to meet them where they are and pull off an event they’ll love? Kevin Dennis of Fantasy Sound Event Services shares, “Instagram and Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration for an event, but what you see online is not always realistic. Clients are often only exposed to large productions or celebrity-level events on these platforms. Therefore, it’s our duty as creative partners to educate and provide our clients with alternative solutions. Asking for their budget and inspiration photos ahead of time will allow you to plan for those solutions that give a similar feel but fit within their budget. You never want to tell a client ‘No,’ but be transparent about what is achievable. Use this as an opportunity to highlight personal touches and unique highlights that will make their event special without replicating expensive trends.” Branson also suggests digging into the client’s “why.” “This is a lesson we delve deep into in the arts and humanities. People rarely often say they ‘like’ something just for the sake of liking it. There’s always a deeper ‘why.’ They often just don’t have the vocabulary (or were never taught) to describe their ‘why.’ For example, if a client pulls a picture of ceremony aisle florals and claims
they love it—why? By asking better questions, an event professional may discover the client loves that inspiration because of smaller, more tangible details (that may ultimately be within budget).” The hard truth: when is someone just not a fit? Unfortunately, despite your best efforts to educate a potential client and trying to blast some common misconceptions before they even arrive in your inbox, there are still going to be those that won’t be a good fit. Here’s the difference. According to Dennis, “Clients who resist compromise or become too fixated on a specific idea can be a red flag. These clients may present high-budget inspiration without providing transparency about their actual budget. You may see unpractical expectations for décor and setup that a vendor cannot
accommodate or be too fixated on replicating a social media trend. It can be difficult to help a client who is dismissive of professional advice or creative alternatives. Recently, the popularity of AI-generated images has further fueled these unrealistic expectations, so assisting clients in understanding what works and what doesn’t is beyond crucial.” Trends have come such a long way in the world of events, but understandably, they aren’t always communicated realistically on social media. Planning is tricky enough from a professional perspective, so setting the record straight regarding expectations is an incredibly important step in the process! Meghan Ely is the owner of wedding PR and wedding marketing firm OFD Consulting. Ely is a sought-after speaker and a self-professed royal wedding enthusiast.
Special Events Media Facebook: SpecialEventsMedia Special Events Media LinkedIn: Special Events Media Special Events Media Instagram: @specialeventsmedia Special Events Media YouTube: @CatersourceandTheSpecialEvent Follow Special Events on Social Media!
9
SPECIAL EVENTS SPRING 2025
Powered by FlippingBook