Planning an Event on a Budget? Help Yourself with These Tips by @dancarthy2

Are you planning an event? Do you need to attract more people to your business, make your company stand out and get noticed? If so, a good event goes without saying as a major prerequisite for that. Of course, it’s easy for big companies to host events. Well, it’s not that easy but it’s certainly better when you have loads of money at your disposal, right? Well, if you belong to the less fortunate group here, where you have to allocate each buck carefully, take a look below and you’ll find useful tips that will help you do just that.

Timing is important

You know how hotels located in mountains charge less when it’s autumn? That’s because fewer people visit highlands when there’s no snow which means less revenue. In turn, hotels lower the prices to attract people to still consider making a short escape from the city life and relax in the mountains. When it comes to events, the concept is quite similar. Since you’ll hunt for a venue, it is good to learn about seasons. Venues often share bookings with other events such as weddings or receptions. If you go for that season, you’ll be paying a lot. Instead, schedule wisely, see if you can pick out a date when there are no other events. Pick a ‘cheaper’ date, you could save a lot of money.

Look for volunteers

Every event planner needs staff for their events. Without your own people helping with everything, there can be no event. It’s plain and simple. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to spend through the roof and hire contractors or something like that. Work with what you can get. Consider younger people who need experience in events to help manage things. Of course, you have to give something in return. But it doesn’t have to be money. Experience is a valuable asset too.

Partner up

Finding a partner or a sponsor oftentimes isn’t easy. However, if you’re tight on cash, you need to try and look for sponsors or partners. Consider theme and purpose of your event and then look for organizations that might want to align themselves with your particular theme. Remember that both sides need to benefit from this. For example, if you’re hosting an event and you are a small tech company, try to figure out what other company (a partner or a sponsor) would benefit from having their logo displayed at your event. Many companies see sponsorships as a form of marketing. Take advantage of that. Also, if you can find a renowned partner/sponsor, that could help you with event experience. Your attendees will respect you more if they see logos of other giants besides yours. That means that your business is in good company. 

Consider going digital

Back in the day printed material was everything. People needed it to plan, promote and basically do everything event-wise. Nowadays the situation is different. A great alternative that will save you money is technology. You can use e-mail to send invitations, promotional material, schedules and general info about the event. Also, you can even create a website for a fairly small sum of money. A simple website that has everything your attendees need to know about your event can go a long way.

Always keep an eye out on your budget

The budgeting process needs to start early. That’s because you want to know whether your event is going to be feasible. However, many planners forget to keep an eye out after planning a budget. That’s why updating it regularly needs to be a priority. Make it a habit to dedicate 10 to 20 minutes on a daily basis to updating your budget. That’s a good way to stay on top of new developments in real time and anticipate additional costs.

Conclusion

Having a tight budget can be a real pain in the neck. However, every single event planner had to make it work with small amount of money at least once in their career.