During the preparation of events, planners have a busy schedule; they get so carried away by the major things that they mostly forget to budget the small but important items.
Creating plans for catering services, venues, security, and other important things are necessary, but the small items are also important, and without them, the event might not go as planned.
So, when creating a budget for an event, try to be in a relaxed and conscious mode when planning it so you won’t forget the little but essential items.
10 Items Planners Forget To Include In Their Budget
1. Services and Labour
All the important items you want to be readily available for your attendees at the event will be delivered by people. Also, the role of serving food will be done by some set of people event planners tend to forget to add to their budget.
2. Damages
The equipment used to make the event a memorable one can get damaged during the event. Plates used for serving food often get broken by the mishandling of guests; all these are not usually planned for, but it is necessary to keep miscellaneous expenses aside to have a great event.
3. Gratuity
Event planners often overlook this, so they tend to go to the event’s venue without cash. If your events require the service of vendors, then know for sure that you would need to tip them.
The amount to tip vendors differs, but it should be what you think the vendor deserves.
4. Weather
This will be necessary if you’re planning an outdoor event. Aside from your initial plan, you should also have a plan B to counter unfavorable weather conditions.
Include in your budget money to rent tents and heaters to make the weather comfortable for your attendees. Also, plans need to be made for a hall to move your guests if the downpour or cold becomes severe.
5. Add-ons
Many rental services have add-ons that make the price of their item skyrocket, so make sure to include that in your budget to avoid leaving your guests unattended. Most times, renting a heater for an outdoor event includes charges for propane to fuel the heater.
Add-ons are applicable to all the rented items you use in the events, so endeavor to add them to your budget.
6. Translation Equipment
Most event planners who prefer using 5-star hotels, event centers, and open spaces like beaches tend to forget about the importance of translation equipment like interpreting booths. Many attendees of different nationalities will attend events, which means they speak and understand different languages.
When guests do not understand the official language spoken at the event, then the event’s goal has not been achieved. Event planners tend to assume all attendees speak and understand the same language; hence they forget to include translation equipment like interpreting booths in their budget.
7. Printed Materials
In the spirit of creating awareness for the event, handbills and other graphics will be used. Mostly, event planners just make a budget for ticketing platforms and other major items like communication equipment, but they forget about the printed materials that will be used to increase awareness of the event.
8. Speaker’s Fees
Every event has someone who anchors it aside from the event planners. Business events have speakers that deliver the theme topic for the event. The service of the speaker is not free except if the event planner and speaker have reached an agreement to make the service free.
9. Attendee Housing
The welfare of your guests is your priority, but most event planners forget to include housing of their attendees in their budget. Most events last till dusk, so most attendees tend to spend the night at hotels around the venue before returning to their destinations the next day.
10. Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi service at the event venue is not free, even though event planners have to make it free for their guests. Wi-Fi fee is not included in the payment made for the venue, so most planners forget about it, but to make the event flawless, there will be a need to make Wi-Fi available for guests.
Conclusion
Budgeting makes things easier, and if you have an event coming up soon, you need to make a budget for it to have an idea about the cost and also trim down the necessary items and unnecessary items using a scale of preference.
Event planners are good at their job, but they are humans first, and humans are prone to forgetfulness. Some items are crucial to the success of an event, but event planners forget to include them in their budget.
