Event planners are sort of general contractors – they utilise their relevant industry experience to professionally coordinate everything from food and drinks, to décor, transfers, and entertainment. When it comes to the planning and execution of your event, suppliers are vitally important. You want to ensure you have the best team and that they provide excellent service and support.
Most meeting and event planners rely on a wide network of suppliers that they have developed relationships with over the years. There are times, however, when you may have to source a new supplier.
Here are some key things to keep in mind when searching for the right event suppliers:
Needs: You must think about what you want the supplier to deliver on the day of the event. It may be as simple as an individual running a small meeting, some times it’s an entire workforce armed with truckloads of décor to transform a venue. Know exactly what you want and also what you are willing to be flexible on. If you have a set list of items you want your supplier to do and provide, it’ll be easier to judge their proposal. Often, the supplier will know what you need way better than you will – and to get the best of both worlds, you can ask them for what they think they should deliver and add them to, or check against your own list.
Research: While most event planners will have a list of suppliers on hand, it can be a good idea to do some research online to see what else is out there. The more specific you make your search – the better. If you happen to come across a venue’s website that has footprints of a similar event to the one you’re organizing – call them and ask who they have used in the past and how the event went. As a rule, people in the hospitality and the event industries are incredibly helpful about referring business to good companies and good planners or suppliers.
Pricing: Once you’ve selected your suppliers that you want to talk to (it’s always best to go with 2-4 in each category), it’s time to get some idea on quotes. Getting multiple quotes isn’t only a best practice, it’s also a really great way to tell about pricing and scope discrepancies. The quote from the supplier you don’t like might have some inclusions that your preferred supplier may have overlooked. Ensure that you get a breakdown of what the prices include, so you can make pretty fair comparisons. Prices can vary sometimes, but remember if the price is too good to be true then so may the supplier be. While you can compare the hours that they will be there at your event, and extra’s such as lighting or decor, you cannot put an exact price on experience, talent, popularity and ability to comfortably interact with your guests.
References: Regardless of what sort of vendor you’re looking for, should it be a DJ, an Audio-Visual company, photographers or a caterer, get references from those that have used them before. Good companies have very happy clients. Happy clients are generally very willing to help their favourite suppliers by giving them references. Let each potential new supplier provide you with some references from previous clients, as well as from other event planners. If the vendor has previous experience working with your client’s competition, they might have a better understanding of the event or meeting layout that you would not have access to.
Meeting: Please take the time also to meet with your short listed suppliers. While email is a wonderful way to clarify points and confirm items, a sit down meeting in person gives you a true sense of the people you’ll potentially might be using.
Keep in mind that no matter what type of service or supplier you’re looking for, if you don’t feel confident with the options – feel free to ask for more information, or go back to the drawing board and get another quote or two. When you do find the best choice, things just “feel” right, naturally. The way they talk about the event makes sense, their advice is useful and they’re excited about the event, almost as excited as you are!
