A professional event planning company will not only handle major aspects of your fundraiser, but also minor details such as an appropriate theme, the right venue, food arrangement, tableware and floral and décor. Having a professional event planning company on your side allows you to channel your energy into one or two areas in the planning process leaving the rest to your event planning company that is there to ensure that every other aspect of organizing a successful and stress-free fundraising gala is taken care of from every angle.  Here are seven key benefits of having a professional event planning company on your side:

1. Keep Your Budget in Check

Many believe that hiring an event planning company to orchestrate your gala could only result in you acquiring more costs than if you had planned the event yourself, but this assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. An experienced event planner generally knows what costs to expect and whether there are differences in value. With this knowledge, they can help keep track of the overall costs and suggest ways that you can stay within a set budget.  They have years of experience in the art of planning successful fundraising galas; and are familiar with the ins-and-outs of the industry so well that they’re experts at knowing which vendors will get you the best deals for your price range as well as how to carefully map out your budget and stick to it.

When planning your next fundraising gala, ask your event planner for their expert recommendations regarding how to carefully map out your budget and stick to it, as well as insight on which vendors, venues, and services will get you the most bang for your buck at your next gala. 

2. A Fresh Perspective

When you’re planning a fundraiser, doing everything yourself is a very, very big job. And it gets stressful. As soon as you hire a professional event planning company, you can breathe. You can step back, regroup, focus on the things you know the most about, and get a lot of work done. Because someone else is handling the details of the event itself, you can be more productive on the things you do best. Plus, when the fundraiser happens, the event planning company’s team will be monitoring the event itself, taking care of every small detail and making sure the logistics are handled so that you can focus on making your guests and donors feel welcome and appreciated.

3. Expert Negotiations

Event planning companies know how to negotiate with vendors with ease so that your fundraising gala needs can be met without having to cut any corners. The professional event planning companies have helped a plethora of groups arrange successful fundraising galas over the years, and therefore have already established connections with trustworthy vendors who often provide reduced rates for their exemplary services.  Hiring an event planning company often means having a skilled negotiator to rely on, particularly when it comes to contracts with suppliers and vendors. An event planning company knows how to make sure your wishes are met; and is not afraid of putting pressure on the vendor or supplier when needed.

4. Your Time is Valuable

If you run a charity or nonprofit business, chances are, you already have plenty of responsibilities on your plate. Event planning is a time consuming, often-tedious process, and if you’re already devoting your days to take care of the day-to-day ongoings of your business, hiring an event planning company can save you a great deal of time.  They spend their time researching, planning and negotiating to help you get the spectacular event that you hope for.

An event planning company takes a lot of meetings for you. Why? Because there are details that you don’t have to be bothered with. They know the ins and outs of organizing fundraising events. Through the initial strategy meetings right at the beginning of the planning process, the event planning company should know exactly what your needs are. That means they attend meetings with the hotel and the catering company, the videographer and the furniture guy and the A/V people so that you can get more work done. As an executive director of a large non-profit once admitted, “I literally can’t count the hours having an event planner has saved me.”

5. The Devil’s in the Details

Event planning companies relish in perfecting even the smallest and most intricate details that go into planning the perfect fundraising gala. Orchestrating a fundraiser is no small feat; it’s common for nonprofits to get so caught up in big-picture event planning elements that crucial gala details may unintentionally fall to the wayside.  Utilizing an event planning company’s services for your gala will help you to rest easy knowing that there is an experienced team of experts there to help you manage every single detail so that you can enjoy the big night without a shadow of a doubt.  Event planners are very detail-oriented, which is great for making sure that nothing is left out. These professionals know what different events and occasions demand and are familiar with the finer details.

One of the biggest perks of hiring an event planning company is knowing that they have great organizational skills. From production timelines for the event to booking a venue on time, an event planner’s management is quite useful.  For busy professionals, the flexibility that an event planning company provides makes it easy to give as much or as little input as you desire. Event planners allow you to be as involved or uninvolved as you like!

6. Optimize and Organize

A professional event planning company knows how to take your wishes and demands to heart while making necessary tweaks and adjustments. An experienced event planner will listen carefully, provide input and be realistic when it is appropriate.

Planning an event doesn’t have to be stressful, especially when there are experts who enjoy helping with important details. By hiring an event planning company, you can not only save time and money, but you also greatly reduce your stress level. A good event planning company listens closely to what you have to say and incorporates your wishes and demands, mixing their professional advice or opinions when essential or asked for.

7. Conquer Emergencies with Ease

Having a professional take care of the large and small details and put everything together greatly reduces stress. They’re there to help troubleshoot difficulties and to make sure that the event goes off without a hitch.  Unfortunately, from time to time, things can go wrong [“Murphy’s Law”].  Having a professional event planning company on your side helps you deal with unplanned and unexpected emergencies in a calm and rational manner.  As a wise professional once commented, “Emergencies are inevitable in planning events. The manner with which you deal with an emergency can mean make or break.” 

In business for over 20 years, Your Great Eventis a professional event planning company dedicated to helping non-profits and charities organize the most successful fundraisers.