When deciding whether to hire an event planner, you consider value, convenience, and the impact a professional eye can have on the look and feel of your event. There’s no question that it’s more convenient to have someone taking care of arrangements leading up to and on the day of your celebration. And the impact of a professional designer on a party space is unmistakable. But what about value?
Over the years, the best planners have built solid relationships with the top vendors in the events industry. When a planner calls a vendor, they hold a tremendous amount of negotiating power because they likely represent several clients. It is in the vendor’s best interest to give the planner priority access to premium services at a discount.
So let’s look at an example scenario. Our fictional planner, we’ll call her “Plan-It Janet”, charges $6,000 for full-service planning. She will be calling vendors and assembling various options to lay out and discuss with you. Let’s say, for easy math, that you will be using 10 vendors for your event. For this example, those might be venue, catering, entertainment, decor, floral, custom printing (pillows/napkins, etc), photobooth, amusements (moon bounce, air hockey, etc), airbrush tattoos/hoodies, and transportation services. If Janet gets you an average discount of $400 to $700 for each vendor, you’re looking at $4,000 to $7,000 in savings, which will cover all or most of her fee.
On top of offsetting her fee, you still have an experienced planner in Janet looking out for your interests when signing contracts with those vendors, handling all of your details in advance, and making sure nothing gets overlooked. And finally, Janet will be liasing for you on the day of your event so that you can relax and be available for family and friends on your big day!
Hiring the right planner is key. Check their references. And while it is important to look up their online presence, don’t be fooled by just a fancy website. Visit sites like Yelp! and EventWire which have client reviews. And don’t be afraid to ask your trusted vendors what it’s like to work with a particular planner. If you do your due diligence, having a planner can both make financial sense, AND take the stress off of what should be one of the greatest occasions of your life!
