Hey there!
I just attended a networking brunch with a friend who is also a virtual assistant that specializes in event management. She and I try to grab a coffee at least once a month and gab about business gains and pains and just life in general. She has been growing her business a bit longer than I have so she gives me great insights into the entrepreneur world.
After the event, someone that didn’t realize she and I knew each other asked if I thought having a virtual assistant plan your events was wise. She wanted to know if it would be better to hire someone with more experience or owned their own event planning business.
I gently explained that many virtual assistants own their own businesses and the fact that they specialize in certain areas usually meant that they had expertise in that area. I pointed out that virtual assistants, executive assistants and administrative assistants normally plan events on top of managing calendars, content creation, preparing reports, arranging travel, etc.
I personally spent 20 years managing events. Some events were a few hours and had 4 - 6 people. Other events were 3 or 4 days and had 200+ attendees. Some were all local folks and some were people from across the globe. Air travel, catering, event space, technology, etc., have to be managed and there might be a team that includes an assistant or it might be up to the assistant themselves to plan it.
The reason that so many virtual assistants are great at event management is because they have the connections that they have been using for years. I remember planning travel with my favorite travel agent, knowing that my clients would have upgrades and great hotel rooms and everything would run smoothly. I planned my planning around her schedule. If I knew she’d be out of the office, I’d get to her before she was out or wait until she got back. She got the job done and I knew that I would be pleased with the results.
I reminded my parking lot friend that you never know what connections people have. If they say that they specialize in a certain area, they just might have all the tips and tricks that you need. Before dismissing their talents, have a talk with them and see what they say they can do for you.
I know that she took my advice because I got a call the next day from my friend saying that she had been contacted by someone from our networking event. They were meeting for coffee and going over a plans for an event that she wanted to have this summer.
Running a business is hard. There are so many moving parts that it seems daunting some days. Remember that you never have to do it alone! There are so many people out there that can help you while you continue moving your business forward.
Don’t try to do it all. Make The Wright Connections!