What Does An Event Planner Do?

Photo courtesy of zebble

Typically when you ask non-industry people “What does an event planner do”, the answer is usually centered around wedding planning with a dash of party planning thrown in. The answer almost never involves anything to do with corporate event planning, event planning certification or event planning internships. There are countless blogs and websites, really too many to count, stating all the ins and outs of event planning, event planners and event planning jobs. But back to the original question, what does an event planner do? The general definition of an Event Planner from the Cambridge Dictionaries Online is “the task of planning large events such as conferences, trade shows, and parties”.

What does An Event Planner Do – Planning, Organizing and Managing, Oh MY?

So what does a event planner do? The responsibilities of an event planner encompass the planning, organizing and overseeing of the operations and logistics of planning events and meetings. The kind of events and meetings a meeting and event planner is in charge of can include trade shows, business meetings, seminars, conferences and both private and public functions. So the answer to the question what does and event planner do is…. an event planner (and event planning companies) basically plans the nuts and bolts of meetings and events including everything from A to Z.

What does An Event Planner Do – Day to Day?

Of course the next question in the queue is “What does an event planner do day to day?” As an event planner I have found that it is definitely hard to adhere to a daily to do list (or event planning checklist) . No matter what an event planner thinks they will accomplish daily never really happens, once they are at their desk, things can and will change. So this is a hard one, as there really isn’t a typical day for an event planner.

Event planners are responsible for the planning, executing and overseeing of every single part of an event. They are in charge of site selection and then finding, negotiating and coordinating for hotels and venues, food and beverages, AV and equipment, speakers and entertainment, decor, staff and gifts, as well as the entire set up of the event. That can include room set-up, transportation, printing, sign creation and the list is literally endless. All while staying within or under budget.

Event planners really do accomplish so much. However answering the question what does and event planner do is a hard one because they are responsible for and do so much. One factor that is universal is, it’s an event planners goal to work with the client and take the idea and concept and make that vision a reality, while at the same time providing a stress free experience for the client and attendees.