When you see an upcoming event on your calendar, do you ever freak the F out? Ya me too, well i used to anyways. Now, I am much prepared when I see evnts on my calednar. I know what's up and i have a plan for before, during and after.
As a live artist, I attend and I am a big part of alot of events. This has helped me to hone in on what has really worked for me and what may work for you too! Continuing reading for some of my tips...
Take for example my recent event in partnership Goop at Ralph Lauren on Rodeo drive in Beverly Hills. Let's talk about getting in the zone before your event first.
BEFORE THE EVENT
- Have your bags packed the day before. Have supplies/luggage all ready to go. The less the stress the day of the better.
- Schedule beauty appointments. The day before I might get a facial, a fresh manicure, threaded eyebrows. The day of I always schedule a blowout. My reasoning behind the blowout is it saves me time number one and I know my hair is going to look perfect then. Getting a blowout also gives me to regroup before I leave for an event. It's called multi-tasking, while my hair is getting blown out I can check emails and directions/traffic for where I am heading. The manicure is also highly important for me because my hands are going to be looked at and photographed for most of the night. I might even get my wedding rings cleaned just so they are extra sparkly:) It's all about the details. Think about what is going to be the focal point of your event.? Is it your smile? Maybe whiten your teeth the day before with crest strips.
- Give yourself time. I always plan to arrive to events ONE HOUR BEFORE. This may be only a a California worry thing but TRAFFIC..ugh it can ruin everything but not my events! Nope, that's because like I said I PLAN for extra time. If I do happen to get an event early it's only an advantage. Sometimes i juts grab a coffee and a snack, since i will be busy for hours, or I try to take some photos of the event venue before I get too busy.
DURING THE EVENT
- Introduce yourself. I always make sure to say hi to everyone when I arrive at event. That way I know who is in charge and who is there to help me or who is going to be pre-occupied with other parts of the event.
- Be in the moment and enjoy yourself.
- Make connections. You cannot remember everyone at events but usually there are a few stand out people that either #1 make it known they want to connect with me or #2 I am super interested in what they do and make it known. I always have a stack of my business cards ready to hand out and I usually here from atleast a few people after the event. Sometimes it is regarding the same thing or it might be a totally different creative request, but either way I love that the conversation is opened and at this point they have already met me in person.
AFTER THE EVENT
- Clean up your area. Leave your area as you found it. I usually find a trash can but honestly if I can't I will just take it with me to dispose else where. I wipe down everything that was in my paint area, even though I cover my area when painting I am always extra cautious if it is not my studio. If you are doing alot of events in the area the last thing you want to be known as is the messy girl.
- Say goodbye. After I make sure my area is clean and i have collected all my belongings I say goodbye. I try to find everyone I met if it isn't going to take too much time but most importantly I say goodbye to whoever hired me for the event. Side note: Always ask about parking validation if needed.
- Send a thank you note. This could be mailing a card or an email, either way, just do it. You want to tie up any loose ends, thank them for having you as part of their event and I always ask if there was any photos taken of the event that I could use.
I hope these tips help you at your next event. An overall thing that helps me in business is to write things down. So go ahead, make a little checklist for yourself or enter your email below and I will email you my own cute checklist! I designed it with all the tips in mind and you can fill in with your own event details.
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