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- 1). Determine your strengths. Decide if you are strong on the catering side of putting together a party, establishing a theme and then setting a beautiful table to complement that theme, doing floral arranging or planning large-scale entertainment productions. Make a list of what strengths you have and what you enjoy doing. From this list you can determine what facet of party or event planning best suits your talents.
- 2). Narrow your focus. Decide if you want to plan children's birthday parties or large corporate events. You also need to determine if you will work from home or establish an off-site office and if you are a one-person operation or if you want to grow into a full-fledged organization.
- 3). Research your educational options. Las Vegas has several colleges or universities offering training in the hospitality industry. An important question to ask when speaking with the administration departments of the colleges is whether they offer "certification" for the career, or simply a piece of paper known as a "certificate."
Earning certification takes not only an education, but several years of working in the industry in order to achieve the industry-respected status of a Certified Event Planner (CEP). This should be your goal. - 4). Join a hotel's meeting and convention services department. On-the-job training is a good beginning education and one of the best ways to apprentice for a career as a party planner. Learning the vocabulary used in the world of meeting planning is vital.
Knowing the technical operations behind an event such as lighting and audio visual needs and set up, as well as pricing out each of these components will help you understand the complex details involved in putting together an event. - 5). Subscribe to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) website. Its "Meeting Planning and Promotional Toolkit" and "Meeting Planner's Guide" are invaluable references for all aspects of party and event planning. It also lists party and event planners in the Las Vegas area. Contact each of them for job opportunities.
- 6). Attend a job fair. The "Las Vegas Review-Journal" sponsors several career fairs throughout the year in Las Vegas. Even these job showcases are put together by an event planner. Networking is an important way to get your foot in the door of any organization.
- 7). Attend meetings of professional organizations comprised of meeting, party and event planners. The International Special Events Society (ISES) has a Las Vegas chapter.
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