Questions To Ask Your Event Planner
If you have answered the first step questions like Do I need an even planner? When should I start planning the event? and How much it will cost me?, you can proceed to step two and ask yourself what are the things to consider when choosing a company to plan and carry out your event? Do expertise, portfolio, experience, and good recommendations matter? Certainly, you will do your research homework and in the end conclude that recommendations lead to making the call.
Recommendations will guide you in making the decision. However, not every company is cut out for your event. The planner who made a fairy tale wedding for your friend might not live up to the expectations of your fundraiser, for example.
Then what? Here is what you should ask in order to check if they are the right organizers for your event:
What is your specialty?
If reference is what brought you to the planner, first you need to establish what kind of events they organize. Don’t jump to conclusions and make any kind of judgment until you get this answer. Everyone cannot do everything if the quality is the aim. Nevertheless, a partner company might have planners for each and every event (for the right amount of money that is).
Can I get feedback from your customers?
Negotiate your way to a brief e-mail or telephone conversation with some of the former clients who had an event similar to yours. A photo album, blog testimonials and pictures in the office cannot vouch for standard, but a real person can. Double check the source and evaluate the information.
Can I be involved in the planning process?
The era of technology development in which we live gives us a plethora of opportunities for easy and quick communication, sending/receiving samples, giving feedback, contactless ticket selling, collecting reviews etc... Why not use it and be involved every step of the way?
Be cautious here, though. Probably, you will not be given access to internal part of the organization (justified and expected), so don’t ask for it.
Ask to be notified when certain stages are completed so that you can have an insight in the seriousness of the team, the manager in charge and in the successfulness of your event.
Track the activities and monitor the task fulfilment as much as your planner allows you. Do not be pushy and expect to know their every step.
Do you rent equipment or use your own?
There are two reasons to ask this question. Firstly, it will be cheaper for you, there is no renting fee. Secondly, rental equipment is prone to malfunction.
Of course, if it will be rented there is not much you can do anyway, but this one thing: you can demand and have in the contract the responsibility of the event management company to provide the replacement at their cost or not charge you for that service if there are some issues.
What are you working hours?
It is said that the event managers are available for clients 00-24. Naturally, this is not really the case, but certainly their working hours cannot be fixed. Imagine you organize, already mentioned, fundraiser, and your manager ends the working day at 5 pm. Not really suitable if your party starts at 21.00 and emergency issues at 21.55.
Who are your external partners?
Unlike the very act of event planning, catering, waiters, the band, delivery, promoters, photographers and other services are seen to by external partners or the associates of the company. It is your right to know who will prepare the food and arrange your playlist. If nothing else, the catering owner might be you childhood neighbor you haven’t seen for a long time and you are one step away from a discount.
Can you tell me something about your team?
Just as with external partners, there is no harm in knowing the team members who will tailor your event. Bonding and familiarizing with people who work for you fosters closeness, develops trust and makes them more eager to put in a little more effort to doing things your way.
What if you don’t meet the deadline?
The most important thing after work being done well is meeting the deadline.
Unquestionably, the events must start on time. Nonetheless, something to consider are delays, setbacks and obstructions. Asking this question will get you one step closer to ensuring the planner trying harder, especially if you ask all the unplanned costs to be covered by them.
In any case, consider these questions as the ones you should set and throw in everything else you would like to know - it is your event after all.