One of the very first steps toward understanding the event planning business is to understand the difference between "party event planners" and "event planners." To those not in the industry, it might seem like a small matter of semantics; but to those in the industry, it is a very important designation.
Party event planners organize parties on a smaller scale: birthday parties, kids parties, holiday parties, office parties, and so on.
Event planners organize events on a much larger scale; anything from special events and sporting events to corporate meetings, conference, and conventions (in this case, they are usually referred to as "meeting planners").
While many party event planners might refer to themselves as event planners, you'll never hear an event or meeting planner refer to herself as a party planner. It's not really a snooty thing (well, ok, sort-of); it's just a designation that event and meeting planners feel entitled to.
Using Party Planning as a Career Move Many people hoping to begin a career as an event planner think to themselves, "I'll just start out as a party planner, get some experience, and work my way up." I do not recommend this, for three reasons:
It is very difficult to find work as a party planner. Most people who are holding a smaller-scale event can not afford to pay someone to organize something that they feel they can do on their own. Only the super-rich or the super-busy will outsource their anniversary party or their kid's birthday party to a party planner.
If you live in an area with a large population of rich and busy people, then you might have a chance. However, there are likely a number of party event planners already out there who have filled this niche; and their company is small enough that they aren't in a position to hire.
Even if you find work as a party planner, then you will find yourself "pigeon-holed" into this specialty. Large-scale event planning has nothing to do with party planning, so it's a waste of your time to impress an event planner with party planning experience. In an event planner's mind, it's comparing apples to oranges. It's a waste of energy and time to try to "work your way up" to event planning from party planning.
It takes just as much effort to break into one career path as the other; so why not spend your time and energy on an industry that is much larger, more exciting, higher paying, and offers endless opportunity?
Think of it this way; a parent hiring you to organize their child's birthday party might, might, have a budget of $1500 to pay you for your services. And that's for a lot of hand-holding and time.
