Final Blog Post: Summary

Throughout the semester, my entrepreneurial idea has developed into something realistic and useable. Originally it started just as an idea of a way to help event planners to stay organized, allowing them  but as time went on it snowballed into a planning, communicative and overall managing software. Because there is nothing like this software in the industry I was able to creatively put together the different aspects essential to an event planner.
Learning about multiple technological components in IST 195, I was able to expand my idea to incorporate technology to effectively promote an event, track attendees, payments, popularity, media coverage, etc. I decided that my program was not going to just a planning assistance program but have much more depth to it, with search engine potential. By having it hold information you input as well as that off the internet an event planner would be able to build off information they already know with information provided to them.
By looking at different entrepreneurial perspectives on lifebyme.com I was inspired to take my project another step further in the direction that follows my "superpower" as you could say. That is to allow my program to by synced with hotel's booking programs. Since I ultimately want to be an in-house event planner for a hotel, I would want to be able to sync the programs together in order to know how many guests I would need to book for, total costs, the type of people attending, and if they have any loyalties to my hospitality company.
I think this project was very educational, allowing me to slowly develop an idea relatable to what I want to create in life. And by doing so in a blog format taught me what goes into blog posting and allowed me to learn about a new way in publishing ideas.
The three blogs I commented on are:
http://beautyisonlyhairdeep.blogspot.com/- post #1
http://krissieoja.blogspot.com/ -post #1
http://djweinst.blogspot.com/ -post #7

Blog Review: Lifebyme.com

I stumbled across this blog while researching well known event planning blogs, and it really struck me as different and interesting. It is a blog compiled by multiple entrepreneurs who strive to do good in their lives, especially their careers. There are multiple people on this site that have done some amazing things with the opportunities given to them in life.
David Hassell is one of them. In one of his blogs he discusses his belief that every person has a superpower, its at the intersection of our talents and passion. His is entrepreneurship, which he sees as a way to create the world the way we want to see it. His blog talks about realizing our superpower, listening to it, and letting it lead you down the path you were meant to take. By having monthly, invite-only dinners for entrepreneurs he promotes the collaboration of business ventures and idea development.
David Hassell has dabbled in several projects, dubbing himself a serial entrepreneur. This is relatable to my entrepreneurial idea because the event industry is constantly evolving with the development of technology and innovative ideas, therefore needing a fresh and new software program to cater to its needs.
http://www.lifebyme.com/david-hassell-entrepreneur/

Week 6: Operating Systems

This week we learned about operating systems, and the various types that are involved in computers. For my program, you would need to be running on a server operating system. This would allow for there to be an administrative account that controls most of the program's functions. However, the program will able to be accessed by multiple computers within the office or company.
By also having a pre-emptive multi-tasking system, your programs will all be able to run at the same time with priority levels given to different tasks. This is important because while planning an event, setting up appointments, coordinating delivery schedules and times you will need to run multiple programs side by side in order to have all your information correct.

Week 5: Bits and Bytes

This week we learned about the actual byte components that make up the programs run on your computer. It's important to know this information when creating a software program, especially the various size prefixes and how much they can hold is important. This is not only to make sure it runs efficiently but also to ensure that it will be able to hold all of the information you need it to.
This is prevalent when it comes to the many different application options available. This program would ideally be able to upload and hold many mp3 files in playlists. You would be able to save samples from entertainment vendors you work with. This would be a really great application when meeting with potential clients to showcase the work of your vendors. This would make the decision making on their part a lot easier, as well as your job because you wouldn't have to set up various appointments with multiple entertainers.

Week 4: QR codes

We learned about the functions and technology of QR codes in class this week. These have been somewhat underestimated in the event industry but have been shown to be extremely useful in event marketing and execution. They have been put to use mostly on promotional material to launch an event website however they can also register your guests, distribute information to them and get business information from attendees at corporate events.

The number of people recently surveyed who said they used mobile codes was 49%, showing that they are becoming popular and can be used to reach out to potential customers. Last April, mobile bar codes were highly utilized by the New York Auto Show to simplify the ticket-buying process, shown on promotional and marketing material as well as provide attendees with additional content.

This software will allow you to create QR codes that you can use for each event, as well as track their progress and your events popularity. By having these linked with your information already in the software it is another way to track your business connections. 

Week 3- Excel

This week’s lecture was about learning to use the functions of excel properly, which was very convenient because that is also an adaptable feature of my software program. While planning events, the largest factor is cost, and making sure you stay within your budget. Excel is a great tool to utilize in costing out a variety of products, especially for the catering and designing of the venue.

By creating budget plans, you can use excel as a calculator to automatically update balances for you. This is especially helpful when planning benefits or events where attendees pay for entrance or a table. By being able to keep track of the costs of events and ultimately deduce how much it is costing you per person, you will be able to figure how much to charge to cover your costs plus profit. Additionally, this software will utilize its social media connections to excel to track your attendance at events. By doing this, you will then be able to graph your information via excel, allowing you to analyze attendance among events and companies.  

Week 2- Social Media & Privacy

When you are running an event planning business, social media is a useful tool for promoting your events.  Within the past few years, with the explosion of Facebook and Twitter, it has become easier to spread the word about events occurring. However with this growth also comes the worry of privacy. Although when promoting events you would like to be as public as possible, you need to make sure that your personal information does not get out onto the internet.

With our software you would be linked through your companies facebook to the events section. There Facebook will show you to upcoming events in your “neighborhood” as well as events that vendors or companies you have worked with are involved in. It will also be able to pick up trending topics and events on twitter that people in your profile are talking about.

Although being an event planner requires you to gain public media coverage, you must keep in mind to not only keep yourself personally out of it but also make sure your events are reaching the right people. By regulating your privacy settings, your Facebook and twitter, you will be able to monitor your audience and co workers in the industry, therefore getting your message across to the right people.

Week 1: Entrepreneurial Idea

For my entrepreneurial idea I chose to create a software that assists event planners in organizing all aspects of the events they are planning, including the vendors and businesses they work with. Additionally this software program will be able to keep track of all the invoices and payments received.It will also be capable of knowing who is working what events, the people associated with each vendor and the attendees at the events.
By being able to do this you can track which people go to which events, making it easier to market certain events to them. Additionally you can log ratings of the people working the events, helping plan better events in the future. Also by keeping track of the people you are coordinating with at each vendor will make for better communication leading up to, during and after the event. Also it will be useful in  maintaining relationships with companies and planning events in the future.
This software will also be internet compatible so whether you are planning a fashion show, album release party, press conference, sports event or corporate party it will be able to sync and pull up highly rated options for you to coordinate the entertainment, venue, catering and technology. It will also be able to link with your social media such as facebook or twitter and pull up events happening around the same time and location. The software will also have an iPhone application feature so you can have it on you while you're on the go, and all information can be pulled up for you on-site or during the event.