Rania Musharbash has short curly hair, pretty blue eyes, and she loves wearing athletic clothes and jewelry. She loves earrings but her favorite accessories are simple rings. She is not too tall; however, when she’s in a room everyone notices. With a loud personality and an extremely creative mind, Rania is a very fun person to be around. She is an expert at event planning. Since 2005, she has planned many successful events including her brother’s wedding with six hundred guests. Rania prides herself on turning dream events into realities by simply talking to her clients. Her hands make the impossible possible. They are extremely important in her success because she does a lot of backdrops and centerpieces from scratch. She turns construction paper into beautiful and colorful flowers.
Rania co-owns an event planning business called Lasting Moments. There are two locations: one in Canada and the other in Colorado. They started their business about two months ago and they’re “just getting started” as Rania says. On days that she has events, Rania plans for everything. Usually with visible papercuts all over her hands from getting the centerpieces prepared, she leaves her house ready to take on the day. She has supreme time management skills and she is extremely organized. As an event planner, good vendor contacts are important assets, which thankfully, she has.
There are high expectations when it comes to event planning. Not only from clients but also from the event planners themselves. Rania always wants to outdo herself and takes every event seriously. Event planning can be complicated and extremely stressful. Many people might think it’s easy but Rania believes it is the complete opposite: sometimes things just don’t go as planned.
When asked to compare corporate events and social events, Rania said they were completely different. She prefers social events simply because she gets to see her clients’ dreams come true one step at a time. In order to assure satisfaction, Rania asks a couple of important questions that give her a better understanding of a client’s needs. She first asks about their expectations, budget and theme. She also always finds out if there is a religion or culture that she should take into consideration. “Honestly the little things count more than the big things,” she said.
The budget is one of the most important things to keep in mind while planning an event. Rania always meets with clients to make sure both parties are on the same page. Dealing with clients is a part of the job and it is not always the easiest. It is important to have the communication skills to deal with complicated clients. “They want a champagne lifestyle but they live on a beer budget,” Rania said jokingly. When you deal with situations like that, take a deep breath and explain to the clients why they can’t have certain things. Do not just say no. Instead, give them alternatives that fit their budget.
After meeting with clients, it’s time for picking out the venue location. Rania is the kind of event planner who doesn’t make decisions without a client’s consent; she includes them every step of the way. “The event is for my client not for me,” she said.
Event planning can be complicated, fun and hectic but for Rania, it is a hobby she can’t live without. When asked about her favorite event, Rania’s answer was her brother’s wedding. It was a six hundred guest event. Planning it was tough to handle, but she knew that with enough preparations, she could do it. She had to make sure to get the right flowers, a limo and many other necessary items. The most important task, however, was making sure the day went perfectly. From the bride getting her hair done in the morning all the way to cake cutting at the ceremony. It’s hard work but definitely worth every drop of sweat.
While it is important to always plan ahead, event planners know that sometimes, for better or for worse, things don’t go as planned. Last-minute parties like the Superbowl are common in event planning. Rania once had three days to plan one. When asked about her experience planning such parties, she answered that she loves them as long as she has easy access to the necessary equipment.
Rania’s least favorite event to work are bachelor and bachelorette parties. According to her, no matter how much you plan, something always goes the opposite way. Everyone gets drunk and things start going bad. “No matter how fancy and nice you plan it or how much time you spend to make sure everything goes as planned, something will end up on the other side of the world. They think that’s the last time they can have fun and drink,” she said. “I have been to many events and I have seen it all,” she added while laughing.
A huge part of having a successful event planning business is a good online presence. Hashtags help get attention from potential clients, so it is important to have a well-maintained web page. Rania is just getting started with her business and it will take some time before social media gets as big as she wants it to be.
While there are many apps available to make event planning easy, most of them are quite confusing. It is important to keep in mind that having an event planner is a way to turn dream events into realities without lifting a finger.