A social event planner typically manages weddings, anniversaries, parties and so on. As a social event planner you'll be interacting with individuals, couples, brides, parents and many other people – all of whom have the vision of a perfect wedding, anniversary or party that they have been imagining for months or even years. And this is the key difference – the emotional attachment in a social event is what makes managing these types of event challenging, as well as exhilarating. When it comes down to it, your job is really to connect with the individual to understand their thoughts, perceptions and feelings. The key to success is paying attention not only to things that are said, but more importantly things that are not said - so always look for non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, postures and eye contact. If you think about it, almost all elements of a social event will differ from a corporate event. Let‘s take the wedding menu as an example. Catering is one of the highlights of a wedding. Most couples will pay a significant amount of attention in deciding the menu, how meals are served, dinning area layout, seating arrangements and so on. Also, you invariably have to interact with multiple 'interested parties' such as parents, family members, and friends. Be prepared for disagreements about every little detail, and managing this can quickly become a drain in terms of time and patience. Most social events are paid for by the individuals or families themselves, unlike corporate events that are funded by corporate budgets. This places constraints on how these costs are managed right upfront. Weddings, for example, can be funded by a collection of sources including personal funds, loans and gifts. This makes managing the budget a critical part of a successful event – sometime there is little or no room for tolerance for budget overruns or last minute expenses that were not accounted for in the planning, and can cause frustration for all parties involved. The final and perhaps the most important difference is that most social events (weddings, birthdays and anniversaries in particular) are a once-in-a-lifetime event. Remember that there are no second chances – a poorly executed wedding can cause untold emotional stress for the wedding couple, not to mention the damage that it may do to your business and reputation. On the positive side, the emotional upside of a successful wedding or anniversary can at time outweigh the financial benefits. A secondary benefit, is of course, word-of-mouth marketing at the event itself. A well executed event is your best marketing opportunity to drive more business your way. It's no wonder then, that a successful wedding is most likely the place where you‘ll find your next customer.