Whether it’s an anniversary dinner, wedding, or concert, trusting a stranger with your event is not easy. However, finding the right event coordinator will reduce your work and stress, while ensuring the event is a success, and having proper event planning questions ready will give you peace of mind.
When looking to hire an event planner, you will need to conduct an event coordinator interview. Interview questions for event coordinators should relate to their relevant experience, personality, and the strategies they use in event planning. These event planner interviews are like any other job interview, and the exact questions you ask will depend on the industry (weddings versus technology) or niche (private versus corporate event). These general event planner interview questions will be applicable to most situations and help get you started.
Preparing to Interview Your Event Coordinator
What is the Job of an Event Coordinator?
An event coordinator (also known as an event planner or event manager) works in the professional field of events and hospitality. They coordinate and plan events from beginning to end including venue selection, vendor arrangement, budget management, and client satisfaction.
What Should You Bring to an Event Coordinator Interview?
When interviewing potential event coordinators, you want to be prepared. What do you envision for your event? What are the most important elements? What are you looking for in an event manager? Have a list of event coordinator interview questions ready to help guide the discussion, ensuring nothing gets left out.
Best Event Coordinator Interview Questions
Why Do We Need You as an Event Planner?
An event coordinator (or event planner) greatly reduces your workload and stress on your behalf. An event planner will ensure the event is a success and creates relationships with the best vendors and service providers, giving you the highest quality event. This is an interview question for event managers that will allow them to tell you why they are right for the job.
What Skills, Education, and Traits Should All Event Coordinators Have?
A successful event coordinator will be easy to get along with, flexible, and be very organized. They will have good people, time, and money management skills. Although one may not need formal certification, it is nice to identify some sort of certification, college degree, or portfolio when hiring an event planner.
How Early Do You Need to Begin Planning the Event?
Generally, you start planning events as early as two months to two years to the event date. Although this is a relative question to ask, phrase it to your candidate for the event you’re throwing. For example, a wedding event will take way longer to plan than a corporate event.
When thinking about event time-frames, consider how long it might take to secure a venue. Give guests enough time to plan (generally you want to provide at least six months so they can plan their schedules). If your event is located elsewhere, be sure to give enough notice for long-distance planning.
How Do You Manage the Budget of an Event?
One of the reasons a project will exceed the budget is because of the incompetence of the event manager. Lack of a vision, poor communication, and unrealistic targets are some of the issues that lead to the mismanaging of a budget.
An event planner needs to understand how to manage the budget and create a plan to cover additional expenses, and the event coordinator interview questions you ask should help reinforce your confidence in these abilities. You can also get an idea for proper event budgeting through general research.
What Do You Do When You Are Stressed Out When Planning an Event?
Event planning has been ranked 5th on the list of the most stressful jobs in the world. It will help to keep your balance by fine-tuning your communication skills and having a great attitude. Also, aim at achieving a work/life balance to avoid burnout.
It is crucial to ask a candidate some stress management questions to assess their ability to manage stressful situations.
Are There Certain Types of Events You Are Always Excited to Plan?
You may not be looking for a specific answer as an interviewer. This question is intended to bring out the candidate’s personality. What makes them tick and why are they passionate about being an event coordinator? This question will help bring those insights to the table and you’ll be able to gauge whether or not you’ll be a good fit for each other.
How Do You React If Something Starts to Go Wrong During the Event?
Everyone knows that mistakes happen during an event. This question is intended to see their problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills. You want an event coordinator that can stay level-headed and offer resolutions to issues in a professional manner, even in challenging situations.
How Do You Determine A Successful Event?
Event planners need to understand what it takes to make an event enjoyable and their clients happy. Usually, an event planner will ask clients about their event goals and expectations, then use those as metrics for success. You want to find an event coordinator that finds your success as their own. That way, you know they’re focused on accomplishing the event to your wants and needs.
What Makes You an Effective Event Coordinator?
Every event coordinator should have project management and organizational skills to perform their event planning tasks well. In addition to asking this question, ask the interviewee to share up to three skills that they think qualifies them for the job.
What Do You Do if You Need to Complete a Job but Don’t Have All The Answers?
This question will typically be answered with a personal life experience or event from the candidate. No matter how they answer, make sure they relay it back to why that qualifies them for the job, given the skills they possess.
It’s Time To Interview Your Event Coordinator
Overall, when interviewing for an event planner, you want to find someone who’s keen, has great management skills, and can stay organized. Above we outlined questions to ask an event planner that will get you going in the right direction. But don’t stop at event planners, chances are you also need event rentals. Aurora Event Lighting & Rentals is your one-stop-shop to cater to all your event needs. Check out our lighting, drape, party, and sound rentals today!