How to charge for event planning services is an important decision to make when starting your event planning business.
Rates too High or Too Low?
Set your rates too low, and you’ll lose money; set your rates too high, and you’ll price yourself out of the opportunity.
Pricing too high can make getting hired for event planning jobs easier.
Knowing how to charge for your event planning services is a struggle many planners experience, mainly because so many variables affect your rates!
One of the most complex parts of starting your business is determining how to charge for event planning services.
While many factors can affect your rates – such as the size and budget of the event, your experience and credentials, and where you live – there is no one “right” way to price event planning services.
Some planners charge by the hour, while others may prefer to set a flat fee for each service they offer. Ultimately, it comes down to what works best for you and your clients.
If you’re starting in the industry, it can be helpful to research pricing trends in your area. Consider reaching out to other local event planners for advice on setting the best rates for both parties.
With time and experience, you’ll better understand how to price your services and find the right balance for your business.
Ultimately, it all comes down to listening to your client’s needs, being clear about what you can offer, and finding a pricing strategy that works for you. With these tips, you can confidently set your rates and start booking event planning jobs!
As an event planner, pricing your services is one of the most important aspects of running your business.
Many factors can affect how you charge for your services, including the size and budget of the event, where you live, and your experience and credentials.
Some planners charge by the hour, while others set a flat fee for each service they offer.
Setting your rates depends on what works best for you and your clients. As a beginner in the industry, it can be helpful to research and talk to other local planners about how they price their services.
With time and experience, you’ll better understand how to set rates that work well for both parties.
So, it’s important to spend time considering:
- The market in your area
- Your startup costs
- Whether you’ll charge a flat fee or an hourly rate
How Much To Charge For Event Planning Services
When I started my event planning business, I charged an hourly rate ($75 was suitable for the year, start-up costs, my location, and my experience). I also took a retainer that I used against the time spent on the event.
When Payments Are Due
My minimum retainer (or deposit) was $2500 (roughly 33hr of work). Full payments were due 21 days prior to the event, and everything was outlined in a contract that I had a lawyer create for me.
(If you don’t know a lawyer or paralegal, go to Upwork.com to find one) or use this event planner contract that’s already done for you.)
For each event, my intern tracked my hours and sent an invoice to the client at the beginning of each month. The invoice was due immediately at the time of receipt.
After 6 months of planning corporate events, I took all the invoices and looked at the hours it took to plan each event. This allowed me to give my clients an estimated budget.
4 Things to Consider First
In this week’s episode of EventPlanning BlueprintTV, learn 4 critical things to consider before you determine how to charge for event planning services.
Fun Fact: 48% of Independent Event Planners Charge$50-99/hr For Their Services
Flat Fee or Hourly Rate?
After a few years of planning events – when I started planning events with +$1,000,000 event budgets -I switched to charging my clients a 10-15% planning fee. On top of that, I also set a 10% service fee to cover my office and miscellaneous expenses.
This was the best way to protect myself and my clients and maintain good relationships. For example, if I had a client who didn’t want to work with me anymore, it would be easy to move on, knowing that I’ll still get paid for the work I’ve done so far. Also, since I was only charging 10% of the project budget as my fee, my clients were only paying an extra 5-10% for miscellaneous expenses – which is very reasonable compared to other agencies/industries.
Of course, there are exceptions where some people will use Google Docs solely to write proposals or contracts, but recently, I have seen more and more companies open up to the idea of working with planners and agencies.
If you’re building your business around events, make sure that passing off these documents communicates what you do and how you can help your clients – this will increase the chances of people hiring you or at least wanting to learn more about what it is that you do.
My event budgets were fully disclosed (I recommend this) to the client because they were responsible for paying all event vendors and outside resources.
There’s no one-size-fits-all rate card for event planners, and there are variables to consider before you decide what price and fee structure are right for you.
An event planner in the Los Angeles area can charge more than an event planner in Boise, Idaho. Think of the difference in city size, per capita income, and types of events these two (very different) cities would require. Using Los Angeles prices in Boise would mean a lot of days staring at your phone, hoping clients call you.
And, using Boise prices in Los Angeles might get you more work than you can handle… which can send you into the red very quickly and possibly out of business within your first few events.
It’s important to know what price structure your area can support. Staying competitive helps you build your event planning portfolio, so you grow your business and become the event planner to call in your city.
Be Confident About Your Rates
You must price your services correctly for optimal sales, cash flow, profit margins, and branding.
*Be consistent with your rates.
