ROB HARD’S On June 25, 2019, this page was updated. Hiring a third-party event planner does not have to be a difficult endeavour. You must find the best event planners for your needs and carefully screen them before hiring one. But first, you should be clear about what you want the event planner to do.
Determine Your Goals
Before you begin your search, you should determine the event’s goal, the money you’re dealing with, and your justification for hiring externally. You should be able to describe the event’s basic outline as well as its most critical aims. After you’ve identified your goals, a few distinct ideas regarding the topic and message you want to portray will emerge. You should now figure out how much money you have for a planner and what they will be expected to do. An event planner can choose the location, suggest food and beverage options, find speakers and entertainment, be on-site for day-of production needs, and design invitations. If you are unable to do all of the above on your own, you should begin your search for professional event planner.
Locate Your Event Planner
Whether it’s a social gathering or a business conference, the rules for selecting an event planner or caterer are the same: You want to recruit someone who has experience organising events like yours. Word of mouth is one way to find an event planner, whether it’s for an anniversary celebration, a breakfast business meeting, a weekend retreat, or anything else. However, it is not always the most effective strategy. If you’re looking for the best event planner for your event, search for a company with experience and a good reputation in the event planning community. Peer reputation may be a better predictor than personal recommendations. Check with the National Association of Catering Executives, Meeting Professionals International, or the International Special Events Society. Check with your local convention and visitors agency or chamber of commerce to find out who has a strong reputation in your area. You could also contact the conference sales department of a hotel.
Applicants for Interview
The majority of event planners will be excited to learn about your event. In the first round of interviews, provide them brief details and emphasis on their expertise. Reduce your candidate pool to the top three candidates. Then, ask each contestant or firm about their company, their past experience with similar events, and how they plan for eventualities. A smart planner will guide you through a discussion about the broad objectives of your event, timetable, budget, guest count, and personal preferences, as well as inquiries about your company. The person that is enthusiastic to learn about your goals and event will stand out from the crowd. Although it is not always possible to see an applicant in person during the first round of interviews, particularly if your school is located out of town, this can be an important step in selecting the ideal planner. You’ll want a candidate who gets along well with you. The final stage is to review the references of your candidates. Make contact with old clients to ensure that there have been no blunders in the past.
Make Your Choice
It’s time to limit down your options to just one. Once you’ve hired the event planner, he or she should be able to share a complete event plan with you. It’s time to toss around fresh ideas and discard those that don’t work.
Work on the Budget
Many folks who are organising their first event desire a champagne celebration on a beer budget. Your event planner can make the most of your budget but may have to scale back your vision a little. To create a realistic budget, you must collaborate. Don’t forget to inquire about the event planner’s fees and how they will be accommodated into the budget. The costs charged to event planners and how they are levied vary greatly. You will be required to supply deposits, papers, and contracts to the event planner, as well as the event venues and services they provide. Always have an attorney evaluate any contracts before signing them. The majority of terrible things that happen during event preparation are the result of a lack of follow-through. Event planning necessitates effective logistics cooperation. In other words, remain on top of the project and don’t make important decisions without consulting with the event planner. If all goes according to plan, the event planning process will go off without a hitch, and you’ll have added a fantastic event planner to your network for future needs. If something goes wrong before the big day, get in and fix it. Misunderstandings can be resolved. Unexpected issues can be resolved. However, if everything else fails, be prepared to fire your event planner and hire a backup.
How Event Planners Maintain Their Organization
For most event planners, organisation is one of the many keys to success. Mastering organisational skills can not only reduce stress, but it can also boost your creativity as an event planner, allowing you to see the big picture and think outside the box while knowing you have a firm grip on the specifics. Here are a few methods used by successful event planners to keep organised.
Make Event Binders.
Creating event and event planning binders is most likely the most effective approach to stay organised when arranging seminars, conferences, corporate training, executive meetings, and other sorts of events. While many event planners are shifting to more electronic and digital organisation tools, traditional binders can house the most crucial event and programme details. Keeping hard copies of important documents, notes, and other facts can save your life during an event. Each event and/or programme should ideally have its own binder. Depending on the intricacy of your event, your binder may have the following sections:
