Archive for the ‘Training’ Category

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Want to become a wedding planner?

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

The UKAWP are well known for our in depth and honest training courses for those wishing to become wedding planners. With so many training schools out there it can be hard to know which one is right for you. Today I would like to talk to you a little about our original, and ever popular , Business Practicalities. The 3 directors of the UKAWP teach the courses personally, and on the second day we are accompanied by some of our full members. The courses are held in spring and autumn as naturally, summer months are rather busy for full time wedding planners.

When can I attend

25th & 26th Sep (London)

23rd & 24th Oct (Northamptonshire)

6th & 7th Nov (Cheshire)

To sign up please go to our booking form

What topics are covered on this weekend course?

This course is aimed at those wishing to start their own business. For that reason we cover everything you should do pre-launch.  Primarily your research and marketing before moving onto the type of services you wish to offer and how to decide what to charge. We take you through the basics of PR and why this is so important for small businesses. One element that is always popular is the mock consultations we undertake with the students, this gives students the chance to understand how important it is to ask the right questions in a consultation. And finally we go through how to produce your proposal.

To view the full list of topics please download our brochure

What is the cost

£599 inc. vat

What is included?

Full lunch & refreshments on both days

Concise bound notes to take away

Certificate of attendance

Logo to use on future marketing material

CD of useful templates

Do Your Own PR workbook

Recent Feedback

 

March 2010   Diane Kay
“The course exceeded my expectations and has really spurred me on to move forward to set up my own company.”
 
“Kelly’s experience and anecdotes were extremely funny and invaluable.”
  
April 2010     Stacey Marie Chalk
“I loved the practicals – even if the consultation was scary – it makes the course more real.”

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Top Tips on using Twitter

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

We are excited to start our series of posts by guest blogger and social media guru Keren Lerner of  Top Left Design.  Keren runs a highly successful web design business, is a prolific networker both off-line and on-line and has a mountain of knowledge that she’s willing to share on getting the best out of your blog, and the use of social media, specifically focussing on Twitter.  Her first post focuses on understanding glossary definitions in Twitter.

5 Basic Glossary Definitions for Twitter users

by Keren Lerner - guest blogger and director of Top Left Design

twitter-glossary-pic

As a true fan of Social Media and of the powers of Twitter, I have been observing new users for a while now, and have had the privilege of training those who have an interest in using Twitter more effectively.

Twitter has a lot of strange things unique to it - punctuation marks and abbreviations which may look like alien-speak to anyone who hasn’t learned it. Although there are many guides online (I particularly like the Mashable Twitter Guidebook) I can see why a lot of people might look at the stream of tweets and wonder what is going on!

There are only 5 basic ones you really need to know- once you understand them you will be well on your way. - hashtags, RTs, @replies, mentions, and url shortening.

Retweeting means repeating someone else’s tweet. The basic way is to put the abbreviated RT, then their @name, and then paste their same exact tweet. There are other ways (for example using the “retweet button” but the old fashioned way is my favourite as it shows up in the list of mentions.

Hashtags (eg #WeddingWednesday, #Photography or #FollowFriday #FF) - putting a hash sign next to a word makes it a link which if you click on brings all the tweets with that same topic mentioned. You would put a #, then no space, then the word. This is great for Twitter searches - adding one of these makes you be found and possibly followed by a lot more people.

URL shortening - you can paste a long URL in a url shortening tool (I prefer Bit.ly) to generate shorter URLs for your article links - this looks a lot cleaner and more professional

Replies - Reply to other’s tweets from your update box by typing “@theirusername” followed by what you want to say - or hovering over their tweet and clicking on the “Reply” button - which makes their @username show up in the update box. @replies appear in the public timeline - so they are part of a public conversation. It’s a good thing to use them as this is what makes Twitter interesting - seeing the conversations between people, and potentially being able to join the conversation!

Mentions: Using someone’s @username in your tweet is called a “mention”. This would show up in their replies and mentions part of their Twitter page (on the right side, under @theirusername). Including this in your Tweet, you will in a way be talking ABOUT them and they will see that. So, for example if you tweeted “Had a great meeting with @topleftdesign and @tamhall - they are fantastic” then you are in a way promoting us, and we can also reply to you and say “@ThisIsLisa thanks, it was great to learn all about your VA business - you really know your stuff”. As this is all part of the public timeline, this is a way for others to promote you too!

I hope that has been enlightening and I welcome your comments on this - you can even tweet me (just put @topleftdesign in your tweet) with your feedback. I will then reward you with some other useful tips!