*Be confident with your rates.
Both will show you’re a professional who knows how to get the job done, which leads to more work (and more profit) for you!
Profitability Calculator – Grab this calculator to determine if you’ll make money from an event.
Check out our event planning courses for more help with running your event planning business and charging for your services.
In the comments below, I’d love to hear your take on how to charge for your event planning services.
Do you charge a flat rate, an hourly fee or are you stuck and not sure what to charge? Let me know below…
We love hearing from our International event planning community, however links to outside posts and videos are seen as SPAM and will be deleted.
If you found this useful, go ahead and share it.
Thank you, as always for watching and reading!
Excellent – thank you for posting this!
It’s our pleasure!
I charge a flat rate service based on how many guests and I charge 15% of their budget. For example, 1-50 has a service charge of 250.00 but I don’t calculate that on the 15%, I only calculate 15% of the vendor fee. Is that an ideal way?
Hey Sherreece, I’d recommend you take the suggestions in the article and keep your payments simple for you and your vendors and clients.
Around where I live the demand is not too high for event planners, I am restarting fresh and want to be fair, I read and researched and have signed up for future classes. My question I suppose is a 15% fee fair for myself, I want to offer as inexpensive services with quality as I can without it under paying myself, if you will.
With that asked, is it uncommon to maybe do a flat rate of the 15% for the first so many hours and then an hourly rate for any hours after?
Hi Jessica, why do you want to me the cheapest in town? You’re going to do the same amount of work but for far less money – that’s not a good business model and won’t keep you in business long. If you’re just starting, charge an hourly rate and keep track of your hours so you know how long it takes you to plan an event. We don’t know where you live or the circumstances in your area so can’t say if 15% is fair – you need to figure out how much you need to operate and what your break-even is so you are making enough money.
And no, we don’t recommend complicating matters by charging a flat fee first and then an hourly fee. Keep it simple and pick one!
Good luck 🙂
Designing events has always been a hobby of mine. Thanks for the info.
Anytime, Bernardo!
It happens to every event planner – especially at the beginning. The main thing is that you learned from your mistake and will add a misc. field to your next event budget (we recommend 10% of the overall event budget for misc expenses). Good luck and thanks for sharing!
When I charge my hourly rate ($60). I’m wondering how you present your “contract” to them?
Contract-
Labor 40hrs
Supplies $100
Etc.
I’m having a hard time with that
You need a legal contract so you’re covered. You can find event specific contacts here: https://eventplanningblueprint.com/eventplanningtemplates
Thanks Krissy
I have a unique question and I am hoping you can help. I have a partner and we are starting the business together. What is the best way to charge if there are two of you? For example would we charge $120 for the hour or do we try to find an average? I hope you can help!
Thanks!
it doesn’t matter if there are two of you or five of you, you can’t charge your client more because of it. You have to find out what other event planners in your area are charging and based on your experience, decide a suitable rate for your services.
Good afternoon Ms. Woodward.
I am from the GTA. I recall you said you live in the Toronto area as well. Great city ha!? 🙂 Anyway, I hope this finds you well.
I registered my business, Marcy’s Floral & Event Decor, in February of 2016. Our primary activities are decor rental and event design. I currently do this on a part time basis as events/projects come up, as I currently work as a legal secretary in a criminal law firm, but I intend to eventually move to a fulltime basis. I am hoping for a few things from you: 1) that you would share some advise on how to market and promote my business…..it’s really difficult being so introverted and shy. I really love doing this stuff….creating decor pieces and transforming spaces but netowrking is the weakest link in my chain; 2) as a novice in the business, is pricing my pieces as a package too ambitious?; 3) what other workshops, resources or seminars are there in the Toronto area ….of modest costs…..that may be benificial to someone like myself?; 4) over the past year and a half, I’ve been accumulating merchandise for my business and now there’s enough to open a store ….lol…..do you think moving out of my basement is a good idea since I’m only on a part time basis now? Any information and/or advice you provide will be received with the greatest of appreciation.
Thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge and your experience.
Hi Marcia! Yes, we’re in Toronto and it’s an amazing and vibrant city. 🙂
Congratulations on getting your event business started. I know it takes a lot, especially when you’re working full time as well. To answer your questions:
Here’s a post to help you market your business – http://eventplanningblueprint.com/4-successful-ways-to-market-yourself-as-an-event-planner/
Tips to help introverts – http://eventplanningblueprint.com/4-event-management-tips-for-introverts/
For workshops and training, it depends what you’re looking for, but you can find some here: http://eventplanningblueprint.com/products/ or you can also check your local MPI or ISES chapter for local events and training. Many college have good courses too so you’ll have to do some research to find the courses you’re looking for.
