How To Event

While the first season of How To Event focused on pandemic planning, COVID and the pandemic haven’t stopped being relevant in our everyday lives. Given this fact, for this final installment of Season 2, I revisit this topic in more detail. In episode 8 I discuss some of the current trends within the event industry as they relate to COVID and how vendors and event hosts alike have had to pivot to maintain momentum.

In this week's 7th episode of Season 2, we are focusing on timeline creation. A timeline sounds like it might be a simple piece of the puzzle, but it is crucial to the success of your event. Depending on the scope of your event, your timeline may be simple - or it could be an extensive, detailed roadmap that offers anyone who reads it the key to successfully bringing your event to life. A timeline will help you and your team to maintain efficiency in the execution of the event and will ensure important elements aren’t missed as well as create priorities and help to assign responsibilities.

This week in episode 6, I focus on the basics of menu design and highlight a few tips and tricks to keep in mind as an event host builds their menu. Learn about food types, meal periods, and the different styles of service. Understand the details surrounding dietary restrictions and allergies in today's climate of trending dietary preferences - and true health-related restrictions.

This fifth installation of Season 2 - The Basics - focuses on the details of Event Design and Styling. Delve into the 5 W's and how to create an event concept, then bring the concept to life through various elements such as decor, lighting, and entertainment. Learn the difference between Event Design and Event Styling and identify resources and tools to help you bring a vision from abstract to concrete.

The fourth episode of Season 2 reviews the various types of Event Planners, their functions and what services they may offer you as an event host. From full-service planning to partial planning and event consulting, get educated on the event services that can best serve you in your planning journey. Learn about the options available to you and when to make the call to bring on extra support and resources to ensure the success of your event!How to Event will be on vacation next week, returning with Season 2, Episode 5 on Thursday, August 27th. Happy Planning!

The third episode of Season 2 focuses on how to build your team of event vendors. From screening photographers, selecting the perfect caterer, and deciding the best collaborators for your design team - I help you identify the best way to surround yourself with supportive vendors that will facilitate a seamless planning process - and create an unforgettable event. I also provide background to the warning behind hiring "Friendors" and how it can effect the success of your event.

In this second episode of Season 2, I focus on the basics of event planning as it pertains to selecting a venue for your event. Gain insight to a few different approaches to selecting the right venue based on budget, style, location, and services or amenities. I outline a foolproof method for conducting and narrowing down your search and highlight several questions to ask throughout the process. If you follow this advice, you are sure to find a home for your party!

In this first episode of Season 2, I focus on the basics of event planning as it pertains to budgeting. Learn about why budgeting for your event is important, what elements should be incorporated into a sound budget, and how you can actually build a framework for your budget using excel - or your preferred spreadsheet tool. Most importantly - I remind listeners that there is ONE crucial rule to budgeting for events and that is to not spend over your budget!

In this final installment of the Pandemic Planning Mini Season, I discuss the important questions to ask yourself when deciding whether postponing your event is the right option for you. If postponement is the right journey for your event, these steps will help guide you through the process and ensure all bases are covered in rescheduling to a later date. Whether you are planning a corporate event, wedding, or another special celebration - this process addresses all aspects for consideration.

In this second episode of the Pandemic Planning Mini Season, Event Hosts learn about several alternative options for reimagining their wedding celebration instead of cancellation. Although the main focus for this episode is weddings, regular special events or meetings could still learn a lot as the suggestions can be applicable across all kinds of events! Main topics of discussion will cover Micro-Weddings, Elopements, and Virtual or Hybrid Events and how these alternatives can still ensure a connected and memorable event experience.

The first episode of the Pandemic Planning Mini-Season focuses on contracts and cancellations. Event hosts will learn about the most important aspects of a contract to review when making their decision to cancel their event as a result of the COVID19 pandemic. In addition, we identify the steps to mindfully cancel an event and to understand and protect your financial investments. Following this guidance will ensure the absolute best outcome when deciding to cancel.

Expert wedding and event planner, Ali Denniston, introduces the How To Event podcast. This series will examine the various foundational steps of planning an event, engage with accomplished vendors, talk about everything from the strange - to the difficult and the wondrous, and look back on some of the most eventful stories from real life events. Coming soon every Thursday morning!