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Top 3 reasons to outsource event planning to a virtual assistant

Top 3 reasons to outsource event planning to a virtual assistant, meeting with banquet tables and guests.

Stephanie Dsouza

October 24, 2022

Stop stressing about your next event! Events are important, but they take a lot of work, which can be a big problem if you have a small team. There are many benefits to outsourcing event planning. But rather than paying for a full-time event manager, consider hiring a part-time virtual assistant for a fraction of the cost.

Why outsource event planning to a virtual assistant?

1. Save money. 

Many people think event planning needs to be done in-house because they don’t have the budget for hiring an outside firm or hiring someone full-time. With virtual assistants, you’ll get experienced professionals who know how to plan events, without breaking the bank.

2. Save time and energy. 

If you’re busy running your business, it can be difficult to find time to juggle the demands of event planning and other administrative tasks. Letting a VA handle all of the event planning and logistics gives you more time to focus on more strategic activities.

3. Get experienced help with the details. 

Event planning is all about details — from the venue, the decorations, and food, down to the seating arrangements for guests. Trying to manage all this by yourself can be overwhelming. A VA can help take care of many of these details so you don’t have to worry about them.

Aspects of event planning a virtual assistant can handle

Research

Research is often a time-consuming and tedious task. Whether it’s comparing venue options, finding guest speakers, or finding industry data to add to your event presentation, a virtual event planning assistant can scour various sources to get the information you need.  And since VAs are often experienced researchers, they might be able to find sources that aren’t readily available to you.

Sourcing vendors 

With the help of a VA, you can get quotes from different vendors without having to spend hours on the phone or emailing them one by one. Your VA can do all of the leg work and summarize all the quotes you need in no time.

Need a vendor for guest giveaways? A caterer who can accommodate diverse dietary restrictions? A printer to create signage for your event display? VA can find you the best deal!

Budget management

If you have multiple events to plan, organize and execute, it can be challenging to stay on top of what’s been done, what’s yet to come, and what it’s all costing. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with spreadsheets, email chains, documents, and invoices.

Event planning VAs will use a number of strategies to keep budgeting for your business events a stress-free task:

• Planning out your expenses with a list of all the items that you might need.

• Using apps like Google sheets track all costs as they’re incurred to ensure you stay within your budget.

•Finding ways to save money, such as by booking tickets in advance, negotiating bulk discounts, or securing multiple quotes to find the best deal.

A meetup
Managing attendees

In order to finalize your catering, venue, and other details, you need to know how many guests will be attending your event. A VA can help with tracking RSVPS, following up with those who haven’t yet replied, and confirming numbers with your vendors.

Travel arrangements

If your team or guests are traveling for your event, a VA can support you with booking accommodations, arranging flights, and setting up airport transportation. They can ensure everyone one gets to where they need to be, on time.

Design 

Let your VA design your event flyers, handouts, or any other collateral. Whether it’s postcards to hand out at a trade show, or invitations for a client event, a VA with graphic design experience can get create compelling designs for a fraction of the cost of a full-time designer or ad agency.

Promotion

A virtual assistant can help you leverage event management platforms like Eventbrite, including setting up the event details, ticket sales, and promotional messaging.

A social media virtual assistant can help promote your events across all of your social media platforms. They can create graphics and content, schedule posts, analyze the performance of each post and generate reports on what is working best for you.

And of course, you’ll want to leverage your email lists to invite your contacts. A VA can help with that too, including drafting email copy and designing and sending emails using MailChimp or other email automation platforms.

A virtual meeting with some white wine and cheese

Event planning, in the digital world

Virtual assistants are pros and planning online events as well. They can help with online event management tools and platforms such as Zoom webinars. They can set up the event invitations and links, and help to coordinate your presenters, ensuring they all know how to log in and present on the event day.

Takeaway: A virtual assistant can handle much of what makes planning an event stressful, time-consuming, and difficult for you. Book a consult with our Solutions team to identify your unique needs and discover how we can help you grow.

Stephanie, a virtual administrator working with the Virtual Gurus.

Stephanie Dsouza

Stephanie is the Growth Marketing Manager at Virtual Gurus

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