Organization of holidays as a business, advice from a professional. Opening a holiday agency: what you need and whether it will be profitable

To start a thriving business, you need to find the area that is currently most in demand.

This is exactly what an agency for organizing holidays is. This is an original and profitable business that is actively developing in the modern market. Where to start in this area?

Official registration

Perhaps it is difficult to imagine an occupation more interesting than the organization of holidays. The business plan for such a business begins with the costs of obtaining official documents giving permission to conduct business. First of all, you need to register as a legal entity or entrepreneur (optional).

To determine the form of an economic entity, consult with a qualified lawyer. For example, choosing an LLC, it will be possible to include in the paper the founders-partners who have invested an equal share of the investment. Form PBOYuL does not require such founders.

The basic documents for registering an enterprise include a charter, an application to the registration authority, for an LLC, you will additionally need to provide information about the founders and information about their meeting. You also need to pay a state fee. The registration procedure is carried out in the tax service, in the social and compulsory health insurance funds.

Room selection

Before you create an agency for organizing holidays, you need to decide on the location of the office space. It is there that clients will place an order, come to get acquainted with the portfolio and actors, and communicate with the director of the company. As such a territory, you can use both a specially designed apartment and a rented office.

The company can be located anywhere, but it is much more convenient for customers if it is located near the center and directly from the places where the organization of holidays will take place. The business plan should take into account the cost of rent, which may be slightly higher than when using a room in a residential area. But in the central part of the city there will be a much denser flow of people, which means that the number of potential customers will be higher, which will justify the costs.

Advertising promotion

When opening an agency for organizing holidays, you must immediately think about advertising. It is worth developing advertising booklets that can be distributed by mailboxes, left in shops, beauty salons, cafes and restaurants.

In addition, you need to make business cards, put up posters around the city and think over a holiday dedicated to the opening, where potential customers can immediately be convinced of the high level of quality of services provided. Without all these measures, a business can face a period of downtime in the first weeks of its existence.

Recruitment

How to start an event management business? Another point is the selection of employees. These should be talented artists of different directions, for example, a clown, a singer, a theater actor. In addition, you will need a script writer who will come up with texts for the holidays, taking into account the requests and wishes of customers.

Some sample works need to be created in advance so that visitors can familiarize themselves with them and make sure that such a style suits them. You will need a costume designer who will take care of the stage outfits, and possibly sew new ones. You will need a make-up artist, a secretary, and a manager. At the initial stage, when the agency for organizing holidays is not yet in great demand, the same person may be responsible for different areas of activity. For example, the costume designer may well be responsible for the make-up.

List of services provided

A ready-made holiday business plan should include a description of the events that the company will hold, as well as their estimated cost. An average agency offers its clients the organization of children's parties, for example, matinees, organizes parties for individuals, organizes leisure evenings, as well as seminars and conferences.

For each of these proposals, there should be a ready-made turnkey script, according to which clients can judge the approximate course of events at the event they ordered, and a list of actors or animators with their photographs. If possible, the customer should get to know and communicate with them in advance.

What is required for the office?

There may be very little office equipment. For successful business, it will be enough to have several computers with an Internet connection, as well as fax and copier. The office can accommodate managers who will work with the client base.

Organization of celebrations and events will require equipment such as projectors, projection screens, mounting stage structures, as well as a car. In addition, it will be impossible to do without audio and video equipment, such as microphones, amplifiers, speakers. All this can be rented for the first time or purchased second-hand goods.

Partnership Opportunities

To reduce costs in the first months of operation, as well as to get a free source of advertising, try to find a firm to partner with.

A company that works on decorating rooms and halls for holidays and themed parties is ideal. Such a partnership will save money with a small start-up capital.

Customers will be able to order a package of services immediately, which is convenient for them and for you. And if the partner company has already established itself in the market, this will be an additional incentive for your company to succeed. By placing information about the services of a partner company on business cards, advertising booklets and Internet sites, you will be able to distribute information about your agency among an impressive number of potential customers for free.

When hiring people, you should not try to save money. A dissatisfied team may well fall apart, since this field of activity is favorable for freelancers, and many actors will find work without problems. This does not require a holiday agency.

A business plan can be cut in rental or printing costs, but personnel should not suffer in any way, this is the only way you can create a strong and friendly team. It’s easier to treat some working moments, because cooperation with creative people does not imply a strict schedule. Unplanned situations will arise constantly, no organization of holidays can do without it.

The business plan should allow deviations and innovations, taking into account such a feature of this business area. Be prepared for the need for constant investment, at the first stage they are simply necessary for the growth of your business. Try to learn how to think creatively to cope with seasonal demand. Open new directions, look for corporate clients.

