Why Hire A Corporate Event Planner
When companies throw corporate events, they think hiring a corporate event planner will put them way over budget. In reality, planners know the tips, tricks, and contacts that save businesses time and money in the long term without having to sacrifice the quality of the event.
Event planners build relationships with suppliers and received discounted rates from vendors that a planner will pass onto the client. When a company calls the same provider, they’ll pay their standard rates. These may be just as much as 20% higher compared to the rate of a well-networked event planner might receive.
Time is money and employees in the business don’t have sufficient time in their hands to plan the entire corporate event.
Spreading employees thin is pointless when a planner may do the same job more efficiently. Planners can organize and execute the event in less time than the company ever could, allow employees to concentrate on their responsibilities.
Event planners have in-depth knowledge and wisdom accumulated from the experience of many years of planning events and parties. Planners know the most recent trends, latest venues, hottest colors, spending budget-saving secrets, and details that businesses frequently look over when you just plan several events annually.
Planners have a Rolodex that’s worth all the cost of an event planning company. They’ve all of the right contacts at their fingertips, from lighting to decor. Using multiple search engines to find out vendors for the party is pointless when planners may have all of the best vendors on speed dial.
Regardless of how much meticulous planning, preparation, and management the employees do for the event, there’ll be an unforeseen hiccup. Guests shouldn’t be knowledgeable as to the problem and the staff planning the event shouldn’t appear panicked. The planner knows who to call and how to remedy the situation quickly. Planners decide using their resources to maintain the event on the right track.
A planner is an expansion of the company. They do all the hard work for the event so that employees can enjoy the event as they’re meant to. A planner allows all employees to network efficiently and make favorable impressions.
Great planners allow the business to be part of the details and decisions without being burnt out on an info overload, which occurs when employees inside the company plans the event. Planners will get to be familiar with the business and find the sellers which are ideal for the company and the event message.
Time Management
Planning an event by yourself can be a challenging task, especially if you are in full-time employment. Many do not realize the amount of time management necessary to not only pull off a successful event but also make it memorable with a bang.An event planner would aid in managing time required to plan the event as well as the schedule day of. A professional and dedicated event planner will go all the way to ensure that your event meets each deadline, is within budget, and is an unforgettable occasion.
Cut Costs
Many companies choose to plan their events because they think event planners are expensive and the task of DIY will help save money. However, hiring a corporate event planner can aid in reducing costs of throwing an event. Often times, event planners have access to negotiate lower fees, especially when they have established relationships with key venues and vendors. Corporate event planners can even advise you on where to cut corners with cost and stay within budget.
Experience and Guidance
Event planners select the industry due to a history of experience, savvy skillset, and a passion to see your dream event come to fruition. Many companies who DIY event planning will not have the savvy know-how and emotional collectiveness to put out “fires”. However, corporate event planners have seen it all and have learned to roll with the punches in case the unexpected occurs. Furthermore, a good event planner will host a post-event debrief with you to discuss the successfulness of your event and how things can be improved for the next occasion.
They focus on the details
When it comes to planning, event experts have an eye for the finer things. Perfectly matching the color of the tablecloths to the accent pieces in the floral arrangements probably isn’t something you want to deal with. These meticulous details may seem irritating to the average host, but event planners love every second of it! Planners focus on the minute details that will take your event to the next level while you keep your attention on the big picture.
They stick to your budget
Hiring an event planner may seem like an unnecessary expense, but they actually help you save money in the long run. Event experts know where it’s acceptable to cut costs and when it’s worth spending a few extra dollars. They stick to your plan from the beginning, allow you to make adjustments if needed, and ensure that you don’t leave the event with an empty wallet.
They have connections
You’re likely already working on a tight budget (who isn’t?), so any way you can minimize costs is important. Many event planners have connections with suppliers and vendors that can offer you discounted services on decor, food, and more! And most importantly: planners are never afraid to negotiate to get you a better price.
Consider When Looking For The Best Event Planning Agency For Your Company.
Identify your needs
Do you struggle with the planning logistics? Do you have management issues during the event? Are you unable to leverage social media efficiently to promote your event? Do you lack the resources to segment and manage your attendees? What exactly is your planning process, and what are the challenges you want to overcome?
The answers will help you know what to look for when outsourcing the logistics to a third company. For example, you may have a strong social media team that can take care of promoting the event, or maybe you already have an event management tool that handles the event registration, mass mailing, and attendee segmentation. Yet you still need help setting up the venue and assisting the attendees during the event. Be very specific about your needs, because this will give you the framework to find the right event planning agency.
Ask the right questions
If you want to have a strong and efficient collaboration with the planning agency you’ll be hiring, you can’t see them as a simple logistics team that does just what you tell them do. On the contrary, you’re searching for a strategic partner that, apart from accomplishing the logistic tasks, will also consider your goals and help you design the best events.
So when scheduling a meeting with representatives from an event planning agency, make sure you have prepared the right questions for them. Instead of asking them about their planning protocol, you may want to know how they can you align your event marketing efforts with your business goals. You can also ask what their approach is to designing attendee experiences.
A seasoned planning agency will be more than thrilled to assist you with the event marketing strategy and help you run a flawless and results-driven event.
Pay attention to the questions you’re being asked
You know you’re dealing with a professional planning team when you’re not the only one asking questions. A powerful agency will take good advantage of the kick-off meeting and ask you about things such as your business goals, your audience particularities, your previous experience with event marketing, the messages you want to convey, and the internal processes you’re running.
They’ll do that to see if there’s a compatibility between the solutions they can provide and your needs. Apart from that, they’ll be able to use this information to design a personalized proposal for your brand that is aligned with the reasons why you want to run events.
Obviously, you can (and should) talk about logistics, too, but at the first meeting, pay attention to the strategic questions you’ll be asked. If you see that the planning team is trying to uncover your needs, know you’re in good hands.
Evaluate the agency’s portfolio
Each event planning agency will have an impressive portfolio that includes inspiring descriptions of the events they worked on, awesome photos, and positive ROI results. And although this gives you a better understanding of the agency’s planning style, you may want to look beyond these indicators.
So when evaluating the portfolio, also make sure the agency has experience with running the type of events you want to plan. For example, if you want to run conferences or product presentations, you won’t go with an agency that only has experience with weddings or concerts.
Also, ask the agency representatives what results they’ve generated for their clients. How many high-quality leads did their clients capture during their events? How many sales were those companies able to close after the event? This information will help you truly get to know if the planning agency can actually help you plan and run impactful events.
