What should I know to hire the best event organizer?

Hiring an external event organizer or producer does not have to be a daunting task, but you should make sure you spend time searching for the best event planners and selecting them carefully before committing to one for your company's event.

There are several variables to consider when making your selection, which includes the purpose of your event, the budget you are working with, your reason for outsourcing and the candidates available for the job.

Fortunately, there are a lot of excellent resources that companies can use to choose the best event planner or producer to help create their company event.

Use the following guide to help you determine whether or not you need an event planner for your next event, and if so, how to select the best candidate for that job.

Determine the purpose of your event and the need for an event planner

Most people think that hiring an external event organizer begins by determining the event budget, but the truth is that it is more important to start by defining why you want to hold an event in the first place.

Before communicating with an external or internal resource that will help you plan this event, you must be able to share the important objectives of the event.

Answer your own relevant questions about who, what, where, when, why and how; there will be enough time to make adjustments later.

Once you have defined your objectives, some clear ideas will begin to emerge about what topic and message you want to convey in your event, but the most important thing is that you will want to determine what activities and services you need the external resource to handle on your behalf.

You should determine what budget you have for a planner and if they will help select the place, create menus and make recommendations on food and beverage options, original speakers and entertainment, be in place for the production needs of the day, and / or help to create important communication documents such as invitations and guest list.

If you plan your event alone and still have any of these needs unmet, you may want to hire an event planner to manage these tasks and responsibilities.

Use local sources to find a qualified event planner

People often think that word of mouth is the best way to hire an event planner for their anniversary party, breakfast business meeting, weekend retreat or other types of event, and although it certainly helps, This is probably not the most effective approach.

If you are trying to find the best event organizer for your adventure, it is best to find someone with experience and who has a solid reputation within the community of event planners.

Word of mouth provides an easy sales opportunity for a planner who wants to find new customers, but colleagues' reputation is very effective.

Interviews and discussion of the needs of the event with the applicants

Most event organizers will be eager to hear about your specific event, but give them brief details at the beginning, and focus a little more on their experience in the initial round of interviews, then define three more candidates powerful.

Then, you should ask each candidate to share information about your business, experience with past events and how to plan contingencies, paying special attention to the applicant's response and any follow-up questions you may have for your company, the event or its objectives.

The good organizers will guide you through a discussion to know the general objectives, the schedule, the budget, the guest count and the personal preferences of your event.

Those planners who are interested will ask questions about your organization and know their objectives and their particular event; Look for these signs when interviewing them to find candidates that stand out from the rest.

Although it is not always possible to meet someone in person during the first round of interviews, especially if your program is out of town, this can be a critical step in choosing the right candidate for your event and company.

Reduce options and make a selection

He is not good enough to follow his intuition, the advice of his friends or even colleagues and co-workers, or the meeting in person alone: ​​this is his event,  his name and his reputation will be associated with him. You need to check the references of your candidates.

Be sure to ask the names of the clients with whom the candidates have previously worked, but also research each planner's curriculum to find events that you may not have mentioned; You may find out that you made some mistakes with a particular client that did not.

Once you have verified that a candidate satisfactorily meets the requirements of your company, where he demonstrates experience in the field and understands quite well the event you wish to produce with him or her, it is time to reduce your selection to one and listen to your ideas about the event.