Become an Event Planner: A Comprehensive Guide

An event planner is a professional who is responsible for the coordination and execution of events. They are tasked with creating experiences and bringing visions to life, and are experts in juggling many tasks. Event planners are responsible for finding locations, requesting bids, managing supplier relationships and customer communications, creating and negotiating contracts, and managing budgets. They also work with providers to arrange transportation, meeting places, catering, lodging, and other services such as photography and videography. Event planners are often required to have a bachelor's degree with work experience in planning or hospitality due to the increasing complexity of job responsibilities. Joining a professional organization helps new event planners make important connections and increase their job opportunities. Event planners are responsible for making sure that all the details of the event meet the specifications of their customers. They must be able to identify and correct minute details, which could include the correct spelling of guests' names and food preferences. When you have a room full of people and things don't go as planned, a vendor is late, an event planner has to find a solution before the crowd notices there's a problem. Business Perspective Event planning involves soliciting on-site bids, securing quality products and services, negotiating and verifying service contracts, reviewing event invoices, approving payments and other related tasks. Event managers, event producers, and event managers may have similar responsibilities, although “planner” and “producer” involve creative direction, while “manager” involves implementation. Event planners organize a variety of events including business conventions, weddings and educational conferences. Non-profit organizations and political candidates have event planners that help them organize charity and fundraising efforts. Hospitals, universities and entire industries such as the wedding industry will have many event planners ready to help them create the different programs they need. Becoming an event planner involves a commitment to a varied education and often intensive on-the-job training. It is not unusual for event planners to be asked to create calm in the midst of potential chaos and to appear unshakable as if chaos had never been a possibility. Being an event planner isn't just about organizing parties; it's about creating programs that address the purpose, message or impression your client is trying to communicate.