Author Archives: Sandra Alandete

Research shows that about 91% of event planners relate their success to having satisfied attendees. These experts focus on proper and timely event planning to meet the set objectives.

Events are ideal for sharing engaging experiences with the firm’s staff. Besides, planning an event creates an environment that strengthens relationships in the company. With proper planning, events create an avenue to motivate staff members.

But planning a successful event is tricky due to delays and commitment needed. Here are six benefits of hiring an event planner for your corporate events.

1. Reduced Costs

A corporate event planner helps you save money when planning for a company occasion. Such an event planner works with you to create a budget that accommodates a specified number of guests. Having a proper budget determines how much you’ll spend on your event.

An event planner also gives you manageable price options within your company budget. You can choose from the provided options to ensure you use limited costs.

Most event planners understand how to negotiate for lower charges on public address systems and venues. Besides, these individuals may use their relationships with suppliers to get discounts.

Further, some corporate event planners advise you on areas to cut costs and still have a successful event.

2. Extensive Experience

Most event planners have relevant experience from organizing several corporate occasions. You can ask your friends and family members for referrals to help you choose the most experienced planner. Also, check the reviews from other companies about the services offered by the potential event planner.

An experienced planner ensures your corporate events are successful and match the firm’s goals. Such individuals have years of experience to note and deal with any arising issues in your event. Besides, an experienced planner learns from previous event failures to correct potential problems.

Since these planners understand the dynamics and trends in the industry, it’s easy for them to plan corporate events. Hiring these organizers gives your event a modern look with up-to-date audio-visual equipment and trendy décor.

An appealing event is ideal for improving your guests’ satisfaction. Also, a successful event may convert some attendees into reliable customers.

3. Timely Planning

Some managers may not understand how to navigate and organize the best event within a short time. Hiring an event planner relieves you of the burden and gives you peace of mind. The planner handles all the details of your corporate events and deals with unexpected emergencies.

Most corporate event planners have trained staff to assist in delivering different services. Such staff members deal with logistics, catering services, and handling vendors. Having a team with diverse expertise gives your event a creative outlook developed within a short time.

Further, an event planner helps you manage your time and focus on other company activities.

4. Good Negotiation Skills

An event planner Dallas understands what’s beneficial to your occasion to make it successful. Also, the planner applies their negation skills to reach a mutual and beneficial agreement for you to get the best venue. This goes a long way in getting you reduced rates for all complimentary services.

Since event planners are well known, they can negotiate with suppliers and vendors for price reductions. Unlike an inexperienced person, an event planner has a high purchasing power that allows them to seek fair prices for goods and services. Hiring an event organizer gives you the best goods at reduced rates.

Further, an experienced planner has deep connections with hotel managers, vendors, and suppliers. Working with hotels and suppliers for long creates a strong relationship that eases negotiation. Thus, allowing a planner to organize your corporate events gives you value for money.

5. Turning Your Vision to Reality

It’s frustrating not to have a positive result of your idea about your forthcoming corporate event. Such adverse outcomes may affect your performance and ruin your reputation in the company. You can avoid stress by hiring a planner for your corporate events Dallas.

The event planner turns your vision into reality and even comes out better than anticipated. With their vast knowledge and lasting experience, a competent planner can help you get the best deals in the market. This planner helps you achieve your goal while controlling your budget.

The organizer needs your idea and the occasion’s theme to create a satisfying event. These ideas enable the planner to add all the needed designs and decorations even on a fixed schedule. Also, the organizer can boost your space’s use by creating cohesive elements that improve the occasion’s appeal.

6. Managing Your Venue

Managing your venue is among the benefits of hiring a planner. Apart from being a profession, event planning is also their passion. Allowing the planners to organize your event gives them a chance to exercise their passion and turn your venue into an attractive space.

Since choosing a suitable venue to accommodate all your guests is tricky, a planner does it for you. Informing the organizer about the type of gathering you’ll have helps them settle for a good venue within a suitable location.

After selecting the right venue, the planners relieve you of stress by accommodating your guests. The organizer supervises guests and provides beverages and food to all your visitors. Moreover, a good planner improves the attendee’s satisfaction by providing security during the event.

Hire a Planner for Your Corporate Events

Hire a planner for your corporate events and achieve your set goals. Allowing a planner to organize your event improves your guests’ satisfaction.

Further, the event planner saves your money while turning your idea into reality. By informing your event organizers about what you want to achieve, they can use their experience to manage your venue.

At Total Events DFW, we boost your event experience by planning and decorating it. We also offer entertainment services for all your occasions. Contact us today for all corporate event services.

In 2019, the average wedding in Texas cost around $30,200. 

