I’m a guest blogger on eventoozi.com. Check out this article I shared last month about why using an event planner is a smart choice!
To hire an event planner or not to hire an event planner. That is the question. Whether you are a nonprofit or a large corporation, this is a question that plagues many people who host an event. On the one hand, it seems fairly straightforward to manage the logistics of an event and many of us have experienced planning events from our personal or professional lives. Pinterest has made us believe that everything can be DIY’d if only we have the right tools, which makes sense, to a point. However, most large scale events would benefit from the expertise of an event planner. If you are trying to decide whether or not an event planner is right for your event, here are a few things to consider.
First of all, do you have someone in your organization who has long-term professional experience in planning events?
This is the single greatest asset a professional event planner can bring to the table. They simply have a long list of previous experience that helps them to see events in different ways and anticipate problems. Many clients come to us with an idea of what their event will look like, but as we talk to them, we realize that there are a lot of holes in their philosophy. These are things that they would never have caught on their own, and if they did, it would be too late. But a professional event planner can see risks in event marketing strategies, timelines and budgets that the average person would not catch. Their experience also comes into play if there is an issue (or worse, a disaster) at your event. They are able to plan for problems and be “on” when they do arise, thanks to their past experience. If you do not have someone in your organization who has experience that gives them this ability, it’s definitely worth hiring a planner.
Do you have the resources?
Certainly, planning an event is a very time-consuming process and requires a team with varied skills. I think it is important to consider whether or not your organization really has the resources to execute an event well. Just because someone can physically fit in the time to manage sponsors, market the event and contact speakers does not mean it is the best use of their time or that each of those categories will be planned in the way that it deserves based on that person’s time limitations. Event planning firms have teams dedicated to executing these logistics and are reliable when it comes to knowing what it takes logistically to pull any event together.
The Grey Area
In some cases, hiring an event planner is not a cut and dry situation. It comes down to more nuanced things like the fact that your board could plan an event, but they could raise more money if they were mingling at the event versus running the behind the scenes logistics. Or, perhaps there are aspects of your event where a professional planner would be very useful, but you don’t have the budget to bring someone in for the entire event. In these cases, it’s always a good idea to talk to several event planners and get their perspective on whether a planner is needed for your event, what they can provide, and how they might be able to break up the workload so that it fits into your budget. Every event is different and every planner will offer different services so researching a few companies before making a decision is always a good plan.
In the end, whether you choose to hire an event planner not, I wish you successful events!
Ready to hire? Check out event planners on eventoozi!