Events are a fantastic opportunity to bring your business into the limelight, and that is the reason why most business actively organize events. It helps to improve your PR game and is a great marketing opportunity since you get to develop a one on one relationship with your customers. A great event can give your business a much-needed boost. However, a failed event can also become a cause of extreme embarrassment.
Pulling off a successful event without a mishap is a tough job, and this is why most people feel more comfortable in outsourcing the job to a professional event planner. A professional event planner knows the tricks of the trade and therefore manages everything from the venue to décor, to catering to overall guest management. Although the existence of the event planning industry has allowed the organizers to get relieved of the burden, the stress of hiring the right event planner still exists. You will always find event planners that will make tempting promises and will offer you incredible prices to lure you, and you might end up with a horror story on the day of the event. To avoid such a situation, here are a few tips that will help you hire professional event organizers.
Determine the Purpose of Your Event
Most people believe that their budget is the first thing that they should look at to filter out event planners. In fact, the very first criteria to choose an event organizer should be the purpose of your event. What most people don't know is the fact that every kind of event requires a different sort of expertise, equipment, and infrastructure. An event planner who does the most amazing weddings might not be able to handle a corporate product launch. Someone who makes terrific corporate dinners might fail miserably at managing a charity concert. Therefore, determine what exactly do you intend to achieve from your event. This will decide your “who is going to plan the event” for you. You want to find people who embrace changes within their industry expertise, particularly technological, like using catering software from websites like https://www.inhousemanager.
References
The biggest favor that you can do to yourself when hiring an event planner is to check references and testimonials for reliability. Ask around in your social circle, friends, and family if someone had organized a similar event. You will be more at peace if you will have someone reliable and experienced to pull off that kind of an event. Regardless of how promising they sound, there is always a tad bit higher risk involved in hiring a new team.
Meetings and Interviews
Once you have shortlisted a few options, set up an appointment with them. Beforehand, you may want to complete a DBS check on them using a company like CRB Direct or you can do it yourself.
During the interview, focus more on asking them as many relevant questions as possible rather than giving out details about your event. Focus on their way of speaking, tone and body language. It will indicate their professionalism and expertise. Ask as many questions as you want about their experience and client portfolio. A professional event planner will calmly respond to all your queries and will also give you a consultation regarding your event, catering, guest list and other important aspects of your event.