Event Planning on a Budget

Whether you're planning a business event, birthday party or graduation, utilizing these tips will ensure you're not in total shock when you see your credit card or bank statement after the event.

• Plan ahead. Plan the event six months ahead which allows you to lock in prices and find deals in advance. Waiting until the last minute does not leave any time for negotiation.
• Decide on the budget, and stick to it. This is very important if this is an event for a business and not your money to spend freely. Make sure to consider all the various expenditures, projected expenses and miscellaneous items such as tips and taxes.
• Find a partner. If you are hosting something such as a client appreciation event, think of a few local businesses that could use the exposure and work together. Find coffee shops, salons, and restaurants willing to donate gift certificates for their place of business to use as gifts or door prizes at the event.
• Get ready to bargain! Work on your negotiating skills because as long as you’re willing to ask, you can get discounts and deals on many aspects of a big event. Will the caterer lower their price if you use paper goods instead of renting their china? Can you supply the alcohol for the bar? It can’t hurt to ask any of those questions and flat out ask for a better rate.
• Become friendly with a local caterer. If you would like food at your event, and events in the future, set up meetings with a few caterers. Catering companies are likely to give discounts to companies that hold a lot of events and will need their services in the future. Create a relationship with the catering companies and use one or two exclusively.
• Save a tree, time and money with paperless invitations. Today, everyone has an e-mail address so there’s no need to waste the paper or money on sending out invitations for informal events. E-vite has free e-card invitations for everything from birthdays to fundraisers and professional events. E-vite will even remind you of the event the day before.
• Save money on food and drinks. Instead of a full sit-down dinner, have a cocktail party with appetizers and light desserts. At the bar, the providers can save money by limiting the drink options to beer, wine and a signature cocktail.
• Utilize the wonders of (free!) social networking. If it is open to the public, tweet to your followers about the event, and send them a reminder on the day before and the day of the event. Update your status for your connections on LinkedIn. Create an event page on Facebook and cross-post it on the company’s Facebook page. The event organizer can also encourage others to update their own Facebook pages with information about the event.

Good luck with your event!