Need To Hire An Event Planner? We Have The Steps
Working with clients over the past 6+ years, I have experienced the gamut of relationships. From “I want to be involved in every detail” to “here’s money, plan the event and I’ll see you there” and everything in between.
Hiring an event planner is not just a fiscal decision, it’s emotional. Bringing in an outsider will impact you and your team, so you need to make sure it’s an efficient relationship because you really don’t have the time to hand-hold (unless you like doing that). What you desire is a self-starter with experience and the aptitude to handle any conflict or adjustment in stride.
So let’s get to it.
What To Do Before You Search For An Event Planner
Create measurable goals you want the event to achieve (here’s a blog post for Goal Setting)
Create a budget (and another blog post for that)
Create a Request for Proposal (RFP)
Draft an overview of the event you want to plan. If you don’t have anything specific and you’re looking for the event planner to help figure that out, make sure to state that with some parameters (i.e. guest count, annual event or series of events, full dinner or just cocktails & appetizers, stage performance, specific venue, etc.).
Include a scope of work for the event planner and your company (this is a little bit of a practice for you so there are no duplication of job duties)
Ask for specifics - such as you want three event themes that fit within your budget of $300,000, or you want three ideas for sponsor activation, etc.
Ask for references
State a due date for the proposal
State how you want to receive the proposal (don’t forget to include the email address they send the proposal)
Where To Find Prospective Event Planners
Check organizations websites like MPI.org, Bizbash.com
Contact the local Chamber of Commerce or Conference & Visitor’s Bureau
Ask colleagues for referrals
Once you have found a good group of event planners, send them the RFP. It’s a good idea to host a conference call with all event planners to field any questions they have about the RFP or you could handle the calls individually (if you have the time).
The Review Process
Review all the RFPs with a selection committee or another colleague just to get some outside input.
Once deciding on the top event planners, hold in-person interviews as face-to-face is the best way to gauge their soft skills (aka people skills and communication style) and figure out whether it will be a good working relationship - phone & email just doesn’t cut it. If they are not local, ask to have a video call.
What it all comes down to is how the event planner: communicates/works with your team, handles conflict and adjusts to changes quickly without harm to the event.
* During the interview ask them their planning process, how do they manage the project step-by-step.
How Much Do Event Planners Charge?
There are several ways a planner can charge, below are options I have seen.
20% of all event costs
Flat Rate plus a % of costs
Flat Rate for a large production - expect no less than $10,000
Hourly Rates begin at $100 on up to $400
Some event planners will add costs through the vendors they secure (i.e. they add 10% on rental bill to client and rental company will pay event planner the 10%) - I personally don’t agree with this as I want the client to know what they are paying
EVENT PLANNING TIP: Once the hiring process is complete, set-up a communication process that works for everyone. When I work with clients, I do a combination of things:
Create monthly/bi-weekly re-cap emails. The emails provide information on what needs a decision, what work/action items are due in the next month and what is completed.
We create a schedule of meetings and calls all the way to a post event meeting. Of course, things come up and meetings/calls may change, but this creates a starting point.
Create an internal webpage for the event team. This provides information on event vendors we are prospecting, bids, site layout drafts, timelines and checklists. It gives the client access to the event from their desktop to mobile device
Create an action plan that is inserted into a project management tool with action items and reminders that are assigned to the events team. Not all clients want this, but some like to see where things stand in real-time.
Final Thoughts
The great, good and bad relationships I have had with clients in years past all comes down to communication. It’s really important that clients state their vision/desires for the event and, just as important, what you don’t want before the event happens (even if it’s the week before). It’s harder to make the changes when the train is full steam ahead.
I wish you the best on outsourcing an event planner, please contact me with any questions or comment below with any incite you have had when hiring an event planner.
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