What is the average fee for an event planner

She even had a few surprises for me. The little touches she addded made the event more intimate and special. I highly recommend her for any event. She is very talented and creative and great at working under a budget. Her motto is Affordable Elegance She is worth every penny. She listens to what you want and delivers exactly that. I am so happy with my wedding, it was truly a dream. Not to be confused with a wedding planner , an event planner may work independently or on behalf of a company to organize and implement events such as parties, conferences, meetings and trade shows.

Typical costs:. Often, this is called an event planning package. High-end event planning costs vary, especially in metropolitan areas like New York City. Event planners who charge the highest fees generally have more than a decade of experience and have been featured in the press. Event planning packages should include several consultations as well as day-of event coordination. A full-service event planner should work with the host to research and refer vendors to provide the venue, decor, menu and entertainment.

Additional services may vary between vendors. For instance, Austin-based company The Simplifiers[ 3 ] says its corporate event planning services include risk management, working with keynote speakers, coordinating registration, negotiating group hotel rates and creating a day-of timeline, among other tasks.

When working with hourly event planners, it's important to communicate expectations so both parties know what tasks will be completed. Following the host's budget, the planner should negotiate vendor fees and contracts, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics[ 4 ]. Event planners that charge a percentage of the budget do not have an incentive to negotiate lower rates with vendors.

If budget is a concern, this should be communicated up front. Additional costs:. Because the event planner's fee is determined up front, tipping is not required. However, a thank-you card or gift card are welcome if the event coordinator did an outstanding job.

One advantage to hiring an event planner is the potential of saving money on vendors with whom the planner has a good, working relationship.

Ask if the event planner can get discounts on printing, catering or entertainment and have them work those figures into the overall budget. Shopping for an event planner:. A trade group for event planners, Meeting Professionals International[ 6 ] lists individual chapters by region. Contact the chapter representative, who can recommend a local and reputable event planner.

Comments CostHelper News. Periodic exercise can extend the usable life of many items. Posted October 14 Posted November 19 Beautiful Memorial Service. Was this post helpful to you? When it comes to hourly event planning rates, it is also important to determine how frequently you may bill for your time.

For example, let's assume that a client is hiring you in October to organize a one-day seminar in March. Your client is also hiring you to provide on-site management. You establish an agreement upfront that you will bill for identified services at different times, and will submit invoices for all services performed to date on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis.

Under this agreement, you and your client should both work out a detailed statement of work that includes the expected responsibilities of both parties. Then, you may estimate a total budget of so many hours plus reasonable expenses be clear on what those details may include.

However, this isn't enough to cover the cost of your total time and services. In these situations, it is reasonable to present your fees at a combined cost in two different categories. For example, a client hires you to organize events associated with a conference. Your assignment is to organize two private dinners and a golf outing, each with 50 guests.

Keeping that in mind, you may come to your final flat fee and hourly rate with the following calculations:. If you come to a deficit, as we did in the example above, you may choose to quote 15 hours to manage the logistics of multiple outside vendors. Your quote then may reflect the following:. In this scenario, you will need to carefully determine that you have estimated your hours appropriately an account to cover non-standard operating expenses such as personal travel.

As expected, few clients are pleased to see increases in expenses later on unless justifiable reasons are provided. Another way that event planners may collect fees for services is by securing event space through venues that offer a commissionable rate.

These are fees typically provided to travel agents for booking tickets, hotel rooms, and other forms of transportation. Further, some clients may be aware that commissionable rates exist and do not expect their outside consultants to bill using any of the other identified billing methods we've outlined and still pay a commissionable rate.

If accepting commissioned rates, it's best not to charge your client fees for your services using alternative billing methods. There are scenarios when commissionable rates do make the most sense, such as a smaller nonprofit or association that may be hiring your services for a membership event or meeting and the bulk of the fees are paid directly by the attendees rather than the organization.

Another scenario may be if your client is purchasing client gifts from you, and you may also offer promotional items distribution services. Fees are higher in the Northeast, for example, than in the Southeast. This difference reflects the variation in cost of living. Experience and reputation of the event planner. If you're just starting out in the industry, it's reasonable to charge less for your planning services while you gain expertise. Although clients shop around for the best price, a planner who comes in too low with an estimate may be as off-putting as a planner who comes in too high.

Your client may question your ability to throw a top-tier event based on the price you have quoted. So how are the above-mentioned fees-for-service calculated? They contract out the labor, supplies and materials involved in producing an event and charge their clients anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of the total cost of the event, with 15 percent being a rough average.

Before you can begin planning an event, you have to know exactly what your clients want and what they can spend. Then you estimate how much it will cost to contract for labor and supplies, add your commission and present the total fee for services to the client as an estimate. Below are some possible per-event expenses:. Once you know which of the above expenses you'll incur, you can prepare an estimate of the event cost and the fee-for-service.

First, find out the going rate by contacting three of each kind of vendor and supplier you'll need. Then calculate the costs for each category listed and any others that might arise , add them up and add a small amount for unforeseen expenses. When you give an estimate to a client, you may want to present it in the form of an itemized list.