This article is part of our Event Planning Business Startup Guide—a curated list of articles to help you plan, start, and grow your event planning business!
Finding solid resources to help you grow your event planning business can be tricky, especially because it can be hard to find information specifically geared toward industry professionals.
Sure, there are tons of wedding planning websites out there—but how many of them are actually directed toward professional planners, and not just brides?
To help you cut through the clutter, here is a list of 11 excellent resources to help you grow your event planning business. From must-read blogs and websites with up-to-the-minute industry news, to planning-specific podcasts, there is sure to be a resource that will help you take your event planning business to new heights.
Websites and blogs
22 Event Planning Resources from Event Experts
This regularly-updated list covers everything from marketing ebooks to blog posts, all recommended by industry experts. This list offers a variety of resources to help you grow your business (with a heavy focus on marketing), specifically from an event planner’s perspective.
If you choose just one resource from this list, choose Planner’s Lounge. This comprehensive website was started by wedding and event planner Debbie Orwat as a place for current and would-be event planners to source information and learn about the industry. You’ll find paid resources like the Wedding Planner’s Toolbox, as well as free resources like the Planner’s Lounge blog.
As with Planner’s Lounge, Event Planning Blueprint has educational resources for sale, as well as free resources available on their blog. Since you’re in the process of evaluating event planning resources, I suggest starting with reading Common Mistakes to Avoid.
A slick, glossy resource for event planners across industry segments, Event Manager Blog covers industry news, tips, and the requisite ebook resources. Start with their education section, which contains a wealth of useful blog posts like 19 Event Planning Checklists that Actually Help.
Creator of the #eventprof community (more on that in a minute), Lara McCulloch is one of the most respected marketers in the event community. Her blog posts are informative, and her site in general offers plenty of great resources—including the unique Clarity Call feature, where, I’ve gathered, you can apply for a personal phone call from Lara to discuss your business’s direction.
Bplans sample event planning business plans
If you’re starting an event planning business, know that writing a business plan is proven to help you grow your business 30 percent faster. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our free, downloadable sample event planning business plans. From there, you can use our business plan template (word doc or PDF) to help you get started. If you’re looking for an even easier way to write your business plan, check out LivePlan.
Online courses
Getting Started as a Wedding and Event Planner
Hosted by Debbie Orwat, event planner and founder of Planner’s Lounge, this Udemy course is a great place to start if you prefer to learn through watching and listening. The course is broken up into 12 individual lectures of varying length, which makes it easy to fit into your schedule.
Podcasts
All Things Event Planning with April
April Knight-Copeland started this podcast to help those who are interested in getting into the event planning or production career fields and don’t know where to begin.
News and trends
You won’t find informative how-to resources here, but if you’re looking to keep up with industry trends, BizBash is your go-to. Not only do they cover the latest news, but if you’re looking for a new venue or supplier, you can search for one through their site (though it’s worth noting that they only carry information for a dozen or so prominent U.S. cities).
Event planners professional organizations
Professional organizations often provide their members with information on industry trends. This list of 22 organizations is a good place to start. Look for one that matches your event planning business’s mission.
Communities and networking
#eventprofs
While not a community in the traditional sense, this twitter hashtag is well-used, and the website linked above collates all the recently trending articles on Twitter tagged with #eventprofs. Created, so to speak, by marketer and event planner Lara McCulloch, the hashtag creates a kind of virtual resource recommendation community.
The VIP Lounge section of Planner’s Lounge offers a members-only space for wedding planners to come together, ask questions, share experiences, and offer advice. Membership comes at a cost ($8 a month or $80 for the year) but if you’re willing to pay for access, the VIP Lounge is one of the few professionals-only wedding planning forums available.
Having helpful resources in your back pocket is an important aspect of starting and growing your event planning business, but don’t forget strategy and planning. For tactics that will help you grow your business, check out my article on how to make more money as an event planner, and if you’re still in the planning phase, take a look at our business planning guide and our free wedding and event planning sample business plans.
Briana is a content and digital marketing specialist, editor, and writer. She enjoys discussing business, marketing, and social media, and is a big fan of the Oxford comma. Bri is a resident of Portland, Oregon, and she can be found, infrequently, on Twitter.
