Event organizing, like any other business requires contact and communication with the client. This is more apparent for event organizers as a big part of the business involves understanding the client requirement, communicating ideas, visualization and execution of ideas. There is a lot of people contact in this line of business as well as stages to getting things done. Creating a successful event is dependent on how well you have managed your interpersonal skills with the client as well as the team and people around you.
Developing a good working relationship
There is a need to develop very close working relationships between the client and you as the organizer. You would have to gain the trust of the client that you can perform and hold a successful event. After all, in event organizing there is nothing tangible except on the day of the event itself and if there is a lack of communication, it would mean that things can go wrong and the event is a failure or did not meet up to the client’s expectations. Therefore, every stage leading up to the event is crucial in keeping the client involved and informed. So how do you develop a good working relationship with your client?
Here are some ideas and suggestions that you can use as a guideline to first of all keep your client confident about your capabilities as well as keep them in the loop about your organization skills and translating it into a successful event:
- Open all channels of communication – this means that you have to be readily and easily available when the client calls. It could be for changes of plans or they just want to know what you are doing next. The more communicable you are the better the trust that you are attentive.
- Be realistic – an organizer can get overboard with suggestions and themes which makes keeping to a budget constrain hard to do. Remember that the client is not an ATM machine and they are in most cases than not on a budget. Client’s are always appreciative if you can help them to save money but yet have good ideas and can hold a great event. They also appreciate personal touches in the event that you are organizing for them.
- Be transparent – this is very important for any client organizer relationship. Being transparent means that the client is kept informed at all times what is going on. This includes if there are problems that arise and will affect the event. It is better to inform than to keep quiet and find that things are not going as planned. If the client is informed early, than changes can be made. This is the most important element of trust in event organizing.
Gaining the trust of a client is a constant challenge. You must remember that it is only on the day of the event itself that the client will be able to know if they have been right in trusting you and handing the event organizing over to you.
Keeping the client assured
Another way to keep up a good client and organizer relationship is to show the client that you are capable and efficient. This is where tools of great help to you would be an event management system. Event planning and event management involves many stages of completion, and keeping each of these stages in check requires methodical planning and execution. You can show the client that you have an event management solution in place that is helping you keep organized while on the go. The event solution will most probably have features that can organize venue floor plans, attendee invitations and lists, financial checklists, vendor and suppliers contacts, presentation visuals and so on.
Therefore, if you are organized it means the more likely you are able to execute a good event plan. This is reassuring to the client as it is very hard to find a last minute organizer if you fail to perform. So if you are an event Malaysia organizer or located else where, the principle of client and organizer trust is the same. In other words, a good and successful organizer is very much like a great friend, someone the client can trust to do things right!
