How much experience is necessary to start an event planning business? In this episode, May Yeo Silvers tackles this frequently asked question, emphasizing that the quality and diversity of experiences matter more than the number of years in the industry. She explains that many event planners begin by organizing events for friends and family, often turning a hobby into a business despite initial doubts about their skills.
May breaks down the roles of decorators, designers, and planners, highlighting the specific skills each requires. She stresses that decorators need only a few solid designs to start, while designers should understand trends and collaborate with vendors. Planners need a broad skill set, including contract negotiation and budgeting.
Investing in education and shadowing experienced professionals is crucial, with continuous learning being key. May reassures aspiring event planners that having the basic skills and a passion for growth means they’re ready to start their business, regardless of the length of their experience.
Quotes
• “Don’t worry about getting complaints from your client when you don’t know how to do certain things. You’re human. If there’s something that you don’t know, you can go learn. You can go ask. Don’t expect yourself to know every single thing.” (35:29 | May Yeo Silvers)
• “The business fundamentals, the marketing skills, the lead conversion skills, the budgeting, business finance budgeting, and sales projection are all more challenging than the actual skill set for learning how to do an event. I am not going to sugarcoat this. Two things need to go hand in hand. You can have the skill set to do an event, but if you don’t know how to run a business, what’s the point?” (36:47 | May Yeo Silvers)
• “If you’re a business owner, you should at least know the service execution part. You don’t have to know everything, but you need to know at least overall what your company provides.” (37:43 | May Yeo Silvers)
Links
If you want to build your event planning skills, make sure you join my facebook group: Events4Anyone: A-Z guide to start and grow your event planning business https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone
Inside the Guides tab of the free private facebook group, you will see different modules on building your business to 6 figures and also event planning tutorials.
If you want to learn more, follow me on my other social media handles where the videos and posts are short, quick and easy to follow!
Connect with May at: [email protected]
Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers
IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilversofficial
FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone
