Personal EventBusiness Event

What is the difference between a business and personal event? Plenty! I will focus on three different type of events and how they differ from multiple prospectives including focus, planning time, and budgeting.

Let’s think about a wedding. Probably the largest segment of the event meeting services market and they are practically recession proof. People continue to get married even in tough times. However, the focus of the wedding are the BRIDE and GROOM, FOOD, and ENTERTAINMENT.

Next, let’s think about personal parties. These consist of special birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, anniversary celebrations, and holiday get together. The focus of these events is THE ONE BEING HONORED, FOOD, and BEVERAGE. When trying to get unique ideas and decorations about personal parties, I recommend you go to Party411.

Lastly, think about business or organizational events. These celebrations can be large or small but generally consist of grand openings, number of years in business celebrations, training, retreats, company parties, and non-profit fundraisers. The focus of these events are THE ATTENDEE, FOOD, and LOCATION (City and Venue).

To see questions and answers about various types of events and how to plan for them, I would recommend going to MerchantCircle and Eventective Forum.  If you are apart of an event meeting services or conference services organization, I recommend you belong to some of the great LinkedIn groups and ask your questions there.

Here is a table delineating the differences between a wedding, party, and business event in more detail.

Difference Between Events
Wedding Party Business
Focus Bride and Groom Honoree Guests or Attendees
Budget $5,000-$50,000+ $200 to $5,000 $1,500-$100,000
Planning Time 1 to 3 Years 3 mos. – 1 Year 4 mos. – 3 years
Food Very Important Very Important Very Important
Beverage Very Important Somewhat Important Somewhat Important
Entertainment Very Important Not Important Not Important
Invitations (look and feel) Very Important Important Not Important
City (Destination) Somewhat Important Not Important Somewhat Important
Venue Very Important Somewhat Important Very Important
Decorations/Flowers Very Important Somewhat Important Important
Games Not Important Very Important Not Important
Favors/Goody Bags Not Important Important Very Important
Renting Audio Visual Equipment Important Somewhat Important Very Important

For a wedding or party, you might consider the following audio visual:

  • Presentation Services Audio Visual, including Projector Rental to highlight a photo, video, or blended show of the bride and groom or honoree
  • Sound and Light Rental for Entertainment and to add pizazz to your event

For a business or organizational event, you might consider the following corporate audio visual:

AV Event Solutions, a California Event Equipment Company, is available to provide you with state-of-the-art corporate audio visual for your business meeting needs.