Event planning with a group
It's party time! You and a group of friends or associates have decided to ban together to host an event. You gather together for an event planning brainstorming session and you can't decide on anything. Every person involved wants different things.
Instead of planning the perfect party, you've spent hours debating something as simple as the design of the invitation. One of the positive benefits of event planning with a group of people is that each person can take on a role.
One person can be responsible for invitations, while another tends to the menu and a third handles the decorations. The burden of the event planning is divided into sections and each person can place their full attention on one aspect instead of one person become flustered while trying to remember every aspect.
There are drawbacks though when you have many voices all involved in the event planning process. Differences in opinion might create some conflicts and what one person suggests, another might discount. There are ways to handle the many varying opinions and still create a memorable event. One way is to decide on a voting method.
If there are several people involved, you can agree at the beginning of the event planning process that majority wins. This can resolve any disagreements in a fair and reasonable way. When everyone has had their vote, the most votes win and the decision is final.
Another really effective approach is to discuss everyone's strengths before the event planning discussions ever get underway. If one person enjoys menu planning, this area could be left up to them, if another is very creative, decorations might be their area of expertise. Utilizing people's individual likes and strengths can help guarantee not only a smooth event planning process but a highly successful event as well.
Event planning with a child
Parents love including their children in decisions, especially decisions that directly affect them. Sometimes it can be asking the children what they'd like for dinner or what book they'd like to have read to them before bed. Children love expressing their opinion and feeling as though it's valued.
Another area that children love having input in is the planning of their birthday parties. Even children as young as two or three-years-old can contribute to the event planning process. One of the favored things at every birthday party is the birthday cake. It's the star attraction and during the event planning of the party, the cake is an important aspect.
A parent may choose a cake in the shape of their child's favorite cartoon character or super hero or they may elect to get a plain cake but decorate it themselves with small toys that the child can keep beyond the life of the cake. It's fun for a child though to be included in the cake picking part of the event planning.
Ask your child what kind of cake they would like including flavor and design. They'll feel extra special for having chosen their birthday cake themselves. If you prefer a homemade cake, have the child take part in the baking and decorating of it. Again they will feel accomplished and proud for having taken part.
A fun part of children's birthday parties is the treat bag that children generally take home from the party with them. These are often filled with small candies, perhaps a brightly colored pencil and maybe even a small toy.
Including your child in this part of the event planning is fun for them as well. They can choose the goodies at the store and be responsible for filling the bags for their guests. Including them helps build their self-confidence and also makes them feel as though they've directly contributed in the success of their party.
Event planning and family reunions
One of the best things to do on a warm and sunny summer afternoon is to pack up your family and head to a park where you'll find dozens and dozens of relatives you haven't seen in decades. This is the premise of a family reunion; a chance for people who have drifted apart to reconnect with good food and even better company.
Planning a family reunion can be one of the most intensive types of event planning there is. It involves not only contacting dozens of people but finding those people. If you are fortunate you've been in close contact with much of your family and it's simply a matter of either sending out invitations or telephoning them and arranging a pot luck dinner in a park.
However, it isn't always this easy. If you are taking on the responsibility for event planning your family reunion there are a few things you can do to make the job easier: “Locate the most recent family tree. This will prove invaluable in the event planning because it will give you a rough idea of the number of attendees as well as supply you with their names and sometimes cities of residence, which makes for easier contact.
“Branch out. Just as a family tree has branches, so should your event planning tactics. Ask a family member to contact one half of the family tree while you handle the other. This will cut the time in half. “If someone asks what they can bring don't say "nothing." People love contributing and even if it's just a basket of chicken or a watermelon it will help.
Take people up on their offers to help, it will make the day much more enjoyable for you. Family reunions can be a great success and a wonderful way to catch up with the people closest to you. With the proper event planning it can quickly become an annual event.
Excerpted from the book How To Successfully Plan And Organize An Event by Wings Of Success.
This excerpt has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Download this book on Boostlane:
https://boostlane.com/p/boostlane/954/how-to-successfully-plan-and-organize-an-event/
