Why hire a professional event planner?
Often clients will ask themselves "Why do I need to hire a professional planner for my event?" There are many benefits to hiring a professional, and while you do pay for these services, if you hire the right planner the benefits will far outweigh the costs.
Years ago, hiring a professional planner was something limited to the famous or wealthy. However, as events become more complicated and elaborate, the need for someone with ample experience and resources becomes a necessity. Most social events take more than 100 hours to plan, and most people today do not have that amount of "extra" time in their schedule. Thus, hiring an event professional becomes imperative.
When you hire a professional firm, you not only benefit from their years of experience, you also benefit from the numerous connections and relationships that this organization has acquired over the years. This is why it is very important to make sure that the person or firm you hire has several years of experience in the industry.
Why should I pay a planner for their services when my florist/caterer/hotel will do it for free?
Florists/Caterers/hotels are not professional planners. They may offer their planning services to help sell their primary service, but they are not usually educated in the field of event planning. These vendors are not qualified to deliver the level and quality of planning that one would receive from a professional planner.
Professional trained planners have all kinds of "tricks" and "techniques" to help your event run smoothly. And in most cases you don't even know what techniques they are employing; you just see the final result-a well-executed event. These are the types of services that only a specialized and experienced professional can provide.
Also, a professional planner is at hand for you and constantly has your best interest as their primary concern. When we negotiate a contract for our clients, we negotiate to get them the best deal. And the best deal does not always mean the best rate. For example, there are many clauses that should be included in your event contracts such as minimums, load in times, cancellation clauses. A good planner knows what to look for and how to obtain the best agreement for your specific needs.
When a vendor is working as your planner, they usually do not assist you with the level of detail that a professional planner would. In addition, vendors very often plan to their advantage, not yours. An example is a situation that arose a few years ago during the planning of a social event for a client.
Prior to bringing Celebrations on board, the client was trying to utilize the hotel planner as her event planner. When Celebrations started to work on the event we had been given all of the work that had been done up to that point. This included the layout of the event space. We found it to be odd that the bar was located just inside the door where the guests would be entering the reception. After all, it is Event Planner 101 to know that you move your bars to the back of the room; this helps to insure that your guests move into to the room rather than creating a bottle neck at the entrance. You never place the bar by the front entrance. We come to find out later on that the hotel prefers to have the bar close to the door because this spot is in closer proximity to the kitchen, therefore closer to additional supplies. So in this example, this layout was planned to the benefit of the hotel, not the client.
What are the benefits of hiring a Professional for your corporate meeting or event?
When you hire a professional planner for your meeting or event, it is like having an additional staff member on your team. This planner will work with your team in any capacity that you feel is necessary. If you and your staff are too busy to work on that meeting that the corporate office just threw at you, you can hire Celebrations to handle the entire event, enabling you and your staff to continue working on your primary responsibilities.
What are the benefits of hiring a Professional for your association meeting or event?
In an association where the board is comprised wholly of volunteers there can be many challenges when trying to plan a meeting or event. If no one on the board has any experience planning a meeting or an event, this can be a costly venture. Also, all of these members usually have full-time jobs that must take priority over their volunteer undertakings. This may mean important tasks get pushed aside or deadlines aren't met. When you hire a Professional planning company, there is always someone who can guide the group and make sure everyone is remaining on task. Or if necessary, the planner can manage the whole event, leaving the volunteer board time for more important tasks.
I'm on a tight budget, I really can't afford to hire a professional planner.
Professional planners can be worth their weight in GOLD! Yes, planners do charge a fee. The fee can be a flat rate, hourly rate, day rate or a combination of all of these. However, planners help you get good deals with their vendors, and they can also help you plan your budget to see where funds can be saved. Working with the right Planner can save you money. The money they save you often offsets their fee considerably.
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Art of Planning