Top Five Mistakes Made by Event Planners

In the event planning world, it is safe to say that anything that can go wrong will go wrong, but it's even safer to say that in terms of those downfalls with events that many of them are common among event planners. When planning the ideal event for a client, many planners overlook most of the crucial elements in planning that eventually by the time the event comes around the corner comes back to haunt them. Here is a list of the Top Five Mistakes made by Event Planners that should be faced early on or can be avoided easily.

1. "We went over-budget in planning our event"
When planning an event that is expected to be one remembered for many years to come, it can be guaranteed that an event that memorable won't come cheap. At many times though, when clients insist on having certain elements but are working with a certain budget, more than the amount set aside to pay for the event will be spent. To work within budget, research potential, cheaper alternatives for elements of the event. This will still give your clients the experience they envision for their event in most cases and will cause fewer problems in the long run.

2. "As a planner, I didn't do all that was asked of me"
As an event planner, with so many things to secure and manage in planning for an event, it's a common pitfall to forget at least one or two of your goals when making the event all that the client wants it to be. In order to avoid this from happening, make and carry with you a checklist of things to do. It wouldn't hurt either to put some of the smaller work on a few assistants too.

3. "We picked the wrong location for our event"
When picking a location for an event, especially one where many pictures will be taken or many people will be there, it's so important to pick a place that is ideal to the event being planned and the other parts of it. It is common for an event to be booked at a location that either is too small, has bad lighting, or has not much to do with what you are planning. Touring locations instead of settling for the first place that sounds decent allows for this to not be a problem when planning your event.

4. "We chose the wrong speaker/entertainer for our event"
When deciding who to hire for a speaker or entertainer for your event, many people choose someone based solely on who they are fame wise or what they may have seen them do once before. The common mistake with doing this is that people of higher stature, no matter who they may be, are just like us and to go along with my earlier motto, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Make sure that when finding a speaker or entertainer for your event that they have plenty of experience and knowledge in their profession, view more than just a few samples of their past works, and be sure to try meeting with your speaker or entertainer at least once before your event to make sure they are prepared and are exactly what you want and need.

5. "I did not advertise my event properly"
There are times when planning an event that all the details but deciding who to invite and sending out proper invites and advertisements are looked over the most. As a result, advertising and inviting can be pushed to one of the last things to do before the event and this won't allow for as big of a crowd as you may like. It is best to set aside advertising and sending invites out as one of your first event planning objectives. This gives invitees the chance to plan ahead and mark their calendars, therefore guaranteeing a larger turnout for your event.

Event planning can be a smooth process with the proper planning and assessment of all objectives. Giving enough time to plan the event and to keep tabs on all the key elements will not only guarantee your clients to be happy, it will also leave you satisfied with your work.