Event Organisers - They're Not All the Same

Almost anyone can set themselves up as event organisers. In practice there's a huge difference between the many 'organising companies' who want to run your conference or corporate event.

Whilst a one-person organiser may be able to handle simple projects, the complexity of major business events lends itself to multi-skilled professional events teams.

So what really marks serious contenders from the others when it's time to organise events?

Range of services

The best organiser will offer a range of services to cover every aspect from concept development to post-event analysis:

• Venue selection (some companies even have their own venue)
• Event marketing
• Speaker management
• Delegate management
• Finance

From these services clients can mix and match services or select a complete event package. The latter is perfect for busy clients who want to brief out the whole event organisation process and leave it in the hands of a specialist supplier.

Association with a dedicated event venue

As well as experience of event organising at different venues, some leading event organisers are associated with dedicated venues. If a team is accomplished at events organising at their own 10 or 11 room facility, there's a good likelihood that they can transfer those skills to another venue. And of course, their 'home' venue could be perfect for your event.

A highly trained event management team

Event organisation is only as good as the organisational skills of the team that handles it. When choosing an organiser look for depth and breadth of resource. As well as practical experience, look for a team that's formally trained in organising events;

Also look for a passion and hunger to do a good job for you too. But beware of enthusiasm that isn't backed by substance. A one-person organiser may be enthusiastic, but will they have the resource required to handle all aspects of your event planning and delivery? Quite possibly not, this is why a multi-person event organisation team is likely to be a better choice.

How to find the best organisers?

As with any skilled professionals, finding your perfect events manager is often a matter of undertaking a logical search. Personal referral is a great way to find a supplier, but for many businesses the search for events managers begins on the internet, followed by shortlisting, meetings and site visits with different suppliers.

Having established that shortlisted partners offer the required services and a suitably skilled team, the final decision often comes down to the chemistry between you. Get your choice of event organisers right and you can look forward to a successful partnership and a stunning event - as well as a reputation as someone who always puts on a great show.