20 Questions to Ask Your Clients (As An Event Planner)


At your initial meeting with a client to plan an event honoring a special person (or as you begin to prepare for a Do It Yourself (DIY) event) it may be useful to document what plans have been completed and what still needs to be planned.

The following 20 questions may help to guide this process:

  1. What is the event?
  2. What is the budget? Do you have the money set aside?  If not, how will you pay for it?
  3. When is the event?
  4. Where is the event?
  5. Is the event a surprise for the guest of honor? If so, how do you know the guest of honor will be available?  How do you know that they will be there?
  6. How many people will be invited? Who?
  7. Do you know that the most important guests are going to be available for the event? How do you know? Have you asked them to save the date?
  8. Are you planning a theme for your event? What is the theme?
  9. Are you planning to serve food? What is the menu?  Does anyone have special dietary needs?  Who will prepare the food?
  10. Are you planning to serve alcoholic beverages? If so, do you have a licensed bartender?  If not, how will you be sure that no one drinks too much and then drives?
  11. Will you have organized activities? What are the activities?  Are they suitable for your attendees?
  12. Will you be making photos of the event? Do you want these to be high quality?  What aspects of the event must be photographed? What will your photo album look like?
  13. Will you be making a video of the event? Do you want the video to be high quality?  What aspects of the event must be videoed?
  14. How many people do you need to help with each of the above tasks? Who will help with each task?  What will each of these people do?  Do they have the necessary skill?  How do you know?
  15. Do you want to feature the honoree on the invitations/signs? If so, how will you make the requisite photos?
  16. If there is a theme for the event and it is “a surprise” how will you arrange the appropriate clothing for the honoree?
  17. If you are having a display of photos from an honoree’s past, what photos do you need to collect prior to the event? How will you collect them?
  18. Do you want to have a gift such as a book, a picture or poster, a stuffed animal, a plaque, a card or a t-shirt for all guests to sign? If so, who will get it?
  19. Review each item on the above list. Is everything you have planned safe and healthy?
  20. Review each item on the above list. Will the honoree and guests enjoy everything?

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