Ben Schwartz of Ticketbud’s marketing department gives us some insider tips on event management.

What are the typical costs an event organizer will encounter?

Ben: The most important costs for an event typically revolve around catering, event rentals, location and marketing. The key is to find a way to mitigate the costs of everything else.  Ticketbud’s goal is to make ticketing for your event as cost effective and worry-free as possible – we want to help you use more of your event budget for the bigger things.

Ok, so what’s the easiest way to cut costs on the “bigger things”?

Ben: One really effective way to cut costs is leveraging friends and business connections to save some money. Instead of dropping $500 on expensive catering, contact that friend who loves to bake and see if they’ll help you out.  Have a business contact who would be a perfect speaker?  Shoot them an email. I’ve seen it before – event hosts don’t even think about getting in touch with people they already know, but this can lead to huge savings and even a new partnership.

Say I’m putting on my first event. Do you think it’s important to establish partnerships with other organizations?

Whip out the ol’ rolodex!

Ben: Absolutely.  While you want your first event to be uniquely you, partnerships are a great way learn from people who have already failed and succeeded.  Get their advice and guidance.  Partnerships are also a great way to establish yourself and your event in the community – think ‘Reputation by association’. Partnerships give you instant credibility and will help your event get more exposure.

And what about PR? Is it worth hiring someone to promote my event, or can I do it myself?

Ben: For a bigger event, hiring a PR rep. is a great way to take promoting off your plate.  For smaller events, though, there’s really no need to hire someone –  social media is a cheap, powerful way to spread the word. Using sites like Facebook and Twitter can go a long way for promoting for free.