Experience and Specialization
“When hiring an event planner, you want to know exactly what experience he has and what kind of events he specializes in. Look at what past events he has thrown. Were those events on the same scale as what you’re trying to achieve? You want to hire someone who fits your specific needs and can prove it. You don’t need a celebrity event planner for a professional networking event.”
Robert De Los Santos, Sky High Party Rentals
Connections
“You never want to hire an event planner who’s not well-connected in your niche. Prior experience is a plus, and a positive attitude is a must.”
An Upbeat Personality
“Your events will be a reflection of your event planner’s personality. Make sure that you would want to go to an event featuring that person before hiring him.”
An Understanding of Your Vision
“You can always find a person to execute what you think you and your company need. A good event planner will understand your vision and goals and extend beyond that to provide you with what you asked for and more. Your event planner should be an ROI master with attention to detail and a true people person.”
Nicole Cohen-Nelson, BENG!
Organization
“Organization and timing are key for event planners. There are a lot of details flying around, and everything tends to converge at a single point in time. The unorganized event planner will be flustered and find it hard to be consistent in staying up on specific tasks that need to get done for the event. In the end, he’ll typically drop the ball on several issues during the event.”
Drive
“The event planner shouldn’t be satisfied with the status quo. You want to make sure his top priority is making your event as good as it can possibly be. Experience and relationships are also important — it will make his job easier and your event better.”
A Strong History
“Never hire an event planner before you are able to personally speak to a handful of past clients. Past references and reputations are everything in the event-planning business. Choosing someone with a strong history and connections will allow you to have a wide range of choices and vendors to choose from for your event.”