From conception to clean up, it’s hard to throw a successful sales event or public relations event without an event planning agency.
Whether you’re managing your company’s annual gala or preparing for a product launch, you need your event to hit as many of your goals as possible. Your reputation depends on it.
As a manager, you have to stay focused on increasing revenue.
While you should be around to approve things like the copy for your event’s promotional materials or your event’s call-to-action, you probably have better things to do than to sit around sourcing cocktail napkins.
To that end, you should probably hire an event planning agency. The right event planning agency can help you get the highest ROI on your event.
Here are seven things to look for when hiring an event planning agency.
Hire nimble thinkers
In today’s digitally optimized marketing environment, you may find it difficult to find event planners with killer technical skills, planning know-how and a granular understanding of your industry.
However, devote you time to communicating your brand’s mission and objectives to your potential event planner. He must be smart enough to map out the information he needs from you. He should be able to ask the right questions when he doesn’t understand.
You should leave your meeting with the sense that your event planner knows your business’s objectives. You should be confident that she will be good at helping you to sell your vision.
Hire flexible event planning agencies
Hire a flexible event manager.
Depending on the scope of your event, your event planner may have to manage infinite moving parts. You don’t want to hire a planner who gets frazzled over a hiccup.
Additionally, if you need to add a few things, you don’t want to be hit with an astronomical bill. Hire an event planner with a flexible working style. Look for a professional who can help you to prioritize your needs so that you are getting the most bang for your buck.
Hire resourceful planners with good resources
You want to hire an agency that is resourceful– one that can work agilely with your team reach your desired outcomes. Try to gauge your potential event manager’s resourcefulness by asking situational questions.
You must also consider your event planner’s resources.
His or her network will likely be key to fulfilling your requests. Get a sense of the event manager’s available resources by asking them to speak with you about the types of networks that they’ve built.
Assess your event planner’s technical skills
There is no reason not to take advantage of all of the free and low cost digital resources available able to you right now.
There are hundreds of free or low cost sites and apps for event planning services like email invitations, websites, ticketing, publicity and more.
Hire event producers who understand how to seamlessly integrate technology into your event’s workflow. At the very minimum, your event planner should be able to provide you with the digital strategy that you can implement internally in order to best promote your brand.
Hire exceptional communicators
Your event planning agency will likely have to interface with several different layers of your company. Even if your event planner is not going to be interacting with your customers, he or she will likely have to interact with your staff. He must work well with others.
Your event planner will have to effectively manage people, details and time in order to be successful. She should be able to communicate her ideas clearly.
Furthermore, your event production company will serve as an advocate for your brand. The planners on your team should be able to passionately communicate the mission of your event to your desired audiences.
Hire for cultural fit
Whether you are hiring a contractor or hiring a full-time employee hiring for culture fit is extremely important.
The skills that your new event planner has should fortify and complement the skills of your existing team. At its best, finding the right event planner will feel like finding a new member of your work-family.
You will need everyone to be able to work together.
If you decide that hiring an event planner is right for you, use these tips to help you craft questions and consider candidates for all of your event marketing needs.
For more information about working with Bainbridge Marketing & Consulting on your next event or marketing push see How Bainbridge Marketing & Consulting can help your business to grow and evolve.