Creating Event Design Proposals – How To Visualise Your Event (Part 1)

How To Visualise Your Event

Today begins a series of posts where I’ll be sharing my approach to event design. So without further ado, let’s start at the beginning – Visualising your event…

Whether you’re an event planner working on a big budget brief or a bride planning her wedding reception, the creative process must begin with a vision.

Beautifully designed events rarely happen by accident.  They arise out of a clearly-defined goal at the earliest stages of planning. The first thing you should ask yourself at the planning stage is ‘what do you want your event to achieve?

For example, if you’re an event professional working with a client, the most obvious question would be “what feeling or impression do you want your guests to have?”  Another, “is there a particular statement you’d like to make about yourself or your organisation?”

A bride for instance may want her friends and family to feel as if they were at the most beautiful wedding ever.

Even the hotel co-ordinator (if they are serious about delivering maximum value to their clients) should ask some basic questions such as whether the event should resemble brand values or such like as opposed to simply copying and pasting into the proposal the relevant elements of their basic package.

Where to Begin?

Understand that this initial vision setting is often the hardest part of the whole process. Good ideas rarely come to us when we are forced to come up with something special.

Great ideas tend to pop into our heads when we least expect it. I often have great ideas at the strangest times. Usually when I’m switched off totally from events.

Two recent examples were when I was cooking for a big family get-together and another was when I was at the park with my grandchildren. In both instances I was totally relaxed, not thinking about the latest staff issue at work or dealing with a difficult supplier.

So you’ll find ideas pop into your head when you’re in a completely relaxed frame of mind. This could be walking the dog, watching TV, reading a book – anything that lets your sub-conscious mind run free is prime territory for idea generation.

If you find yourself sat at the desk racking your brains, take a break. Have a cuppa, go for a walk, play a song you like – anything that gets you not thinking about the task in hand. You’ll be surprised at how quickly ideas come to you when you least expect it.

I hope you’ve found this useful. Next time, I’ll be talking about concept and theme development, i.e. how you take your initial ideas and vision and begin to turn them into a workable plan of action.

Do you have an event, party or wedding that you need help with? Have a vision but not sure how to turn it into reality? Drop me a line at sheila@88eventscompany.com or post a comment below – I’d love to hear your thoughts on anything event related.

Best,

Sheila