If you plan to move into a bricks and mortar store, I’d make sure you part-time business is making money first. A lot of expenses come from having a storefront so it’s important to build your brand and reputation before you start spending a lot of money. Basically, make sure the money is coming in first and that you have repeat clients.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Glad to have you here 🙂
I am new to this event planning business and my partner and I decided to charge 25% for full service to include planning, set up and clean up is that too high?
Not necessarily. It depends on where you live, what other event planners are charging, and your experience. Typically, if you’re going to charge a flat fee it’s 15-30%.
Hello,
I have been doing parties for 2 years now, and I’m starting to realize I may be charging to low and I haven’t really seen a profit seeing the money I get paid for the parties is gone before I know it to pay off stuff I got for that party.
The way I’ve been charging is I add up what I’ve spent on decorations for the party, fees for linen rental, and setup and take down. I’m not sure how I should be charging.
I’ve read a few comments below, and as far as charging by the hour, how would that work? Should I have to keep an eye and keep track of when I’m on the computer doing research for the party, out shopping for the party, etc.) thank you
First Jenny, thanks for your honesty!
You should never be paying for ‘stuff’ for the party. If you charge a percentage or an hourly rate, all vendors and decorations, etc for the event should be paid by your client. Change this immediately so you start making money. To charge hourly, you do need to keep track of all time spent on your event, yes.
I highly recommend you check out our course: http://howtobeaneventplanner.com
Hello! I am starting my own wedding + event planning business! I know you said stick to percentage or hourly but would it be okay to start off as hourly as I am getting started and then transition to percentage. Or I have even kicked around the idea of just doing hourly for day of services and percentage for more involved projects. Thank you!
Hey Jenny, congrats on getting your business started. The key — keep it simple. If hourly works best for you and your clients then do that. When you’re getting started, I’d recommend sticking to hourly so you can track how many hours it takes you to plan your events. After you have a few years of experience it may make sense for you to switch to a rate based on percentage but you won’t know that until you’ve got more experience running your business. Good luck!
Hi Tiffany, I’ve been to parties were this is offered and people love it. We don’t allow promoting on our site, which is why your email was removed, and we recommend you start networking at event industry events to meet event planners and offer your services. All the best and good luck!
Hello!
My name is Marla. I have a BA in Communications from PSU and an Event Planning certification from NYIAD.
I really want to start a personal event planning business for showers/parties. My drive and attitude to do this is to the moon and back, but my wallet to start is very dry. Do you have any tips on my next steps?
Hi Marla, here are some tips to help you: http://eventplanningblueprint.com/how-to-start-an-event-planning-business-with-no-money/
Good luck!
Hey great post ! Me and my partner are doing event planning and event décor part-time right now. We are in a very small city , not a lot of steady business or parties over $5k. Right now we are doing a flat rate that covers consultation , research, set and breakdown, plus the cost of supplies ( dependent on size of event). So we are basically charging for our time/work and for the supplies are we doing this backwards ?
Hi Kristina, This works but you have to know exactly how much time it’ll take you otherwise you’ll lose money on each event. You can either charge hourly for your services or add a clause to your contract that includes 10 hrs, for example, and anything over is at your hourly rate. Either way, for every event you plan, track you time so you know how long it takes to do each task (planning, managing, etc). Good luck!
I am starting to book an event space that is for about 300 people and it’s a very artistic gallery space, but we rent it out for a ton of different events from sweet 16 birthday’s to art showcases and brand reveals.
Is it fair to charge the same rate per client?
I like the idea of doing a $50 hrly rate that includes 30 hours, and charging for a deposit of %50 of that upfront at contract signing to get started with the rest due before the event. Including in my contract that any additional misc expenses along the way. Logging my hours, and then charging a flat on site day rate of $400. Do you think this is weird?
Hi Dayn,
Always follow the simple KISS (keep it simple silly) rule. It shouldn’t matter who the client is, the rate should be the same . You may charge a different rate for different days of the year, but not for different people. That’s illegal in most countries! If you’re going to start booking venue space, do your research and see what other venues do in your area. As for the rate, there’s no way to say until you know your costs. Choosing an arbitrary number (ie: $50) may not work and you may lose money and go out of business quickly. Know your costs before you decide anything. But again, KISS. It’s OK to have an hourly rate but stick to one type of rate – either hourly or daily. Makes life A LOT easier for you and your clients. I’d recommend you check out our course to learn how to be an event planner, which covers how to determine your costs, what your exact rate should be, and more. Learn more here: http://howtobeaneventplanner.com/
Good luck!
