A few weeks ago I was at an event and someone asked me “why would my company hire you?” I mistakenly said the thing all corporate event planners say, “I will save you time and money”. At that moment I could tell by the look on their face they were thinking “so what?” I soon realized that although saving a company time and money was of value, it was not the strongest customer perceived benefit.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population.[1] The need to find ways to help anxiety and stress are at an all time high. CareerCast.com rated event planning the fifth most stressful job in the country (military and firefighting were also high stress).[2] The fact is planning an event can be stressful and that is why the strongest customer perceived benefit of hiring someone is to relieve that anxiety and stress.
Not only does hiring a contract event planner help to relieve anxiety but it also allows my clients to step back and focus on their strengths. When planning an event, it is very important to have the necessary skills, connections and ability to ask the right questions in order to gain valuable insights into what the company needs and determine what is logistically possible. Leaving the details and planning to a professional allows for a company to have more confidence in knowing their event will be successful.
[1] Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “Facts & Statistics,” www.adaa.org, (September 2014).
[2] Career Cast, “Event Coordinator,” www.careercast.com/slide/5-event-coordinator, (2014)