Event Planner
The subject of DIY events vs. professional event planners is something that you may have heard from a potential client – ‘Why should I hire you when I can do it myself?’
Clients may wonder why there’s a need to hire an event planner when it’s ‘easy enough’ to plan an event themselves or have their assistant plan it. Now, I agree that for something like a small family party it’s usually easy enough to plan a DIY event, as long as the invite list is limited. For events on a larger scale though, there are so many things to think about that a DIY planner might end up missing one of the essential elements. There are some people, the super-organized types with a great eye for detail plus creative flair, who might pull it off, but there are a number of things for potential clients to consider in the DIY events vs. professional event planners scenario.
We all know how much work and effort goes into organizing a fabulous event, and here are the main benefits of using a professional event planner if you ever have the need to explain it to client who’s asking the question.
Differences between DIY Events and Professional Event Planners
- The Cost
People might assume that planning an event on their own will work out to be less expensive, because of course our event planning services don’t come for free, but there’s more to think about than just the initial outlay when you hire an event professional. A seasoned event planner will have working relationships with venues and suppliers, so can get discounts and special pricing that just aren’t available to the general public. A professional event planner also has the experience of which are the areas where cutting costs is appropriate, (and any areas where it isn’t), so is likely to save their clients some unnecessary expense.
- Knowledge & Experience
As well as having great knowledge of the logistics of planning an event, a professional event planner will have built up a great network of suppliers that they can call on, whereas with DIY events the planner is likely to struggle to find just the right supplier for their requirements. Plus, a professional will know what the areas that have the highest risk of going wrong are, and also know exactly what to do to prevent them from going wrong.
- Stress Levels
Out of all the factors in the DIY events vs. professional event planners debate, I’d say that this is the most crucial. A professional event planner will take all of the headaches that come with organizing a big event, (hey, we’re used to it!), leaving their client and guests to enjoy themselves. Even if a potential client doesn’t have any major issues at their DIY event, they’ll still be worrying about what could happen instead of just enjoying the occasion
- Time
In the run up to any big event there are so many things that need to be arranged, confirmed or checked, and a professional event planner will be dedicated to doing just that. If a prospective client is planning a DIY event, it can be hard to find the time to fit the planning stages around their normal life, work and family.
- Marketing the Event
Now, for a private event for family and friends such as a birthday or engagement party, there’s no need to worry about the marketing side of things. But for events where the guest list is a lot bigger, like charity events or promotional events, how can a potential client make sure that they market the event successfully if they’re doing it themselves? A professional event planner will have all of the tools, knowledge and connections to make sure that any event they plan is a success, not a flop.
This is a guest post by Melanie Woodward. Melanie has managed events with over 30,000 attendees and is on a mission to arm aspiring event planners with tools for success.Ten years after successfully starting her own event company with less than $500, Melanie is now in a position to share her expertise with others. Her extensive knowledge of event planning is complimented by the experience she gained at Strategic Coach, where she worked closely with entrepreneurs to help them build and improve their businesses. This unique skillset has made her a sought-after guest speaker on radio shows and a regular contributor on About.com. In addition to sharing her knowledge on-air and on-line, Melanie is also helping aspiring entrepreneurs start their own event planning business with a set of invaluable tools she calls Event Planning Blueprint™.
“Image source – Flickr , usage under Creative Commons license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)”
Are there any hard numbers, statistics or other facts that back up the cost savings of using professional event planners?
Cool post! I learned a lot about the benefits of hiring an event planner. Thank you for explaining how “A professional event planner will take all of the headaches that come with organizing a big event, (hey, we’re used to it!), leaving their client and guests to enjoy themselves.” My brother hired an event planner to help with his wedding and it took off a lot of stress off of him and my family. http://destinationmusickcity.com/what-we-do/
I agree an event planner does add the special touch and their contacts are valuable. They give access to so many things which are needed from decor to Marquee companies like http://www.ldnmarquees.co.uk
My sister has a large event that she is in charge of, and she is trying to do everything on her own. I do think that is a good point you make about how event planners have relationships with venues and suppliers and can get discounts. The reason she was hesitant to hire a planner was because of the cost. Really though, in the end it will all balance out. http://mirkprod.com/entertainment/
My favorite benefit you list for hiring an event planner is that it takes out all the headaches that come with organizing a big event. I’m in charge of our big neighborhood party and I am not prepared to plan an event for that many people. Hiring an event planner will help me stay grounded and not give up on throwing a great party. http://eventschateau.com/
In your article, you stated that a professional event planner will take all of the headaches that come with organizing a big event, leaving their client and guests to enjoy themselves. My best friend is finally marrying his high school sweetheart and asked me to help him plan the wedding. I wonder if each planner has their own style that they implement in their planning. http://ptevents.com/eventplanning
I agree that hiring an event planner can help you have less stress to deal with. I can see that finding someone you can trust and who has the connections to help make your event a success can take time and dedication. It makes sense that shopping around and narrowing your list can help you find the person that is best for your event. http://deralee.com/services/#/eventmarketing/
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Professional events planners all the way! We tried hosting our own event a few years a go as we favoured doing 2 corporate events in a year instead of the one (we thought it would give us more budget) but both events were our least successful and meant we had to rebrand them. We started working with Scarlet Events there after and the events ever since have only been getting stronger and stronger. Highly recommend them for their flair and professionalism. https://www.scarletevents.com/
The best thing to be done is hire an event planner so that you can enjoy being a better host than being lost in your party itself. You can get a lot of options now a days the only thing you need to do as your part of task is give them your requirements and get a number of solutions from them like – https://onata.com/services/party-services/
I totally agree that hiring an event planner can be really effective and if you want to make your event successful I believe hiring them is the right choice! We all know that organizing events can be really stressful. In order to reduce the level of stress we’ve found apps for event planners that might help make their life a bit easier. Here is a list of The Best Tools and Apps for Event Planners https://helloendless.com/tools-and-apps-for-event-planners/