Just do not grab onto all things at once, it is better to ideally work out one scenario after another. Corporate trainings and private events are a separate business idea. Organizing holidays for such clients leads to a world of big profits. Getting into it is not enough, you need to constantly invent and surprise. We can say that this business is very complex, but exciting at the same time.

Work with clients

To keep your business afloat, it’s not enough to have perfect holiday decorations. The business plan should include the costs of the site, which will be created with the involvement of professionals. This virtual page will be a visual representation of the creativity that your agency is capable of, so its value should not be underestimated.

In addition, for a constant increase in the number of clients, it is necessary to carry out so-called hot calls: company employees must attract people at thematic promotions and exhibitions, distribute business cards, and then call after a preliminary acquaintance. For regular customers, you should consider the possibility of discount programs and holding special parties.

There can be no trifles in this, it is important to approach communication with all types of customers in a non-standard way. Gifts for the holidays, video presentations of scripts - all marketing methods will be good for drawing attention to your agency and making it stand out from all others.

Start-up costs

To start, you will not need much money, an amount of five thousand dollars will be enough. Part of these funds will go to the salaries of employees, the rest will have to be spent on costumes, cosmetics and equipment. The third part will be directed to the rent of the premises.

If funds allow, it can be purchased, but such expenses are no longer included in the budget start plan. A laptop will not be superfluous, on which it will be possible to show clients videos from events already held by the company.

Having bought all of the above, you can confidently start working in the field of organizing holidays. If you're creative and have been able to find your own creative approach, the profits will come in no time, justifying everything that was spent on the agency in the first months of its existence.

The theory of the famous Scottish economist Adam Smith that demand generates supply has so far been refuted by no one. And that's exactly how the business operates today. There is a need for a product, which means it will be produced and sold. However, people now live more according to the principle of the ancient Romans, who shouted to their rulers: “Bread and circuses!”. And they knew how to organize spectacles. The topic of entertainment events is still relevant today, and since only a few can put on a really good show, and therefore only a few remain afloat among such companies, I decided to tell you how you can create an agency for organizing holidays, what kind of “underwater stones" to avoid for a novice entrepreneur, and how to achieve success in this business if possible.

Surely you have heard that there are more holidays in Russia than in any other country in the world. And it's true: our compatriots have come up with so many holidays that there are even more than 1/3 of them by working days. For example, this year we work 240 days and rest 125, that is, every 3rd day. The question is: when to work, and what are the dissatisfied with people who believe that they are overworking? One way or another, Russian people love holidays, and they are used to celebrating them on a grand scale - if you really go for a walk, so that later you will remember about it for a very long time.

Brief business analysis:
Business setup costs:500,000 - 1,500,000 rubles
Relevant for cities with a population: from 100 000 people
Situation in the industry:supply market is saturated
The complexity of organizing a business: 4/5
Payback: 1-1.5 years

Our citizens are quite successful in this, especially considering that in just a few days of the holidays they “lower” everything that they have managed to save up over several years. Vivid examples of this are weddings, anniversaries, the birth of a child, etc. So the sums in this business are quite considerable, and the "entry ticket" to the market for such services is also by no means cheap. But the agency for organizing holidays also receives orders all year round, in contrast to the seasonality of other areas of entertainment, such as, for example, beach attractions, or an open-air cinema.

By the way, according to the “fashionable” tradition today, to call everything that is possible and everything that is impossible in foreign words, you can now hear the expression “event” about agencies organizing holidays. Of course, the concept itself is somewhat broader than the word "holiday", but company owners do not particularly pay attention to semantics, proudly naming their company in a foreign way.

However, modern agencies for organizing holidays are engaged not only in the holidays themselves, but also in holding other events that can only be called holidays with a stretch:

• Awards ceremonies
• Organization of presentations
• corporate events
• Picnics
• PR promotions
• And so on and so forth

We draw up a business plan and register our activities

A business plan in any business is the foundation of the foundations, which not only allows you to paint a picture of the future of the business, but also to prevent the risk of failure, or “mitigate” the consequences of bankruptcy. I have already told my readers about how to create a business plan, I will not repeat myself. Those interested can see all the information on this link.

If you want to simplify your task and get advice from professional lawyers and accountants or help in preparing all the necessary documents, then you are here.

We organize a workplace

Feel the difference? Not an office, but a workplace. Because almost always meetings and conclusion of contracts are held either in a neutral place (cafe, restaurant), or on the territory of the customer. Therefore, you will need the room mainly for work - discussing upcoming events with the team, writing scenarios, etc. But it also happens that the client wants to meet you at your square, and therefore the workplace must be designed accordingly.

