A professional event planner is someone who plans, organizes, and manages corporate, public, and private events and meetings. He or she locates suitable venues, negotiates dates, times, and rates, and assesses the need for food, beverages, tables, and equipment. Many event planners attend the conventions, meetings, and concerts that they organize to ensure that all of the attendees’ needs are met. A professional can work for a planning firm, a company’s internal committee, or run their own company.
A large event requires a significant amount of time and effort to plan. Many businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits simply lack the time, expertise, and resources to put together a high-quality event. By taking on all of the responsibilities associated with planning and executing a convention, a professional event planner can relieve clients and companies of stress. He or she is usually given a general idea of what an event entails, such as why it is taking place, the budget, and the number of people expected to attend. After that, the event planner looks for the best venues, negotiates rates, and sets dates and times.
A professional event planner may need to arrange for catering, entertainment, or special equipment such as microphones, video recorders, and projectors for seminars and conferences, depending on the type of gathering. The event planner oversees the arrangement of chairs, tables, and decorations, as well as other on-site preparations, once everything has been scheduled. He or she frequently attends events, ensuring that food and refreshments are available and that their clients are satisfied with their work.
Many event planners work for large planning firms, where they are usually assigned specific tasks such as determining rates or locating suitable locations. A self-employed professional event planner, on the other hand, frequently takes on all of the responsibilities, including event promotion, marketing, financing, and supervision. The job can be stressful, but an experienced professional will take all of the necessary precautions and preparations to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
Although many people hold associate or bachelor’s degrees in business management, public relations, communications, or finance, there are no set requirements to become a professional event planner. Many national organizations offer memberships and voluntary event planner certification tests, which can help a professional improve his or her credentials and chances of finding jobs. Certification is especially important for self-employed planners, so clients can rest assured that they are dealing with professionals.