Tips to Pick the Best Event Planners
Range of services and options
Accomplished event planners offer solutions to some of the bigger questions for their clients. For instance, if you need help coming up with a theme for your party or event, an event planner can provide you with a list of potential themes that they can easily access tools and resources for. For instance, if you would like to plan a casino night, your planner should be able to help you nail down games, tables and chairs, food, entertainment, and decor that will add to the overall atmosphere of the night, transporting your guests into a Vegas-inspired wonderland. When these tasks are left up to someone who is unfamiliar with the options available, disappointment is often the result. Be sure to ask your party planner for a list of party themes, vendors, and other resources that they frequently collaborate with. This will give you an idea of the range of services and options they provide for their clients.
Well-organized and professional
Typically it goes without saying that any company you hire for a service should be professional and well organized; unfortunately, looks can be deceiving. It is important to take into consideration what previous clients have to say about the event planner in question: do they have a reputation for professionalism? Can they organize an event on a strict time limit and budget? Successful event planning should rely on a company or team of individuals who has experience in the industry, particularly with managing other companies and people who will contribute something to the event. For instance, it is the event planner’s responsibility to manage time constraints of the event, but also to manage vendors, caterers, performers, or distributors who will add other services.
Flexibility
Because we aren’t all inherently party-planning experts, it is expected that not everything can go according to plan. This might mean that half of our guests could cancel their RSVP, or at the last minute more guests are being added to the list. It is an event planner’s job to go with the flow and make the event a success, no matter the adversity. Party planners should have a range of resources they can turn to in case of emergencies. Therefore, when hiring an event planner, you should always ask them how they face such challenges, and how they may handle a similar situation under pressure. The most important thing is that they remain accommodating to their client, and offer solutions to problems that alleviate his or her burden of stress.
things to look out for when choosing an event planner
Looking for the easy route
Whether you want to throw a Sweet Sixteen or an Artificial Intelligence conference, your event planner needs to be aware of the goals that need to be achieved. If your event planner allows details to fall through the cracks it can have a catastrophic effect on your event. A lazy event planner will more than likely take shortcuts and you can’t be sure these shortcuts won’t be with your budget, using cheaper vendors or event tech.
Know your planner’s score
Everything we do these days is online and it should be the same with event planners. Does your planner have a website, social media pages or a digital presence? These are all important factors to consider as you don’t want to work with someone who is clueless about the digital world. EventerScore allows you to test an event supplier’s commitment to their client by checking the quality of their digital user experience.
Planners who promise the moon and the stars but don’t deliver
Before planning an event it is likely that you will do a fair amount of research before approaching an event planner. However, some event planners may pull a disappearing act once you have signed on the dotted line so it is essential to make sure your event planner knows what you want from the start.
Questions To Ask When Hiring An Event Planner
What is their cancellation and refund policy?
Make sure you know the details of your event planners contract terms up front. If you have to cancel, postpone or dramatically change your event what will your event planner charge you? Most organisers will charge for hours and services already utilised, and any outlay they have already made. However, bear in mind that other suppliers such as the venue and caterer will have their own cancellation terms, so you may have to pay them additionally. Will your organiser take care of those arrangements for you?
How will they protect your event?
Your event planner should be up to date with all the latest health and safety regulations and be familiar with carrying out event specific risk assessments. They should possess their own event planning liability insurance and must ensure all of the event suppliers are also adequately insured.
What software and technology do they use?
Find out what tools they employ for project management, budgets, event websites, registration, ticketing and analytics/reporting and ensure they are using the best available. Using specialist event technology not only helps to ensure a well organised production, it can provide all sorts of added value.
Who will be working on your event?
You’ll want to know who your day-to-day contact will be and – if that’s not the person you are meeting with – arrange an introduction to ensure you have a good rapport. Other questions to ask include: Will there be a team of people working on my event or just one? Is there backup support if that person is not available or ill? Is there a limit to the number of meetings we can have prior to the event? If there is, how much will I be charged for additional meetings?
How to choose the right event planner
Only great event planners produce great events. Whether you are planning a corporate event or a social event, large and elaborate or even small and intimate event, the greatest favour you can do yourself is to have a great event planner organise the event for you.
Event planners are both planners and producers of events. Whether or not you know what type of event you are trying to produce, that is the theme, venue, guests, entertainment and the overall atmosphere, a great event planner has what it takes to create the perfect mood and atmosphere and to make a lasting positive impression in your guests’ minds.
Here are a few quick guides to choosing the right event planner for your next event.Service: If you know what type of event you want to hold, you should first list out your event needs, all the vital components to your event’s end result before starting the search for an event planner.
Event Planning Tips Every Budding Coordinator Needs to Know
Be a hero, save the day — and do it over again
There’s no way to teach this, but through experience, the best modern planners will become better at thinking on their feet. Why does it always feel like the one thing you didn’t have a backup plan for, is the only thing that goes awry?
If you rest, you rust
Invest in your learning. You spend all of your time bringing people together to celebrate, make connections or to educate themselves. What are you doing about improving the quality of your events?
Be proactive: Ask and you shall receive
It’s time for a bit of a role reversal. You’re accustomed to fulfilling as many requests from clients as possible. But, be sure that you’re also asking your partners to go the extra mile for you.
Find properties you trust & grow your network
The main reason planners spend so much time on site visits is that they don’t always have venues or contacts they trust in a given city. You could continue spending your time vetting meeting spaces with your own eyes, but you’d be better served exploring new human connections, that already have the answers you’re looking for.