Photos from various events you have hung on the walls (at first, these may not be your photos at all), good office furniture, testimonials from grateful customers - all this should impress customers. In addition, you should always have a portfolio at the ready, consisting of videos organized by you for the show.

Recruiting a team

The organization of holidays is just the kind of business in which "cadres decide everything." 2-3 specialists cannot “pull out” this business, except to work on holding events with a small budget. In order to achieve success in your business, you need a team of first-class specialists:

• Animators
• Drivers
• Screenwriters
• Leading showmen
• Photographer, videographer

In addition, cooks, assemblers of light and other structures, dancers, circus performers, musicians of various genres, pyrotechnicians, waiters, decorators, and a bunch of other people will be required. Of course, it is simply impossible to keep all these people on the staff, so I put the specialists I needed first of all on the list, and listed the rest in the line.

Who exactly to invite to your team on an official basis, and who will be involved as necessary under the contract, is up to you. But the fact that in the course of the work of the agency organizing holidays you will have to “acquire tentacles” of useful connections is a fact, not only among the “sharks” of show business, but also among municipal authorities, directors of schools, kindergartens, theaters, cafe owners and restaurants, and other "necessary" people.

“Along the way”, several “related” businesses can be singled out as a separate direction: decoration with balloons, providing a bus for parties, etc.

Scenarios for holidays

A competent, interesting, exciting script is half the success of your team, so you can’t save on screenwriters. It is better if 2-3 people work on it, and the necessary adjustments will be made after writing by the whole team. You won’t surprise anyone with the usual “drunks-party-dances” now, people want creativity.

By the way, about saving. Since there is fierce competition among event agencies, and they literally “fight” for clients, especially large ones, you cannot save on all staff, especially if they are high-level professionals, since, having gained experience, gained certain knowledge, working in your team, no one will prevent them from leaving for competitors (such poaching is widespread in the entertainment business environment). Corporate "loyalty" should be supported not only by banknotes, but also by a loyal attitude towards employees, and some corporate "ideology", the cohesion of the entire team.

And one more thing about scenarios: they must be protected by intellectual property rights, otherwise, after competitors “copy” your holiday, you will have to come up with something new every time.

Necessary equipment, inventory, and equipment

When organizing a business, the acquisition of all the necessary equipment and inventory will be perhaps the largest expense item. You will definitely need a car that will transport equipment and artists to the venue.

• Light and sound equipment
• Suits
• Photo and video equipment
• Scenery

- of course, you won’t succeed in everything you need, and you don’t need to purchase it right away, everything will appear in the process of business development, but you should have what is listed on the list.

We are looking for clients

The most important thing for you in business, especially in the first year or two, should be the filling of the portfolio. No one trusts a company that has hosted several children's parties, a couple of proms, anniversaries, and one wedding to organize a show worth a hundred thousand dollars. That is why you should always aim upwards, developing a portfolio, and not being afraid to offer your services to eminent clients.

"Pitfalls" of the event agency

The main mistake of beginner event agencies is the desire to do everything, and therefore, without the necessary experience, they often take on events that, to put it mildly, are too tough for them yet. You need to move towards success smoothly, gradually, but steadily, and then you will definitely succeed.

Take a little advice: try to find out all the dates that are significant for the “necessary” people: birthdays of your wife, children, beloved dog, anniversaries of companies, etc. And not only in order to congratulate when necessary, and unobtrusively offer your services, but also simply to “mark” themselves in their memory, so that at the right moment your candidacy “surfaces” in the person’s head.

Another dangerous point in this business is the use of outdated scripts. If the client wants it to be different from others, there is no need to redo the old script, it is better to write a new one.

At the same time, learn yourself as the leader of a large, multifaceted team, gain professionalism, the ability to predict events, flexibility of thinking, and quick orientation in a situation. Success will not keep you waiting!

Interview with the founder of one of the famous and oldest event agencies in Moscow

(votes: 1, average: 5.00 out of 5)

In this article, we will talk about the main points of organizing a holiday agency.

Even though the event industry is not as competitive as other service industries, thorough market research is a must.

It is required to find out which services are most in demand, and how this demand is met by existing companies. You should find out in which areas competitors operate, which areas they cover and how confident they feel. Only after clarification and analysis of all the details, it follows.

Services

Large agencies for organizing holidays provide services in various areas:

• holding birthdays and anniversaries;
• organization of weddings;
• preparation of corporate events;
• accompaniment of mass celebrations and festivities;
• holding matinees for children, graduation parties and other events in public organizations.

