Marketing Your Event Planning Business – A Creative Approach to Gaining the Competitive Edge

<p>Acknowledgements xv</p>
<p>Preface xvii</p>
<p>Part 1: Marketability 1</p>
<p>Chapter 1:Making Yourself Marketable 3</p>
<p>Target Your Talents 4</p>
<p>Distinguish Yourself and Your Company 10</p>
<p>Manage Your Reputation 16</p>
<p>Chapter 2:Acquiring Areas of Expertise 19</p>
<p>1. Business Development 28</p>
<p>2. Creative Design 30</p>
<p>3. Event Management 32</p>
<p>4. On–Site Production 34</p>
<p>5. Acquiring Expertise 35</p>
<p>Chapter 3:Creating Your Niche 51</p>
<p>Meeting a Need 53</p>
<p>Specialty Market 56</p>
<p>Income Driven 59</p>
<p>Emotional Hot Buttons 62</p>
<p>Specialized Expertise 64</p>
<p>Part 2: Market Development 67</p>
<p>Chapter 4:Defining Your Objective Who Is Your Client? 69</p>
<p>Visualization 72</p>
<p>Research 74</p>
<p>Development 75</p>
<p>Planning 75</p>
<p>Execution 77</p>
<p>Reconciliation 77</p>
<p>Chapter 5:Targeting Your Talents 81</p>
<p>Matching Your Talents to Your Advance 85</p>
<p>Chapter 6:Customizing Customer Service Requirements 99</p>
<p>Expectation 102</p>
<p>Excel 104</p>
<p>Embrace 105</p>
<p>Enlighten 107</p>
<p>Educate 109</p>
<p>Enrich 111</p>
<p>Energize 112</p>
<p>Excite 113</p>
<p>Environment 115</p>
<p>Employees 116</p>
<p>Efficiency 118</p>
<p>Evaluate 120</p>
<p>Ethics and Etiquette 122</p>
<p>Part 3: Marketing Endeavors 125</p>
<p>Chapter 7:Marketing to Your Audience 129</p>
<p>Lots of Energy 130</p>
<p>A Platform 132</p>
<p>A Strong Hook 134</p>
<p>Sharp Focus 135</p>
<p>Marketing Opportunities 136</p>
<p>Chapter 8:Soliciting Sales: Innovative Ideas 147</p>
<p>Creating Sales Opportunities in Unconventional Ways 150</p>
<p>Bring About an Emotional Response 153</p>
<p>Captivating a Client with Creative Concepts 158</p>
<p>Chapter 9:The Value of Diversification 161</p>
<p>Widening Your Existing Client Base 164</p>
<p>Expanding Your Market 167</p>
<p>Generating New Income Sources 169</p>
<p>Chapter 10: Going Out on Your Own Costs and Benefits 175</p>
<p>Personal and Professional Independence 176</p>
<p>Financial Freedom 177</p>
<p>Unlimited Authority 178</p>
<p>Costs and Benefits of Going Out on Your Own 179</p>
<p>Conclusion 205</p>
<p>Appendix A:Leading Internationally Recognized Industry Certifications 209</p>
<p>Appendix B:Industry Associations and Councils 215</p>
<p>Appendix C:Industry Magazines, Books, Online Publications and Resources 219</p>
<p>Appendix D:Industry Conferences, Congresses, Trade Shows and Award Shows 223</p>
<p>Appendix E:Sample Creative Concepts 225</p>
<p>Sample A: Concept for Corporate Event 225</p>
<p>Sample B: Concept for a Fundraising Event 229</p>
<p>Sample C: Concept for a Theme Event 235</p>
<p>Index 241</p>