Benefits of Hiring a Corporate Event Planner
If you are scratching your head trying to figure out how to plan your next event, you may want to look into hiring a corporate event planner. Professional event planners have pretty much seen it all, and can translate that experience into a successful event, leaving both you and the attendees with a memorable and fun experience. Today’s post will briefly highlight the benefits of hiring a corporate event planner, and why it is well worth the money.
Experience
The first benefit of hiring a corporate event planner is the experience that the company brings to the table. Many event planners work many different events each year, which brings a different type of experience with each one they work. When things go wrong, it is their job to fix them. When things go right, they learn from them and find ways to repeat that success. But no matter what, they learn as they go, and can bring that experience to your next event.
Connections
With time comes experience. And with experience comes connections. As event planners work in an industry, they develop relationships with suppliers and producers that non-event planners may not have access to or know about. Often times, these relationships include lower rates than available to the public, top-tier service, and flexible negotiations, just to name a few.
Budgeting
Budgeting is another valuable benefit that corporate event planners bring to the table. Consistently working events allows planners to see an event from the inside and out, as well as every angle in between. Event planners use high-tech software that allows them to develop budgets down to the penny. For example, at Sonburst we use an event management tool that we developed in-house that budgets events, produces reports, handles attendee registration, and allows vendor tracking, just to name a few features. These event budgeting and management tools are very expensive, but highly effective. Many corporate event planners know how to use them, which could end up saving you hundreds of thousands of dollars on your next event.
Negotiation
Corporate event planners are very skilled at negotiating contracts with vendors and suppliers, which ensures that clients get the most out of their investments. Because of their immense purchasing power (i.e. the other events they plan and manage throughout the year), corporate event planners have quite a bit of leverage when dealing with hotels, vendors, and other suppliers. If an Average Joe were to go to a hotel and try to negotiate a block of 150 rooms, they would find it very hard to get the best rate available. If an event planner were to help, however, they would find it far easier to get the best rate.
Make your Vision a Reality
Corporate event planners are great at taking your vision and making it a reality. They use their experience and connections and make it happen, all while keeping the budget under control. A great example is the time that we were working with a client that specialized in in-home senior care. We were planning out their 1,400+ person international conference that we plan and produce for them every year. They wanted their theme to focus on the “in-home” aspect of their business, but didn’t know exactly what they wanted. So we proposed that we turn the stage into a large house. A few months later, we turned that vision into a reality.
This would not have been possible without our close relationship with the scenic design studio, decorators, and tech production companies that we work with on our events. This is a living example of why hiring a corporate event planning company is beneficial.
Passion
The last, and most important, benefit of hiring a corporate event planner is the passion that they bring to your event. Event planning is what they live and breathe on a daily basis, and almost all event planners are incredibly passionate about what they do. This translates to success on your next event.
Planning an event doesn’t have to be stressful; hiring an event planner cuts down that stress, leaving you to do your job. Corporate event planners not only save you time, stress, and money, but they can also take your vision and make it a reality.
Need an event planner? Check out Sonburst Communication’s event planning services here, or take a look some of our past events here.