Event Planning 101! By First Services Hospitality

Choosing a great event planner starts with first knowing the type of event that you want to produce? Is the event a corporate event or a social event? Both types of events may require different styles of event planners, although some event planners are skilled to do both generally they will specialize in one or the other. Corporate event planners, work mainly with corporate clients to produce meetings, conventions, galas and fundraisers they are for the organization, group or association guests. Social event planners are producing social functions, weddings, non-profit fundraisers and other social events that are mainly public or invited guests events.

Things to remember are who are their clients now and what events have they produced? What was the outcome of the event? A great event planner will share the high-lights and the low-lights, if everything was outstanding all the time then this is probably not the best event planner for you. You want an event planner that has learned from mistakes and how they have put procedures in place to deal with any situations like this that may arise in the future. You want an event planner that can make suggestions on how to make the event better and lead you away from any misguided well intentioned ideas.

Great event planners are willing to give references, and have testimonials on their websites that can be confirmed by the potential client. They act in a professional manner, show-up on time, hold meetings, from the tentative booking, to working through the process, to confirming details ( working with suppliers), keeping the client on budget, keeping the client informed about the budget, answering telephone messages, e-mails in a timely manner, working at the event, being held accountable and conducting a post event analysis. All of these qualities and qualifications are true for both types of event planner- corporate or social.

Event planners should not be your friends or family this can be detrimental to the relationship and having an outside opinion and working through the process of the event is preferred. Study websites, ask colleagues or remember the great event that you attended and ask the person who held the event who was the event planner? Event planner’s charges will range depending on their specialty and what is required by them to do. You can get quotes but remember cheaper is not always better. Experience, knowledge, connections are most valuable for putting on a successful event so choose wisely.