What Events Do Event Planners Actually Plan? A Complete Guide

Have you been at a wedding that was perfect? Or have you ever been to an office event that seemed surreal to you? Yes, all of these could only happen through the planning efforts made by an expert event planner. Now, just how much effort does an event planner put into organizing?

As a matter of fact, there is far more that the average person might think about a professional event planner. A professional event planner not only has extensive knowledge but also has numerous obligations depending on the event being planned by him.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

Basic Responsibilities of a Professional Event Planner

When talking about event planning, it should be known that the basic task of an event planner is to achieve the vision while working under constraints. An expert event planner will not only help in finding vendors and sending invitations but will also look after all logistics and solve problems occurring during the event.

Based on the reports by the Malaysian Association of Professional Event Organizers, the Malaysian event industry has been growing remarkably well throughout the last ten years, with the corporate events and hybrid events being the most popular types of events in recent times. The need for experienced planners has further been increased after the pandemic as customers have started expecting a lot more creativity, accuracy, and flexibility from their planners.

So, how do planners plan events?

Corporate Events: The Core of the Industry

Corporate events form an integral part of professional events planned by event planners. Contrary to the popular misconception, they come in different forms and serve many purposes.

Typical examples of corporate events are:

– Annual General Meetings (AGMs)
– Launching new products and branding activations
– Corporate retreats and team building exercises
– Summits
– Gala dinners
– Anniversaries of companies

These events are planned in a different manner as each one calls for a specific approach. The launching of a product, for instance, will call for proper visual branding and good presentation skills coupled with media coverage, while a corporate retreat will be concerned with creating experiences and managing people travel arrangements.

We have done many projects with clients requiring us to organise their events and we understand that each company brand has its own uniqueness which should be reflected by the event itself.

Understanding the type of corporate event being organised requires an understanding of the company’s industry, audience and the message they intend to send out.

Social and Private Celebrations

Emotionality is at its core here. Indeed, social events are very much personalized affairs – and that is both their appeal and their challenge.

Weddings

Without a doubt, weddings are some of the most complex types of events that can ever be organized by an event planner. Handling families, arranging for all sorts of vendors, and considering all cultural/religious aspects, there is no way for making any kind of mistake.

In Malaysian weddings, various rituals and parties become part of the ceremony, which combines tradition with modern designs. Every wedding celebration in Malaysians, Chinese, and Indian weddings has its uniqueness and features, and it is important to know them all.

Special Events: Birthdays and Anniversaries

For birthdays and anniversaries, including significant milestones (21, 30, 50), which are being celebrated by clients looking for an exceptional experience rather than having dinner at fancy restaurants, it becomes necessary to hire a professional event planner.

These events should involve themes, entertainment, surprises, and a personal touch to make sure that the occasion would remain unforgettable for a long time.

Private Functions and Social Occasions

It goes without saying that not all the events require huge budgets and places. Apart from weddings, event planners can be engaged in handling other sorts of events, like garden parties, theme parties, baby showers, as well as various cultural celebrations.

Exhibitions, Trade Shows, & Expos

Organizers always work behind the scene of any big exhibition or trade show that usually attracts thousands of people in attendance over several days.

In this case, another set of skills becomes necessary. They include managing the requirements of the exhibitors, working with the layout of the place, offering the required technical support, including lighting and AVs, and most importantly, regulating traffic within the premises.

Big expos that are held in locations like KLCC and PWTC in Malaysia usually take up much labor behind the scenes. They require professional event managers to manage the expo because the intricacies of organizing these big expos are not fully known to an outsider.

Galas & Charity Fundraisers

It is a difficult task that fundraising involves, and the reason is simple; fundraising not only requires making the guests comfortable but also getting some tangible outcome from the event as well.

Those event managers who have an area of expertise in such events know how to make the atmosphere suitable for making a donation. Silent auctions, entertainment, keynotes speakers, and much more go into fundraising events to create a philanthropic atmosphere.

Moreover, fundraising includes interacting with sponsors, NGOs, media personalities, and venue managers, who become the backbone of the event. Planning fundraising events can be difficult, especially when the budget remains tight for the planner.

Conferences & Forums

There has been an increasing demand for sharing information due to development in industries, which has increased the number of conferences and forums.

The planning of these events needs profound knowledge of programme planning, from the list of speakers invited to the arrangement of discussion panels to the engagement of the audience throughout the entire day or even several days.

The Kollysphere agency has experience in the organisation of thought leadership events in various spheres, knowing that the success of these events is not only in their attendance figures but also in the conversations started during them.

Product Launches and Brand Activations

Whenever there is a launch of a new product in the market, the launch event becomes the first point of contact for the public. There is no place for mediocre solutions here.

In regards to planning events in this category, this process entails collaboration with marketing and PR professionals in order to make sure that visuals, timing, reveal, and PR campaign are created in a manner which is maximally beneficial for the event.

What concerns brand activation activities, they are the next stage of marketing strategies, since they let the customers interact with a brand directly. In Malaysia, it has become widespread in retail and lifestyle segments because of tough competition between brands.

Hybrid and Virtual Events

Hardly any other industry was affected as strongly by the pandemic situation as the events industry. While initially seen as an interim solution only, the virtual event has proven itself and became a preferable choice for some organizations.

But in organizing hybrid events, it needs to be taken into consideration that hybrid events need two events happening simultaneously: one event offline and another event online.

Contrary to virtual events, live events necessitate technological knowledge of live streaming platforms, methods of audience engagement, and timely schedule management of the events. Virtual events attract less attention; hence, the schedule ought to be efficient and exciting.

In this aspect, Kollysphere events have put considerable efforts into building capacity as it seems inevitable that future events would be a combination of physical and virtual events.

Government and Public Sector Events

Event planners are also responsible for organising events in the government and public sectors, including national days, public awareness campaigns, ministerial fora, and state functions.

In many cases, government and public sector events may have protocols and security issues that require close co-ordination between various government agencies. Though the process of planning may take longer, the significance of such events cannot be overemphasised.

What Makes a Great Event Planner?

Irrespective of the type of events, there are certain traits that distinguish successful planners from others:

– Attention to details – because even the smallest details matter
– Excellent connections – knowing the right people when you need something done
– Creative thinking – because something will definitely require changes the day of
– Good communication skills – between the client, vendors, and team members
– Ability to deal with stress – staying calm under the pressure
– Budget control – producing an outstanding plan within reasonable financial limits

Great planners also understand the importance of being updated with the latest trends. Everything that concerns designs, technologies, sustainability measures, and audience interaction changes all the time, and the best planners adapt fast.

Event planning may seem simple from the outside. In reality, it is a wide range of options and nuances. From celebrating a birthday to organizing a week-long conference for the entire nation – event planning includes everything.

It can be achieved through the expertise of the planner in converting the idea of the client into reality which will always remain unforgettable.

No matter if you are a company looking forward to making your future event memorable or a person just wanting to get informed about the events business, this is absolutely true.