What I wish people knew about being an event planner

How do I describe what I do? Am I an event planner? Am I a caterer? Am I a chef? Am I an admin? Well here’s the thing- I am all of those things.

When people ask what I do, I always stumble a bit. My official title is Catering Sales Manager, but what the heck is that? Would the financial advisor that I am talking to understand? No, most likely not.

So I usually say that I am a conference and event planner. And then the question that always follows is …

Oh, so you plan weddings??

I’m shocked at how many people automatically assume that because I plan events that must mean weddings. Weddings are a specialized business- and one that I personally do not care for. Yes, I love the creativity that comes with a wedding. I love the “pretty” of a wedding. But good Lord, those brides and moms are stressful. And, “ain’t no one got time for that!!!”

Corporate Events

Where I thrive and excel is corporate events. I love to set up a meeting, connect it to your agenda, and arrange for meals and breaks. I enjoy making a lasting connection to my client, rather than just meeting once and most likely never seeing that person again. I have been doing this particular job for more than seven years and I love it. I have made some amazing friends that are also clients, and that makes my job all worthwhile.

The Tasty Part

I mentioned it earlier, but I’m also a chef. I went to culinary school, and I learned how to make scratch mother sauces, roast a perfect chicken and filet a fish. This is why I am the best darn event planner you’ll ever work with. I create special experiences with food for your event.

While some planners will try to convince you that it’s all about the décor, I beg to differ. I remember every event that ran out of food … the weird grey chicken with mystery sauce … and of course I remember the event that poisoned the large attendance with melting plastic fumes on our food.

However, I also remember the time that the staff brought out late night pizzas when we all needed major booze-soaking carbs. I remember that absolutely crunchy breaded chicken filet with a glorious hollandaise sauce. I remember the dessert …. oh, the dessert.

Creating an Experience

Where I’m going with this stomach-rumbling diatribe is that I do so much more than set up a ballroom to be classroom style, a screen at the front of the room and two microphones. I create an experience. A memory. And sometimes I add the pretty.

Trust Your Expert

What I wish that others knew when using a service such as mine is that I truly know what I am doing - so trust me. When you think that your entire attendance wants steak, and only serve chocolate cake for dessert, listen to me when I tell you why that’s not a good idea. I know what setup works well in my venue. When I tell you that I can’t fit more than 60 people in a small room, I’m not trying to upsell you into a larger room. What I truly mean is that everyone will become very friendly because they will be sitting on top of each other. (And I hope they all have strong deodorant).

Not to toot my own horn, but I’m kind of amazing at what I do. I anticipate the issues. I see the “holes” in your agenda and I know when you are going to need another microphone.

I’m also not perfect.

I am human.

Guess what? I’m a human. And human beings make mistakes. Hell, sometimes my computer doesn’t catch when I spell a word wrong. (Fro gets me every darn time, you stupid computer!)

But I have big shoulders. And I can admit when I make a mistake. I think that is a lesson with every interaction with another professional- be humble and know that you’re not perfect. Michael Fassbender is pretty darn close to perfect, but we all can’t be him.

And at the end of the day, I love my job. I love my clients, I love that I have a different experience every day. And I hope that my passion comes through with each and every event that I get my grubby hands on.

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This guest post is part of a series of posts tackling this topic. If you would like to read more, see below in "related posts" or click on Guest Bloggers in the categories to your right. If you would like to contribute to this series, email AuthenticallyAmy.