Part of your ability to remain successful as a New York event planner lies in your ability to stay creative. But we all know how hard it is sometimes to keep those creative juices flowing. And it can sometimes feel like you’re recreating the wheel, doing the same things over and over again with your event designs, decor, and aesthetics. When you feel like you’ve hit a creative roadblock with your events, there are some techniques you can leverage to find your inspiration again. Check out these suggestions for reconnecting with your creative event planning side so you can continue to innovate as a party-planning pro that everyone wants for their parties.
1. Turn to Social Media for Inspiration
One of the most impactful ways to rejuvenate your event planning inspiration is browsing social media. Across X (Twitter,) Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, you’ll always discover brilliant ideas, nuggets of creativity, and creative experiences. If you’re feeling stuck, take a deep dive down some of these content-loaded platforms for inspiration. It’s also a great way to stay in touch with what event trends are getting everyone excited these days.
2. Go to Other Events
Don’t just plan New York events and conferences; attend them! Some of your best ideas can come from the creativity of others. And experiencing events from the perspective of a guest can help you get back in touch with your creative flow. Find ways to get on others’ invite lists, look for upcoming fundraisers you can attend, and join in community events. Put yourself out there as an attendee and discover great ideas you can use in your own event-planning business. Here's just a sampling of event examples you can look to attend:
- Happy Hours
- Career Fairs
- Chamber of Commerce Luncheons
- Business Ribbon-Cutting Ceremonies
- Speed Networking Events
- Webinars
- Seminars
- Fundraisers
- Community Volunteer Events
3. Put Yourself in New Networking Circles
How’s your networking lately? You know how important it is for your business to commit to networking events and social hours. But if you’ve strayed away from them recently, get back to it! Networking with other business professionals, event experts, and vendors can be hugely beneficial for jumpstarting your creativity. Attend the luncheons and happy hours and start mingling again. You’ll find those conversations are great for boosting your creativity again. And there are plenty of additional benefits of networking for your events business, too, including:
- Improve your event planning reputation.
- Boost your business and brand visibility.
- Build a support network of colleagues.
- Find more event planning clients.
- Land event sponsors.
- Explore ways to improve your planning skills.
4. Check Out Google Trends
Sometimes, if you feel out of touch with the online buzz, you can check out Google Trends to see what everyone’s talking about and what’s making headlines. Explore the general search data and see what’s interesting to searchers online. And explore those topics further to see if you can discover event-related ideas in designs, themes, decor, menu options, and more.
5. Ask Your Online Audience for Out-of-the-Box Ideas
Don’t be afraid to tap into your online audience for big ideas and refreshing event experiences. Try offering polls on social media or posting general inquiries on your website asking for event ideas. Consider providing a general suggestion “box” of sorts online, always asking others about what they love at various New York events. These open brainstorming sessions can be incredibly effective.
6. Personal Ways to Change Things Up
Event planners, in general, maintain hectic schedules. And this might include living out of your car, skipping meals, and staying up late. If you’re struggling to find your creativity, you could just use a boost of healthy energy. Consider making some personal changes for yourself, preserving your work-life balance. Removing unhealthy habits and stress can free up your creativity in a big way.
- Get up earlier.
- Step out of your comfort zone.
- Take a walk.
- Book the vacation.
- Pack a healthy lunch or snack.
- Drink more water.
- Go to bed earlier.
- Consider a digital detox from your devices.
7. Tackle One Creative Element at a Time
Planning an event requires creativity across so many levels. And it can be overwhelming if you feel you’ve lost your spark. Instead of climbing the mountain of creative event planning as a whole, break things up into management elements and explore getting creative with one event aspect at a time.
- Focus on a creative theme.
- Work with your venue on creative designs.
- Get creative with your stage presentations.
- Explore creative menu options.
- Take a creative look at your activations and entertainment.
- Discover creative lighting and sound elements.