If you’ve always dreamed of having a beautiful wedding, you might want to budget around this much for your upcoming wedding. 

You might also want to consider hiring an event planner. But, what does an event planner do, and is it worth the trouble?

As you plan your wedding, you should know the following five things about event planner services, as you might want to hire one for help with your big day. Keep reading to learn what you should know.

1. What Does an Event Planner Do? 

The first thing you should understand is what an event planner does. What duties and responsibilities do event planners offer? Here are some of the primary ones:

Learn Your Desires and Needs for Your Event

Planning a wedding requires time, thought, money, and planning. For your event planner to assist, they’ll need to learn your desires and needs for the event.

When you hire us to assist with your event, we’ll ask you some questions to determine these answers. Once we know this information, the planning begins.

Help you Create a Budget

Next, our event planners work on helping you create a budget for the event. Creating a budget is vital for a wedding, as it dictates how much you’ll spend and where you’ll spend the money.

Create a List of Every Aspect of the Event

An event planner assisting with your wedding also creates a list of every aspect to cover for the event. For example, the list might include flowers, music, decorations, and food. 

Hire and Work With the Subcontractors

An event planner hires the subcontractors you need for the event, such as a photographer and caterer. They work with each sub to ensure that they provide the services you need and want for your special day.

Attend the Event to Ensure It Runs Smoothly

An event planner also attends the event and manages it. They’ll be there to ensure that it runs smoothly and to handle any last-minute changes or problems. 

2. What Skills Do Event Planners Need to Offer Excellent Services?

Event planners often have special skills that help them offer excellent services. What are the skills an event plan should possess? Here are a few:

Experience Working With People

Event planners should possess a kind, understanding personality and have experience working with people. They might have experience in this field or similar ones.

The Right Education

Many event planners hold degrees in Human Resources or hospitality. Their educations help prepare them for the duties they have as event planners.

Excellent Communication Skills

Event planners must have excellent communication skills, as they turn your ideas into a reality. They must have good listening skills and work well with other people. 

An Eye for Details and Creativity

Event planners also have an eye for details, which is an essential trait for planning events. They are also creative and have ideas to share. 

3. How Much Money Do Event Planners Make and Charge?

As you consider hiring an event planner for your wedding, you might have a few questions about the costs. For example, how much money do event planners earn?

On average, an event planner in Texas earns $49,080 annually. High-level planners with a lot of experience might earn even more than this amount. 

Event planning is a huge responsibility. The planner assumes these responsibilities when someone hires them, as clients expect the events to run smoothly and turn out great. 

When you hire event planners for events, how much will they charge? The answer depends on the event and the things you want them to do, but on average, you can expect to pay between 15% to 20% of the total costs.

For example, if your wedding costs $30,000, the planner might charge $4,500 to $6,000 for the services they offer. 

The charges vary, though, but you can ask us for a quote if you’d like more information about the costs. 

4. Why Should You Hire One for Your Wedding?

If you read blogs that offer event planning tips, one of the tips you’ll see is to hire an event planner rather than planning the event yourself.

You might wonder, though, if you really need one. After all, you could save a lot of money by planning it yourself. 

Here are several reasons to consider hiring an event planner rather than handling the planning yourself:

You Don’t Have Enough Time

When you take on the responsibilities of planning your wedding, you’ll need to have plenty of time to work on it. Your wedding event might suffer if you have a busy schedule and don’t have enough time to spend working on it.

You’ve Never Planned an Event

Secondly, do you have experience planning huge events? If not, why would you consider planning your wedding when you can hire an expert to help you plan it? 

You Want the Ideal Wedding

Finally, do you long for the ideal wedding – a wedding that is picture-perfect in every way? 

If you want the ideal wedding, you’ll need help planning it. An event planner can help you turn your ideas and thoughts into a dream come true wedding!

5. How Can You Choose a Wedding Planner?

If you’re wondering what steps to take to learn how to plan an event, the first step is choosing a wedding planner. How do you hire one, though?

Many people begin looking for one by searching for, “event planners near me.” When you look in the Texas area, you’ll find our event planning services.

You can read through our website to learn more about our services, and you can contact us for references and other information.  

Ready to Hire an Event Planner for Your Wedding?

After learning these five things, you might understand the answer to, “what does an event planner do?” You might also realize that hiring one is a smart move when planning a wedding.

If you’re ready to learn more about our event planning services in Texas, call us or fill out this form to learn more!

They say everything is better in Texas, which is why there are 96 companies from the Fortune 1000 that have their global headquarters in the state. That number doesn’t even represent the small businesses, companies, and corporations that are located all around the Lone Star State. For every company, there are multiple opportunities to host a corporate event.

