Top 5 Reasons to Trust your Event Planner's Expertise
You’ve decided to take the leap and hire an event planner for your next event. We have to say, that’s a pretty sound investment. When you’re the host of an event, it can be difficult to manage expectations, create budgets, hire speakers, select a venue, decor, food, beverage, and manage the event onsite while still fulfilling the events original goals and objectives.
The part that business owners and decision-makers tend to have the biggest problem with, however, is leaving the decisions up to the event experts they hire. It’s funny; so many people think that they understand what will work best for events. Here’s why it’s always best to trust your event planner’s expertise:
We’ve seen it all. Bottleneck of a crowd at the first bar, carefully positioned against the most beautiful backdrop in the space? We’ve seen it. Event hosts trying to squeeze 14 people at a 72” Round? Yep, seen that too. CEO ordering food for 100 people to save money, knowing that 300 attendees will come? Goodness, that was a day. The point is, our advice comes from a place of knowledge. We are trained to anticipate problems before they happen, and troubleshoot to ensure they don’t.
We have to deliver on promises. If we tell you that a well-intentioned marketing piece or promise to a sponsor won’t work in execution, it’s because we have considered it from all angles and found that it simply will not work, whether because of confines of the space that was selected or for another reason. We want you to be able to deliver on promises you’e made, and not have to worry the day of the event.
We put ourselves in attendees’ shoes: When I start to put the concept of an event into action, I literally will walk through every single space to get the attendee perspective. From signage, to stage placement and ADA compliance, event planners are trained to think of any possible accommodations that need to be made for all attendees.
We’re experts in our field. A CMP Designation means that an event planner is dedicated to the profession and possesses expertise in planning, managing, and executing successful meetings and events. Those who earn this designation have often worked in the field for years, enrolled in study groups, studied rigorously for months or years, and passed a comprehensive exam. We also continue our education and re-certify every 5 years, to ensure that we are well-versed in the most current standards and best practices of the industry.
It’s our job to make you look good. For all intents and purposes, event planners remain in the background of events. It’s our job to make our clients look good, to get our clients press, and to ensure that everything is running smoothly—so that you don’t have to. We want you to get the credit from your boss, your partners, your team and sponsors. We want the event to be a repeat affair, and we want to exceed expectations.
As I mentioned, if any of these come into question when you’re planning an event, I would look at your event planning strategy and see where a contracted planner or partner company can fill in the gaps.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from an event planner?