The big event is coming, and you can’t wait; you’re full of excitable nerves. You’ve looked forward to it for months. Everyone you know is going to be there. The day arrives and it’s not exactly like you expected… it’s even better! A great event planner can walk you into a room with their hands over your eyes and blow you away. But to meet and outdo your expectations they need a few key qualities.
Empathy and Understanding First
What will make this occasion special for you? Your event planner will listen and understand. Their first job is getting to know you, or your loved one, or you and your partner as a couple. Then they can get started. Most people like cake, fine food, good lighting, popular music. Anyone can throw these generic elements together. Your planner will design the event around your tastes, the picture in your head, and make decisions based on your personality.
The Best Event Planners Are Versatile
Before, during, and after your event, your planner will be playing a lot of roles in your life. They understand the catering industry, they’re amateur therapists, professional crisis managers, financial planners, artists, florists, DJs, interior designers, they’re fairy godmothers and organizational wizards. That versatility is really what this article is about.
Organization Skills Are Key
Hosting an event is like cooking a large roast dinner. There are a bunch of elements that need different types of preparation and care, and most importantly each one needs to be timed perfectly to succeed. Having a head for organization is key to event planning.
They Love Networking
Ice sculptures, an authentic Vegas blackjack table, a petting zoo, a bounce house, a cake that a person can jump out of… you probably don’t know how to source any of these things. Your event planner does or knows someone who knows someone who does.
They’re Resilient and Adaptable
We’re here to alleviate your fears, but events are actually made up of a series of smaller events, any of which could go wrong. Hitches happen. The music might not go down when it’s time for speeches. The birthday girl might not be feeling the playlist. A dove might fly into Aunt Karen’s giant wedding hat. A great event planner will foresee most issues before they happen, and quick to rectify them if they do.
Resilience is about taking problems in your stride. Your planner will be at the event to take on any challenges that arise and keep everything running smoothly. The best ones remain calm, accept the situation, take a breath, and go to work at fixing it. An arrangement of roses fell apart: more colourful petals for the flower girl. The vegan main option wasn’t ordered: the planner has Ubereats on standby and is troubleshooting with the chef in the heat of the kitchen. Becky’s Sweet 16 cake says, “Happy Birthday Debbie,”: some whipped cream magic and it now only says “Happy Birthday,” and you’ll be getting 50% off from the baker. Resilience and adaptability at work.
They Have a Deep Understanding of Events
The point of you hiring an event planner is that you get to experience the special day rather than run it. Much like a film or a piece of music, events have high points and dips as they play out, which your planner will understand.
Take a wedding, for example. People get a drink and time to relax when they get to the reception. They are then seated, and the meal is brought out. Then speeches, because everyone is full, relaxed, and ready to sit for half an hour and have a good laugh or cry. Then more drinks and dancing. Simple, huh?
But, what if the meal was after the speeches? People would be scattered, distracted by hunger, and sneaking off to the bar. If there was a second or third round of drinks before the speeches and food, people might be too tipsy to enjoy both. This may seem basic, but every event needs considered forward planning in order to be a perfect day.
Imagination is Essential
Part of having imagination is seeing all aspects of the event ahead of time, as we touched on previously. But a party planner’s real imaginative spirit is put to work long before that, in the planning stage. You have an image in your head of the perfect event. Your planner will see it, understand it, and do you one better. They will take your ideas to the next level, imagining all the ways to make your day one you will never forget.
Event Planners Need Endless Creativity
Imagining is one thing; your event planner also has to turn their amazing concepts into a reality. No two events are the same. Or, at least, they don’t have to be. With a creative event planner adding special touches and bringing all of your daydreams into reality, your day can be personal to you and unlike any other party you’ve ever been to.
Feeling inspired? It just so happens we know some event planners with such a set of skills. Get in contact with You Forever today to discuss any upcoming event you think you might need help planning.
Are you trying to figure out how to plan a birthday party and have an ambitious vision? Hire a party planner and have them take care of all the details so you can do more celebrating and less organizing.
Keep an eye out for the following when choosing your planner and you’re sure to find someone who can bring your birthday dreams to life in no time at all!
Great Reviews
It’s so important to check out feedback from past customers who have used the party planner you’re thinking of choosing. A quick way to find feedback is by searching for reviews on their website, social media and Google search listing. A good planner will have testimonials across all their channels, including front and centre on their homepage!
Dive in and see if you can find any compliments that relate to the kind of birthday party you’re thinking of hosting. Maybe people have commended them on their ability to handle a large-scale event or perhaps there are concrete examples of ways they went above and beyond for their clients—all will reassure you that they’re the right planner to carry out your event!
Relevant Party Planning Experience
There are lots of different types of birthday party. Whether you’re looking to host a kid’s party, a celebration for an adult or a corporate birthday event, make sure you pick a planner that has plenty of experience organizing the kind of event you want.
Some planners might specialize in children’s parties or adult parties—others can do them all! The bottom line is they need to know how to plan a birthday party that you would want to attend. Is it a surprize birthday for someone else? Either way, there are different considerations to be made for each and you need to be sure your planner can pull off the big day.
Gather all the evidence you can about the planner and their past services, and question whether their experience resonates with what you’re looking for. Get it right and you will feel confident enough to hand over the responsibility to create the event of your dreams.
Inspirational Suggestions
Even though you already have lots of ideas about the birthday party you would like, it’s useful if your planner has some unique suggestions about how you can make your party bespoke to the person you’re celebrating. There will be many challenges, so having a planner bring you inspirational ideas while taking care of the logistics too makes being a part of the planning much more fun.
Your planner might ask you about details that may not have crossed your mind yet. This is a great sign that they already have your best interests covered. From bespoke favours to entertainment or unique menu suggestions, they will take your imagination to the next level and find a way to make your outlandish ideas a reality!
Free Vancouver Party Planner Consultation
The best party planners will arrange a complimentary meeting with you to get a real flavour for the type of party you want to throw. It’s the perfect moment to share your story and ideas, as well as a chance to get to know the planner better.
Ideally, the planner should make you feel heard and say all the right things to get you feeling excited about your celebration. If they come across as disinterested or don’t seem fully engaged, maybe they’re not the right planner for you.
You’ll have lots of burning questions and this consultation is a wonderful way to have them answered up front. Ask them anything from pragmatic questions about seating to the fun stuff like what you and your guests will be eating!
You’ve guessed it – we offer a free consultation! Book with us today and we can share all the ways we can create your dream event, so you can make a forever memory. If you need a Vancouver party planner, you know who to call. We can’t wait to meet you!
If you liked this article, check out our post on 8 Essential Qualities of an Event Planner.