At the opening stage, it is difficult to cover all areas, so you should not scatter, but rather focus on one or two of them, the most interesting.

Organizational matters

Before starting work, you must register with the tax office as an entrepreneur or create your own company (IP or LLC).

It is much easier to issue an IP, besides, a private trader pays less taxes, so when starting work, you should stop at this option. However, as the business develops, most likely it will be necessary to open a company (LLC), since most organizations prefer to work with reputable legal entities.

Office rent

For the office of a young holiday agency, one or two rooms can be rented in a business center with a total area of ​​up to 30 sq.m.

The main task of the office is to impress potential clients, and therefore should be formatted accordingly.

Photos from events, customer testimonials, colorful booklets with examples of organization and party plans - everything it must be visible.

Part of the office space can be adapted to store props, and the original design of the makeshift "warehouse" can also be used as advertising.

Props and staff

You need a lot of props for the holidays: costumes and fixtures for competitions, decoration materials, musical instruments, photo and video equipment, etc. It is unrealistic to ensure the purchase of everything at once, therefore buy only the essentials, and everything else to rent or rent for the duration of the events.

At the initial stage, only consumables (paints, balloons, confetti ribbons, etc.) and items for decorating the halls can be your own.

Having a large staff of your own employees is also not an urgent need.

Animators, musicians and hosts can be invited as needed, concluding one-time employment contracts with them. Only the secretary-manager should become a mandatory staff unit, able to communicate well with clients.

Advertising

- the main engine in the field of show services. You need to advertise your own agency constantly and in several directions:

• printing and distribution of business cards and booklets;
• placement of advertisements in newspapers, thematic magazines;
• creation and promotion of your own website and group in the social. networks;
• placement of advertising banners on popular resources on the Internet;
• attractive outdoor advertising on the street.

Profitability of the event agency

It is necessary to take into account the seasonality of the business, because the demand for festive services increases during the period of traditional holidays and public celebrations.

Event agency, as it will not bring a quick payback, because only it will take about a year to promote the company and obtain a positive image for it.

The agency will begin to bring relatively stable income only in the second or third year of its existence. The net profit of an average enterprise in this industry is 200-300 thousand rubles per month.

Many people love holidays and memorable events, so for creative individuals who want to create their own business, it does not hurt to think about opening an event agency. What is it and what services does it provide to the population?

If children's matinees, corporate parties, anniversaries, wedding celebrations and other events are to be held, each person can contact the event agency and order the services of professionals who will take care of all organizational issues and make the holiday unforgettable.

Today, the services of firms in organizing holidays are very popular among the population. This fact should not go unnoticed by novice entrepreneurs, because, despite the competition in this niche, your own agency, if properly organized, can bring in a considerable and, most importantly, constant income.

Pros and cons of business organizing holidays

How difficult is it to open a holiday agency? How much money do you need to start? How to attract customers to your business? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of business activity? This is not a complete list of topical issues faced by novice businessmen who decide to make money on the provision of holiday services.

In the "holiday" niche, there is an active dynamics of development of various companies, so we can say with full confidence that the services of event agencies will be in demand for a long time to come. Other benefits of this business include:

• no need to maintain a large staff of employees;
• the possibility of opening an agency with a small initial investment;
• fast return on investment;
• possibility of independent formation of the list of offered services;
• having low costs.

It should be understood that the coordination of the celebrations and their organization almost completely fall on the shoulders of the agency, which minimizes the occurrence of unforeseen circumstances and the occurrence of failures during the events. This contributes to the increase in the company's rating and the formation of positive feedback about its activities among customers.

You can open your own company without big investments. A good agency leader must have excellent organizational skills, be able to navigate the needs of the market and find non-standard ideas for events.

There is no need to maintain a large staff of workers, since it is possible to cooperate with various teams on mutually beneficial terms. For example, work with them on a piece-rate scheme or a fixed percentage of the total budget of a particular event.

Important: most event agencies work closely with bands, animators, event space decorators, and other entertainment businesses. This allows you to organize almost any celebration as efficiently as possible and satisfy the needs of the customer, in addition, this approach will make it possible to significantly save on investments when starting an enterprise.

The business of organizing celebrations is always associated with positive emotions: entrepreneurs receive good money for their work and the pleasure that customers are satisfied. In addition, such work does not have a rigid schedule.

The negative aspects of doing business in organizing celebrations include a high level of competition, especially in large cities. Despite this, creative people with a non-standard approach to providing service in this niche can always succeed.