Thank you Keren.

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Training Dates Autumn 2010

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

 

We are very pleased to announce the Autumn 2010 dates for ‘Business Practicalities’, and ‘Step by Step’. Both courses have been improved for the Autumn making them even better than before. The brochure is being finalised and will be uploaded soon, but for those who cannot wait until then please complete our booking form  which will then take you to the online payment page.

We believe the most successful way to learn a new skill is by interacting with likeminded individuals which is why we only run classroom based training. Held at locations throughout the UK there should be a date and location convenient for you. We are registered by the UK Government’s Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP).

Business Practicalities

 25th & 26th Sep (Crowne Plaza, St James, London)  23rd & 24th Oct (Staverton Park, Northamptonshire)  6th & 7th Nov (Cheadle House, Cheshire)

Step by Step

16th & 17th Oct (Crowne Plaza, St James, London)  13th & 14th Nov (Staverton Park, Northamptonshire)  27th & 28th Nov (Cheadle House, Cheshire)

To view further information please go to our training page.

 

 

 

 

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Last chance for training

Friday, April 30th, 2010

We have a few spaces remaining on the STEP BY STEP course on the 8th & 9th May in Ipswich, this is the last chance to train with us before the autumn courses start in September. To download the brochure please go to our website.

In this 2 day weekend course we go through the full role of a wedding planner and how you can plan a successful wedding. Just what exactly does the role of a ‘Wedding Planner’ involve? We run through the moment you are hired until the wedding day itself.

This is also the last chance to attend the course at £550 as from September there will be a price increase. To find out more information please call Bernadette on 01376 561 544.

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A fantastic bunch of students

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Recently I taught 11 students on our Business Practicalities course in Ipswich. It was a really good group of students with some amazing experience under their belts already. They asked some very interesting and thought provoking questions over the 2 days and I feel very confident once they launch they will be an asset to the industry. In fact on the Sunday I was so impressed with the quality of work the students were producing that I decided to share one of the editorial pieces with you by Kirstie Findlay. Happy reading.

Are you having a SIZZLING summer wedding??

 Most brides seem to prefer getting married between the months of May and August. Why is this?? We can’t guarantee the weather in this country these days. I’ve been caught in a rain storm in the middle of July but went to an amazing sunny wedding in December in the Lake District. Don’t get me wrong I do love a summer wedding and there are lots of up sides to this but I urge you to consider the winter months as well. Let me sent the scene for you….Imagine arriving at a Christmas card scene at a tiny country church with snow laden trees sparkling in the winter sunshine. Your bridesmaids wearing burgundy dresses with soft fur wraps. A feast of tasty winter warmers and hot mulled wine at your wedding breakfast. There are lots of practical pros for winter weddings as well, such as the cost of venues and suppliers. There are often heavy discounts for weddings “out of season” and suppliers have more time to spend on your every need as they don’t have as many other clients at this time of year. So don’t let the rain put you off, there are loads of beautiful wedding umbrellas, bridal boots and amazing indoor venues to choose from.

December weddings can have that magical Christmas wow factor so don’t rule it out!!

 By Kirstie Findlay

 

New wedding planners at UKAWP training course

New wedding planners at UKAWP training course

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Seeking interns

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

We believe very strongly in work experience and practical training here at UKAWP and an opportunity has arisen for an internship which we wanted to publish here:

We are looking for 3 very special interns to work with Dream Occasions, Dream Occasions Hire and at times the UKAWP. Please read the following to see if you are a suitable candidate. The candidate must be willing to work from the home office belonging to Bernadette, based in Essex, UK.

What is an internship?
An internship gives someone the chance to experience the administrative side of event planning and to further your skills. It is an unpaid learning experience.

 Why undertake an internship?

  • o Will help you determine if this is the career for you
  • o Enables you to gain experience before entering into paid employment
  • o Enables you to make professional networking connections with suppliers and event planners
  • o Enables you to (hopefully) receive a commendable reference from Bernadette Chapman
  • o Enables you to learn from Bernadette, a wedding planner since 2002 and director for the UKAWP

Skills

  • o A passion for weddings and events
  • o Extremely organised
  • o Detail orientated
  • o Confident personality
  • o Ability to adapt to a home office environment
  • o Excellent communication skills both written and spoken
  • o Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Office and the internet
  • o An understanding of social media inc. Twitter and blogging

Hours:

3 days per week (flexible on the days), 10am - 2pm

Length/Availability

1 month

Start Date

1st intern:          4th - 28th May

2nd intern:         1st - 24th June

3rd intern:         28th June - 22nd July

 If you are interested please send an email with CV to Bernadette at bernadette@dream-occasions.co.uk.

