It’s been decided, you’re putting on an event to celebrate. OK, so where do you start? Better come up with a grand plan, but should you do it all yourself? Better get in a professional to help you out.
First of all, have an idea in mind for the purpose of the event and how you want that conveyed. Some ideas around the objective and vision. Next – get a budget worked out! Before you go any further – know how much money you’re working with and how much you can afford to allocate to each component.
From here, it’s probably a good idea to also look at how much of the event plan you want to execute because there’s: invitations, online promotion and messaging, venue rental, catering and beverages, décor, tech or audio visual, entertainment, activations – and all of this has to be managed on the day.
If you think you’ll be overwhelmed with the workload – then it’s time to start your search for an event planner.
Here’s a fun way to start off, look for someone with a strong REP.
A planner you find by – Referral A planner who has – Expertise A planner who is – Professional
Your next step is pretty much like interviewing applicants for a job – you should be working with a shortlist of your top 3- 5 candidates and set up a range of questions that require them to explain: their experience and history, event size sweet-spot, range of capabilities, how detailed they are in their work how they communicate, and how strong their partner network is, for example.
If they’re interactive and asking lots of questions about you, the purpose of your event and what you want guests to experience, you’re onto a great option – even better if they build a quick rapport and are already working to establish the relationship.
If you have opportunity to connect with or, check references with their current or former clients – feel free to do so! “Dot your “I’s” and cross your “T’s”
After this, it’s time to drill down and go with your top candidate, bring them in and fine tune the budget together. Here’s where their expertise can help you set realistic expectations for the event. That’s right, what we’re saying is: You may not get to have everything you want.
Once the paperwork starts rolling in with terms and conditions, payment terms and pages to sign – it wouldn’t do you harm to have it all cross-checked with your planner and even an attorney.
Once you have signed on the dotted line, this isn’t your handover to the planner. It’s your project, your vision, your baby – stay involved and cultivate regular communication and check-ins. You’ll keep things on track for the GRAND PLAN until the day of when it’s time to celebrate with your guests!!