How to Create an Event Management Portfolio in half a day.

Have you been asked as an Event Planner to showcase your portfolio recently?

Get set to do some productive work!

A portfolio is an official document consisting of samples of work done by a person or group that is used to evaluate ability and potentials. An event management portfolio shows the services a person or group is capable of providing and proves how successful they are at planning events. There is no hard and fast rule for creating a portfolio.

However, eight important components of a business portfolio are listed below.

1. Business Name/Contact details
2. Your Vision/Mission Statement or Unique Selling Point [USP]
3. A list of the services you offer
4. Project designs
5. Budget considerations
6. Contract and Agreement forms
7. Client Testimonials
8. Professional certificates and awards

An event management portfolio can be easily created in half a day. A guideline to help you create one quickly is described below.

·                     Research and carefully review some portfolios in the industry.

           Various portfolio templates exist online. A look at some will help you decide on how you would prefer yours to be. Do not follow patterns exclusively.

Every client would like to see something unique about your work.

• Write a list of services you offer
• Select some beautiful pictures or videos of completed projects that are of high quality to be advertised.

·                     Chose a suitable size and format for the document.

An Online Portfolio can be made to be easily accessed and transported using Cloud storage devices like Google Drive, Dropbox on Simple sites made with Disha, Milkshake, Linktr.ee, Google Sites or Canva if you don’t have a business website yet. Video footage should be void of distracting background noise and cropped to a moderate length to avoid getting clients bored. Photographs should be focused and large enough to see relevant details.

Hard copies of portfolios should not be bulky. They should be thoroughly bound and protected from getting creased or soiled.  The pages must not stick together and no loose pages should fall out when the document is opened.

• Arrange the pieces of work logically, and in an aesthetically pleasing manner

 The pieces of artwork should be combined in a chosen sequence such as types of events, themes, style and cost, which can be understood by the viewer.

This section should begin and end with a great piece of work, to create a great initial and final impression. Other amazing work should be spread evenly throughout the portfolio. Relationships between sizes and colors of pieces should be considered also. The colors on a page should blend well and each page should not appear clumsy.  

• Label each work clearly and describe each one with only necessary details that are void of spelling errors. Do not use excessively large headings or decorative fonts that detract from the artwork.
• Add professional certificates, awards, and client testimonials.

These should be displayed in clear pictures in a prominent section of the portfolio.

• Display a price list with bank details and other methods of payment
• Display contact information, website, and social media links boldly.
• Add a biography segment

This is the place to write a short bio that emphasizes your strengths in the industry. Professional photos of yourself and the members of your team, if you have one should be added.  Some fun facts about you and your team may also be highlighted at this point.

• Design an attractive cover page using your brand colors. Your logo should be prominent.
• Review your work when you are done and get other people to do the same for you.
• Make a duplicate copy of the portfolio and save it elsewhere as a backup.

Other Points to Note when Creating an Event Management Portfolio

• Your portfolio should be modified for every new client.

A portfolio should differ with various targets. Ensure that you always select materials that most closely match the client’s event goals, tastes, and brands. This would win you more projects because clients would believe that you understand their vision for their events, bring their dreams to reality.

• Focus on quality, and not on quantity. Edit your portfolio as your business grows.
•           It is essential to have both digital and hard copies of your portfolio ready to be easily accessed by potential clients.
• Do not exactly replicate the work of another artist, be creative and add your own twist to it.
• You should sell a solution that transforms, and not only service.

A professional event management portfolio can be created in six hours or less. The new portfolio should however be original and demonstrate the owner’s skills and experiences using clear pieces of work carried out by the event manager. It should always be edited to match your specific target audience before sharing out.

At Ritetrac Consulting we offer Event Management Advisory Services and Event Management Training programs to help you build capacity to deliver your world class events to your clients.

Start by scheduling a chat here