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Mentoring – A UKAWP service for growing wedding planning companies

Friday, April 9th, 2010

Do you struggle to really get going with promoting your company? Are you worried that your efforts are not going in the right direction? Would you like to talk to someone who truly understands your ‘day to day’ because they do the same job as you and are likely to have encountered similar obstacles/objections? Are you at the very beginning and would like some honest feedback on your materials?

 

If there are any ‘yes’ answers to these questions and your business is less than 2 years old, you might like to consider our UKAWP business mentoring service. Launched last year, it’s been quietly successful and the feedback from planners has been excellent from those currently benefitting from the scheme.  

 

The package is priced at £300 per year and includes 3 x 2 hour sessions over the course of one calendar year; the sessions can be arranged at a mutually convenient time and the time is entirely for your use and to discuss and iron out any specific issues or help you need. This is backed up with email/phone support throughout the year.  Your mentor would currently be one of the 3 UKAWP Directors each of whom have over 7 years experience of running their own wedding planning businesses.

 

For more information and further details/requirements do take a look at  http://www.ukawp.com/planner_business-tools.htm

 

The Directors of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners

The Directors of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners

 

 

 

 

 

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Step By Step Course Last Weekend

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Last weekend I trained a wonderful group of ladies on our Step by Step training weekend in London; half of the group had already attended our Business Practicalities course either recently or over the past year so it was lovely to see some familiar as well as some new faces. Our courses are always very honest and open and full of interaction. I do notice a trend in the questions which are asked time and time again by students so I thought I’d write about the top three that always crop up.

  

How many weddings should I aim to plan a year?

An established wedding planner working full time, might reasonably manage 10 weddings per year and earn a good income although the number of weddings will vary according to the budget of each wedding also. It’s not sensible to aim for that level in the first couple of years though, a good start would be  2 or 3 full planning weddings in year 1, increasing that gradually over the years.

 

What uniform do you wear on the wedding day?

Always a tricky one as you want to look smart and respectful to the fact that it’s a wedding yet be comfortable enough. The job generally entails lifting, packing, sticking and carrying of some form or another so comfort is key, as are flat shoes in my opinion. The Directors of UKAWP generally wear black trousers, a coloured shirt (not white or you look like waiting staff) and flat smart shoes. A comfortable black dress might also be a good option.

 

Will I get any clients without a portfolio to show of past work?

Yes, you won’t get every client as some will prefer to use a tried and tested planner who can demonstrate their work but people never think the same and some clients will see this as a benefit that you don’t have any pre-conceived ideas and have bags of enthusiasm; think of ways around not having a portfolio that can still demonstrate your creativity and past working experiences.

 

For more information on training courses  go to http://www.ukawp.com/planner_training.htm

Posted in Becoming a Planner, Life as a Planner, Training, UKAWP News | No Comments »

WPE 10 - Delegate Feedback

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Following our recent annual Wedding Planning Excellence seminar we asked delegates for their honest feedback in order that, going forward, we can put together events which specifically meet planners’ needs.

Key findings were as follows:

  • the location was beautiful, central and offered good facilities
  • speakers were excellent, networking opportunities were great and many felt inspired and, as one planner put it ‘reignited’ by the weekend
  • most felt the cost was money well spent, however a more modular event, allowing one to choose which sessions to attend, might make it accessible to more planners - London would be the most obvious location in which to achieve this
  • suggestions of topics to cover another year included more marketing and PR, more social networking, search engine optimisation, legal issues, entertainment other than musicians

This is such useful information, so thank you very much to delegates for providing this.

Below, see us enjoying a few favours ourselves for a change.

goodies-2

Posted in Training, UKAWP News, WPE 10 | No Comments »

Step By Step Training

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

This weekend I trained a delightful group of new planners from the Midlands and Northern Ireland.

It was great seeing people realise, from the beginning, that there are ways of working together as planners, even if on occasion you are in competition.

Equally interesting was understanding, albeit Northern Ireland is of course the UK, how different that market is, both in terms of what is on offer, and the likely clientele. 

As ever I came away glad to have played a part in the beginning of peoples’ new careers and ever more pleased by the talent which I see entering the industry.

Posted in Training, Uncategorized | No Comments »

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