That may look like a recruiting seminar, a morale-boosting appreciation event, or a product launch party, to name a few. Since many professional events can come off feeling boring or poorly executed, you will want to reach a little deeper into a pocket of tricks to make your event stand out.

Continue reading for 10 tips on successful event planning guaranteed to make your clients and employees look forward to your next soiree. 

1. Decide on the Purpose

There are many reasons to throw a corporate event. Deciding on the purpose before you begin planning will help with other steps, like budgeting and location. 

It might be tempting to save money by putting two or three events together in one, like a recruiting event and an awards night. Keep in mind that your purpose should be clear and you want the ROI (return on investment) in regards to your event to be high. 

Your coworkers or clients might overwhelm someone who is a potential recruit, and your investors may not want to sit through hours of small talk and awards. 

2. Budget

Even though we all wish the sky were the limit when it comes to funds, every successful corporate event planner will start with a budget. The budget needs to include each aspect of the event that will require money. 

Some party planners will hope to get items or services donated, but don’t plan on it from the get-go. While having a discount on food or entertainment would be great if it works out, you should still budget as though you had to pay full price for the service.

If someone on your committee says “I know a guy” it still needs to be in the numbers.   

3. Corporate Event: Location Is Key

Choosing the location for your function is another important part of event management. The location not only needs to fit in with whatever type of event you are planning, but it needs to be functional as well. A recruitment event searching for employees with a strong sense of business wouldn’t be at a bowling alley, while a staff appreciation party held there might be a lot of fun. 

A black-tie awards ceremony would do best held inside a ballroom at a hotel over a local recreation center. 

The weather can play a big part in location as well. For example, holding your event outdoors in Texas during the hottest or rainiest months of the year will not have people begging for more. 

4. Number of People

The more people who plan on attending your event, the higher the budget needs to be. If it’s a recognition party, will each employee be bringing a plus 1? Asking for RSVPs when you can sets the expectation for numbers.

It’s also a good idea to communicate a firm date for when those attending the event need to RSVP. This will allow time to finalize with the caterers and the location for the final amount of people to expect.

5. Entertainment

You can get entertainment for the occasion in several ways. Some party planning services have a list of entertainers that work solely with the company or are readily available for a variety of events. 

Choosing the right entertainment for the event should be done based on the theme. If it’s a corporate family picnic, having jugglers or acrobats for the children will keep the parents entertained too, while dancers, musicians, or a comedian might be more appropriate for an adult-only night of fun. 

6. Delegate

It might be tempting to plan the entire event yourself, to make sure that everything is going smoothly. However, it’s a huge task to plan a full party. Delegating to coworkers and companies who specialize in this type of affair will come in handy, especially where the small details are concerned. 

7. Decor

To avoid the look of a high school prom, the decorations for your event need to be well thought out. Check out your location ahead of time, to see what space you have to work with.

Choose colors that complement each other; company colors often work out well in this regard. Add to the lighting if you need to by bringing in rentals. 

8. Food

The food you provide can make or break an event. If it’s a dinner party, you don’t want to be stingy about what you serve. If it’s a picnic, asking families to sign up to bring a dessert or salad while the company provides the rest is a great way to save on money and make sure there’s food there that even the kids will enjoy. 

Choose your food for the season, venue, and theme. Seafood doesn’t hold well in hot weather, while warm soup might be welcome in the middle of winter, but only at a seated event. 

9. Alcohol

The decision to serve alcohol at a corporate event should be determined by the age of the participants and the overall mood of the event. Having an open serve-yourself bar is never a good idea.

Hire a licensed bartender if you plan on serving drinks and have a cash bar for your employees. Bartenders aren’t to serve anyone appearing inebriated and they are required to card everyone at the event. 

Creating some interesting non-alcoholic beverages can take the emphasis off drinking and more on enjoying the event. 

10. Keep Your Head

While it’s almost impossible to plan for every emergency, staying calm during any crisis that happens before and during an event will help keep the evening as stress-free as possible. Having a party planner at your side is a guaranteed way of letting yourself enjoy all your hard work. 

We Plan, You Enjoy!

Taking your next corporate event from blasé to wow requires purposeful planning. While you can take on everything yourself, you don’t need to. Hire a team of professionals to keep some of the weight off your shoulders and bring your event to the next level. 

If you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas area and are ready to see what Total Events DFW can do for your next event, contact us today. 

Successful events don’t happen by chance. They’re an outcome of well-thought-out plans. Event planning success takes experience and the right match of equipment and skills.

You also need a cohesive team and the right partners to coordinate an event and please your guests. Many people usually opt to hire an event planner. Keep reading this guide for how to hire an event planner in the Dallas Fort Worth area. 

