When its Appropriate to be Your Own Event Coordinator and When its Not

Literally thousands of events occur every day in this country, the majority of them without professional help. So, when is it appropriate to plan and coordinate your own event and when should you contact a professional? You can usually successfully plan and/or coordinate your own event when:

• the party, meeting or other event will be small and informal
• you are planning a drop-in event to last only two or three hours
• a limited amount of food and beverage will be served and you can manage it by yourself
• you are planning a birthday party for a young child. Most parents are not interested in paying for help unless they are planning a Sweet 16 or another major party.
• you have the time and expertise to do it all yourself and still enjoy your guests

You need to call a professional when:

• the success or failure of the event might affect your career or reputation
• the meeting or conference involves professional continuing education credit and the accrediting organization requires the involvement of a meeting professional
• the event is large, complex and/or involves numerous merchants, speakers or other participants
• you have never planned a major event before
• your time can be spent more productively in another way, such as focusing on your primary work responsibilities
• you are expected to participate in the event, such as speaking, being in a wedding party, or attending the meeting or conference - you can't be two places at once. Someone needs to attend to the details while you attend to your more important responsibilities.
• you are planning a wedding. Unless you are planning a cake and punch reception for a few guests, you need help if you want to have a stress-free wedding that you (and your family and friends) can look back on with fond memories.
• you are not extremely detail oriented
• you don't want your family, friends or employees to spend their time setting up, in the kitchen, tearing down and cleaning up

Not all events require the services of a professional event planner or coordinator. Be sure you know when you can successfully do it yourself and when you need help. You don't want to look back and realize you didn't have time to enjoy your guests, you were stressed throughout the event or you worked yourself into a stupor. Better to be wise before an event occurs rather than when it is too late.

Many professional event planners and coordinators offer a free consultation at which time you can talk through the logistics of your event and better determine whether you can handle it yourself. Don't let money be the deciding factor. A good event planner may actually save you money by helping you make the best choices.