Event and Wedding Planning Courses

As you start your journey in Event Planning, here are the Short Courses that you can study:

• Events Planning: Short Course Certificate 
• Events Planning: Proficiency Certificate
• Events Planning: Comprehensive Certificate

To become an Event Planner in South Africa, here is what you may need:

• At least a basic training in Event Planning
• Passion for Event Planning
• Experience in Event Planning, which you can get by working with experienced practitioners

Yes, Event planning is a good career, here is why:

• Event Planning is a growing industry
• You gain soft skills
• You get to travel
• It is a rewarding career
• It is not monotonous

Event Planning Is A Growing Industry

The event’s industry is a growing industry. Events are happening all over. Be they private, corporate or for charity. As an Event Manager, your skills and knowledge will be called upon to put together memorable events for your clients.

You Gain Soft Skills

Going through a course of study for Event Management will enable you to gain soft skills. Soft skills are also known as transferable skills. This means that you can use the skills in any professional or social setting. Here are some of the skills that you will gain:

• Communication 
• Organisational 
• Strategic thinking 
• Numeracy
• Time management
• Creative 

You Get To Travel

Event Management can make you see places. In Event Management, you will get to travel around the country or even around the continent and the world. This is because events happen everywhere. It is really possible to travel the world. As you gain more experience in the industry, your services will also grow in demand.     

It Is A Rewarding Career

Event Management is a rewarding career. Not only is it rewarding in the monetary sense, but it is also rewarding in the inner gratification that you will feel in achievement. It is a profession that you get to see through from start to finish. In other industries, there is a tendency to pass on a project to the next person after you have done your part in it.   

It Is Not Monotonous

An Event Planning profession is not monotonous. This means that every day is different. You get to meet new challenges, new people and new places almost on l the projects that you will be tasked to work on.

Here are the duties of an Event Planner:

• design and production
• Liaising with clients to identify their needs 
• Conducting market research
• Negotiating contracts 
• Providing feedback and reports to clients
• Proposing ideas to improve event quality
• Managing all the event’s details such as décor, catering, entertainment, transportation 
• Promoting and publicising an event
• Research market, identify event opportunities and generate interest

Here are some of the skills that you will need as an Event Planner?

• Communication 
• Organisational 
• Multitasking
• Numeracy
• Time management
• Creative 

Communication 

Strong communication skills are a must for an Event Planner. This is because, in your line of duty, you have to communicate with different people. It is in this regard that both your oral and writing skills are good. Here are some people of interest that you may communicate with from time to time:

• Clients
• Staff
• Suppliers
• Sponsors
• Guests
• Executives  

Organisational 

As an Event Planner, it is important that there is no chaos in your planning, instead, there should be a process and method. This means that you must adhere to the following;

• Timelines
• Budgets
• Appointments
• Promises

This also means that all paperwork must be correctly filed and retrieved when it is requested. All this is only possible when you are organised.  

Multitasking

To be a successful Event Planner, you should be able to multitask. This is because some tasks may need to be done at the same time. Even if you delegate some tasks, there will always be a need for you to check how the tasks are being or if, the tasks have been completed according to the required expectations

Numeracy

As an Event Planner. Numeracy skills are important. This is because you will be dealing with budgets. You will need to add, subtract and multiply. As an Event Planner, there is no way that you can plan an event without numbers.    

Creativity

In Event Planning, an element of creativity is needed. This is because an event has to be memorable for a long time to come. An event has to be unique. An event has to be extraordinary. This can only be possible when there is creativity. An example of creativity can be choosing a unique venue, doing extraordinary décor, invite public figures.

To study Event Planning, Matric College offers Event Planning Short Courses. Here is what you need to do:

• Fill in the form below or contact one of our course experts
• 5 -7 days after your registration, you will receive textbooks and study materials
• Set up a study timetable
• Stick to your timetable
• Attempt and submit your first assignment and more thereafter
• Get help in the areas that you are struggling with
• Finish your Short Course
• Get your Courses Completion Certificate

Here are the benefits of an Events Planner:

Saves time – Hiring an Event Planner will make save you a lot of time as you will leave them to focus on what really matters in the event. 

Brings vision to life – An Event planner will bring  to life the vision of what you expect on your event.

Expertise –  A Planner will bring expertise to your event. Because of years of experience, an Event Planner knows best on how to source materials from suppliers. 

Budgeting – An Event  Planner is better placed to work within the budget of your event. 

Flexibility – An Event Planner is flexible in that he/ she can dedicate time to your event planning. You may want to juggle between your work and the event.

Personal attention – An event Planner gives you personal attention. The Event Planner is accountable to you.

Here are some of the duties of Event staff:

• Offloading event equipment
• Ushering
• Taking instructions from the Event Manager
• Operating the bar
• Cleaning all areas of the event
• Making sure safety standards are adhered to
• Provision of good customer service
• Undertaking security duties
• Welcoming guests
• Setting up equipment
• Packing equipment at the end of the event

The number of staff that you need at an event will depend on the number of guests that you have invited for the event. However, the general rule for the industry is one staff member per 50 attendees.

Event Planners make money by charging a percentage of the total cost of the event as their fee. The percentage charged usually depends on the complexity of the event and the time and effort that it will take to plan the event. However, the industry standard is usually 15 – 20% of the total cost of the event.

Event Planning is the pre-event process. That is the planning process that is done before the event. Event Management is the management of the event on the actual day that the event takes place. Here are some of the differences:

Here are the 10 steps that you need in planning an event:

• What is the goal of the event
• Set up a team
• Come up with a date
• Brand the event
• Create a programme of action
• Keep track of the Programme of action
• Identify partnerships and sponsorships
• Put a publicity plan in place
• Budget for the event
• Evaluate the event

• Private
• Corporate
• Charity / Fundraising

Here are the steps that you will need to take to write an event plan:

1. Firstly, determine the objective of the event
2. Having established the objective, come up with a budget
3. Organise a team
4. Set a date for the event
5. Create a plan

An event planning proposal is a document that outlines the services that you will provide for an event. An event planning proposal should present you as an expert in event planning. It should also present you as a professional who is highly qualified for the job at hand. This document should be detailed and well-written.

Here is what to consider when writing an event proposal;

• Introduce yourself. Provide your background information
• State the purpose of your proposal
• Define your goals and objectives
• Highlight how you are different from the others
• Explain the budget
• End with a call to action and follow up

An event checklist is a list of the most important things that need to be done in order for an event to be successful. An event checklist is a foundation of which the whole event is built upon. Here are examples of items to include in an event checklist:

• Hire entertainment
• Catering 
• Guest list
• Accommodation 
• Transport 
• Venue

Here are some of the ways that can make your event unique:

• Use lighting in a strategic manner
• Give your event a theme
• Come up with different styles
• Hire entertainment