I’m trying to set up my event planning business and I don’t know if I should charge for consultation or how much? If I set an hourly rate for the planning of $50/hr should that be the price for the consultation as well?
Use the guidelines listed in this article to determine how much to charge. We do recommend that you stick to one hourly rate for all the work you personally do. Once you have a team, you may want to charge less for junior team members, but until then, keep it simple!
Dear Event Planning Blueprint, Thank you for the helpful information. I have been a meeting planner for about 12 years (the first 6 I volunteered for this non for profit). Now, I am charging them 15% of the total costs of the 5 day meeting. I book everything for them – hotel, main meeting, breakout sessions, AV, organize F&B, social events, tours, photographer, exhibition boards, book 20-30 sleeping rooms for faculty and staff, research everything, compose welcome letters and other communiques. I travel to the meeting for about a week- 10 days (upcoming meeting is in Asia – I am in the US) and so much more. My question is: should i be charging 15% of everything i book including the sleeping rooms, exhibition board rentals, AV costs, etc? Everything takes so much time! I surely want to be fair to this non-profit. Thank you for any guidance. Andi A.
Hi Andi, it’s important to know and understand your costs too, for example, how much time and money does it take you to plan the event? Are your expenses being covered? It’s possible you need to charge more and based on your experience I’d say you probably can charge 20-25%, but you need to know all your numbers first. It may be better to charge an hourly rate, if this is a lower budget event so you’re not losing money (or time!).
Hi, my name is Corlis. Thank you for sharing your advice and tips. I live in the Atlanta area and I am in the process of starting my event planning business. Event planning is huge in Atlanta and it is very competitive. Currently I am working on my fee schedule and I would like to charge a flat fee for small events (100 people or less) but its also based on the # of guests. Then for large/complex events (not weddings) to charge a flat fee plus a % of the total costs for vendor services. Is this ideal? I haven’t thought about the supplies that I may have to purchase for the event. How do I include my supply costs?
You’re welcome, Corlis. If you’re just getting started then we recommend you use an hourly rate and track all your time. Flat fee is good for planners who have been in business a while and know how long it takes to plan each event, and who have large event budgets. Any event supplies should be paid for by the client and included in the event budget you provide them. To learn How to Be an Event Planner, visit: http://eventplanningblueprint.com/howtobeaneventplanner
Hi Melanie,
Great tips, thanks! I’ve recently started up a full-service event management company and typically charge a % of the total event budget as my mgmt fee. I have one client that we have now operated their event and we came in under budget! I’m now unsure if I should still have them pay me the agreed upon mgmt fee or if I credit them back as we came in under budget and my fee was a % of the estimated program cost? Any suggestions?
Great question and problem to have Justine!
Yes, if you have money left over then give it back to your client because it’s proof of your value and they’ll want to hire you again, it’s the right thing to do, and it’s also info that you can use in your marketing or in a case study. Well done.
Thanks so much for the quick repy! Yes, I agree and definitely plan to give them back the $ not spent, but you suggest I also reflect a decrease in my mgmt fee as well due to the under spending? I don’t feel my team put in any less work, so it seems like a grey area…For example, if in contract they agreed to pay $20k (12% of estimated budget) and now only pay $15k mgmt fee (based off 12% of actual spend)? Also something to note, they did decrease their agreed upon attendee count which I have a clause stating I can enforce a fee for reduction in attendee count which I wasn’t going to enforce that fee.
You’re welcome Justine.
We didn’t suggest that you decrease your fee. We suggested that you give back the extra money, that you mentioned in your original post, that is outside of your management fee. Don’t complicate the process. It’s important to value your clients and not nickle and dime them so they hire you again. You saved them money — that’s a good thing!
Great, thanks! I think we are on the same page.
How do I find out what event planners are charging in my area?
Hi G, most event planners secret shop other event planners or you go to industry events and ask.
Melanie,
I am starting as an event planner for a very small venue (50 seated) with majority events being birthday parties, baby/wedding showers and occasional small corporate events. This venue is going to be used for other things (classes, workspace, etc.), so I don’t anticipate being overwhelmed with work. Also, budgets for these events are not huge, in most cases. I have o idea what method to go with as far as charging for my services. My services are basically there as an added option. Any tips?
