14th November 2007

Don’t have enough budget for your event? We give you some tips to overcome this obstacle. The key: be flexible, open to new proposals and above all … ingenuity and creativity.

Give enough time ahead
The more time you have to plan, the better tariffs you will get. Hotels and venues reduce fees in certain periods, find out when, and be flexible in terms of the dates. The more time ahead you have the better offers you can negotiate, suppliers' budgets, etc.

Get discounts
You can save on stationery for the event through the online media. Nevertheless, if you decide on the paper format, ask the printer about the stock of paper that they may have leftover from a previous job. Negotiate for discounts. With ingenuity you will be able to adapt your idea to the available material.

Negotiate with the hotel where your event or conference guests will be lodging: the luxurious hotels usually provide a bottle of wine or a gift. Change these typical gifts for the specialty of the chef, accompanied by a note from him. This type of product usually are not very costly, and with the difference of the price you can negotiate for other hotel services. Keep in mind that the hotels can offer free or with discount on meeting rooms to the clients (including the stationery and refreshments).

Think differently
Organize the event in a totally original space, where events are not usually held. The surest thing is that they are much more receptive to your requests and it is easier for you to get a good price since they are not used to getting events. In addition, you can get a surprise effect with your guests. Some examples: a hotel in construction, a circus or a cinema on weekdays and during the morning, a school in the evening or night. Though you consider the type of event and the organizers’ experience when choosing these venues.

For the invitation design, get for the collaboration of art students or an incipient artist, it will be a form of advertising for him and will not cost anything to you. Also, you can organize an internal contest to encourage the participation of the staff.

Maximize resources
If you organize several events for different targets, for example, organize it on the same day. Use the same venue, decoration, catering company but in different shifts.

Plan your event in a museum or a cultural center with a gift shop included. This way, you will be able to use the objects of the shop as decoration of the venue, the persons in charge of the museum will see it as an opportunity to showcase the merchandising for possible sales. Put the prices in the decorations and the attendees will know that they are up for sale.

Look for in your warehouse for props or materials from previous events that can be used with touch-ups, recycle, modify … At least, you will save money in materials.

Call on your friends and circle of contacts to see if they can help in any way. Networking helps!