So, you’re throwing a party and have decided to hire a party planner? Exciting times. Party planners are professionals who take charge of planning, organising and coordinating your party. By hiring a party planner you’re gifting yourself a range of benefits. Not only are they experienced in what they do, they’ll have a range of contacts, already knowing the best DJ’s, bars, security, and more, so you can relax, with peace of mind everything is being done for you.
Truth be told, organising a party can be difficult, especially if you have never done it before, and this is where party planners come in. They will come up with party ideas for you to agree or disagree with and once the initial idea is set, they will get down to the nitty gritty of organising your party. But the question is, how do you find the party planners that do it best? To help you decide, here’s a set of questions to ask to ensure you get the best party planner to not only organise your party, but make it one you’ll never forget.
What’s Their Area Of Expertise?
To find out if the party planner is a good fit to organise your party, ask them what types of parties or events they most frequently work on. If their reply is corporate events and you are looking to throw an epic 18th birthday party they may not be the best fit.
Generally, you will want to find a party planner that frequently works on planning birthday celebrations. They will have past experience of what ideas work well, what doesn’t work well and have great ideas to present to you. At the end of the day you are in charge and it’s your birthday, therefore if the party planner has no prior experience when it comes to planning a party, you have every right to walk away – you’re the one with the money after all.
What Services Do They Offer?
It is important to know what services your party planner is offering, as you want to make sure they can fully handle all of your requirements. Ask yourself this, what do you need them to do? Do you want them to find a venue? Find a DJ? Organise catering? Find a bar? Many party planners, as mentioned above, will have a network of contacts they work with regularly and could get a better rate on pricing than if you went to hire these people individually.
You need to find out if they are capable of organising your entire party, as some party planners offer a full service, whereas others include, on the day party planners, they will be there on the day to esnure it runs smoothly but won’t have helped you organise your party. There are also planning-only party planners, who will help you plan your party but won’t be there on the day. Therefore making sure you hire the correct party planner who will be there through the planning and on the day is important.
What Is Included Within Your Budget?
Firstly, you need to set a budget. The party planner has to understand this and not only stick to the budget, but make the most from it. Bear in mind that within your budget, you will also be paying for the party planner themselves as they don’t organise your party for free. Unless you somehow know a family friend who is in the party planning business who will do it for free.
A budget is important as it is very easy to go wild and spend money on unnecessary items, so be realistic and honest with your party planner. A good party planner will forecast all of the costs for you, so you can get that fire breather you so desperately need!
Are They Compatible With Your Party?
Before hiring a party planner, you need to make sure they will be compatible with your party, this means that they specialise in planning birthday parties and not weddings or corporate events. You need to have a party planner who can relate to your ideas and specifications, who can also have their input suggesting other options available that is still sticking to your theme and wavelength.
You have to find out if they will listen to your ideas of how you want your party to be, or if they will try to cut corners and make life easier for themselves. You wouldn’t want someone who isn’t on your wavelength, not understanding your style or the vision you have in mind.
How Many Successful Parties Have They Thrown?
Ask to look at their track record or portfolio, if they haven’t thrown many parties before then maybe it’s a good idea not to work with that party planner. A party planner with a good track record who has thrown many birthday parties that have gone down a treat with previous clients, then you know this planner is trusted and clearly good at their job.
Do They Have References?
References from previous customers offer a great way to get an insight of what they are like to work with and if they do a good job. This can be if they are reliable, if they listen to your ideas, if they will stick to your budget and so on.
Hiring a party planner is a great way for you to chill out on the lead up to the big day instead of worrying about the finer details. A party planner will do all of the organising for you and will think of items you may have missed such as having a music permit if you are using a rented field. If you ask all of these questions, then you will be on the right track to hiring an amazing party planner who will make your party one to remember.
You Need A Party Planner & A Venue Provider. So Find A Company Who Can Do Both
Here at Igloo Disco, we can plan and organise your birthday party held in one of our amazing pop-up nightclub igloo’s. We pride ourselves on supplying a stress free party planning service, so you can relax and enjoy the build up, until the day of your party.
And Compare Some Different Venue Types
If you are thinking of hiring a pop-up venue but you’re not too sure of where to start, we have come up with a venue comparison guide. Check it out below.
