Personal Event Planning Business Plan

Occasions

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Market Analysis Summary

The following sections describe the market segmentation, strategies, and industry analysis.

4.1 Market Segmentation

The breakdown of the market for event planning, falls in a wide, very diverse grouping. Individuals as well as organizations demand the services we provide. In order to provide the greatest depth of information, the market segments have been broken down into private and public organizations, and age groups.

1. Private Organizations and Businesses
   Private organizations make up the single largest portion of Occasions' client base. Private organizations such as businesses, corporations, and political parties host the most events on the largest scales, therefore, these events generate larger revenues per event. The majority of larger scale holiday functions will fall under this segment.

2. Public Organizations
   Government agencies host many events every year. Occasions hopes to alleviate the pressure of event planning for public employees. The second single largest segment, the public sector, can save money and give back to its community at the same time. These events are moderate in scale with middle to low revenues generated. Emphasis is placed on the visibility of the event for public viewing. The majority of organizational family functions will fall under this segment.

3. Age Breakdowns
   • Under 24: Persons under the age of twenty-four (24) using an event planner are rare at best. We hope to tap the early college graduates who have begun their professional careers but have not yet started their families. These events will focus mainly on themes with moderate to high energy appeal. The revenues generated will range from moderate to high, depending on the event. The majority of weddings will fall into this segment.
   • Ages 25-55: The persons that fall into this age group are employed, middle to upper-middle class families. The reason they choose event planners is they are too busy to do it themselves. Therefore, Occasions will be on hand for questions, contact will be moderate in length but occur regularly so as not to disturb the daily life of the families. These events will generate moderate revenues, with a few generating low revenues. The majority of special occasion planning will occur in this market segment.
   • Ages 56 and above: Persons over the age of 55 have reached the turning point of life. Many are retiring, others are celebrating anniversaries of significant years, and still others are seeing that their children's special events are taken care of. These events will generate moderate to high revenues depending upon the income level of the family (direct correlation to social status). Most holiday parties, and other special occasions, such as wedding receptions and reunions, will occur in this market segment.

4. Other
   This segment has no direct information to compile for a description. It consists of any event planned that does not fit into one of the above categories.

4.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

Our target markets are middle to upper-middle class families, couples, individuals, or private and public organizations. We chose these groups because they are most able to afford event planners, and have the least amount of time to spare for event planning in general. Families demand attention, employees are overburdened, and overwhelming detail needed to plan large events are too large a constraint to place on people not trained in the area of event planning.

The fast pace of the world we live in leaves little time for extra things we would like to do, like plan events, parties, and social get-togethers. Occasions fills the need by being available to take on the burden of planning so that people can spend time on more important things, like family and friends. The demand for this service can only increase considering the rise in incomes, population, and need for interpersonal relations in the workplace.

4.3 Service Business Analysis

Occasions is in a unique position of competition. We compete against hotels with conference facilities, conference centers, other event planners both on the large and small scale, persons within an organization who are assigned the task of organizing an event, and people who wish to organize their own events without the benefit of assistance. The benefits and drawbacks of each of our competitors as compared with the services we offer are hardly a match in quality and price.

1. Hotels and Conference Centers

Strengths: On-site facilities, equipment, and support staff. Ability to transport and house persons for overnight stays. Able to internalize costs of transportation and equipment.
Weakness: Often very expensive, impersonal, rely on unskilled labor for support staff. The error rate is high due to high volume and traffic from other events happening at the same time.

2. Other Event Planners

Strengths: Have been in the market longer, have established a reputation and client base.
Weakness: Reputation precedes them, no systems-based businesses designed to produce consistent results; focus on smaller events, specialized events are main focused rather than all events; do not have the supporting products to market with, or instead of, event planning services.

3. Employees or Persons wishing to do it themselves

Strengths: Internalized cost of planning the event; able to add tiny personalized touches that have meaning within the group or family.
Weakness: Consumes time that could be spent on other things; don't have access to the best prices, services, and other needed resources available.