Hi! I’m Ohana, and welcome to the Gold Coast Kids Events blog!
I’ve been thinking about what I actually wanted this blog to be, and I knew I didn’t want it to just be another page full of generic party tips. I wanted somewhere I could share the real side of planning events — the ideas, decisions, changes of mind, things that work, things that don’t, and everything that happens before you see the finished party.
So I thought for my first post, I should probably start with how I got into events in the first place.
How did this all start?
A lot of it actually started at school.
I got really involved in leadership and absolutely loved it. I enjoyed organising things, coming up with ideas and being part of making things actually happen.
The only problem was… I got a little too involved.
I was spending so much time on leadership and the things I enjoyed that I started neglecting some of my actual schoolwork.
Probably not the greatest strategy. 😂
But it made me realise something — I wasn’t avoiding doing work altogether. I was actually putting heaps of time and effort into something else because I genuinely loved doing it.
So instead of trying to push that interest aside, I found a way to turn it into my schoolwork.
That’s when I started pursuing event management properly, and eventually, that passion turned into Gold Coast Kids Events.
Starting a business at 15
Running a business at 15 is definitely interesting.
I’m still at school, I’m still learning, and I definitely don’t know everything. But that’s also part of why I wanted to start this blog.
I want somewhere I can share what I’m learning as I go.
With Gold Coast Kids Events, my goal is to make kids’ parties easier for families. There are SO many little decisions that go into planning an event that you don’t really think about until you’re the person organising it.
The venue, guest list, budget, catering, decorations, entertainment, setup — and about a million tiny things in between.
And weirdly enough, I love all of it.
Now I’m planning my own Sweet 16 🎉
This is where things are about to get interesting.
I’m currently planning my own Sweet 16, and I’ve decided I’m going to take you along for the entire process.
I’m hosting it at Miami Marketta on the Gold Coast for around 50 people, and that’s about all I’ll give away for now!
I don’t want this series to only show you the final, perfect-looking event.
I want to show you how I actually get there.
I’ll be sharing things like how I plan my budget, why I choose certain things over others, what I decide is worth spending money on, what I change my mind about, the suppliers and products I use and probably a few mistakes along the way.
Because realistically, I’m sure not everything is going to go exactly according to plan.
When I use products or suppliers I genuinely like, I’ll also link them throughout the series so you can check them out yourself.
The real planning process
That’s what I want this blog to be about.
Normally, you see an event once everything is finished — the decorations are up, the food is out and everything looks amazing.
You don’t see the spreadsheet behind it.
You don’t see the original idea that got completely changed.
You don’t see someone sitting there trying to decide whether something is actually worth the money.
That’s the stuff I want to share.
Hopefully, following my Sweet 16 from the very beginning gives parents some ideas for their own events too.
And once the party is over, I’ll share what worked, what didn’t and what I’d do differently next time.
For now, I’m working on my planning spreadsheet and starting to put everything together.
So… wish me luck. 😂
There is a lot more to come.
Ohana 💛
Gold Coast Kids Events