How to open a holiday agency from scratch?

Before you open a holiday agency from scratch, you should conduct a thorough analysis of the market and the work of competing companies. In large cities, there can be a lot of such firms, so the demand for services, as well as the solvency of the population, should be assessed. To analyze the work of competitors, you will need:

• collect customer feedback on the events;
• make a list of the most requested services;
• study the prices of other enterprises and create a price list of your enterprise;
• identify the strengths and weaknesses of competing firms.

Important: the analysis will also help to understand the main needs of customers and determine the direction of the event agency.

Business registration

To register a business activity, a future businessman needs to contact the tax office at the place of residence. Registration involves the choice of organizational and legal form - IP or LLC. The latter would be preferable, since it allows you to officially cooperate with organizations of various forms of ownership (legal entities).

During the registration of an enterprise, you will need to indicate OKVED codes for your activities. You can choose 91.31.21 - "Activities for organizing and staging theatrical and opera performances, concerts and other stage performances." If you plan to provide services such as the production of photos and videos from holidays for clients, you can also select codes 74.81 Photography activities and 92.11 Film production. This will significantly increase the income from the work of the enterprise, besides, becoming a photographer is not at all difficult.

Please note that in order to provide services for organizing holidays, a novice entrepreneur will not need to obtain special licenses. The features of this type of activity should also include the absence of the need to install a cash register.

After registration of entrepreneurial activity, permits from the SES, Rospotrebnazor and the fire inspectorate will be required. When the documents are collected, you can begin to develop the business. Taking into account permits, the cost of registering a business can be about 20 thousand rubles. Some entrepreneurs, in order to save time, resort to the services of intermediary firms that deal with paperwork and obtaining the necessary permits.

Office search

As you know, the office is the "face" of any company, so the agency for organizing holidays must have the appropriate premises. First of all, it should be located in a prestigious area with good transport interchange.

If an event company does not have its own office, clients will not use its services, which will certainly affect the amount of possible profit. To ensure the correct operation of the enterprise and create all conditions for receiving customers, you should rent a room with an area of ​​​​about 40-50 m². The office should be divided into the following zones:

• receiving guests and negotiating;
• manager's work;
• storage of props and equipment.

An important point is the design of the office space, so you should carefully consider the optimal design solution. It does not hurt to place large photographs from successful holidays on the walls, which will immediately attract the attention of potential customers. You should also create conditions for customers to view videos and slides from events so that they can imagine the scale of their celebration and evaluate your capabilities.

You need to make sure that the office has comfortable ergonomic upholstered furniture that will create comfortable conditions for receiving guests. With its help, you can divide the space into zones and make the interior cozy. It is desirable to have a separate room for negotiations with clients so that people do not feel embarrassed when communicating. It needs to install computer equipment, thanks to which customers will be able to get acquainted with promotional materials. In large cities, the cost of renting office space ranges from 50 thousand rubles, and in small towns - about 20-30 thousand rubles a month.

Important: at the initial stage of development of an event agency, it is not at all necessary to store props and costumes in the office. It is enough to choose a different room for these purposes, which will significantly reduce rental costs.

Purchase of props

When drawing up a business plan for a holiday agency, the item of expenses for the purchase of equipment and props is one of the main ones. To operate an event company, you will need to purchase:

• costumes of animators and other attributes - 50 thousand rubles;
• musical equipment - 70 thousand rubles;
• tables, chairs for the office - 25 thousand rubles;
• upholstered furniture - 15 thousand rubles;
• laptop with a router - 18 thousand rubles;
• phone - 4 thousand rubles.

In total, 182 thousand rubles will have to be spent on the purchase of props and equipment. Please note that the cost of their purchase depends on the direction of the holiday agency. For example, if a company organizes wedding celebrations, it will have to purchase equipment for decorating the hall, requisites for on-site video filming and photo sessions, musical equipment and other paraphernalia, which will cost the organizers about 100 thousand rubles. The same applies to holding children's holidays, since for their organization it is necessary to buy a large number of costumes (clowns, fairy-tale and cartoon characters), inflatable slides, trampolines, etc.

As we have already said, cooperation with companies providing equipment rental services significantly reduces the cost of details. Thus, before starting your career, you should establish contacts with similar companies to optimize costs.

Personnel attraction

In many ways, the success of an enterprise in organizing solemn events will depend on the skill and skills of employees. Creative individuals who can think outside the box and “generate” creative ideas do well with such work. Also, senior students of institutes (schools) of culture can be invited to the staff. This can give not only the opportunity to earn a student, but also to attract a talented employee to the team.

