In today’s competitive business world, events can be used to make your company stand out from the rest. They are a way to win loyalty from your clients and staff alike. So it’s important that you choose an events management service that gets it. Someone that is able to go above and beyond to provide something memorable that will have a lasting impact.
Organising your own events can be very time consuming and require lots of specific knowledge and connections to execute effectively. Hiring an events manager is essential to delivering successful events. So it’s important to choose the right events concierge service.
Here are 7 crucial questions to ask an events management service provider before you hire them.
1. What type of events do you organise?
It’s important to know that the events management service you choose has expertise in delivering events appropriate to your industry and niche. If you want a black tie event and they’ve only experienced organising foosball leagues, you might find their services lacking.
Make sure they have experience organising similar events to the one you are after. They don’t have to be identical, but in the same ballpark. Ask if they can provide brochures detailing the kind of events they organise. After all, seeing is believing.
2. What services do you offer?
There’s much more to an events management service than the event itself. Things like organising travel itineraries and accommodation, and offering a range of bespoke VIP services.
Perhaps you need an audio-visual experience element to your event. Find out if your events manager can provide this. Perhaps you want to take loyal clients on a cruise – do they organise international events? A great concierge service should be able to provide a comprehensive list of services and be willing to meet, and exceed, your expectations.
3. Who will be my point of contact?
Organising events involves having many plates spinning at once because there are lots of considerations involved, from event personnel, to B2B communications and hosting guests… and more. You need to know that there is a single point of contact you can go to to stay in the loop with your event without having to get bogged down in the minutiae of organisation.
You don’t want to have to go through various members of staff to communicate with your events manager, and there’s nothing worse than not knowing who has ultimate responsibility for your event. An experienced event planner will be happy to talk you through the ‘chain of command’, tell you who is your point of contact, and put your mind at rest that they will deliver a flawless event.
4. What tools and tech do you use?
Event management involves many complex moving parts. There are many modern systems and tools that can be deployed to take event organisation to the next level. You should be reassured that your events manager is using the latest tools to deliver a seamless event from start to finish, from booking travel, venues and activities to customer communication and engagement.
5. What are your vendor relationships like?
Being properly connected with a range of relevant vendors is absolutely crucial to successful event planning.
So it’s partly about “who you know”, but it’s also about what the quality of those relationships is, and how extensive they are. Strong vendor relationships are essential for ensuring that your event has the right equipment and is properly decorated, that transportation is high quality and reliable, and that things like catering and event entertainment are delivered on time and to a high standard.
6. How do you manage timescales?
Event planning needs to be efficient and you’ll need to be properly informed of progress. All events take time to organise, but an expert events management service should be able to streamline planning and delivery to suit your schedule and keep you informed of timescales right from the beginning. Have a discussion about what you want from your event. Your concierge should give you realistic timelines and be able to walk you through each step of the process and how long it will take.
7. Will you go the extra mile to ensure a memorable event?
There are events and there are events. Don’t be afraid to ask your events manager exactly what value they will deliver and how it will live up to, and even exceed, your expectations. Going the extra mile is often in the small details. A good event management provider will want you to keep coming back for more so will want to pull out all the stops to make your event truly special.
At the end of the day, choosing the right event manager for your needs is all about good communication. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with a concierge service and ask to speak to someone about your expectations and specifications. They should be happy to help.
To find out how TMA International can deliver an exceptional events management service, get in touch now for a personalised quote.
