The eight key factors that a successful event planner should have?
Sometimes it is imperative that you hire a professional event planner, rather than try and plan an entire event by yourself. This may be due to the scale of the event, the fact that you are not the best at planning or staying organized, or you just may not have enough time to plan the event. Hiring an event planner is a great way to ensure the success of your event. Visit this link, for more details on how to find the best event planner.
These people are basically professional planners who have immense knowledge on events, from parties and weddings to baby showers and business functions. You will be able to trust them with your event but only if you hire someone who is confident with what they do. If you hire a poor event planner, your event will surely suffer.
Therefore do you need to know how to tell between the good event planner and the absolutely horrible event planner? There are a few key things that you should know and to look for to find an able planner. They are mostly about your ability to judge a person on relevant facts that you can discover from meetings and personal research. Because believe me, there’s nothing more frustrating and unsatisfying than working with a bad event planner.
• Devotion:
Firstly, one aspect of personality that they should exhibit is complete devotion to their occupation. You do not want to get someone who is lukewarm or unmotivated about what they do. They should love sinking their eager teeth into a new challenge. Event planning should be exciting for them, not tedious and monotonous. Also, you will want someone who will not be put off by extravagance or large events that ready to do anything.
• Professionalism is key:
How your event planner presents themselves and how they act is very important. You want someone who is professional. They should act in a professional manner when they are planning your event. During your first meeting, you should be able to get an idea of their level of professionalism.
Make sure you observe how they dress, how they talk about event planning - do they seem like they know what they are talking about? Or whether or not they offer a handshake or offer you a cup of coffee or tea when you sit down. All these different components make up a specific model of person - that of a professional event planner.
We know the old adage taught you to not judge a book by its cover, but in this instance, you are going to have to forget this, at least for a while. First impressions mean a lot in this line of work, so don’t feel bad about acting upon them.
• The importance of the details:
You will want your event planner to be concerned about the details. As we have said throughout this book, details make an event. They add that extra something and also if the details are not worked out, guests will notice. So you need to look out for an event planner who knows this. You can find this out by asking them directly or by asking their references. For the latter, ask about how the event planner handled the details of their event. Were they rushed through or forgotten or dealt with in a rushed manner? This is something to find out.
• Wow, what a jerk!
Details and professionalism are very important elements but what is equally important is the personality of the event planner. You really do not want to hire someone whom you cannot stand. This is because of the fact that it won’t be very conducive to a good relationship between yourself and the event planner. For example, if they have a quick temper, a demanding temperament, bratty or just generally unpleasant to work with, then you should not hire them.
Your event planner is someone who you will be working in close quarters for a long while, so you need to find them tolerable at least. You do not have to be best friends with them but you need to be able to talk to them and work with them without getting incredibly aggravated. You can find this out, alongside other things, through the interview process.
• The interview:
The interview is going to be a very enlightening experience. This is where you will gain a lot of information about your potential event planner. To set up a meeting or interview, contact the event planners you are interested in. You should aim to meet up with at least two to three different people.
At the interview, you should ask any question that you feel like needed to be asked. This could be about your previous events, their ideas on your own future event, i.e. what they would do with your function, or about their individual style or nuances. Ask them if they have a portfolio to show you examples of their past work. You should also talk about their fee to see if you can fit it in your budget.
Furthermore, during this interview process, you can get a good idea of who she or he is. It is all well and good to read a list of your achievements but it doesn’t really reveal much about the person. The first meeting is a great way to get to know them at least at a superficial level.
• Good advice needed:
Before you even contact an event planner and organize that first meeting, you need to compile a list of potential names. You can do this by asking for advice from people you know who have in the past used an event planner. This can be especially relevant if you attended the event that said event planner organized.
This would be first-hand evidence of their skill. You could also ask colleagues or simply research through the Internet. Through the Internet, make sure you read their webpage thoroughly. The state of their webpage can also reflect what type of professional event planner they are. If it looks professional and high-quality and has updated information, then this is a good reflection upon the actual person.
• Always check the references:
Whenever you decide upon a potential event planner, make sure you always check the references. These can give you a good representation of what this event planner is like. If their former clients rave about their event planning abilities, then you should feel pretty confident about hiring them.
While on the other side of things, if they give negative feedback you should probably stay away from them. You should always try to check at least 2 to 3 references, do not just look at a single reference or review as this will not generate a conclusive result. References can be highly helpful in your goal of picking a professional event planner as they act as direct evidence of their abilities.
• The gift of the gab:
You will want to make sure your potential employer has the ability to market your event efficiently. They should know how to advertise you and then effectively to generate interest as well as gain potential guests if it is an open affair. They should know what works and what doesn’t over several different mediums. Furthermore, they should know of marketing strategies that work best. They should be knowledgeable on social media and utilize this online phenomenon to your events favor. They should know how to gain interest and hold that interest.
• Open communication:
Now, let’s talk about their ability to communicate. You want someone who will be able to communicate freely. You should be able to get in contact with them easily. There should be no emails that do not get replied to or any unreturned phone calls. It shouldn’t take you days to get in contact with your event planner. There should be quick replies and open communication. If you are feeling uneasy about something or an issue arises, you should be able to contact them straight away.
• Should the price be, right?
Your event planner’s fee should be reasonable. It should be around the middle ground, so it shouldn’t be too extravagant or too cheap. It may seem better than you can pay for a cheaper price but you have to factor in the potential quality of the work. You may not have to pay as much for their services but you need to think about the potential standard of work you will get for this lesser fee.
So you don’t want to pay too less of a price as it can detract from the quality and you will also not want to pay too much. If their fee seems exorbitant, then you may not want to hire them. You do not want to blow the budget on event planner services as there is a lot to pay for during your event and it will be damaging to put a vast sum of the money into this one aspect.