Establish Your Event Goals

Even though you want to hire an event planner, the event should still exude your style. This is why it’s crucial to define your event planning objectives and goals. By defining your goals, you’ll provide your planner with clarity on which direction to take.

Having a clear vision allows your planner to arrive at the correct planning needs for your event. Clear event goals can ensure your event fulfills its purpose. For example, if your event’s goal is to impress new clients, your purpose might be to inform participants about the user experience on offer. 

Your event planning goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Even if you’re planning a wedding, you should have clear objectives to ensure outcomes meet your expectations. 

Research About an Event Planning Costs and Create a Budget

Whether you’re hosting a wedding, social or corporate event, you should establish how much it’s likely to cost you. Event planning can cost between 15% to 20% of the total cost of the event. Before this, some event planners will ask for a base fee.

If your event cost is $20,000, the event planner may charge you up to $ 5,000. By taking time to establish your expenses, you’ll have more clarity about how much you’ll spend. This way, you can create a smart budget to control costs and ensure your event meets your goals. 

Also, event costs will always vary. Your dreams, likes, and interests, and other factors can affect your total event costs. Aspects like location, entertainment, decorations, and food and drinks will also influence costs

If you’re in Dallas, Fort Worth and the thought of event cost planning unsettles you, reach out to Total Events DFW. With our 20 years of experience, you’ll enjoy some peace of mind while we do the planning work. 

Define the Exact Attributes You Want in an Event Planner

Hiring an event planner is about hiring a professional. You want someone with the right skills and traits to deliver their promise. They should master their job and commit to ensuring your event runs smoothly. 

An event planner should be a good organizer, creative, problem-solver, and independent thinker. Event planning is full of challenges. But they can provide the leadership needed to ensure success in your event with these skills. 

An event planner’s experience and personality say a lot about how they’ll approach your project. If they have the right attributes, their past clients will have a lot of positive things to say about them. This is why it’s important to wade through reviews and look at what previous clients say about a planner. 

Watch out for personality cues when you interact with an event planner. You expect them to be bubbly and enthusiastic about their work and your project. If you have any doubts about their attitude and social skills, continue searching. 

Ask For Offline and Online Recommendations

If there’s a reliable way of finding the best event planner in Fort Worth, it’s personal recommendations. Close friends who have hired an event planner in the past could be your hiring masterstroke.

Ask your trusted friends, relatives, and colleagues for tips about event planners in Dallas, Fort Worth. Locals are more likely to know a lot about local businesses than anybody else. 

The next best place to find a good event planner is searching for an event planner online. Ask for recommendations on local social media community groups. Some suggestions can be misleading so dig through each candidate’s profile and reviews before hiring. 

Shortlist Several Event Planners

Hiring an event planner should be a thorough process that helps you narrow down to the best ones. List all the event planners found in your hiring process for rigorous interviewing. There are some factors to consider during the shortlisting process.

The most crucial consideration is whether a planner has local experience. You want someone who has great connections in Dallas, Fort Worth. That way, you won’t compromise on your goals and needs.

Also, consider whether your planner plans all types of events or specializes in a few types. Total Events DFW specializes in weddings, social and corporate events in the Dallas Fort Worth area. 

You also want to be sure your event planner is well-equipped to make your event a success. Do they have everything you need, or they’ll have to outsource some equipment? Total Events DFW has the experience, team, and equipment to deliver an unforgettable event. 

Ask Them to Show Proof of Their Expertise

Find proof of expertise when you’re interviewing an event planner. A good presentation or an attractive website shouldn’t sway you into booking a planner. An experienced event planner has worked with many clients to show they have what it takes. 

One veritable proof that you can count on is online reviews and ratings. Look for an event planner’s ratings and reviews on niche-based review sites like Wedding Wire. Many clients provide feedback on niche-based review sites where they can get a higher audience. 

Credible event planners are likely to be members of event associations like ILEA and NACE. Members of ILEA have to show integrity and pursue continuous education on industry best practices. 

Industry awards can also help you confirm an event planner’s expertise. It’s not easy to outshine hundreds of event planning providers and come out on top. Awards are up there as one of the best tools to prove you’re interviewing the best event planner. 

Before ending the interview, ask a planner about their portfolio. You want to know how many events they have successfully managed in Dallas, Fort Worth. 

Ready to Hire an Event Planner? 

Your chances of hiring the best event planner are directly proportional to your effort in the hiring process. Take your time to shortlist the best candidates and leave no stone unturned during interviews. 

If you’re looking for quality event planners in the Dallas, Fort Worth area we can help. Contact us at Total Events DFW for help with your next event.