Hi Amy, if you’re getting started and are working with lower budgets, charge an hourly rate. Most planners who use a flat fee – especially when they’re getting started – never make any money from their events. In fact, most will lose money because they don’t know what to include in the flat rate or how long it actually takes to plan an event. It’s important to also track all your time, expenses (not to be confused with client expenses), etc. Good luck!
Absolutely Dahlia, it’s important to understand the client’s need and budget before you get started. That doesn’t mean you cut your rates though — like many seem to think they need to do 🙂
Hello,
We are anew wedding planning company and are working out some details of our fees. Can you please advise me on how to charge for overnight stays at a hotel for wedding planning? For example, the wedding is far enough that we (2 planners) will be staying at the hotel/venue overnight for the walkthrough and again for 2 nights the weekend of the wedding. Is this something we should be incorporating in our contract, should we charge the bride separately for this? Should it be a conditional clause in the contract? Is this a business expense that we would just pay for through the business? Any advice is appreciated!
Thank you!
Hi Sara, you absolutely should have this in your contract and be charging the client since it’s work you’re doing for their event. This should be part of your conversation before you sign any agreements with clients so they know and understand why they’re hiring you and what they’re paying for. Never should any client expenses come out of your pocket. If you do that, you’ll have a hard time making any money from your events. Hope this helps. Good luck with the wedding!
Thank you!!
Hi Melanie.
I watch your YouTube videos and they have been very helpful. I am starting an events planning business in the UK but I still have much to learn. As I will be self employed, working from home (to keep overhead down) I would like to know from your professional expertise, how I take payments? I will mainly be using vendors to supply catering, entertainment, sound & lighting etc.. but I’m struggling to determine a link between how the vendor is paid (based on their terms of payment) and how I am paid for my services. For example: A client approaches me to help with a 21st birthday party. Their requirements are a DJ, catering and a venue. The DJ charges let’s say £200 for their services and they take a £50 deposit and the rest 1 week before the event. How does that vendor get the deposit and who from?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you – From Leon.
Hi Leon, if we understand you correctly you’d like to know how to accept payments from clients and how to pay vendors. It’s pretty straightforward really…There are many electronic payment processors available now (like PayPal) so you can send clients invoices and they can easily and quickly pay electronically. For vendors, it’ll depend on their terms, conditions and preferences but have all invoices go directly to your clients. You can act as the intermediary for your clients and vendors but clients should sign the vendor contracts and be responsible for paying them.
Hi Melanie,
I am a visual artist who provides Children’s Art Parties in Brooklyn, NY. I was recently asked
by an Event Coordinator of a Private Membership Club in Brooklyn if I would create in the Fall/Winter
fun Events for Kids of this Club to attended. I would be brainstorming and presenting my idea’s. It is different
then me just providing Art Birthday Parties with Parents, were they pay per Child for the project. The Event Person would
be buying/covering cost of supplies rather then me and each child is charged a fee to attend Event to this Private Club.
So I was thinking with my wealth of experience as an Art Educator over 18 yrs of teaching my hourly rate to charge
would be $75 per hour to do Events at this Private Club. Would love your feedback if you feel this is reasonable?
Thanks!
Darlene
Congratulations Darlene, sounds like a great opportunity! I’d recommend going through this article on charging because deciding what and how to charge is more than just picking a number. It’s important that you know your break-even number so you’re making a profit too. Here’s the article: http://eventplanningblueprint.com/how-to-charge-for-event-planning-services/
Hello Melanie,
I was hoping you could direct me on where to go for event insurance…. I have been trying to scope the internet for places that advertise event insurance, but most of the companies I haven’t heard of before.
Is it better to insure each event individually or is it better to license and bond my LLC company as a whole for all events?
Please advise me in which is the better option and/or what insurance companies you recommend.
Thank you so much for your time 🙂
Hi Kelly, we’re no affiliated with any insurance companies and it’s best to speak with an agent locally. Often companies will allow you to insure each event vs. buying business insurance, but you’d need a licensed broker’s advice regarding the specifics of your event and business.
I have been asked to take over the organization of a long running festival 30 years now… I have done other festivals but for my own business, but never for anyone else… The council wishes me to organize the whole event, do the whole shebang and they will cover the costs of requirements for the festival.
I am at a loss as to what to charge, and hourly rate or a flat fee with a % for commission? .
