“I Hate Event Planning!”

Post written by Missy Johnson, Principal, MJMeetings, LLC | Meetings Consultant | Gourmet Food & Wine Enthusiast | Sports Fan

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met someone new, described what I do for a living to them and get the response, “Oh, I hate event planning. How do you do it?”

What I’ve come to realize is that, for many people, meeting and event planning is like getting a root canal or giving your dog a bath…not fun. I think a lot of people can’t understand how managing multiple tasks and tracking every detail of an event could ever be “fun”.

Listen, I get it…like any profession, there’s plenty in my day-to-day job that isn’t fun. On the flip side, there’s enough challenge in my role that I do enjoy and, thankfully, after 20 years, I’ve gotten pretty good at it.

Here’s what I always tell old friends and new acquaintances who don’t like event planning: “Why don’t you hire me to do it for you?”

Why should you spend time doing something that isn’t your job and that you don’t like doing? Why not have an expert who will not only execute it at a very high level but also very likely save you money at the same time?

My skills at negotiating discounts with vendors often will pay for a part, if not all, of my fee to handle the total execution of the event. Many people don’t even realize that their meeting or event possesses the power to earn discounts and concessions…which is just one of the many reasons why you need an expert on your side. Oh, and never mind the added benefit of me helping mitigate risk by ensuring your vendor contracts are legally sound.

Hate event planning? Enough already. Hire a professional. You’ll be glad you did.