One of the important parts of our job as event planners is to stay on top of what’s new. From decor trends to catering crazes to new venues, we like to stay up-to-date to have the best recommendations for our clients. Oftentimes a client is looking for a new venue to wow their guests. Other times it’s a client looking for creative catering solutions. Or it might be a client that wants an interesting activity or performance at their event. Regardless of the need, here are five ways the Do Good Events team stays on top of event trends.
Venues
The majority of our clients’ events are in the Twin Cities. Of course there are some exceptions, but that’s our main area. Each year there are always a few new event venues or locations that have updated their space. We try to tour new event spaces and meet with on-site event managers to best understand how their venue works in terms of capacity, layout, catering, rentals, etc. We also love hosting events at nontraditional locations like a corporation’s new warehouse before employees move in or a board member’s backyard!
Catering
Many venues have in-house or preferred catering companies. There are also venue’s where it’s carte blanche and you get to choose. There are so many options out there from private chef fancy to food truck casual. The Do Good Events team strives to keep tabs on everything new in the foodie (catering) world in the Twin Cities. It’s always worth the time to set up a meeting with a catering company that you might be interested in working with so you can understand their current and/or new offerings. We also remind clients that not every element of the catering needs to be trendy, maybe you focus your appetizers or dessert on being something new and engaging.
Decor
Decor trends change frequently to ensure events don’t look the same year after year. Items may include: linens, floral, balloon decor, lighting, furniture rentals and more. In the Twin Cities area we have so many great options for rentals to help make our clients’ events pop. Oftentimes these vendors host events for planners to come in and “see what’s new.” We highly recommend going to those to stay on top of decor trends.
Experiences
One of the most important parts of the job of an event planner is finding good partners. We look for partners in many areas such as AV, auctioneering, and branded swag. But we also love good partners who can help us enhance the guest experience. It could be a creative solution from Enticing Entertainment or outsourcing some fun interactive fundraising games. Finding and knowing who to turn to in the event world when you need something fun and NEW is key.
Networking
Talk to other planners or industry like people. Read blogs, event planning magazines, and more. The International Live Events Association (ILEA) is a great organization for those planning events. MPI (Meeting Planners Institute) is a go-to for corporate planners to find event industry news and trends.