Looking into event planning history

From business meetings to weddings, event planners guide the success of an event. Event planning includes planning, organizing, and designing events. The industry is divided into two market segments and five industry sectors.

The official definition is vague, but can be summarized as a coordinator of all details surrounding an event. This includes:

• Choosing speakers
• Finding a venue
• Acquiring permits
• Planning food accommodations
• Designing a theme

The early days

Event planning began with meetings of monarchs and other royal officials. Some examples might be royal weddings and religious celebrations. Mardi Gras is also an example of a religious festival that takes meticulous planning annually.

The Industrial Revolution also paved the way for the event industry. At this point in time, people were beginning to make more money; therefore, they began to spend more money. This spurred the World’s Fair and various industry trade shows.

Modern Times

Today, the event industry seems to be dominated by weddings, large sport events, and concerts. There are even celebrity event planners, like David Tutera, that have contributed to the growth of the industry.

While the industry is growing, it remains a small community. Breaking into the business is difficult and can depend on who you know and how hard you work.

More than a “party planner”

 While there can be a negative stigma with being a “party planner,” planning events is more than what it seems. Event planning is a form of service to those who are attending an event. Event planners have difficult jobs, but their work is meaningful.

Planning the Gutenberg

The number of events at ACU has grown since the opening of the Hunter Welcome Center about six years ago. The Gutenberg is one of the many events that use the HWC for its festivities. I talked with Claire Heath, who works for Morris + Mitchell and is an intern with University Events, about what is happening behind the scenes of this annual event.

Planning Gutenberg

Claire says that planning an event like this takes a team of people with different skills. She also said that it is important that these individuals enjoy using their differences for the benefit of the team. Working together for a common goal is important when working on events of any kind.

The Gutenberg team began by researching information in order to develop a plan for this year’s event. This research was used to develop the theme, menu, and overall atmosphere of the event. The team researched:

• Target audience
• Honorees
• Past Gutenberg files

A Learning Experience

Working on this team has allowed Claire to learn that planning events takes a group of passionate people with a common goal. The team must be motivated to work hard in order for the event to be a success.

Claire has a unique insight because she not only is working on the Gutenberg for Morris + Mitchell, but is also an intern for University Events. This has allowed her to be an asset for the Gutenberg team.

Because she works for University Events there is little need to set up formal meetings with the Director of Events or the Director of Catering. Claire is able to use her insight on what is available and what vendors are regularly used for the benefit of the Gutenberg. This saves the Gutenberg team time and allows them to be more efficient.

The Gutenberg is an exciting event for students and alumni. It allows students an opportunity to network with alumni and for alumni to be honored for their hard work.

 

Behind the Scenes {Gutenberg Edition}

For the past twenty-three years, ACU has hosted the Gutenberg Celebration that honors three specific JMC alumni. These honorees were selected for this award because they have been successful in their careers and have positively impacted the world and the community around them.

The main purpose of this event is to honor these professionals for their outstanding work. Another important goal for this even is to allow current ACU JMC students to make connections with these professionals.

As a current account director for Morris & Mitchell, my team and I are in charge or planning and executing all the details of the Gutenberg Celebration. My main purpose as the event planner is to put on an even that meets the goals and expectations of the JMC Department.

The planning for this event started in the spring semester and has not stopped ever since then. Dr. Bacon, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Char, is the head of the Gutenberg Event.

Simple things that are the basis of the whole event include:

• Sending invites out early
• Deciding on a theme
• Scheduling meetings
• Coordinating a team

A junior JMC student, Claire Heath, the account coordinator of the Gutenberg Event says she is, “excited about this event and the incredible opportunity the Gutenberg always brings the students.”

Heath also gave advice on event planning in general, “Don’t forget the trash cans!” Although that may seem like a simple statement, that is something to think about before the event. In reality, event planning is all about keeping up with the little things. Remembering even the smallest details plays a huge role in the success of the larger event.

All in all, the planning of the Gutenberg Celebration 2015 is well underway. It is sure to be a fun and important night for all current JMC students and alumni.

A day in the life of an intern

For a little over a year, I have served as an intern with University Events at ACU.

This job has allowed me to experience:

• Designing a Christmas themed dinner
• Meeting Ben Rector
• Organizing the green rooms for a music festival
• Meeting vendors in Dallas
• Climbing the rafters in Moody for a balloon release
• Coordinating the annual Parade of Flags during Opening Assembly

This job has impacted me during my time here at ACU. The people I get to work with have taught me and mentored me.

A normal day

An average day as a UE intern begins with some quiet time in the office. This time is taken to check email, look at the Welcome Center Google calendar,  and make a plan for the rest of the day. The daily tasks are written on a calendar that sits on the intern desk. After talking through all of the tasks with Elizabeth, the Hunter Welcome Center Coordinator, I get to work.

A hard day’s work

On an average day, I will go to the Hunter Welcome Center zones and start setting up for the next event. I will start with opening the floating wall so that zones A and B are one big room. Next I will stack  the 400 chairs in the zones.

The chairs are stacked to that catering can easily set up for a dinner in the zones later that night. As catering is working I move to the storeroom to make the centerpieces.

For the centerpieces, I take white hydreangeas and trim them to fit in a black square vase. I do not cut the flowers too short so that they can be used the next day for another event.

The centerpieces are set on the tables and the guest begin to arrive. When it is time for catering to serve, Elizabeth and I opening the doors for the caterers. After the meal we monitor the room and make sure there is not any issues.

At the end of the event, we pick up the centerpieces and help caterering in any way we can. At this point it is 10:00p.m. and time to go home! This job requires commitment and hard work, but allows me to gain valuable experience in my desired field.

The History of Wedding Planners

What shaped the industry for wedding planners?

In the past a wedding has been something that the family did together, something that if you are on a budget stays very low key and simple. One thing that really began the trend of a formal and over the top wedding was the Royals.

Vault.com says, “Royal weddings have always been large events throughout history, from Alexander the Great’s marriage to a Persian princess down to our era’s William-and-Kate extravaganza.”

As we look back into the history books most royal weddings were very public. Therefore, these weddings had to be flawless, because who wants to see a wedding on TV without flowers or a lost FOB, Father of the Bride. Not just anyone can put together a flawless royal wedding; it takes a very talented team of event planners. This is where the event planning industry took off.

“The Bureau of Labor Statistics identified 94,200 meeting, event, and convention planners in 2014,” said vault.com

This is a very impressive number for how small the field has been until recently. Not only is a wedding planner not essential but also very unpractical for couples on a budget.

So why do so many people want to plan weddings?

Now like the royals people want the look of that “flawless” wedding. They see the royal and celebrity weddings and want to get as close as they can to their perfect wedding. Brides will ALWAYS want their special day to be stress free and perfect and that is where event planners come in. So aspiring event/wedding planners get ready because our market is getting even bigger.