Parties bring friends and family together in the name of a good time. There are plenty of reasons to celebrate, including personal and professional milestones. Much planning often goes into hosting a party, and those hosting might be wise to enlist the services of a professional party planner to streamline the work and make it more likely that everyone has a good time.

A party planner organizes and executes private and public events. Party planners work with clients to understand their needs and desires, and then customize a party plan to help achieve their vision. A party planner works to identify the purpose of an event and align the festivities with that goal while helping hosts to stay on or come in under budget. 

Throwing a party involves many moving parts, and party planners are adept at handling them. Rather than party tasks falling on hosts’ shoulders, a planner will research venues, manage vendors, create schedules, resolve any problems that pop up, and coordinate any overlapping details with other event professionals. According to QC Event School, party planners also will handle the execution of contracts and manage all logistics of an event on site. 

Although the terms party planner and event planner are used interchangeably, there are some differences. Event planners often manage large-scale events like charity galas or corporate seminars, while party planners focus on smaller, social events like weddings and birthdays.

Hosts pondering whether to hire a party planner can consider these benefits to doing so no matter the size of the party.

• Reduce stress: Party planners manage the bulk of the work, freeing up time and energy for hosts to focus on other things. This can relieve stress leading up to the big day.

• Offer expertise: With knowledge of the best vendors, creative ideas learned on the job, and anticipation of any potential problems, party planners bring a wealth of experience to the table.

• Save money: Even though there is an investment in a party planner fee, this individual can help a person save money in the long run. With access to wholesale or insider deals, and connections in the industry that include established relationships with all sorts of vendors, party planners can help hosts get the best deals.

• Professional advice: Party planners can let hosts know what will work for an event and what might be a stretch and suggest workarounds. 

Party planners can be invaluable resources when hosts face the often tall task of throwing a get-together for friends and family.