What are the benefits of being an event planner?
If you’re considering a career as an Events Planner, you may be weighing up the pros and cons of the role and whether or not you feel it’s the right career path for you. You’ve probably been thinking “What is an Events Planner?”, “Why become an Events Planner?” or even “What’s it really like being an Events Planner?”.
There’s lots of things to take into consideration and it’s important to take the time to research the role fully before committing yourself on the journey of becoming an Events Planner.
It’s important to remember that what might be a ‘con’ to someone else might actually be a huge ‘pro’ to you, and as everyone’s circumstances are different, this is just a guide to help you decide if the role of an Events Planner is the right move for you. So, with all that said, let’s jump right in!
Pros:
You get to be really creative at work
How many jobs have the fun of planning different events year-round? You may have one client that loves a sleek, sophisticated business meeting in a swanky hotel, and another client that is booking a special birthday party and wants a room filled entirely with metallic helium balloons for the special birthday girl… sounds great, right?
As an Events Planner, you’ll be able to pinch yourself that you get paid to organise and plan everyone’s dream event! Not to mention the vast amount of unique career paths you could find yourself down within events. The lockdown of 2020, though tragic, may just provide a silver lining in the shape of a changed future of Events Management. Companies, people and agencies of all kinds have been diversifying through digital and hey, who knows what the future holds for events?
The feeling of satisfaction you’ll feel after each event is completed
You worked hard to make sure all the finer details of the evening come together on time. The food was delicious, and everyone had their fill, the music was perfect and you overheard the guests saying what a lovely time they were having! You’ve completed your events responsiblities – it just doesn’t get better than this! You can head to bed with a feeling of satisfaction and look forward to that ‘thank you’ email from a very happy client tomorrow.
You’ll increase your list of clients after every success
There’s no better advertising than word-of-mouth or first-hand experience. After each successful event, prepare to gain a few new clients after they’ve been wowed! You never know, you could inspire them to try and gain an Events Planner role or Party Planner role. Make sure you leave business cards around, network and, most importantly, offer the client you are hosting the event for an incentive for recommending you. After an evening of celebrating with their important guests and getting praises, they’ll naturally want to be singing yours!
Make sure you don’t miss out on that valuable and genuine passion from a client by getting them to fill in a feedback form and some kind of incentive for recommending your business to others, including a discount on their next booking with you (because after an event like that, they’ll definitely be back!)
Your contacts book will be full of exciting names
As a successful Events Planner, you just never know who you’ll meet next! You could be rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood elite, sports stars, politicians, corporate giants, authors and famous speakers and many others. Whether you hire them to appear at the event, you’re introduced through a mutual friend or you’ve managed to become a Celebrity Events Planner networking in this industry can really pay off!
CONS :
The Hours Are Irregular
Event planning is definitely not a 9 to 5 job. Be expected to be required to work on weekends and some holidays. As the event you are planning draws closer, expect to work more than a few late nights overseeing the process of putting all of the details together.
The day of the event will require you to work, more than likely, from dawn to dusk.
The Profession Demands an Extraordinary Amount of Responsibility
Not only are you going to be responsible for your own duties in planning the event, but you must also oversee (and be responsible for) for the duties of others. For example, you will need to ensure that the caterer, lighting company, lodging facilities, etc. are all up to par.
If a vendor falls through, or fails to fulfill their duties, you’ll be responsible for finding a replacement, even at the last minute. This can often be quite stressful.
Meeting Budgets Can Be Difficult
Remaining within the budget that a client has provided you can often be difficult for an event planner – even the professionals. It is not uncommon for the client’s desired finished product to exceed what their budget can afford.
As an event planner, you then have one of two options to choose from: attempt to create the wanted outcome within the provided amount of money or report to the client that it cannot be done. Either option can be stressful.
Tight budgets
The majority of events operate under a strict budget so you’ll be under pressure not to over-spend. Unless you’re one of the lucky ones who work with large companies where spending is not the primary concern. Many of my budgets have been well over $1M per event because it was more important to get it right and create a show rather than pinch pennies. Knowing what your client’s expectations are is paramount to the success of the event and ultimately your success too. Get your own event planning budget.
