Whether you’re preparing for a Bar/ Bat Mitzvah, wedding, corporate event, or any other type of party, assembling a team of quality vendors will be one of the focal points of your pre-party preparation. To ensure you’re making the right hires at the right time and getting the most competitive prices, we’ve assembled these tips for comparing vendors.

Begin With Priority Vendors

Vendors offering priority services may only have the resources, talent and team to work one event a day and should be secured first. Whether it is the venue of your dreams or the must have photographer, these vendor services will set the tone of your event and should be secured early in the planning process.

Planner
Venue
Caterer
Photographer
Videographer
Entertainment

Creating a Shortlist

It’s always worth considering recommendations offered by friends, family, and of course, your party planner. Once it’s time to narrow down these choices to the best of the best, we recommend visiting each vendor’s website. As you browse, consider these questions:

Is the website well designed?
Is it current?
Are they showing original content and ideas?
Are they informative?

In a world where most people’s first interaction with a person or business is a digital one, a good online presence is so important. Don’t settle for anything less for the best possible results!

Evaluate Reviews

Next, take your list of gut-check-friendly vendors to your favorite review site, like Google, Yelp or the Better Business Bureau. Watch out for red flags, like frequent mentions of no-shows, or reports of inappropriate behavior. And look at pictures! Are the photos of real-world events or are they mostly staged photo shoots?

Start a Conversation and Get a Quote

As you start narrowing down your selections, we recommend shopping by category, like venues and caterers. Our brand-new workbook includes space for listing your final four choices for each category for better visualization.

Before you make contact for a quote, make sure you are prepared to give the vendors the facts you know regarding your event. Key pieces of information include the date, desired event start time and length, number of anticipated guests, and any special needs.

Once that information is gathered, you can start emailing or calling all the vendors on your short list! Take note not only of their answers, but also their speed of returning your inquiry as well as the tone of their response.

Are they eager to talk?
Are they listening to what you are looking to do?
Are they rushed and unable to focus?
Do they have quick confident answers?

Paying attention to these questions early can truly save you from making the wrong hire. Choose someone who genuinely cares about making your event a success!

Take Thorough Notes

One of the trickiest pieces of the vendor selection process is keeping track of all the details. So, be sure to take good notes! Use the pages in our workbook to keep track of each vendor’s variables. Ask about their pricing, order minimums, staffing, cancellation policy, deadlines for making decisions and additional details. Rate the vendor on a scale of 1–10 based on all these factors. When you look back at your notes later, you’ll have an easier time deciding.

Make the Decision!

Finally, it’s time to decide! At the end of each vendor section is a handy sheet to help you make up your mind by listing the pros and cons of working with each vendor and comparing their flexibility, pricing, and personalities.

Once you’ve made the decisions, email or call your chosen vendors to seal the deal. Ask for a contract, review it carefully, and sign. If most of your conversations took place over the phone, make sure the terms of your agreement are in writing. If you are working with Innovative Party Planners, we are happy to review each of your contracts with you before you sign!

Choose the Right Vendors with Help from Innovative Party Planners

Innovative Party Planners is your resource for event design and planning in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Virginia. To learn more about our event planning services and how we can help make your event one of a kind, contact us by clicking here or call (410) 998-9999.

Tips for Choosing the Right Vendors for Your Upcoming Event