The number of employees of an event company directly depends on the list of services that will be provided to customers. If you plan to open a small agency, you need to attract to the state:

• sales manager;
• decorator of solemn events;
• driver.

The salary of employees can be as follows: manager - 10 thousand rubles; designer - 5 thousand rubles. Also, the amount of their salary includes the accrual of interest from the budget of the events carried out (on average, per month it is about 25 thousand rubles for two employees). The driver's salary is fixed - 20 thousand rubles. Total - the cost of paying employees is 60 thousand rubles.

The most common way for event agencies to work is to cooperate with contractor companies. In this case, there is no need to maintain a large number of staff, and the performers are selected for a specific celebration. This scheme is most popular among business owners for organizing special events, but it is not without drawbacks. First of all, you need to remember that contractors work for themselves, for this reason the agency cannot give the customer a full guarantee that everything will go smoothly.

You also need to know that when working with third-party organizations, your margin will be only 10-15% of the holiday budget. To increase the percentage of income, you can combine both business schemes: you need to have several professional animators on staff and attract third-party workers to various events.

As for attracting contractors, their services are usually resorted to if professional presenters and artists of various genres (clowns, dancers, jugglers, etc.) are required. It is advisable to find several such partners with whom the agency will work constantly on mutually beneficial terms.

Holiday agency business plan

To calculate the amount of the initial investment, the mandatory monthly expenses, as well as the profitability of the enterprise, it is necessary to draw up a business plan. As practice shows, you can start in this niche with a small initial capital. Its size will largely depend on the list of services provided, the form of work with customers and performers, as well as the method of acquiring props and equipment. For the organization of a small company, the initial one-time costs will be:

• registration of the enterprise - 20 thousand rubles;
• purchase of equipment (without props) - 132 thousand rubles;
• office rent - 30 thousand rubles;
• renovation of the premises - 100 thousand rubles;
• launch of an advertising campaign (website promotion, printing services, work of promoters) - 50 thousand rubles;
• purchase of consumables - 10 thousand rubles.

Total - the volume of initial investments is 342 thousand rubles. Please note that we did not include the cost of purchasing props in the calculation, since for each company this item is a significant cost item, the amount of which can only be determined in the course of a sufficiently long period of work of the event agency. Therefore, it is advisable to rent costumes and paraphernalia at the initial stages, including these costs in the cost of services. The same nuance should be taken into account when drawing up a business plan for organizing children's parties.

Now consider the article of mandatory monthly expenses. This should include:

• rent of premises - 30 thousand rubles;
• agency website promotion and advertising? 10 thousand rubles;
• payroll fund - 60 thousand rubles;
• consumables - 5 thousand rubles;
• payment of taxes and other transfers - 20 thousand rubles.

Total - the amount of mandatory monthly costs is 125 thousand rubles. Costs can be reduced a little if you hire a student who needs a side job in your spare time as a decorator and offer him a small flat rate.

Now consider the payback period of investments and the possible profit of the enterprise. Depending on the scale of the holiday, the average bill for the event varies in the range of 50 thousand rubles. At first, you should not count on big earnings. As practice shows, there can be only a few applications per month, and after six months of work, their number grows to higher rates.

Suppose an event company has completed 7 applications in a month, which means that 350 thousand rubles will be credited to its account. From this amount, you need to subtract 125 thousand rubles (mandatory monthly payments), we get 225 thousand rubles of net profit. To recoup the investment with such financial indicators, it will take about 5-7 months of work.

Event agency and its differences from the holiday agency

Aspiring entrepreneurs should know how event companies differ from other holiday organizing agencies:

• producer organizations. They hold various celebrations and events on their own initiative. Such holidays are financed by sponsorship and ticket sales. Unlike similar firms, event companies do not hold their own events, but fulfill the request of a specific person (organization) on his initiative.
• PR companies. These organizations hold events (rarely holidays) strictly for highly specialized audiences. These can be entrepreneurs, athletes, journalists and other categories of people for whom a particular agency organizes press conferences and other events.
• BTL agencies. Their main activity is to conduct promotions for various customer companies. They, as a rule, are long-term, can simultaneously cover several regions, and also have a fairly large audience (promotion of brands, goods, services).

Questions from new businessmen

Consider frequently asked questions on the topic.

What services to provide?

Many beginners do not know how to form an offer for potential customers and what list of services to develop so that they bring tangible profit. First of all, you need to study the demand of consumers in this area, and first you should decide on the direction of the enterprise.

