As the coordinator of your company’s next big event, you’re about to enter the world of event planning and production. From choosing the venue to hiring the entertainment, there are many decisions that need to be made, which can be intimidating without any background in this area.

Fortunately, you can hire an event planning and production company to help you with all of these tasks

1. Identify your Budget

It’s impossible to determine what you want, or don’t want if you don’t know how much money you have to spend. Take stock of your event vision and then figure out how much time and resources it will take to bring it to life. How many guests do you plan on inviting? Are there any specific details that are must-haves?

Will catering be provided by your venue? Most importantly, will everyone fit in your designated space? The most important thing is to get a feel for how much everything will cost so that later when it comes time to negotiate with a planner, you can do so from a position of knowledge.

2. Match Your Budget with the Services You Need

When choosing a company to help you plan your corporate event, it’s essential to understand your budget so that you can match your needs with their services. Top-of-the-line corporate planning service is expensive but is also going to provide more amenities than a bottom-end one.

Figure out what kind of experience you want guests to have—will they come away impressed or underwhelmed? Make sure you choose event planners who can deliver what you want at a price point that matches your budget.

3. Ask Event Planners For Testimonials

Whether you need to plan a corporate event or want to stage a wedding, you’ll want to be sure your event planner has experience in your type of event. Ask her for references from past clients. It’s also important that you meet your prospective event planner in person before signing on.

Look for someone who is knowledgeable about local vendors and can assist with planning every aspect of your celebration, from venue selection to coordinating with other wedding professionals such as florists, photographers, caterers, etc. A good event planner will give you peace of mind so that when it comes time to enjoy yourself at your party or meeting, you don’t have anything left to worry about.

4. Consider Experience

When looking for a company to assist with your corporate event planning, look for one that has experience. What past events have they worked on? What kind of work do they specialize in? Once you’ve identified a few good prospects, ask them to provide references from previous clients.

If you have time, give these references a call—and while you’re at it, use your own industry contacts to see if anyone can recommend another top-notch event production company. You can also research reviews online. In general, though, your best bet is to choose a company that’s been around long enough to prove its chops.

5. Use a Referral Service

Find a friend who has used event planning services before and ask them to give you a recommendation. Read reviews online, especially those posted by past clients. Consider seeking out corporate event planning companies that are affiliated with national or international organizations like The Association of Corporate Executive (ACE), American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) or The International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA).

These types of organizations should provide certification to planners who complete their educational requirements, making it easier to check references and make sure your planner is qualified. Many planners belong to these associations anyway because they want recognition from their peers—and because they know it will help them find higher-paying clients.

6. Do Research on Online Communities/Forums

Connecting with people in a local community is important, but if you can’t make it to networking events or conferences, there are numerous online communities that allow you to chat with others about topics related to corporate event planning. For example, LinkedIn has several active online groups related to business networking.

If you’re trying to find a company that does corporate event planning and production, use these types of online communities as a resource for finding reviews. These kinds of online forums also allow you to post questions about specific areas of concern when picking out a production company. You’ll likely get lots of responses from people who have experience working with different companies; they might even be able to point you in the direction of someone they know directly.

Who Should You Trust?

You don’t have to spend much time searching online to find horror stories about wedding vendors. Most of us have seen brides standing teary-eyed at their weddings in dresses they never would have picked out, next to centerpieces that look nothing like what they ordered.

But there are a lot of great event planning companies out there (maybe too many) who genuinely care about delivering your dream wedding. To protect yourself from unscrupulous vendors and make sure you get exactly what you want on your big day, choose a vendor who meets with you in person, as opposed to taking things online or over email.

Conclusion

Make sure you know what you want to accomplish with your event, when you want it, where' it will be and how much money you’re willing to spend. Once these factors are set in stone, finding a reputable company that can deliver on your vision should be easy. A trusted event planning and production company will also listen to what you want.

They should ask questions and allow plenty of time for feedback so that they don’t miss out on any details or unique qualities about your event. If a company isn’t able to do all of these things for you—don’t worry! Not every company is built the same way; it’s important to find one that fits your needs and style. Good luck!