Welcome back to our in-depth analysis of the world of event planning. Today, we are going to focus on how to choose a professional to provide entertainment services for your event.
Choosing professionals is perhaps the hardest part of event planning, primarily because unless you are an event professional who has worked with other event professionals repeatedly in your area, you will rarely have first-hand experience with any given company to tell you whether that provider will give you quality service for your money.
In the event industry, professionals include everything from home-based businesses to nationwide conglomerates. Also, because of the nature of small businesses, people come and go. This makes it difficult sometimes to find out about who is who in your area.
Start with what you know
In business, the best advertising is usually word of mouth. It is the same in event planning. The best place to start usually, if you don’t already have a contact in the industry, is to talk to someone you know who has held a recent event, and find out who the best vendor they worked with was. If this vendor did a great job for them, you have a good starting point. If not, you still have valuable knowledge about companies to avoid.
If you personally see great things at an event, it is usually a good idea to collect business cards. Try to note on the back of each card what event you got it at, and what service was provided. This will become a great memory jogger later.
Once you have a primary contact, the BEST way to find more vendors is usually to ask the vendor who they have worked with in the past. Event planning is a relatively small industry; vendors usually know most of the major players, and have worked with both good and bad. As a result, they will tend to have a better idea of who are the best in the various categories you need. If you have certain names of companies you want to check out, usually vendors make for the best references.
Ask for names
As you talk to vendors, if you don’t already have much feedback about them, don’t feel shy about asking for references. Most quality service providers are happy to provide references to people who they have worked with in the past. New companies are not always a bad thing, as they may offer reduced prices for high-quality service, but be careful. The important thing to remember is that honesty is what you are looking for. A new company should gladly tell you that they are new and not give you a runaround when you ask for references.
Some people want to see a company in action before they are comfortable working with them. Keep in mind that the majority of events are private, and usually companies are hesitant to bring visitors, as this can damage their reputation in the industry. It is possible, however, that the company in question might be involved in various public events which you can attend.
Booking the event
There is one thing which you always want from a company you will do business with: a written contract. Ususally, a deposit will be required. This locks in your event with the company and schedules them for that date. However, the contract is what protects you from unforseen expenses. If a company will not provide a contract, this is usually a sign of future trouble.
What it all means
Booking an event vendor can be easy if you have the right information, but it can be tricky to get the first contact or two. Hopefully this helps in selecting your vendors.
What tips do you have for selecting vendors?
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