Going Social
With corporate budgets down, should you be getting into social events
by Diana Rowe | Published in September 2009 Features | event currents | social events
With corporate budgets down, should you be getting into social events
“I still get emotional when I see a bride walk down the aisle with her father,” admits Courtney Caplan, president of Caplan Miller Events, a full-service event planning company based in Austin, Texas. “How can you not after spending six months or more getting to know the family and then witnessing one of the most personal events in their life?”
With increasing scrutiny on budgets across a number of sectors — from corporate to government to association and beyond — many event businesses are taking a fresh look at different ways to supplement their revenue streams. And, many of them are finding, social events offer that much-needed business boost — and a few unexpected perks.
To find out how event pros are adding social events to their offerings, ES talked to planners from around the country who are finding success in both worlds. Here’s what we found.
{Caplan Miller Events} ‘Rewarding and Challenging!’
With opportunities scarce for planning corporate events, independent meeting planners are stretching their skills and going social. Social events, such as weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthdays and anniversaries, are enabling planners to supplement or boost their revenue stream during challenging times. The bonus, planners are discovering, is that social events give them an emotional high that they don’t get from corporate events.
“Planning social events broadens my resourcefulness,” says Caplan. “For example, bar mitzvahs are often three-day themed events, such as creating a carnival atmosphere. In the wedding or corporate world, I wouldn’t have to look for carnival companies, but it was fun for me to meet new vendors — and bar mitzvahs bring in as much, if not more, revenue.”
“Although logistically social events are much like corporate meetings,” says Caplan, “social events are a different dynamic and full of emotion. Social clients are connected to the event emotionally and financially, so I’m often dealing with several family members with different personalities and sometimes different agendas. Yet those same reasons are why social events can be so rewarding and challenging!”
Since opening their full-service event planning company three years ago, the company has found social events to be their bread and butter. “We’ve always been successful with weddings and are now expanding to other social events and corporate meetings,” she says. “We’ve discovered that no matter the state of the economy, people don’t cancel events that celebrate milestones.”
In order to find new social clients, Caplan suggests frequent contact with vendors. “Kindle the connection with old and new vendors. Meet with (or call) them often and make sure they have a supply of your cards. Remember to connect with the local venues, such as hotels, churches and synagogues, which are often booked before hiring the planner.”
For example, Caplan wanted to reach Austin’s Jewish community, so she advertised in the local newspaper, Jewish Outlook. She also suggests planners take advantage of free social media and promote their services on wedding blogs, such as stylemepretty.com.
The satisfaction of touching someone’s life personally is one perk of doing social events, says Shawn Rabideau. Photo by Ben Strothmann Photography
{Shawn Rabideau Events} ‘Opportunity in a Down Economy’
Shawn Rabideau, president of New York-based Shawn Rabideau Events & Design, has made his mark as a planner over the past decade. His client list includes corporate and private events with names that inspire: Kenneth Cole, Jennifer Lopez, Star Jones, Barbara Walters, AXA Financial, Chief Executive magazine, Citadel, Foxwoods Resort Casino, March of Dimes and Touchstone Pictures. He was also cast as a featured planner on the Style Network’s hit reality series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?”
“The social market is an open opportunity for independent planners, producers and suppliers in a down economy,” says Rabideau. “Something is happening all the time: a wedding, anniversary, birthday, bar mitzvah. Corporate downsizing has created a group of busy people who don’t have time to plan their own events.”
“Whether the event is corporate or social,” Rabideau adds, “the planner that asks all the right questions — and really listens — will be successful. You have to understand who the client is as an individual or company, and asking the right questions formulates a good party.”
For example, Rabideau says, perhaps the bride loves lamb, but her parents’ budget won’t fit the dish. “Instead, suggest serving baby lamb chops on the appetizer station, rather than the main course — and she’s happy and so are her parents.”
At the end of the day, Rabideau says, he finds social events more rewarding. “When the meeting is done, your corporate client may say you’ve done a good job, but they’ve moved on to the next thing. However, planning a social event touches someone’s life and there’s emotion in their gratitude.”
For planners wanting to break into the social market, Rabideau offers these tips: Learn the trends. Do your research. Hit the streets. Go to bridal shops and florists. Become familiar with religious ceremonies and customs. Find out what is the new hot trend for a wedding or bar mitzvah. Switch gears, and be proactive. If you don’t have experience, volunteer your services to a social planner.