Boredom – Event planning can be all about ebb and flow. Sometimes you have a ton of work and other times there’s nothing in sight. The completion of an event can be satisfying but it’s the slow periods between each event where boredom sets in. It’s also the time to catch up on administrative work, which doest bring the adrenaline rush we love and have become accustomed to.
Perks Of Being A Corporate Event Planner
There’s more to the event planning profession than planning sweet 16s. Have you ever thought about becoming a corporate event planner? It may sound like you’ll spend most of your time around grey suits and presentation boards, but this job isn’t boring by any means. You could be a freelancer, a company’s in-house event planner, or be part of an established planning business—these are all dynamic positions that can all lead to rewarding careers.
It’s not always easy, but there are some serious perks to this job. Still not convinced? Read on for the 6 perks of being a corporate event planner!
- You’ll set your own hours
Especially if you’re not a company’s in-house planner, you’ll find that your position is extremely flexible. You’re normally only given a specific time period (with intermediary deadlines) to complete a specific stage of the planning process. The rest of the time, you can decide your own hours. You could work at any time of day that best suits your needs or the needs of your business.
This flexibility is not only a nice perk, but it’s also necessary if you’re planning multiple events at the same time. You may need to attend meetings all afternoon one day and then scout venues later that evening. Each day has a whole new set of tasks, so being able to schedule your work day to best suit your own needs is a huge perk!
- Out with the old, in with the new!
Even if you have a less-than-stellar client, you can finish up your contract with them, and then never have to work with them again! The freedom to choose your own clients and take on new projects as they suit your ambitions and needs cannot be overlooked. With new clients and new projects come new challenges, new vendors to work with, and new goals to achieve.
Yes, most event components won’t be changing—you’re always going to be negotiating with sponsors and hiring entertainment—but with all these changing factors, you’ll never be bored.
- You’re always meeting different people
If you’re a people person, then this career is perfect for you! You’ll not only meet new clients for every project you take, but you’ll also be able to meet many new people throughout the planning process. You’ll be able to collaborate with different industry professionals as your event unfolds. The planning job doesn’t just end on the day the event occurs. You’re expected to ensure that everything goes smoothly, and that means you’re going to be attending the event yourself!
Everyone you meet at a particular event is an opportunity to network. If they’re impressed with your work, they may hire you in the future for their own events! Meeting people from all walks of life will give you boundless opportunities to learn new things and develop ideas—ideas that could even help you plan better events!
Benefits Of Hiring An Event Planner For Your Wedding
An Event Planner Will Save You Time And Headaches
There are hundreds of small details that need to be taken care of when planning your wedding. Much of them you may be aware of, but much of them likely not. Hiring an event planner will save you time and allow you to focus on some of the bigger aspects of your day, such as what wedding venue to select. (An event planner can help you with that as well.)
Since wedding planning is their job and they are experts, they will have a better idea of what areas of the wedding planning to tackle first, and in what order. An event planner will save you the time and headaches of attempting to figure out what to do, and when to do it.
An Event Planner Will Help You Bring Your Vision To Life
You may have always had a vision for how you hoped your wedding would look. Where an event planner comes into play is hearing what you want and using their expertise to bring your vision to life.
You may have pictured a sparkling ballroom with marble floor, and dancing the night away with your partner. However, maybe you’re not entirely sure how to portray that image and how to truly make your ideas reality. But an event planner will use their industry expertise to help achieve the look and feel that you want for your wedding.
For example, perhaps you wanted to use blue napkins, but the planner knows that black napkins will compliment your other colors more appropriately. It’s all in the small details that really can push your wedding from being great to being unforgettable. This is where the event planner’s expertise and vision can make all the difference.
Industry Expertise And Fostered Relationships
Over time, event planners build up a list of vetted industry connections which they can tap into when planning your wedding. Since they’ve worked closely with these various vendors such as florists, bakers, makeup artists, photographers, bands, and so on, chances are your event planner will be able to not only find the perfect vendor for your specific wedding, but they can often get you a better deal than if you were to visit a vendor yourself.
A wedding planner’s industry expertise allows them to stay on top of what is trending and what isn’t. Perhaps you wanted to go with silver flatware, but your event planner knows that gold would suit your wedding style better. A good wedding planner will be able to offer you sound advice on what to do, and when to do it.