7 clients every event planner has

Clients Every Event Planner Must Have

As an event planner, it’s important to understand all types of clients, and know when to push back or step away from a bad relationship before it happens.Event planners should keep in mind the types of event clients you may end up working with, and how to deal with them whether things are going great, or seem to be narrowing in on a fuzzy line.

Below are only a few that seem to pop up more than often.

The Referral

It’s pretty common that event planners are referred by previous clients. It’s always exciting and refreshing to work with new people, but not knowing their background, how they work and what they are looking to accomplish are always stepping stones to make sure you pull off a successful relationship with the new client, and the event you are planning.As the event planner, it’s your job to step up and explain to these clients your process – walk them through your routine and see if they have any questions.It’s a lot easier to let them know upfront what you will be doing, rather than seeing half way through they are confused or not enjoying the process.

Do better than is expected

As the planner to stay professional, always meet the client halfway. Listen to what they have to say, what their ideas are, and always provide quality service, even if the client thinks they know better than you do.Some overachieving clients tend to text, call, email, and sometimes show up at your door at all hours to ensure things are running smoothly. You will usually see these types of clients in the wedding event area – they are of course just triple checking that everything is running smoothly for their perfect day.

The Ideal Client

The ideal client is usually very open to communicate with, takes direction well, and comes to the table with ideas of their own. They immediately give you their full trust, and openly appreciate your time, skills and knowledge as the event planner.Ideal clients are usually easy to transition into loyal clients who come back to you time and time again. Create a long-lasting relationship with them that is open, trustworthy and caring. If you do your job well as the event planner, you should be able to secure a lifelong business client and possibly a great friendship as well!

The Promise Breaker

Clients love to promise they will show up on time, bring checks to meetings, help look for items needed at an event, etc. Event planners all know the importance of making every client sign an agreement that binds them to get items done in a timely manner, provide payment on time, and be respectful to the event planner’s time. Even with a signed contract, a lot of clients fail to adhere to the papers they put their signatures on. These types of clients can manipulate event planners, and sometimes hold things over their head for no reason.

The Clueless One

Although some clients may be super on it like the ideal client, you may find yourself meeting a couple of forthcoming clients. These types of clients can seem confused, closed-minded and indecisive, which is never a good quality to have working on an event. These types of clueless clients usually have lots of ideas, and get lost in the smaller, not so important details, which takes up a lot of the planner’s time to sift through.

The Picky One

You can’t plan an event without having worked with a super picky client. This type of client can be picky and a mix of one of the above types. They love to nit pick every single detail, which doesn’t seem like a bad idea, but can end up being a time sucker when events need to stay on track to meet deadlines.Be careful to set boundaries right up front with clients so they know your role as the planner, and their role as the client. You don’t want a picky person complaining about your ideas and details all the way through the event process. It’s not only a buzzkill, but also a creative kill!

The peppery One

Finally, somewhere in the mix of event planner’s clients is always a grump. These are the clients you dread working with – they always have something to complain about, whether it’s the colors of table cloths, or food being served or even the online registration processes. They can never see the good in anything being planned.

Every event planner has worked with several different types of event clients. Some may be the best clients you have ever worked with and come back time and time again, and others are instantly marked as a one-time client you will not want to work with ever again. It’s all part of the fun of event planning!