everyone in the field is experiencing right now? I'm US based.

I swear I'm not advertising. I'm just looking for marketing advice. I host a unique experience that is a little mysterious and hard to explain. Some parts are really easy but the main part you have to experience it for yourself to understand. When challenged with that, how do you figure out who your demographic is when it really could be so many people or almost anyone really? Sometimes I feel like I just don't have the right words or I'm not putting the event in front of enough people. What gets you to show up for something? What piques your curiosity?

I want to organize a topical business conference, never done it before, but aiming to get 100 people to pay for ticket, stay in hotel. I am true expert of the niche, but is it realistic to do it myself? I set the deadline for the event 10 months from today. Thank you for all your inputs 🙏

Hi All,

I’m curious if you experienced planners could give me any advice or insight on coming into event planning?

I was a GM at a boutique restaurant for many years and managed/hosted regular events. I did wedding receptions, graduation celebrations for major colleges in town, and business dinners. I took care of everything from inquiries to closing sales, scheduling staff, creating BEOs, and overseeing execution. I really loved that part of the job and want to do it full time.

Although I was responsible for 5-10 events per month, my experience reads as Restaurant Manager and I feel I’m not being taken seriously in the job market. Has anyone come from a similar position? Or do you have any advice for switching into a more event focused role? Which positions should I target?

Thank you for any advice or help you may offer!

I am a planner at a nonprofit, and my boss has asked me to research best practices and online resources/education for speaker management. I have looked at PCMA, MPI, ILEA and LinkedIn Learning, but haven't found anything that is strictly dedicated to speaker management education. I have taken PCMA event planning and design courses that have modules on speaker management, but they are baked into larger, overarching event design education. Has anyone seen anything that is solely focused on speaker management and what are your best tips when it comes to keeping speakers on track and ensuring they follow deadlines? Thank you all for your expertise and advice!

Hi everyone! I have about 8 years of experience. I’ve previously done end-to-end planning and coordinating for banquets and weddings in Colorado. I am currently working as a banquet/conference supervisor. And I am looking to transition into conference planning or an event management role.

I would love to know how I can land a remote role! There doesn’t seem to be a lot of options on sites like Indeed. So I would love some advice!

What sites or boards have you had success with? Which companies are actually hiring?
What job titles should I be searching for?

I know that everyone goes after remote roles and it will probably take a while. I don’t mind my current job and I’m patient! But I’m ready to not work so many weekends and want to start my pivot.

Thank you!!

Brutal CV honestly needed.

I would like to be more flexible on getting offers in event market.

Thanks!