It is easy to guess that children will be interested in the work of animators; if there is a wedding coming up, customers, most likely, will want to see musical groups and a professional toastmaster at their celebration, and performances by artists will be welcome at corporate parties.

You need to contact several city event agencies and ask about the service they provide. It is important to know that only those enterprises that provide full-cycle services and take full responsibility for organizing and holding the holiday succeed in this niche. This includes:

• registration and preparation of venues for solemn events;
• organization of outdoor holidays;
• development of the scenario of the event;
• services of a photographer and videographer;
• musical accompaniment.

Event agencies offer their clients the organization and holding of all kinds of competitions, game events, which are very popular at children's matinees, corporate holidays and weddings. Also popular among customers are services for the preparation of exclusive dishes that are impossible (or very difficult) to order at catering establishments.

How to promote your agency?

The issue of attracting customers is one of the most relevant, since the success of the enterprise and the amount of profit directly depend on it. Consider the most effective ways to conduct an advertising campaign:

1. Personal website of the event agency. Initially, it is worth ordering professionals to develop and create a website for your company. This should be a meaningful and indexed resource by search engines, which will be shown to users for various queries. It must contain up-to-date information about the activities of the agency, high-quality photographs and videos, as well as optimal prices for services. In addition, various promotions should be carried out on an ongoing basis, the announcement of which will be displayed on the main page of the site. It is also important to link the resource to the main social networks where the target audience spends most of their time. For the effective operation of the website, you should order services for its monthly promotion and optimization.
2. Social networks and forums. People love holidays, so finding an interested audience in your city will not be a big deal. To do this, you need to create thematic communities of the holiday agency in social networks and offer subscribers interesting entertainment content. It is mandatory to link publics with the main site, for which you need to place the appropriate link in them. Depending on the activities of the company, it is recommended to attract target audience to its platform: if the agency organizes holidays for children, it is necessary to actively communicate in communities of children's subjects and public places for young mothers, weddings for newlyweds. The same applies to communication on thematic forums, from where you can attract a large number of target customers (and, as in the case of social networks, absolutely free).
3. Distribution of printing. You should order the development of flyers and booklets, which will contain brief information about the work of the agency. You also need to contact an advertising company that can organize the distribution of leaflets in crowded places in your city.
4. Charity events. In localities, especially in large cities, charity campaigns are often held in support of children. You need to take part in them free of charge, which will allow you to declare yourself as a professional organization, as well as significantly increase the awareness of your own brand.
5. Outdoor advertising. The presence of billboards and streamers in crowded places of the city will provide a large flow of customers.
6. Photos of holidays. It is mandatory to take photographs of all events. This will allow filling the company's portfolio and placing pictures in printed publications.
7. Advertising in the media. To promote an event agency, you should advertise in the city media (press, television, radio).

Is it worth it to run a franchise?

Franchise work can be the best solution for businessmen who want to open a profitable business with minimal investment. Their volume in cooperation with the franchisor is from 100 to 300 thousand rubles. What are the advantages of such a scheme of work?

First of all, it is worth noting that the entrepreneur gets at his disposal a ready-made business model, which is extremely effective. Moreover, the young event agency will work with ready-made scenarios for holding holidays and various celebrations. This means that the city's customers will only receive exclusive offers.

The franchisee has the opportunity to receive a ready-made website, which will be professionally designed in the corporate style of the partner company. In addition, entrepreneurs are provided with comprehensive support in attracting customers and training employees (free of charge). To start, minimal labor will be required, so a businessman can simultaneously develop some other business. Typically, you can start working on a franchise within 14-30 days from the date of purchase.

How much can you earn on holidays?

The amount of income largely depends on the chosen direction of the holiday agency, the list of services, brand awareness, the population in the city and other factors. Small event-companies after 6-8 months of work overcome the bar of 15 orders per month.

If the work will consist in organizing holidays for large customers, and the size of the average check is 50 thousand rubles, it is quite realistic to earn more than 600 thousand rubles a month. The cost of holding children's events ranges from 10-15 thousand rubles. If there are 20 completed applications per month, the income will be over 170 thousand rubles. It is also worth focusing on corporate events and weddings, where the average bill is 25 thousand rubles. When holding 15 such events monthly, the net profit will be about 250 thousand rubles.

Since the business of organizing celebrations and holidays is highly seasonal, it is recommended to choose several directions for the provision of services in this niche at the same time. As practice shows, your own event agency can become quite a profitable enterprise for beginner businessmen, despite the great competition.

