As an event planner, one of the most common questions that I'm asked is, "What is it that you do exactly", and, "Do I really need an event planner? Can't I do it myself?" In the following paragraphs I'll list the benefits of hiring an event planner for the most important and even the less important events of your life:
Saving time, and time is money!!
Professional advice and guidance
Two birds with one stone
Being where you can't
Managing the madness
Saving time, and time is money!!:
Everybody has a limited amount of time in their day, and planning even the smallest event can take a lot of that time. Researching and seeing venues can take multiple days, and whether you're a stay-at-home mom or a full-time worker, it's difficult to find the time to set hours of your time for days or weeks to find the right venue for your needs....and that's just one small part of the planning process! With an event planner, they have the research done already for all of your service providers (music, venue, catering, activities, etc...) with experience backing their recommendations for your needs.
"Yeah, sure that's true, but I don't think that we have the budget for the luxury of hiring an event planner", is a response that I sometimes hear, but in the time that you've saved you can work and probably make more money than you're spending on your event planner, and your time is valuable!
Professional advice:
Remember, you're paying for a professional in their field, and while taking recommendations from your friends and family about who their DJ was for their Bar Mitzvah, it still limits you to a small pool of information based on limited experiences. In addition to the professional recommendations and guidance provided, a good event planner will strive to go beyond your vision to suggest extra options that will open your eyes to a bigger picture. One of my clients wanted a small wedding without a lot of dancing. They were happy with a basic Jewish wedding, but I informed them that it would be a pretty short dancing if they only wanted one short dance, but adding a few pinatas filled with candy and lottery tickets would be fun for the guests, and would make the wedding more memorable and exciting! The idea was a big hit!
Other ideas like bringing a bounce house for adult events with a lot of children, or setting up activity areas that involve bringing extra vendors and equipment to the event venue are not things that non-professionals will think of or have resources readily available for.
Two birds with one stone:
Not all, but many event planners also provide other services. Some will be florists, some caterers, some will do theme designs. Everybody has their specialty, and by including that specialty in their packages, event planners can have an edge on their competitions since it makes the customers' lives simpler by "killing two birds with one stone" and making the client's life simpler.
Managing the madness:
This for some is what the money really pays for. As the big day nears, pressure mounts. For someone with a busy schedule at work or with kids and/or family, it can be too much to handle to have to reconfirm with vendors and make sure that everything is going to be ready for the event that's been planned for 6 months or longer beforehand. In addition to the days leading up to the event, managing the event itself is also a huge responsibility, and nobody wants to worry about managing their own event.
Being where you aren't:
Many events are at destinations. People travel and bring their family and friends long distances in order to have an unforgettable experience. I live and work in Jerusalem, Israel, where Jews travel from all over the world to have their Bar Mitzvahs and weddings in the city that is help most holy in the Torah...but many of these people don't have the ability, knowledge, language skills, and connections needed in order to plan their event.
These people often NEED a representative that's on the ground where the event is happening in order to read contracts and book vendors, but another important factor is that they understand the local culture, while someone traveling in my be caught off guard by a crucial unexpected hiccup in the plan from something that was assumed. An event planner will make sure that you know what you should expect and that you aren't forgetting anything.
Managing the madness:
Party planners track all venders from the beginning of the day to make sure that they're arriving on time and that they have everything that they need, event planners take care of vendor payments, make sure that the bathrooms of the venue are cleaned often, organize any ceremonies needed, make sure that all equipment is set-up for the needs of the event, and make sure that all vendors fulfill their contractual obligations in addition to much much more. It's a lot of things for anybody to keep track of, and to do it on one of the biggest days on your calendar is not beneficial. In the end, it's more stressful, and the family is distracted from enjoying the event that they've invested much time, energy and money into, so best to hire a professional to take care of it for you!!!!
Conclusion:
To answer the question that I hear most often from first-time inquirers, "Can't I do it myself", I feel a voice inside of me call out saying, "Yeah, but why would you want to!?". At the end of the day, by taking an event planner you feel less stress about your event and enjoy it as a guest, have a better event with aspects that you wouldn't have enjoyed otherwise, and free yourself from the time investments needed in order to make an event happen properly.
What are your concerns about hiring an event planner? Let us know by leaving a comment on this post, or by e-mailing us at info@rimonevents.com!
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