When you are in pursuit of your passion, you might struggle with knowing where to start. I, personally, can relate. If someone would have told me last year in February 2019, that I would host my own event - I would’ve looked at them crazy! Before I graduated, I had what I thought was an outrageous idea to put together an event that incorporated my love and passion for fashion with my faith in God. I wrote down the idea “networking/blog event” and prayed over it from time to time. After graduation, the idea was heavy on my heart so I decided to move. Listen, when I say I did not know where to start, I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I would frequently envision/ponder on what I wanted my event to look like, from decorations to activities, the purpose behind it all, and what would make people intrigued to come. Well, since I’ve checked off hosting my own event, I thought why not give insight to others who are thinking to do the same?! I started planning this event in August 2019, so this gave me about 6-7 months to plan for my event in February 2020. Well, here are some tips to help with your first event!

Write your idea(s) down.
Discover your purpose/your “why".
Every time you think of something new or creative regarding your event, write it down as soon as possible.
Sit down with family + friends/get insight/ ask for help. (IT IS OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP - WE CAN NOT DO EVERYTHING OURSELVES)
Assign tasks for those who are willing to help.
Create a budget.
Make a new Pinterest board to give you inspiration and decor ideas.
Talk to others who have hosted their own event, if possible.
Connect with like-minded people who can help capture this day. Ex: photographer/videographer.
Think about if and who you might want to be apart of your event.
Make a list of guests who you think will attend, to give you more insight on how you can appeal your event to your audience.
Search for venues on websites such as peerspace.com.
Make sure the venue is in an accessible area with parking!
Create an Eventbrite account to sell tickets and give event info.
Make a Canva account so you are able to produce virtual/physical flyers + announcements.
Buy all decorations in increments. Be creative (DIY). This is where Pinterest comes in handy.
Think of how you would want your guests to experience this day from start to finish.
Make sure that the purpose of your event connects with your social media content.
Be consistent with all of your announcements leading up to the day! Build up the excitement!
Give your potential audience/guests reasons as to why they can’t miss out on your event!
Make IGTV’s for your audience so they can hear what exactly your event and purpose is.
Make sure to have meetings with your team - whoever is helping you prepare for the big day - a few times before the event!

**Here is some advice from my friend Simone who has thrown events for her brand- The Fab Grad :**

“As you plan your event, start walking through the event in your head as if you were a guest! Don’t skip anything. From the description on your Eventbrite, to how they will find parking, to the music they hear when they walk in the door. It sounds extra but this will really help elevate your attendee experience!” - Simone Jackson

For the actual event:

Create a limit on how many guests you would like to come.
Decide how long you want your event to be.
Put together a detailed itinerary with specifics on time, activities, etc.
Practice your speech/testimony word for word. Give your audience a run down of what they can expect during the event.
Put together any presentation you may have and check the venue beforehand to make sure all of your equipment is compatible.
Put together an activity for guests to network and enjoy themselves! (Ex: Style Challenge)
Make goodie bags for guests. (My goodie bags included laced folding fans, candy, and a flyer I designed on Canva with fashion tips. I had these printed through Vistaprint.com )
Use props and decor to enhance the visual experience so guests are able to capture a memory with a cute photo!
Make a playlist!
Have a check-in list for guests at the door.
Make sure you have snacks, desserts, and refreshments! People love food!
Be yourself, be confident, don’t stress, and enjoy yourself!

More advice from Simone:

“BE FLEXIBLE ON EVENT DAY. SOMETHING MAY CHANGE IN YOUR AGENDA, YOUR ATTENDEES MIGHT MOVE THROUGH ACTIVITIES QUICKLY,ETC. THIS IS WHEN A HELPER ON EVENT DAY REALLY MATTERS, BUT REMEMBER MOST PEOPLE COME TO EVENTS TO ENJOY THE COMPANY OF OTHERS SO DON’T STRESS OVER THE LITTLE THINGS!” - SIMONE JACKSON

To be clear, these are tasks that I achieved while preparing for my event. These tips are not a step by step guide to be successful at hosting your own event. You do what works best for you and your guests! Also, remember that nothing is perfect so don’t aim for perfection. Aim to do the best that you can and others will perceive your authenticity to your craft/creativeness as perfection! If possible, I highly recommend to start preparing in advance. This event taught me a lot about my strengths and weaknesses. I learned how important preparing in advance is, and how it works to your advantage. When you do this, you set yourself up for more time to practice, thoroughness, and success. I did procrastinate in some areas of prepping for this event and those are lessons learned for next time. It is only up from here!

If you are thinking about hosting an event… I say do it! You honestly have no idea how much support you will get from people that will attend your event and even from those who can’t make it. Let’s face it, not everyone can attend but a lot of people can be supportive. I had a limit on tickets to be sold, not including my family and close friends… and I sold out! I even had to extend my limit on tickets because on the very last day of ticket sales, more people wanted to come! A few even bought tickets just to support. Support is the greatest gift to those who are creatively led.

I would say the greatest tip to take away from all of this is to walk with faith and belief in Christ that whatever He led you to pursue, He will guide your steps and align you with the right people, the right decorations, the right sale, the right support group in order for you to be right where He needs you to be… and also for His glory. So, now I'm back to the drawing board to do something similar but also a bit different for next year! I hope you all learned a little something from this post. Keep those #ideasloding.

With Love,

Paris Ysatis