Jill S. Moran - How to Start a Home-Based Event Planning Business

Jill S. Moran, CSEP began her career in special event planning in 1990 by planning a client reception for five hundred guests attending an international trade show. Drawing on her background in the arts, exhibit and display experience, and instinct for creativity and planning she expanded her event business to include nonprofit events, weddings, and social celebrations.

She has grown her award-winning event planning and management company, jsmoran special events, by providing creative advice and full-scale implementation and production services for special events ranging from multi-day destination weddings, corporate outings, sales and marketing events to conferences, trade shows, galas, and exclusive parties. She has hosted events and weddings in cities across the country and internationally in locations ranging from museums and yachts to convention centers and wineries. Her events have been televised on Entertainment Tonight and E!. She has been showcased on Bostons Channel 7 WHDH-TV sharing design and party decorating ideas.

She has served on several international committees for the International Special Events Society and has been president for the New England chapter. She was one of the first designated Certified Special Events Professionals in the New England area. She has won five prestigious ESPRIT awards including Best Industry Contribution for How to Start a Home-Based Event Planning Business, How to Start a Home-Based Wedding Planning Business, and the Special Events Institute. She has lectured at the Canadian Special Events & Meeting Expo, Eventworld, The Special Event and ISES Regional Education Conferences, has participated on panel discussions for industry conferences throughout the United States and in Canada, and is an adjunct professor at Newbury College, located outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She is passionate about education and special events and is proud to have developed the Special Events Institute, an online certificate program providing valuable training for event planners.

Her varied background includes a degree in Education, MBA coursework, and continued involvement in the arts and education. She lives in Massachusetts with her family and continues to enjoy creating the life of the party!

I would like to acknowledge the following:

The event professionals and student interns who helped in the research for the fourth edition, including Samantha Farrell, Marissa Welch, and Brittany Ryan.

I would also like to thank my family, clients, colleagues, and friends for their support and inspiration in writing this book.

My father, Russell Schofield, who supported me in everything I did and taught me to believe that I could be whatever I chose to be. My mother, Amelia, who planted the first creative seed in me and continues to feed it with projects, inspiration, and example. My siblings and cousins who helped create a party environment throughout my life!

My husband, Peter, for his willingness to walk down the road of life alongside me. My children, Kate, Kevin, and Paige, for their understanding, support, confidence, and patience with their crazy event planning mom!

My clients, who trust me with their projects and defer to me for my creative and professional advice, many of whom have become dear friends and forever left a mark on my life.

My event colleagues, who share their ideas, seek my advice, believe in my leadership, and support me with their talents and energy.

My close friends, who listen, advise, and laugh with me as I negotiate the many twists and turns of my life.

For all of these wonderful people whom I have been blessed to have in my life, I am grateful. All have added to my confidence to plan event after event and put it all down in writing for others to learn from.

The following organizations and links offer online resources to locate educational opportunities relating to event and meeting management, travel and tourism, hospitality, culinary sciences, and trade show management:

American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute: www.ahlei.org/

Convention Industry Council: www.conventionindustry.org/ or hospitality-1st.com/PressNews/Schools.html

Degree Directory: degreedirectory.org/articles/which_schools_offer_online_degrees_in_event_planning.html

Grad Schools: www.gradschools.com (www.gradschools.com/all-levels/hospitality-management)

International Special Events Society (professional development and education): www.ises.com

Meeting Professionals International: www.mpiweb.org/ProfessionalDevelopment

Special Events Institute (online certificate program): www.specialeventsinstitute.com

AMC Institute

700 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 510

Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: (571) 527-3108

Fax: (571) 527-3105

www.amcinstitute.org

AMC Institute is an international nonprofit trade association comprised of companies that provide association management and professional services to volunteer-governed organizations and for-profit companies. AMC Institute includes member companies that are demonstrated leaders in the association industry, committed to high quality and value-added association management and professional services.

American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA)

1201 New York Avenue Northwest

Suite 600

Washington, DC 20005

Phone: (202) 289-3100

Fax: (202) 289-3199

www.ahla.com

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), founded in 1910 with over 11,000 hotel members, represents the interests of the US lodging industry at the national level on federal legislative and regulatory affairs, the national media, the educational community, research groups, and the general public.

American Society for Training and Development

1640 King Street, Box 1443

Alexandria, VA 22313-1443

Phone: (703) 683-8100

Fax: (703) 683-8103

www.astd.org

The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) is the worlds largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals. ASTDs members come from more than one hundred countries and connect locally in 130 US chapters and thirty global networks. Members work in thousands of organizations of all sizes, in government, as independent consultants, and as suppliers. ASTD started in 1944 when the organization held its first annual conference. ASTD has widened the professions focus to link learning and performance to individual and organizational results and is a sought-after voice on critical public policy issues.

American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) & The Center for Association Leadership

1575 I Street Northwest

Washington, DC 20005

Phone: (202) 371-0940

Fax: (202) 371-8315

www.asaenet.org