Freelance event planning, a gap year or a genuine business?

What are my thoughts on being a freelancer right now….

Before considering becoming a freelancer, ask yourself this… Is this temporary or are you considering this as a long term plan?

Firstly it’s worth exploring if there is a market for freelancing right now and there absolutely is. But there is also a lot of competition with no set industry benchmarks for clients to assess from, and a lot of people doing short term gigs for low hourly rates.

How much you charge really depends on what service you intend to offer, and for what type of event or in what industry.  Rates range anywhere from $45 an hour up to $180 an hour or more.

In Australia, event staff fall under the following awards according to Fair Work Australia.  Amusement, Events and Recreation Award 2020, or alternatively the Hospitality Industry Award 2010 or Live Performance Award 2020, depending on the specific duties and nature of the event.

To be successful with freelancing, you need to charge enough to cover all your expenses, extras for running a business, managing all your own tax affairs and being completely self-reliant.  Insurance will likely be your biggest expense and don’t recommend proceeding until you have the appropriate cover.

Also check in to see if it is a true freelancing gig.  Some companies may want to engage a freelancer when it should be an employee on contract or casual, so make sure you are being paid accordingly.

There’s lots of opportunities out there, but if you want to have longevity as a freelancer, build an income that is commensurate with a valued salary, and have the perks of being your own boss, then here’s what I have learnt as a freelancer delivering event services for business, community and corporate events across Australia. 

Success will be in the preparation, the marketing, the implementation and the review. Because freelancing is just another term for running your own business.

The Preparation…

How prepared are you to engage in freelancing work? 

Do you have any promotional material such as a one-pager that outlines the areas of events you are perfect for, and what differentiates you from your competition?  This is not a resume; it’s a poster on the back of the toilet door.

Do you know how much you will charge for your work and/or what rate you will put against various work types.  What’s your minimum hourly or project rate and/or number of hours you expect to be engaged for?

Have you decided what area of events you want to market to, or the category of person or industry?  It doesn’t mean you say no to other work, it just means you focus your marketing efforts into one area at a time.

Do you come with all your own gear?  And this means everything…  You are only considered a sub-contractor (freelancer) if you are 100% self-sufficient, and the work does not wholly rely on your labour.

And on that note, do you have an agreement that you send on engagement? Have you decided on your payment terms?

The Marketing…

What will you be known for?  What do you need to put in place to raise awareness of your availability, and are you prepared to proactively go out to market? You need to have clear in your mind, the type of people you want to work with and they type of work you want to do.  Freelancing allows you this freedom.

Do you have a network of people who can refer you, employ you, recommend you?  Spend some time thinking about who you know and how you might reach out to them. Challenge yourself to come up with 100 names of people that might need your help, be able to refer you, or can suggest some avenues for you to pursue.  You will be surprised at who you know!

Do you have a website / portfolio site where people can get a sense of who you are and what you bring to the event? Do you have testimonials or references from past employers, clients or friends?  Social proof is one of the most important assets to have in your kit. Your LinkedIn is a good place to start but having your own piece of real estate on the web gives you far greater control.

Do you know who you are marketing to?  This will depend on what you have decided is the role you want to play as a freelancer.  Are you marketing to event companies, or other industries or companies that run events?  Are you supporting in-house teams or are you leading the process.  Are you following a task list, or building the task list?

The Implementation…

What does working with you look like?  Do you have a preferred system for managing projects, or do you expect to use the client’s system?  For example, I use monday.com because it allows me to give my clients access to their specific project. They can follow along, I can allocate tasks to them, and it forms the basis of our regular reporting.

Will you provide detailed timesheets or work on retainer? If you work to timesheet you will need to have a system that is easy to click on and click off.  The challenge with this though is when you’re taking a call in the car or working on multiple events with crossover tasks. This is why I use a system such as monday.com, because the client can see exactly what I’ve been working on.  It also includes an option to use a timer.

Are you happy to work in someone else's office, or are you an off-site option?  If you’re going to work in someone’s office, will you factor in travel time?  And will you have your own space to work, or will you need to share?? I’ve had a variety of these types of gigs over the years and for me it’s preferable to have flexibility.  If you’re being asked to work on site, it’s probably an employee/employer relationship, and you may need to review the ATO ruling on this.

Do you work with a team and if so, how do you manage client confidentiality? Building a team allows you to work on multiple events at once.  I would recommend you ensure your agreement states that you can bring others into the project.  If the client states that it has to be you, again it’s probably and employee/employer situation.

Do you have the appropriate insurance and risk mitigation in place? This will depend on the type of event work you do. I would recommend talking to an insurance broker to ensure you are covered for all that you are considering doing.

How will you manage the scope of the project and communicate with stakeholders? Will you use a managed system like Asana or similar, will you share files or spreadsheets?  As I mentioned previously, I use monday.com but I also share from my Microsoft OneDrive.  Firstly, you need to consider if you will you keep everything to yourself and just share updates, or will you be transparent in your operations? I find it easier to be transparent and it’s less stressful for the client. Many others though, keep the plans to themselves so the client always needs them.

The Review…

Always debrief the project from management, right through to delivery.  I would recommend you not only review with the client, but you review your own internal systems as well.

How did the rollout compare to your planning?  Did you estimate your hours effectively?  Did you manage the scope effectively?

What did you absolutely love about this project and what about it will you never engage in again.  This will help you build your ideal environment as time goes on.

So, back to that question… Is this a gap you're filling or a business you're building?  Not sure?  I built a little quiz to help you work it out. You can take it here. 

Upcoming events:

Tuesday 22 September at 11am – Practical Event Planning Using AI.

Register for this free online event here.

Real examples from real event work.  This is not a theory session. I will walk through practical examples from event planning work and show how AI can support the process. You will see what I hand over to AI, what information I gives it, and how I uses the output to move planning forward. That includes using AI to research options, organise planning tasks, spot gaps, and turn rough information into useful working documents.

PS:  I recorded a fun podcast episode with freelancer Nadine Cove called "Freelancing in Events: Identity, Scope Creep, and What We Lose When We Settle for Less".  You can listen to it here.