Professional Event Planner: Is It Necessary to Have One?

Planning an event can be stressful, time-consuming, and expensive. Whether it’s a wedding, a professional conference, or a fundraiser, the process of event planning can be extremely overwhelming without experience in the field. 

Fortunately, a professional event planner will bring the know-how, connections, and eye for detail that will streamline the process, leaving you with more time and energy to focus on the actual purpose of your event – rather than sweating the details.

Many people wonder whether it is actually necessary to hire a professional event planner to help set up and execute a successful event – after all, holding an event is already expensive, and hiring someone to help plan it adds another cost.

When weighing the costs and benefits, however, it becomes clear that a professional event planner can not only improve the quality of your event, but can save time and money, and provide much-needed peace of mind. 

Read on to learn about how having a professional event planner as your ally can make bring your event to the next level.

A professional event planner helps keep you on budget

When considering hiring a professional event planner, many people worry about adding an extra expense to their budget. However, professional event planners’ experience and connections can help identify and secure the best deals with vendors for your event.

Professional event planners are also well-versed in event budgeting and can work with you to select a venue and vendors that will make your event a success without breaking the bank. 

In addition to identifying and selecting vendors within your price range, a professional event planner can negotiate complimentary services, upgrades, and even extra space for your event.

Event planners are well-connected

Deciding between vendors for your event is an overwhelming task when undertaken alone. Comparing prices alone can be time-consuming and confusing – combined with trying to determine vendor quality from a long list of customer reviews only complicates the task further. 

A professional event planner’s experience in the field creates relationships with vendors that last for a lifetime. These connections can get you the best deals and highest quality of service for catering, decor, lighting, audio/visual, and a host of other important aspects of your event.

Vendors appreciate the continued business of professional event planners, and often give special discounts that would be impossible to secure alone. In addition, some event planners have in-house vendors that can streamline the process further, leaving you and your planner with more time to design and execute a successful event. 

In-house catering with Milestone Estate Kitchen

Professional event planners help with organization

The event planning process is full of moving parts and small details. Event planners are well-versed in organization, and can establish (and, more importantly, stick to) a production timeline.

Your event planner will ensure that your venue and vendors are booked well in advance, payments are made on time, and creative choices are properly communicated with vendors. 

They will also compile a run-of-show in the weeks leading up to your event. This plan will schedule load-in and load-out for all vendors, as well as a production schedule detailing every movement down to the minute.

On the big day, your event planner will be in close contact with vendors to ensure that all goes according to plan. This leaves you the freedom to be present at your own event, whether that means building relationships with clients and industry leaders for a business conference, discussing financial support for your organization at a fundraiser, or enjoying the company of your friends and family at a wedding or reunion.

An event planner brings creativity to the process

Not everyone has an eye for design, and that’s okay! A professional event planner is there to help develop the perfect aesthetic for your event – whether it’s traditional, a bit out of the box, or totally avant-garde. 

You can work with your event planner to select a theme (if any) and identify the best way to use your venue’s space. Your planner will create a cohesive design with color coordination, eye-catching displays, and small details that the untrained eye may miss. 

Professional event planners can develop a creative vision for your event if you don’t know where to start – on the other hand, if you know exactly what you want your event to look like, your event planner will work closely with you to make sure it’s executed precisely according to plan.

If you fall somewhere between having a set vision and no idea where to start, your event planner can help you too! An extra pair of eyes and hands is always helpful, and combined with years of experience, a professional event planner’s input can’t be topped.

21 Creative Corporate Event Entertainment Ideas

A professional event planner knows the rules

Depending on the location and timing of your event, local laws may come into play. In some municipalities, amplification is prohibited after a certain time, and fire codes may limit the capacity of your event.

Running afoul of local laws may result in fines that can push you far over budget, or even get your event closed down by the authorities. Luckily, with a professional event planner you don’t need to comb through pages of local ordinances to make sure you’re in compliance! Event planners are well-versed in local laws, and will make sure your event is in line with all relevant regulations.

Professional event planners help your event go smoothly

No matter how much planning goes into your event, a number of challenges may arise the day of. Fortunately, professional event planners know how to rise to the challenge in real-time.

A surprise thunderstorm on the day of your outdoor event? Your event planner will have a contingency plan that may involve umbrellas, tents, or a backup location indoors. A problem with the caterer or another vendor? Your event planner’s extensive professional network will have someone to fill the gap.

Difficulties that would overwhelm you on your own are no problem for an experienced event planner. They will provide the connections and know-how to make sure that any possible issue has a contingency plan.

How to Find and Hire the Best Event Planner 

Event planners help keep you stress-free

In addition to the many practical benefits of hiring an event planner, having an experienced professional will take a world of weight off of your shoulders. From the first meeting with your event planner through the day of your event, until the last guests and vendors have left the venue, you’ll have a partner who knows exactly what needs to be done. 

Alone, the process of planning and executing a large event is enough to overwhelm even the most calm and collected host. With a professional event planner by your side, you can have the peace of mind of knowing that everything is taken care of, down to the smallest details. 

Event Coordination at Milestone Events

A professional event planner is your greatest ally, no matter what kind of event you’re hosting.

Here at Milestone Events, our team of experienced Event Coordinators are here to ensure your wedding or professional event goes off without a hitch and wows your guests. 

We are here to make sure that your event is everything you’ve dreamed while making the process as easy and stress-free as possible. 
Learn more about event coordination with Milestone Events.