The Complete Guide to Successful Event Planning : With Companion CD-ROM

Having to plan an event? First time or old pros needing a refresher go no further than this book. Shannon Kilkenny has outdone herself here with step by step instructions and tips to walk you through the whole process of planning and executing even the most difficult event you've ever faced. I found the charts, lists and forms both in the text and the copies on the CD ROM for easy print out to be the most beneficial. I think the best thing about this book is that you can take away something from reading the whole book cover to cover. But you can also take away information from individual chapters if the whole book doesn't apply to you. The best example of this I can give is that my mother was panicked last week over trying to plan my little sister's 16th birthday. I told mom that while I'd only read this book last week for a friends baby shower that I thought she might want to take a peek at it. When I came over the day before my sister's party to help with setup my mom said that the book had more than paid for itself. It had shown her a much less stressful way to do what she was trying to do. She said that she skipped the chapters aimed at event planners but that a lot of the later chapters helped her immensely in avoiding disaster or over planning for the party. This is a definite read for anyone trying to plan an event from the smallest birthday party to a large banquet or conference.

This book will make your next event planning fantastically easy. I have never seen a better book on how to create the event that you need and want. It is concise but no detail or list that you will need is omitted. It's CD-ROM will let you access all the working materials on your computer. It facilitates your creating the ambiance and context you wish to realize through your event. It even helps you "green" your event. We could say much more but think you will know how great this book is the moment you have your hands on it or view it on this site. The commonsense, dedication, and competence of this quite amazing book will grab you right away. At The Family Institute of Berkeley we have had to plan many events ranging from small groups to audiences of hundreds including workshop settings, meals, and lodging for people who have come from all over the world over a period of some thirty years. This book would have spared us a lot of inventing and pouring over lists and reminders. You may be able to do all this work yourself but why not have it done for you? We have worked with Shannon Kilkenny, participated in events and have come to respect and admire her integrity, determination, kindness, and incredible competence. It is that which makes this book uniquely helpful.. Robert Shaw, M.D. Director, The Family Institute of Berkeley Judith Shaw, M.A. Education Director and Event Coordinator, The Family Institute of Berkeley

I have thrown a few large events together in the past, and I must admit that none of them were very successful. Since I decided against hiring an event planner, I had to rely on myself for all of the details - and you never really notice how many details need to be worked out until you realize how many details you forgot. No matter how much food you prepare and how many people you invite, something is bound to go wrong. As Shannon Kilkenny's `The Complete Guide to Successful Event Planning' explains, Murphy's Law will always make sure that something will go wrong. But with this book at my disposal, I feel like a lot more things are bound to go right. This book explains all of the things that you tend to forget when you plan a large event. It teaches you everything you need to know to put together an unforgettable event, from where to host it, to how to protect your guests, to how to market it. Kilkenny's book also explains how you can save money without compromising the quality of your event, what to do in case of an unforeseen problem, and what to do when the event is over. Simply put, this book really is a complete guide that will teach you everything you need to know about event planning. I found all of the information in the book to be highly helpful and I greatly enjoyed the personable tone of the book. Another great feature is the CD-ROM that comes with the book. The book will teach you everything that you need to do to make your event a success; the CD will help you utilize everything that you learned. All of the CD's checklists, timeline guides, and ideas on how to set up your event will ensure that everything you learned will be put to good use. Between this book and the CD, it is doubtful that you could ever throw even a remotely unmemorable event ever again!

Let's face it. When you're in charge of planning an event--any event--you're the one with the reputation on the line. If the event succeeds or flops, people who were there will remember you. So you can't afford to overlook even the smallest planning detail. You need insurance against failure--and that's where this book comes in! Anyone who's on the hot seat for planning an event can't afford to be more than an arm's length away from Shannon Kilkenny's unmatched expertise. No matter what the occasion or how many people will be at your event, this guide covers everything you must know to ensure its success. And I'm not just talking about the obvious checklist of to-do's most planners have to deal with--things like location, timeline, budget, and agenda. You'll also get invaluable insight on orchestrating the event's end-to-end "intangibles" like mood, vision, and take-away memories that most of us overlook or don't even know about. These are the make-or- break elements of the event! It doesn't matter whether you're talking about a small birthday party for a family member or a Fortune 100 black-tie social for hundreds of VIPs, this book delivers the can't-miss wisdom from a planner who's "been there, done that." And there's even a companion CD with sample agreements, forms, and templates you can use in your upcoming planning efforts! So don't even think about bringing your next event to the drawing board without this book. -- Robert Gardner, Ph.D.

Are you an event coordinator? Me neither! Or at least that's what I thought until the day I had to plan a seminar for a client as part of my "your gal Friday" business. How hard could it be, right? Three days later I was hovering close to a nervous breakdown - so I purchased this book. A week and a half later I put on a professional seminar, didn't have a nervous breakdown, and now have so many referrals I'm actually considering adding event planning to my portfolio! Whether you're planning a surprise birthday party, a conference, a tournament of some sort, or even the biggie - a wedding - this book is for you. Shannon Kilkenny provides checklists, timelines, and money saving tips that anyone can use in any circumstance whether it's a social event or a business event. The author also discusses those situations that most of us have nightmares about and gives tips and ideas on what to do when something goes wrong, as it invariably will. The book is filled with creative insight, step-by-step walkthroughs, and a lively sense of humor. In addition, the book comes with a CD packed with templates, guides, certifications, evaluations, room design, and numerous other guidelines and resources. So, if you're planning Grandma's 90th birthday - this book is for you. If you're planning the yearly conference for your company - this book is for you. And if you're planning a seminar with expected attendance of 30,000 - this book is for you!