Whether you’re new to event planning, or you’re just looking for a few new ideas, Facebook offers some group options that can help you connect. There are many Facebook groups on the social media giant. Type in the term “event planners,” and multiple groups will pop up. Some are public groups, some are private groups. I daresay there are even hidden groups that don’t show up in the search terms.
The Benefits of an Online Group
There are many benefits to joining an online group of like-minded people. Locally, there may only be a handful of other event planners. You might have to travel to another state to get together with a big group of other planners, and that can be expensive. Online, you can connect with those same people for a fraction of the cost.
You’ll also gain ideas and insight from people in other industries and cities. You might even find the perfect location to host your next event in a city of one of the other members of the group. Some of the benefits of an online group include:
- Ability to meet with event planners from all over the globe.
- Meet up with people in different industries and gain creative ideas people within the same industry might not have.
- Meet at any time of the day or night.
- Join in with on topic conversations.
- Save money on travel.
- Less commitment. If you don’t like the group, simply unjoin and go your own way without the hurt feelings of leaving a real life group.
- Groups are free. No need to join an organization to participate.
Still not quite convinced if an online group is right for you? Let’s look at some of the specific groups available.
Screenshot of some of the event planner Facebook groups.
List of Facebook Groups for Event Planners
You can easily find dozens upon dozens of groups for event planners on Facebook. Simply login to your Facebook account. Go to the search bar at the top of the Facebook portion of your screen (not the browser search bar). Type in “event planners.” When those results pop up, choose “Groups.” This will narrow down the choices to groups for event planners.
Now comes the fun part. There are so many different types of groups available. You can see from the screenshot above that there is everything from wedding planner groups to food event planners. If you wish to further refine your search, you can go back up to the Facebook search bar and add some more keywords. Here are some ideas:
- Cooking Class Instructors
- Conference Event Planning
- Event Planning Business
You get the idea. Whatever your niche market, add a few words and see what pops up. You may have to try different combinations until you find the perfect combination for your particular industry.
However, there were some event planning groups that looked particularly interesting as general event planning groups.
Event Planners Club
The Event Planners Club is a group that is open to any type of event planner. Their statement reads:
The Event Planners Club is the number one place in the event planning industry for peer to peer learning, and information sharing.
They have about 704 members, which makes it a large enough group to gain ideas but small enough that you can get to know one another. They don’t list any requirements on their page, so you’ll have to click the join button and see if they request any additional information for you to join.
Event Planners Forum
The Event Planners Forum is a larger group with approximately 9,304 members. The forum was started by a professional event planner. She describes the group as a discussion training forum and stresses it is not for networking. There are some pretty strict guidelines, but Simone has a lot of experience and has mentored new event planners, so has a wealth of information to share.
Event Planners Gather
Event Planners Gather boasts about 15,146 members. The description reads:
A group of people who take event planning, meeting planning, event marketing, networking, user groups or any other type of gathering seriously. It is a place to share ideas and resources.
This group also has some pretty stringent rules that must be followed and the group is moderated.
Finding the Right Facebook Group for You
The three groups above are a great place to start, but don’t overlook the smaller groups out there with only a handful of people. Gaining support from a few people who will help you bounce around ideas and offer you in-depth advice can be as invaluable as networking with thousands. When you find the group where you feel comfortable and are learning, then you’ll know it’s the perfect choice for your online group.
