The Clients from Hell
You are aware of the clients who constantly change their minds, the cheap ones, and the nagging ones. After all, it comes with the territory. As a professional, you’ve learned how to be a firm manager and deal with them, but we’re not talking about those. We’re talking about the ones from hell. The one who calls you five times in a single morning to ask you how his name will appear on the flyer, but doesn’t pick up the phone when you need him.
The Event Planner is treated like an ER surgeon
Not because you get a high salary, but because you will be expected to be available 24/7 to answer messages and smooth out any problems. Having a smartphone means you carry your own tiny office everywhere, and that’s great because you’ll be able to fix an issue anywhere, but it also means that there are no excuses for not replying.
The Long Hours
Being an event planner is definitely not a 9 to 5 job. You will often have to work early mornings and late nights and sometimes even spend several nights away from home. There can be a lot of travelling and moving around. Working on the weekends is also very common as many events are held then, so be prepared to spend time away from your family – it can be exhausting.
The thing event planners really do
There’s more to event planning than organizing the flowers, catering, music and décor. That’s actually a small part of it. The event planner spends most of his/her time making sure contracts are signed by suppliers and clients, relevant health and safety licenses are held, risk assessments have been carried out, insurance is up to date, follow-up paperwork is completed and, to top it all off, that vendors get paid.
The Stress!
You’re the captain of this ship, if something goes wrong staff and clients are going to expect you to sort it out. Many event planners thrive on this kind of stress; making snap decisions, changing arrangements, and solving problems, but even the most successful can find it hard, from time to time, to cope in a difficult situation. If stress is not properly managed, it can lead to burnout or to an early retirement.
The Budget
More often than not clients expect more for their money than it will actually pay for. Managing the budget is an art form in itself, which involves allowing a contingency for unexpected occurrences and keeping the client happy. With experience the event planner will know where to get the cheapest photographer, flowers, and stationery, but they can’t do magic.