Jill Lazar branched into the social sector by focusing on the social aspects of business gatherings. Photo: Complete Lifestyle Photography
{Everything Events} ‘Be a Planner of the Future’
Jill Lazar, co-owner of Everything Events, started in the corporate sector, but with a slowing economy, she and her partner wanted to branch into the social sector. Several brainstorming sessions later, they created “Network and Nosh,” a lunch event to connect event and marketing industry peers in a fun, innovative and social atmosphere.
“Word of mouth is essential to our business,” says Lazar. “We wanted to create more opportunities for our business by building more personal vendor relationships within our community. We could go out there and pound the pavement, or we could bring everyone under one roof.”
The group invited industry peers, event planners and vendors to showcase their services and products. While there, invitees experienced firsthand Dave & Busters’ trendy, unstuffy atmosphere.
“Instead of a pushy sell-sell atmosphere, everyone’s attitude was, ‘How can my business help yours, and how can you help me?’” says Lazar.
The event was a win-win for everyone, and reviews from the three dozen attendees were positive — and eager for the next event.
“Network and Nosh” merged a social setting with a networking and teambuilding event. Dave & Busters was the sponsor, providing room, food and teambuilding exercise, and Everything Events made a little money. More importantly though, Lazar and her partner forged new relationships with vendors and cemented old ones.
Another example is “Martinis and Manicures,” a sponsored event Lazar created for a restaurant and spa on a Tuesday night. The social event created more revenue on an evening when neither was traditionally busy.
The key, according to Lazar, has been the willingness to work outside her comfort zone and negotiate. “Social events don’t have to be limited to weddings or bar mitzvahs,” she says. “I’m always willing to get my hands on any type of event. Planners of the future must stretch their skills and imagination, or they won’t survive.”
{Royce’s Prop Shop} ‘Demanding — But Highly Satisfying’
Royce Mason, president of Portland, Ore.-based Royce’s Prop Shop Inc., says, “Vendor partners are the key to creating a successful social planning business. Don’t overlook existing relationships with corporate vendors, who are already familiar with your work, and ask them for social referrals.”
The difference between corporate and social? Mason puts it like this: “For a corporate event, we can usually refer to past events for history, background, head count and budgetary guidelines. Even though the client wants to create a successful event, it’s rarely personal.
“Conversely, a social event has no past experience to draw upon,” he continues. “Yet you get one chance to create the perfect once-in-a-lifetime event. There are no do-overs. Take a deep breath and remind yourself how important their social event is, and then dig in and give it your all.”
Venues are often the biggest challenge, he says. Corporate events are usually staged in a fully functioning ballroom. When he coordinated a wedding in a field on a gorge, he faced the challenge of no rigging points and no power. He had to literally build and wire a 55-foot by 40-foot structure in the middle of nowhere.
“A social client is much more demanding,” according to Mason. “Change is constant, and the only sure thing is nothing is sure. You have to think on your feet. I never used to get calls at night and rarely had to work weekends until I went social.”
Even with all those challenges and constant hand-holding, Mason says, “The emotional payoff when you successfully pulled off the impossible event is like no other. Seeing the smiles and tears of joy during the events and then receiving those thank-you letters and phone calls afterward are highly satisfying.”
Event business coach Sharon Jansen advises planners to diversify in a slow economy.
{Special Event Business Advisors} ‘Time to Diversify’
According to Sharon Jansen, president of Special Event Business Advisors, planners must broaden their focus in order to stay in business.
In the corporate arena, Jansen explains, goals are set; opportunities and constraints to reaching the goals are analyzed and projected; strategies are determined. There’s a bottom line, and it’s usually production-oriented. ROI is measured in dollars, and planning a corporate event is based on measurable results.
“In the social market, people have a multitude of competing purposes,” continues Jansen. “It’s process-oriented. The ROI is measured in customer satisfaction, and a social planner is appraised on the process according to the value of the appraiser, not numbers. Often the social client will want more justification per line item (versus corporate who simply wants to stay on budget). Client personalities are different, and hand-holding is usually a prerequisite.”
Finally, Jansen says, “When the economy is up, specialize. When the economy is down, diversify. Broaden your focus. Look for opportunity, because it is everywhere. In a recession, you’re reaching out to unknown territory,” she advises. “When we’re back on the upswing again and seeing another crest, then you’re refocusing and pulling back into your niche market because everyone’s going to be entering business again. That’s when you’ll see the rewards and results of your planning.”
It’s not as easy as it looks to transition from corporate to a social market, according to Jansen, but opportunities do exist. For successful social event planners, the rewards go beyond simply coordinating a successful event. The reward is creating a memory.