7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Event Planner

June 15, 2022 Mario Stewart

The right event can be one of the most important occurrences in a career or in life. However, it is difficult to match the expertise of people who plan events for a living. Maybe that is why there is enough demand for party and event planners in the United States to generate a market worth more than $3.2 billion every single year!

Of course, with so much demand for event planners, you are going to have many options to choose between. Fortunately, there are some questions you can ask to help you decide if you should hire a candidate event planner. Read on to learn all about the most important things to ask an event planner before you hire them!

1. What Does Your Event Planning Provider Aim At?

Sometimes, the most important considerations are the ones that people take most for granted. The truth is that there is a lot of variety in terms of the goals people have for their events. Make sure to spend some time asking a prospective event planner how they measure the success of their events.

If an event planner does not have specific metrics, you might want to hire another one that does. You should find an event planner who uses consistent metrics to measure whether or not they are achieving success with their plans. You should also ask how they have responded to the data from their past events.

Ideally, you will hire an event planner who has learned from past mistakes and improved their numbers over time, whether for event planner expos or other events.

Looking at online ratings and reviews can also help you get a sense of what a potential event planner focuses on. 

2. How Does the Event Planner Prepare Themselves?

Conscientious event planners make sure to carefully prepare themselves for the day of the event. There is a lot that they're going to need to manage, so experienced event planners will treat themselves as another resource that needs to be carefully prepared.

Try to find a New York event planner who can explain how they prepare to manage decision-making and multitasking on the day of the event.

3. What Tools Does the Event Planner Use?

Successful event planners augment their natural talents by using tools. These days, a lot of these tools are software tools. Make sure to ask your candidate event planner about the tools they use and how they help them plan better events.

These days, if you find an event planner who is not using the latest software tools, there is a good chance that they simply cannot provide the services that a more technologically savvy event planner can. On the other hand, depending on your event, the right event planner for you might be able to get by without software.

If your candidate event planner says they don't use software tools, ask what they use instead. They may have learned about powerful planning tools at event trade shows.

4. How Does Your Prospective Event Planner Handle Unexpected Changes?

Exhaustively planning an event in advance is important. However, great event planners know that a lot of success comes down to how you manage unexpected changes.

Ask your candidate event planner how they have managed last-minute surprises for events in the past. You might even provide an example or two of possible changes that might be relevant to your event.

In particular, you want to make sure that your event planner already knows how to make sure everybody who will need to will become aware of hypothetical last-minute changes.

They should also have a plan B in case anything goes wrong. If possible, it is ideal to hear about the creative solutions an event planner has used to solve past problems.

5. How Do Your Event Planner Options Manage Dissatisfaction?

Even the best event planner options occasionally deal with unsatisfied customers. Just in case you end up unsatisfied, you need to know that a prospective event planner will handle it in a way that satisfies you.

It is important to find an event planner who has the people skills necessary to manage the emotional aspect of dissatisfaction. On top of that, it helps if you can find an event planner who provides assurances like guarantees.

Not every event planner will offer a money-back guarantee, but you can look for event planners who make a strong effort to satisfy clients even after an event has already occurred.

6. How Does the Planner Choose the Venue for the Event Plan?

One of the most important things your event planner will have to think about is the venue for your event. Asking about how they choose venues is a great way to get a look at the workings of their minds.

Ask for details about how your candidate event planner selects options for consideration. Then ask how they narrowed their options down. It can also help to ask about any past lessons they have learned by choosing the wrong venues.

7. How Does the Event Planner Draw a Crowd?

Whether you want New York City conferences or Texas weddings, it is essential that you work with an event planner who knows how to encourage people to attend.

Ask your candidate event planner how much they spend on advertising and otherwise drawing a crowd. Ask what free techniques they use to encourage attendance. Ask about their past success rates.

If an event planner cannot draw a crowd, it doesn't matter how good the event is.

The upcoming Event Planner Expo is an ideal place to learn more about event planners. It is also a great place to learn more about event planning as a provider. Follow this link to get your tickets now!

Understand the Most Important Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Event Planner

We hope learning about the questions you should ask before hiring an event planner has been helpful for you. The more that you know about event spaces and event services, the more likely you are to find the best event planner NY has available!

To learn more about the best event planner conferences or how to find the best event planner New York has to offer, then make sure to learn more about The Event Planner Expo 2022!

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