As much as we would love for you to select us as your Event Planner for your future events, we want you to hire the best event planner for your event. We value your satisfaction and pray that this process is the best experience you have yet. With that said, here are our top four tips for hiring the best event planner.
# 1 - Layout your event goals and need for a planner
Before you reach out to a friend or a professional who can help you plan an event, be in a position where you can share the main goals of your event. Answer the relevant questions about who, what, where, when, why, and how. Don't worry about having all the details; a planner can help you finetune them.
Once you've defined your objectives, you can determine the event theme and message you want to convey at your event. With that information, you can evaluate the activities and services you need. Then your planner can secure these services on your behalf.
Furthermore, you'll need to determine the budget. This step is crucial because it helps narrow down options. With a budget, a planner can easily select the venue, make recommendations for food and beverage, source entertainment, and help create the critical communication documents for your event, to name a few.
If you are planning your event alone and still have any of these unmet needs, you'll want to hire an event planner to manage these tasks and responsibilities.
# 2 - Use local sources to locate reputable event planners
If you're trying to find the best event planner for your affair, it's best to research someone who is experienced and holds a strong reputation within the community of event planners. Local sources such as The Knot and Wedding Wire are great resources to consider, especially since they provide detailed reviews of the Event Planner's skills. However, regardless of whether it's a social event or a corporate meeting, generally speaking, the rules of hiring an event planner or caterer remain the same.
You may want to consider chapters of professional membership groups or check with the national or local chapter of Meeting Professionals International, the International Special Events Society, the National Association of Catering Executives for corporate affairs. It's also relevant to find out who is publishing articles in their industry.
# 3 - Check Credentials and Narrow down to 3 options
It's always good practice to verify the references of your potential event planner. After all, your name and reputation will be associated with the end product, so we recommend that you check reviews and your candidates' references. Be sure to ask for terms of clients the candidates have previously worked with and dig into each planner's history to find events they may not have mentioned.
Once you've verified the references and are happy with your event planner's portfolio and expertise in the field, it's time to narrow down your selection to one planner and listen to their ideas about the event. Based on your goals and ideas, a good event planner will present you with a plan to help achieve your theme. If it's an intimate evening and dinner for a private group of people, the planner should come to you with ideas that include many of the details for your program.
#4 - Request a quote and select the planner with the "best vision."
At this point, each event planner should present you with ideas that will make you feel like they've taken your budget and doubled its value. It should be apparent in how they pitch their vision for your event. An ideal candidate will take your budget and turn it into something magical. Still, their ideas will be costly, and you need to ask the planner to disclose all of the costs and potential sources of how these fees will be covered and incorporated into the overall budget. The event planner fees will vary from planner to planner or event company to event company.
Based on your objectives, it's possible to create a general sense of how much it will cost for various program elements, which will vary based on the type of event you are hosting and what it includes. Many people who organize an event for the first time tend to fall into the trap of wanting to plan a champagne event on a beer budget, which is why many people will turn to their event planner for help. Please note, depending on the nature of your event, you will need to provide deposits, paperwork, and contracts to the event planner and the event venues and services they offer.
If everything goes as planned, you'll have a successful event and an excellent event planner resource for the future, but if the planning process doesn't run smoothly for the services agreed to in writing, then it's essential to review whether the project is a good fit with the planner.
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