SMARTPHONE
Event Planning Done Easy — from Your
RACHEL KURLAND | JE STAFF
P Trello
24Me Pinterest
Table Top Planner
ARTY PLANNING is exhausting — and when you’re
drowning in invitations, reservations and rental fees, it’s
hard to imagine an end in sight.

Many have opted for the DIY approach in the digital age,
which is clearly benefi cial if you’re trying to save time and mon-
ey. Th ere are endless instructions, ideas, tips or blogs on the
subject of organization, plus doing it yourself allows your cre-
ativity to fl ow — while your budget doesn’t.

Although the DIY approach promotes planning with ease,
we could all still use a little structure. Look no further than these
event planning and management apps to juggle all the tools that
entail scheduling your celebratory events, from weddings to Bar
Mitzvahs and everything in between.

Start with Inspiration
OK, this may not seem like a planning app, per se, but for any
party, wedding, Bar Mitzvah or the like, Pinterest should be
your fi rst stop.

With the unfathomable accessibility to options in this digital li-
brary at your fi ngertips, you can’t go wrong in gathering creative
inspiration for ideas, tips, recipes and how-tos for your own soiree.

Elaborate hairstyle? Pin it. DIY craft s and snacks for kids?
Pin it. Cute puppy picture? Irrelevant, but pin it anyway.

To keep things under wraps, you can make some boards —
for those who aren’t frequent pinners, boards can be labeled
whatever you like, and you pin pictures and links to a “board”
of similar interests to keep them organized — private, so no one
else can see your party plans.

Pinterest: Free. Available on web, iOS and Android.

Get Organized in One Place
It’s diffi cult to narrow down just one planning accessory when
there are so many excellent products out there. Th ese apps pro-
vide the foundation for your party, scheduling everything you
need to do from start to fi nish.

Planning Pod stores all your notes, documents, spreadsheets
and related emails in one place for simple and organized acces-
sibility. It’s equipped with productivity tools to help you manage
budgets, schedules, checklists and calendars.

It’s great for wedding planning: You can add multiple people to
your Planning Pod event, so parents and future in-laws living else-
where states can stay up-to-date on fl oor plans, guest lists and websites.

Similar to Planning Pod, as well as aspects of Google Drive
or Dropbox, is Evernote, which is another great app to store all
of your notes, as well as research you’ve done for venues or trav-
el itineraries, and it can easily be shared with others and synced
to diff erent devices.

24 MARCH 22, 2018
Asana is a good option to outline your daily or monthly
tasks, highlighting how high a priority each are.

Super Planner is a must-have planning tool for the more
business-oriented events. It calculates for you how much of one
item you need based on your crowd size. Th at includes under-
standing pricing, arranging tables and sizes based on room ca-
pacity, or catering based on the number of attendees.

Planning Pod: Free 30-day trial; monthly packages range from
$19 to $99, depending on how many events you’d like to manage
at one time. Available on web, iOS and Android.

Evernote: Free; premium plans available for $34.99/year or
$69.99/year. Available on web, iOS and Android.

Asana: Basic version is free; premium plan $9.99/month.

Available on web, iOS and Android.

Super Planner: $9.99. Available on iOS and Android.

Turn the Tables
One of the most irritating party planning particulars is seating
arrangements. Aunt Suzy can’t be seen next to Cousin Cathy;
the Steins are in a feud with the Sterns; Rebecca is suddenly
gluten-free and can’t be around anything that remotely smells
edible. But with Social Tables, you can visualize and track ar-
rangements in 3-D models. You create a seating chart in digital
layouts and schematics of the venue, with customizable table
colors and chair sizes. You can also assign menu preferences.

Top Table Planner also helps you visualize seating arrangements
on the planner’s end.

Social Tables: Free. Available on web, iOS and Android.

Top Table Planner: Free trial; $20 to $80 yearlong packages.

Available on web, iOS and Android.

Collect the Memories
Candid photos are oft en the best ones from a celebration. Your
friends and family have the ability to comfortably be right up in
the action. But tracking down photos later on diff erent social
networking sites can be a hassle. If attendees download Capsule,
they can upload all of the photos from the evening into a shared,
public “capsule” online for easy reviewing and tagging later.

Capsule: Basic package is free; professional package has a 30-day
free trial, then $12/month per user. Available on iOS and Android.

Checklist Aficionado
If you’re anxiety-prone to to-do lists — or checking off boxes
gives you a fulfi lled high — Trello makes the interface simple
and satisfying. You create a board, prioritizing your daily tasks.

Tasks can be dragged to diff erent sections when done or held
for later. It’s the most visual way to collect all of your party plan-
SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



Do You Hear
the People Sing?
Goldstein’s Men’s & Boy’s Apparel
Your Mitzvah suit for that special day
DKNY ning responsibilities in one place. You can
also dive deeper into your workflow, add-
ing notes, contacts, comments and attach-
ments to a single Trello card.

24me is also great for organization:
During all the chaos that goes into
planning an event — whether it lasts a
month or a year — everyday things can
fall through the cracks. 24me is a daily
schedule manager to remind you to pay
bills or simply wish your special some-
one a happy birthday.

Trello: Free. Available on web, iOS and
Android. 24me: Free. Available on web, iOS and
Android. Family owned and operated for 116 years
To save some money, DIYers have opted
Since 1902
for being their own DJs at events. Apps
Visit us in our new location
like Spotify and Pandora make it simple to
create your own playlists to plug in at the
2537 S Broad Street
party. As an added bonus, you can be the
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one who decides how many times to play
“YMCA” (hint: zero).

215-468-0564 And when your elderly relatives inev-
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itably approach the DJ kvetching that the
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music is too loud, you can be the judge of
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Spotify: Free; subscription $9.99/month. Available on web, iOS
and Android.

Pandora: Free; subscription options for $4.99/month or $9.99/
month. Available on web, iOS and Android.

Decibel Ultra: Free. Available on iOS.

Drippin’ in Finance
As taboo as it is, let’s talk finances. A lot goes into big parties, from
renting big elements like the venue to small ones like silverware. Fud-
get, a budget planner tracker app, is a simple way to manage those
complex charges. It adds and subtracts your monthly bills, and you
can add in other factors based on the income you have left.

And to keep all your receipts in one place, ScannerPro or Cam-
Scanner eliminate the paper clutter. Simply take a picture in the
app, and it converts the receipt into a PDF that can be emailed
and saved.

Fudget: Free. Available on iOS and Android.

ScannerPro: $3.99. Available on iOS.

CamScanner: Basic account is free; premium and business accounts
are $4.99 and $6.99, respectively. Available on iOS and Android.

What’s My Name Again?
You see her crossing the dance floor. She looks familiar; you know
she’s a distant cousin who you only see every few years. But what’s
her name? Namerick uses repetition and mnemonics to keep track
of names of people you meet at parties, so you’ll never forget.

Ninety-nine cents well spent.

Namerick: 99 cents. Available on iOS. ❤
Legendary. Intriguing.

Connected. From catering services to event
planning, let the Warwick handle
every aspect of your special day.

Celebrate where legends have
stayed and history’s been made.

Contact Lauren Belsh at
L a u r e n . B e l s h @Wa r w i c k R i t t e n h o u s e . c o m
215.735.6000 220 South 17th Street
P h i l a d e l p h i a , PA 1 9 1 0 3
WA RW I C K R I T T E N H O U S E .C O M
rkurland@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0737
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS
MARCH 22, 2018
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