I am also going to be doing presentations to gain more sponsorships for the festival, in fact we are doing everything, marketing, designs, new website development, SEO, and execution of the festival, risk management, traffic management etc etc. the whole lot.
What would be an ideal rate to charge? All suggestions are welcomed.
Congratulations on this great event, Christine.
There’s no easy answer when it comes to charging for a large festival like this is. If you’ve done events like this, as you’ve mentioned, I’d recommend looking at the time it took you to plan each piece of the other event(s) and figure out if an hourly rate or a flat rate works best. I suspect a flat rate is what your client will look for, but make sure you don’t under-estimate the time it’ll take because so many event planners often do this and then it ends up taking 2x what they budgeted for. Use history and your experience as your guide for this new event and how to charge for it, since it’s the best and most accurate indicator. Good luck!
Hi Melanie!
I’m launching an event business next month focusing on Elopements and Intimate Events in the Jackson, WY surrounding area. I understand new event planner like myself should charge an hourly rate . The only few questions I have is vendor payments – should I take payment for the entire event and then pay out the vendors? Or should the client pay the vendors directly? I would just be the middle man organizing the puzzle pieces. Thanks!!
Congratulations on getting started! It’s best to have the client pay the vendors and put the contracts in their name. You’ll be the middle-person and main contact, but the client should pay them directly.
Hello.
This is a great post!!! I am a Corporate Event planner Guinea, West Africa. I usually charged 15% of the total budget but I would like to know do I need to add a % for the service fee separately? In addition, we sometimes offer extra services like booking flight ticket, hotels, paying per diem.. my question how do I charge for this particular service? Thank you
Hi Binta, yes we recommend you charge a percentage for the service fee separately, if you’re charging a percentage of the budget. Hotels, air, etc can be charge at cost plus service fee
I am Getting into the corporate event planning side of the event industry and was wondering if pricing should change as opposed to the special event planning side.
Hi Jessica, typically each niche will have its own ‘accepted rate’, and corporate tends to be higher. It also depends on the type of corporate events you’re planning and where you live. Do some local research for the going rates in your area. Based on your level of experience, you can charge between $75-150 for corporate events usually.
Hi there! I have my own event planning company in Los Angeles and I work with specific venues that pay me a commission. But I am starting to get clients that want me to find the venue, and do the work for the event etc. Would you recommend an hourly fee and percentage of budget? I have over 20 years experience in events, but I just can’t seem to decide on what to charge! thank you!
Hi Jen, thanks for the great question.
In this article, I’ve given you how to charge for both an hourly rate and a flat rate. Since you have so much experience and know how long it takes you to plan events – I assume you’ve tracked this info over 20yrs – then a flat rate could work better for you.
However, it all depends on the event’s budget. I explain this above and how I switched once my budgets were over $1M. It may make sense for you with a lower budget but that depends on the percentage you charge.
At the end of the day, you have to pick one. If you’re unsure, start with an hourly rate and make sure you can give clients an estimate on time since they’ll ask!
I am giving my husband a 70th birthday party. I have already paid for the venue and the caterer. I am anticipating 130 adult guests. What is the customary cost for a decorator? She needs only to rent the table settings. table candles and a balloon backdrop. nothing specially made.
Hey Gloria! There are a number of factors that determine the price, like how much decor is required, how many hours of work it requires to prepare and decorate/set up, and your location. The best thing to do is call 3-5 local decorators and give them your requirements so you can get a few quotes based on the work needed. Most people think renting a few tables and doing table settings is “easy” but often more work goes into decorating a venue than most people realize. Good luck and enjoy your party!
Hello, I am an event planner in Chicago. I offered the full, partial, and day of manager packages. I also do just design and decor for events. Some of my clients who chose the design and decor package also want some vendor outreach services such as getting caterer for desserts or entertainment. We have referral agreements with some vendors but if they are not available, should I make a separate charge for vendor outreach? and if so, what would it be. I’ve been searching the internet to see what other event planners do but I’m not finding anything. My thought was to charge a flat fee per vendor and then travel costs to pick up the food or add a 5-10% service cost to the final invoice or we can just not allow it unless they get a package that has vendor outreach. Would love to hear what you think!
Hi Rana, thanks for the great question.
If I understand correctly, you want a separate pricing structure for one-off vendor outreach. If this is separate from packages you already have, and it’s a stand alone offer, then I’d charge a higher hourly rate for this service. If you’re getting a lot of requests for it, and have tracked your hours, then you can turn it into it’s own packaged rate (if you choose) later.
Does this help?