Do you think that a conference or event planner is a luxury? Think again! Did you know that if the planner is any good they should deliver cost savings that are enough to pay their management fee plus some? You don’t know what you don’t know until you ask! Or, until someone that cares about the success of your next conference or event tells you!
Each week for the next 7 weeks, we’ll share the Top Seven questions to ask to get more of what you want out of future meetings, events, and conferences:
5. What is the best way to pick a Conference or Event Planner?
There are several rules to go by when choosing an event-planning specialist for your corporate or non-profit event. All planners are not created equal and the purpose of this question is to provide you with three key areas to research before signing on the dotted line.
- Price – Even though there may be some things in life where the price of one product or service is indicative as to how the product or service will turn out, that simply is not true most of the time! Conference and Event Planning Specialists may have their prices set for a specific reason: a relatively low-priced Corporate Planning Specialist may have his or her price set low when they first start out simply because they are inexperienced, yet they perform their duties and services wonderfully! If that’s the case then a pay raise may just be in order for them. On the other hand, the opposite could be true. A Corporate Planning Specialist may consider themselves one of the best in the business and charge an exorbitant price for their services yet fail to deliver what their customers really want. Even though prices may be somewhat of an indicator of how well a Planner may perform does not mean that one should go by the factor of price alone.
- Personality – It’s very important that the Corporate Planning Specialist you choose definitely has a likable personality! In other words, some questions to ask yourself when meeting with a Corporate Planning Specialist include whether you like him or her, how comfortable they make you feel, and how much freedom you’ll have in the aspects of your event that they’re helping you to plan. All of these things are important, but perhaps the most important one in that bunch is whether or not the Corporate Planner likes total control or whether they allow you to express your opinions and feelings when making some of the important decisions as well!
- Reputation – One thing that you may want to do is ask around throughout the city to see if anyone else has had a good experience with the particular Corporate Planning Specialist that you’re thinking about hiring! A Corporate Planner should have some references they are willing to share, but obtaining additional references can be a good thing to let you know whether or not that particular Corporate Planner will be a good fit for you in the long run.
Corporate events can take many forms and require the highest attention to detail. Whether you are coordinating a conference for 400 people, or an off-site meeting for your colleagues, hiring a corporate event planner can help you execute your program with professionalism and care… and ensure your next conference is a huge success!
We’ll share the next question in the series next week, so stay tuned! Coast to Coast Conferences & Events brings you strategic, cost-efficient, end-to-end event and conference planning, offering the latest in innovative event technologies, detailed logistics management, destination services, and hotel housing solutions. We always get the job done and we always do it right; reach out today if you’d like to know more: