What is a Corporate Event Planner?

A corporate event planner can be essential to plan, prepare for, coordinate, and manage a corporate event. Some events are on a large scale and may cost a company a great deal of money. Large-scale events may require a team of planners. Other corporate events are smaller in nature and they may only need a single person to plan the event.

There are many different kinds of events held by corporations. Some have unique cultural needs for their event and others have a specific vision. It is up to the corporate event planner to figure out what kind of event the corporate head wants to host. For example, they may want a casual family picnic, a black tie gala, a unique carnival experience, or a celebrity fundraiser.

All the important decisions will be made by the corporate host; however, the planner will give the host a few options. For example, the planner may inform the host that a charity fund raising event may be held at a hotel, a city landmark, or at a convention center. The host will pick one venue option from the choices. If the host chooses to have the event at a hotel, the planner will then select a series of hotel choices — again giving the host the opportunity to make a well-informed choice.

Once the kind of event is decided upon, the corporate event planner must move forward and negotiate all aspects of the event. Besides reserving the venue, a corporate event planner will be in charge of all the details. Selecting a caterer, booking the entertainment, arranging for local tours, managing the event accounting, and setting up audio/visual equipment may all be the planner’s responsibilities. In addition, if there are out-of-town guests for the event, the planner may need to set up travel arrangements, such as airfare and ground transportation, and help guests obtain passport or visas.

On the day of the event, the corporate event planner will make sure that everything flows smoothly. Any glitches will be handled and resolved by the planner. Although it may be stressful for the planner, the corporate host should not feel any of the stress.

Hiring a corporate event planner may seem an unnecessary expense at first; however, it can actually save a corporation money. If a member of the staff had to take time out of her day to plan an event, even one on a small scale, her job duties may take a lower priority. A corporate event planner is trained to make countless phone calls, meet with various vendors, and finalize detailed arrangements, saving the corporate employees from the hassle.