The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book about
event planning for the budget conscious consumer that
discusses how to select your party planning vendors. What
I have learned through the years at A Wynning Event is the
importance of working with the right vendors who perform
the job you hire them to do and provide the guests with
quality service and entertainment.
When it comes to hiring your caterer, florist,
entertainment or rental company it is best to have a budget
in mind for each category prior to meeting with the vendor.
I know I sound like a broken record when covering the
budget issue but it is the driving force of what you can do
and what the vendor is willing to do. You don't want to
receive these unbelievable beautiful menus and floral
designs only to be disappointed that you are way off the
mark with what you can afford. It is always better to
start off smaller, with less, and then build. You would be
surprised with what you can get away with at times at a
fraction of what can be spent.
Unless you have a favorite vendor, be sure to obtain
competitive bids. This allows you to see if the vendor is
on target with what you want to spend on your party, as
well as check to see how the way they operate. Different
vendors can bring a unique thought process into the mix
that contributes to the creative process of the party. If
you are not familiar with a particular vendor, it is
perfectly acceptable to ask them if you could come to an
event they are working on. This applies to a caterer or
entertainer and allows you to see how they operate, what
their presentation is like and how their staff interacts
with the guests. Every time a new caterer wants to work
with my company, I always request to see them in action,
and it has never been a problem. Please note that I am not
sitting at the table with the guests; however, at a large
event that the vendor is servicing, I will come early to
observe. This is an excellent way to check out bands,
musicians, and DJs and to see their interactions with the
guests.
It is important to check their references. Again, if you
are not familiar with their services there is no reason why
you can't speak with previous or current clients. It's
amazing how many people don't bother to call to see how
someone they are going to be spending thousands of dollars
with runs their business. Checking references is a good
way to verify your vendors actually will deliver what they
promise on their proposals. In regards to caterers, it is
very important to research their capabilities because you
don't want to run out of food. You want to ensure the
portion size they will be serving is adequate and they are
up-to-date with following the local health code rules and
regulations.
Once you have hired your vendor, sit down with them and go
through their contract and proposal thoroughly. Understand
what they are going to deliver and insure the work they
propose to do for your event meets your expectations. For
example, when I work with a DJ, I find it best to first
brief them on the type of event they will be working at as
well as my goals for that particular event. This briefing
helps the DJ bring the right type of music to the party.
It also helps the DJ to understand the crowd they are
entertaining and to set the tone for the celebratory event.
At A Wynning Event, we always request that either the DJ
comes up with a rough play list in advance or have the DJ
supply us with their music catalog so the client can select
their play list. Knowing the crowd we are working with
helps the DJ have the right music at the right times and
the client and guests are happy and having fun. No matter
what type of vendor you hire, you want to do as much
pre-planning with them as possible so their work will
exceed your expectations and there will be no questioning
when hiring them again for your next special event.
When hiring a rental company whether it is for a big event
that requires tenting, lighting, large quantities of
tables, chairs, etc. or a smaller event in which you are
just renting plates, glasses and silverware it is always
best to have the items delivered at least one day in
advance. Of course, larger parties require a longer set-up
time but even for small events I produce I have the rentals
come a day in advance. An advanced delivery insures there
is no stress if the truck breaks down (happens), a wrong
item is delivered (happens a lot), not all your items are
delivered (happens almost always) or you end up adding on
at the last minute (happens too). Better safe than sorry
and no need to add stress and not have your barware walk in
with your guests.
----------------------------------------------------
Andrea Wyn is a marketing and special event planner with
over 15 years of special event industry experience. For the
past ten years, she has been the Awards Event Supervisor
for the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R). She holds an MBA
from the University of Chicago and a BA from UCLA. To
Twitter her about events and learn more about special
events and social media then go to
http://www.awynningevent.com
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