Special D Events

Special D Events

Being an event planner takes someone who is able to face any challenge and succeed.  You need to be organized and ready to tackle any obstacle in order to plan and execute a successful event.  Sometimes no matter how prepared or organized you may be, if your client is not or vice versa, your event can easily start to unravel quickly.

We have all experienced a client who might be making multiple changes on a daily basis but you are still trying to catch up on all of the changes they sent you in the last couple of days!  Or maybe you are working on multiple events and the continuous flow of e-mail changes from one client is beginning to mesh together with your other client.  Or you may be a client who has had a difficult time with an event planner due to lack of communication.  This can lead to nothing but pure frustration.

Below are a few simple steps that both clients and planners can utilize to help stay organized and on task to produce a flawless event.

  • Establish with your client in your launch meeting their preferred form of communication.  Whether it is a weekly one on one meeting or a conference call every two weeks.  It is important to  update them on any changes or challenges you are facing and review the budget 
  • Condensed communication is most effective and can help both the client and the planner stay organized and on task.  By “packaging” items or making a list of changes on a weekly basis or every three days it will help to alleviate any confusion and frustration
  • Make sure to communicate any concerns you may have about a client’s ideas. If you don’t think it will work, be prepared to explain why AND offer alternatives. 
  • Review the status of the event with your client as often as possible.  Often times we create an event countdown which lists exactly what tasks need to be accomplished and when.  This makes it very easy for the client to know exactly what is getting accomplished and what still needs to be completed
  • Gain your clients trust by always being open and honest with them and proving that you can produce a successful event no matter what.  By gaining client trust they will fully embrace your expert advice and will hopefully continue to be your client in the future.

I’d be interested in hearing from both event planners and managers who hire event planners about what might be added to my list of actions to take to improve client/customer relations. Are client’s ideas different from those of event planners? I’d like to find out.

 

~Alix Chapie

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