What do you need to arrange a great unforgettable holiday? It was once believed that a table with snacks and drinks is enough, but today the situation has changed. Now the usual feast is not enough - for the holiday to be a success, you need to come up with something enchanting - with a performance, competitions and incendiary fun. That is why more and more weddings, corporate parties and even presentations are partially or completely entrusted to specialized agencies. Fun and good mood may well be profitable, so it makes sense to figure out in detail how to open a holiday agency.

What will your agency be like?

The first thing to do is to decide what will be the specialization of your enterprise. Children's and family holidays, weddings, corporate events - it will be quite difficult to cover everything at once. Although if you have sufficient experience in this area, a large staff and there are financial opportunities for the implementation of various projects, you can open a general agency.

We draw up documents

To open an agency for organizing holidays, it is best to choose registration as an individual entrepreneur - this way bookkeeping is much easier. OKVED in this case, you need to choose 92.3 and 92.72 - these codes denote all types of activities that will be needed during holidays, celebrations and parties.

An event agency does not need a license, so after going through a simple registration procedure, you can immediately start working.

Room and equipment: what you need

In order to get by with a minimum investment, some agencies start work and search for orders without having premises - their own or rented. Meetings with potential clients in this case are scheduled, for example, in a cafe. It is difficult to call this a good decision: reputable clients are unlikely to turn to such an organization, which means that you can not count on high earnings.

Renting an office space and decorating it properly is the first thing to do when starting an entertainment business. Moreover, it is desirable to locate the office in a prestigious area, and approach its design with a certain amount of imagination. Designer finishes, photographs from successful events, equipment for viewing slides and videos - all this will testify to professionalism.

The office can be small - just a meeting room for meetings with clients and an office where managers will work. In addition, you will need a warehouse where you can store costumes, equipment and props (it will become quite large over time), but it is not necessary to combine it with an office: you can find a cheaper room.

It is very important for the agency of holidays to get their own transport - a minibus or mini-van. Hiring a car whenever you need it will be quite expensive.

Agency staff

To start a holiday organization business, you will need two specialists - a sales manager (he will be in charge of advertising the company and finding clients) and a creative manager (the one who will be responsible for the creative part of the process: writing scripts, generating ideas, developing concepts). If you plan to perform one of these functions yourself, at first it will help to reduce costs, but this should be done only if you do not doubt your professionalism and have relevant experience, if not, it is better to entrust these issues to those who handle them properly.

Your agency will also need an entertainer (master of ceremonies) and a driver (if you don’t have a car, you can look for a driver with your own transport, it will cost a little more).

The rest of the staff may be freelancers, but to get started you'll need a solid base of creative teams and artists that you can bring on board if needed. It can be:

• djs,
• musicians,
• singers or musical groups,
• circus artists: clowns, acrobats, magicians, jugglers, etc.,
• fire show organizers
• dance groups or dancers of exotic dances,
• pyrotechnics.

In addition, your agency may need:

• decorators,
• florists,
• photographers,
• videographers.

Agency advertising

Over time, satisfied clients will make good advertising for the agency: people usually share their impressions of holidays - weddings, anniversaries, corporate parties. They post videos and photos on the Web and are happy to answer questions, telling where they went and how much this pleasure cost. So just doing your job "excellent" is already a good advertising strategy.

However, at first you will have to make sure that you are noticed. A variety of types of advertising are suitable for this - business cards and booklets, ads on local radio and television.

An important part of the advertising campaign is the creation of your agency's website. Increasingly, potential consumers of services are looking for a suitable contractor on the Internet, and this must be borne in mind. The website of the holiday agency, like the office, should be bright, interesting and eye-catching. It should contain detailed information about the services you offer, the company's offline coordinates, and a feedback form with the ability to order a manager's call.

Another way to inform customers about yourself is to advertise in popular groups and communities on social networks (of course, not in any groups, but only in those that are related to your locality).

Income and expenses

In order to accurately represent future expenses, before you start organizing holidays, you will need to draw up a detailed business plan, taking into account the situation in your locality. To do this, it will be necessary to study market saturation, demand and opportunities for growth.

According to rough estimates, the purchase of props and equipment will require about 200 thousand rubles (if you rent equipment, the initial investment may be less, but this is not very convenient and much less profitable, so it’s better to buy it anyway).

Renting an office will cost about 20-25 thousand, payment for the work of permanent employees will be about 60-90 thousand monthly. The rest of the project participants can be paid a certain share of the payment for the holidays in which they participate.

If in the first months of the agency’s work there are not so many orders (2–3 orders for 50 thousand rubles each), and then their number and cost increase (6–8 orders for 70–80 thousand rubles), the agency can pay off in just a few months - year.