Recently when reading the oh so wonderful blog from Preston Bailey I came across an article called ‘Do I really need to hire a planner for my event?’

Of course being a planner as well as director for the UKAWP I had to read on. I found myself chuckling away as many of the descriptions are similar to what I use when running our training courses, I’m always describing Franc from Father of the Bride as an example of how ‘not to plan a wedding’.

You can read the full article from Preston via his blog  I was also glad to see someone as good as Preston doesn’t agree with accepting commission which is something all our members adhere to in our code of ethics.

 What do you think makes a good or bad planner?

Good planners: They make the process as easy and painless as possible, respecting the client’s time and level of involvement.
vs.
Bad planners: They think they are the show. They create drama were there should be none. They over-involve the client, and they need lots of attention.

Good planners: They give their clients realistic budget expectations, telling them what things really cost.
vs.
Bad planners: They unrealistically promise clients they’ll get quality for less and drive all the vendors crazy asking them to lower their prices.

Good planners: They get their normal fee from their clients and they do not accept commissions from vendors, which puts them in a better position to negotiate.
vs.
Bad planners: They collect a fee from clients and also quietly blackmail vendors into paying them commissions. (For example, they say something like, “If you don’t pay me a commission, I won’t use you or your services.”)

Good Planners: They are very open to creativity, yet respectful of the vendors and artists they work with.
vs.
Bad planners: They are frustrated designers and seem to think they know what is best for the design. (Though, to be fair, they have seen a lot of designs, which gives them the right to have an opinion.)

We’d love to hear your opinions..