In a time where everyone is looking to save some money and distribute planning tasks internally, it is important to focus on your goals. You may think it is beneficial to plan your own event/conference rather than pay a professional – but in actual fact, this could end up costing you more!
Employees today handle so many duties that it may seem to be an easy task. Those of us in the meetings industry, however, know that there are a many details to be handled, questions to be answered, decisions to be made and budget line items to be considered.
Here are a the top 3 reasons why you should hire a professional planner;
Network
Because we are specialists in our field, we not only keep up to date with the latest trends and technologies, but we have strong industry relationships. With planner/supplier relationships, it also helps that we have used a supplier time after time and can qualify the spend on technology, A/V or meeting venues. In the end it’s a cost savings to you!
Negotiation Skills
A good planner will know the power of negotiation! Within reason, we can negotiate complimentary services, reduced rates on rooms, upgrades, or perhaps lower rates or free use of meeting rooms. Anything is possible! It’s really all about knowing the value of your meeting, how to read a contract, what can be done and the right questions to ask!
Time and Stress
Time is money. Once you have hired a professional planner, you are able to concentrate on your business while we focus on the details. Often, it takes a professional planner less time to effectively produce an event since we already have a roster of contacts and tried processes.
The success of an event depends on various factors and hiring a professional also means that the little details that you may not have thought of are taken care of. We are professionals at putting out the fires you didn’t even know existed!
You wouldn’t trust a mechanic to build your house right? If you want an event to be a success, so you too can enjoy it, it makes sense to hire a professional planner!
Have you tried to organize an event internally without a meetings department? What were your successes? What were your biggest challenges?