8. Drill Down on Creativity to Satisfy the Five Senses
Try to compartmentalize your creativity into satisfying the five senses. This back-to-basics approach to event planning can help you reset your process. And it makes creatively designing each social or corporate event easier when you’re addressing each of the five senses independently.
- Sight: Work with your venue to curate brilliant event lighting and choose colors that evoke emotional responses from your guests.
- Sound: Partner with great audiovisual pros, DJs, and live bands to make every sound impactful and soul-stirring to your guests.
- Smell: Approach your event menu with a plan to tantalize the room with mouth-watering aromas.
- Taste: Delight your guests with signature cocktails, gourmet appetizers, and thoughtfully delectable meal selections.
- Touch: Pay attention to materials, seating, interactive entertainment, and other elements that delight the sense of touch.
9. Don’t Be Afraid to Hire Creative Services
When you plan any New York event, you wrangle the services and expertise of others to make it incredible. You routinely rely on caterers, florists, entertainers, and photographers, for example. If you’re feeling stumped creatively, don’t be afraid to hire a dedicated creative services team to help. There are all kinds of creative services firms with teams who can assist in event brainstorming, cultivating creative event designs, and allowing you to break through your creativity blocks. Creative services companies can be great for planning:
- Augmented Reality Activations
- Virtual Reality Activations
- 3D Graphic Designs
- Event Branding
- Event Theme Development
10. Keep a Journal for All Your Event Ideas
Consider keeping a journal handy, including at your desk, in your car, and at home. Ideas can come from anywhere at any time, and you'll want to be able to capture those moments before they fleet. Write down or record messages for yourself about whatever comes to mind. Even the not-so-great ideas can be inspirational for you later. Get in the habit of jotting down everything from one-word notes to self to fully-fleshed event ideas. And later, when you revisit these ideas, you can use them to creatively inspire new ideas.
FAQs About Event Planning Creativity
Need more help reconnecting with your creative event side? Check out these FAQs and quick-response answers. These tend to be some of the most common questions relating to creative momentum in event planning.
Why is creativity important for events?
Your ability to be creative makes it possible to transform an ordinary event engagement into an extraordinary immersive experience. It’s how you wow your guests and delight your event clients. And it’s your key to growing as an event planner, landing new business, and generating buzz about your talents. Remember, no one sets out to create a ho-hum, dead-in-the-water, and yawn-worthy event. So, your creativity IS your competitive edge.
What are the six dimensions of great events?
There are a million touches to planning an event. But in essence, there are six core dimensions to consider when planning yours. Use these layers to help inspire your event planning creativity.
- Anticipation: Build excitement around your event.
- Arrival: Make a dazzling first impression.
- Atmosphere: Create fully immersive experiences.
- Appetite: Develop a brilliant and inclusive menu.
- Activity: Book high-energy and interactive entertainment.
- Amenities: Every touch point and experience counts.
What are quick ways to “unstick” your event planning creativity?
In addition to the creativity-unleashing techniques listed above, consider doing the following:
- Get back to the basics of events before breaking the rules creatively.
- Tap into your event partners for ideas.
- Take risks with some of your event aesthetics.
- Manage your stress more effectively.
- Step outside your planning comfort zone, one element at a time.
Find Your Inspiration at The Event Planner Expo 2023!
Whether you’re hard-core struggling with your event planning creativity or just want to stave off creative blocks in the future, you have to get to The Event Planner Expo 2023! This is the premier event planning conference in NYC that thousands of top event planners, industry experts, and creative influencers flock to every year. And this year’s lineup of Keynote Speakers, surprise guests, and VIP experiences is the key to finding and boosting your creativity. And when you think about it, attending The Expo helps you tap into all of these creativity-boosting methods at one event!
- Find new strategic partners.
- Meet fellow event planners.
- Learn about engaging on social media.
- Discover emerging event trends.
- Network with various event services providers.
- Explore new ideas with top pros.
All Access Expo tickets are still available now. So, get yours while you still can!
