It’s that time of year when many of us want to host a festive party for the upcoming holidays, or maybe throw a milestone celebration, either way, it can be a challenging and daunting task. However, if you hire a professional event planner, this stress can be minimized greatly, saving you time and money. Once you’ve made the decision to hire an event planner, here are a few tips to make your event memorable and most of all enjoyable for you!

Communication-A great event planner should be a very good listener, one who is able to identify what you, request of her or him.  Your requests may be very detailed or more vague, either way, the event planner you hire should be able to fully understand what is being asked of her or him.  There are many different details to an event, effective communication is essential, and you’ll want to make sure that everything is covered, a great event planner knows this and will ensure that these details are conveyed to you.

Budget-Establishing a budget is one of the first task an event planner should be asking of you. Some clients don’t exactly know what they want, or how much they want to spend in their event. Budget management for any event is key, and requires great communication between you and your event planner. A great event planner can explain in detail the costs of such items as:  food, beverages, rental equipment, entertainment, etc.

Alleviate Stress-Your event planner should have the ability to handle unexpected issues smoothly and professionally.  Generally, things will go smoothly for your event, however, if something unexpected does come up, you’ll want to be working with someone who stays calm under pressure, who is professional and one who can get things back on track.

Time Management-You’ll most likely be working with a deadline of some sort, your event planner should have the time management and organizational skills necessary to keep every detail of your event on schedule.  A comprehensive and agreeable timeline is an imperative piece to your event, this will enable you and your event planner to be accountable for tasks that need to be completed.

Creative-Creativity is something a great event planner is born with, she or he should be able to come to you with ideas that maybe you haven’t thought of.  Ideas that will make your event different, dynamic and unforgettable.  You’ll want to work with someone who is innovative, inspiring and artistic, someone who can imagine things you didn’t think possible.

Your special occasion should be enjoyable through all of the planning stages, from the beginning creative stages to the final implementation.  It takes a great event planner to alleviate stress and ensure that you will enjoy and remember your event for years to come.  After all,isn’t that why you hired an event planner in the first place?

Cheers~

Becky

I was recently invited to the annual “Change Your World” breakfast hosted by Girls’ For a Change (GFC ), held at the beautiful Crystal Springs Golf Course, in Burlingame, CA..   GFC is a national organization that empowers girls to create social change within their own neighborhoods.  It was a great opportunity to hear from powerful young women about how GFC has impacted their lives and how they are transforming our world.

In addition,  I was accompanied by a group of terrific women, the Women’s Networking Alliance (WNA), which I’m a member of.  All of these women own their own businesses, have a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and are willing to support others to enable growth.  We also believe in giving back to the community, so we did just that!

We’re in the beginning stages of forming a great partnership between the two organizations.  It’s a perfect match, a group of professional, determined, and inspirational women who can come along side young women, and who are committed to make positive changes within their own communities.  It’s my hope that within the next several months, the two organizations will be able to form a strong partnership, increase social awareness that will transform our communities, and enable the young women of GFC to know that they can make the world a better place in which to live.

Remember….Women Rock!!

Cheers~

Becky

It’s that time of year when many families are preparing for graduations, either hosting a party or attending one. Grads range from college, to high school to middle school, maybe even elementary school.  In any case, the same runs true, if you’re hosting the party, you want the graduate to feel special and for your guests to have a fantastic time.  So how does one accomplish this within a given budget?  It can be easier than you think, with some pre-planning and thoughtful consideration, you can have a terrific party, here are a few ideas:

–Create a budget, and try to stay within it!  Some items to consider (invitations, location fee, food, beverages, caterer, specialty cakes, rentals for tables, chairs, linens, etc., decorations, paper goods, floral, etc.)

–Weather, of course we don’t know exactly what the weather will be like, but you can get a good idea, so plan accordingly…you never know if the rain will come or it will be sweltering hot.

–Time of the event, will this be after a graduation ceremony @ 6:00 p.m. when people will be hungry, or will it be during the early afternoon when people will eat less food.

–Out of town guests, perhaps you’ll need to make hotel reservations.

I hope these suggestions have been helpful, if you need to contact me, please feel free to do so!

Cheers~

Becky Trovato-Owner

Plan2party

What does tradition mean to you?  Tradition can mean many things, but for Easter there are two traditions that I do faithfully every year.  My favorite Easter tradition comes from my sister Pat, who taught me how to take white calla lilies and transform them into absolutely beautiful pastel-colored flowers. Pat taught this technique to me over 40 years ago,  and that’s a lot of callas!    Although this technique is time consuming, it’s really quite simple, very beautiful and worth the time.  Using regular sidewalk chalk, grind it (preferably with a mortar & pestle) into a very fine powder, then, using your thumbs, carefully rub the chalk powder onto the calla lily.

My second favorite tradition for Easter is my Strawberry Cheesecake, beyond the incredible taste, it will look stunning on your Easter table. I started this tradition several years ago, and believe me, you and your guests will love this dessert!  Like the calla lilies, this is time consuming, (you’ll need to start a day in advance for this) but it’s definitely worth the extra effort.

I hope these traditions have inspired you to start a new tradition or keep the ones you already have.  Either way, your family and friends will enjoy your traditions for years to come.

Please click on images to enlarge.

I think that we’d all agree that this past week had been very inspiring to all of us, President Obama gives us hope and optimism for our future, something we desperately need right now.  Inspiration can be contagious, I belieive it depends on who you choose to associate with.

Tuesday evening I was invited to attend an event hosted by NACE, held at the newly remodeled San Jose Hilton.  Between the two organizations, they did a fantastic job!  Amy Frugoli of Twitterpatted Weddings invited me to this event, and she assured me that I would have a great time, needless to say, I did.  I was inspired by the members of NACE, the beautiful table settings and the speaker, Andy Ebon.  Andy primarily spoke on marketing in the current economy and how to do it more effieciently and effectively, besides being inspirational, Andy is very witty.

Because I’m so inspired this week, I’m making new changes to my company, Plan2party.  Being in the event planning business, I’m always open to suggestions, so I’m partnering with Twitterpatted Weddings.  We have a few ideas in this mix, such as rehearsal dinner parties, and bridal showers.  In addition, clients of Plan2party will see bigger changes on the way.  I’ll be changing the way people host events and parties, making it easier for them to decorate their event and make it much more affordable.

So, take a moment today to find out who or what inspires you!

Becky Trovato

Plan2party