As an event organiser, consistency is one of the core elements of success. Whether you organise simple birthday parties or international corporate events, everything should be well-planned and executed. One of the ways to achieve this is when you have a strong relationship with your vendors.
As your relationship with event vendors becomes stronger, the easier it is to work with them. Whether it’s the catering, flower arranger, or venue manager, both parties will benefit in the long run.
In this article, we’ll guide you on how to build a strong relationship with event vendors as an event organiser or planner.
1. Choose the Right Vendors
The first step in building long-term organiser-vendor relationships is to choose the right vendors. Whether it’s business or personal relationships, things may not work out if you don’t match. So, when looking for the right vendors, consider your schedule, niche, budget, and other event requirements.
For instance, if you’re aiming to provide the best corporate event management services, look for vendors who have past experiences working with event planners and organisers who can provide what you need for organising corporate events.
2. Communicate Clearly and Effectively
Another thing you should do when developing a strong relationship with event vendors is to communicate clearly and frequently. Even when it’s the first consultation or the regular meetings, always make sure that you both understand each other.
Besides, since every tiny detail in event organising is essential, it can significantly impact the overall event once there’s a single misunderstanding. Aside from face-to-face meetings, always keep your lines open for updates and emergencies.
3. Set Expectations
As early as the first meeting, you should already set the expectations. Once the expectations are set for both parties, all the responsibilities, terms, and deadlines can be done as anticipated. Meanwhile, when setting expectations, a written document should remind both parties of the details they’ve agreed to.
At the beginning, you can draft a contract that contains all the responsibilities and agreements both parties have decided to commit to. Once everything has been settled, you can finalise the document, and make sure both of you have copies. Additionally, you can notarise it to secure its authenticity.
4. Treat Vendors as Partners
Treat the vendors as partners, and not just plain service providers. If you want to continue making transactions with them, you should be able to share some of the same goals. Additionally, if you’re planning to include them in your success, you should showcase their products and services, logos, and other ads whenever you’re posting the success of your events.
At the same time, they should feature your events whenever they’re promoting their brand. In this way, both parties will maintain great branding.
5. Be Transparent
As the coordinator-vendor relationship develops, there also come discounts and promos. However, some people think that since they already have established a relationship with a vendor, they can haggle down the price which may affect the quality of work.
As mentioned earlier, open communication is one of the ways to solve potential problems and misunderstandings, so ask the vendors right away if saving some money can affect your relationship with them, and the quality of work they provide.
6. Appreciate Their Work
You can show your appreciation for the work of event vendors in many ways. You can post them on social media platforms, give them a gift, or even just a simple thank you note. These various ways of appreciation can encourage them to continue their hard work and provide great services to their clients.
7. Pay Right Away
Payments make a business keep going, so if you want to continue working with your chosen vendors, pay them promptly. Unless they have a long-term payment plan, or you have a special agreement when it comes to payments, paying them as soon as possible is a way to show respect to their work.
Besides, as a business owner, you should know how important it is that clients pay immediately.
8. Provide Constructive Feedback
Giving feedback isn’t just about the negative aspects of the services provided by the vendors. You can also leave positive comments of what went well, and mention things that can be improved. After all, there’s no such thing as a perfect vendor unless they’ve been in the industry for decades. And constructive feedback can significantly help them in their future projects.
9. Build Long-Term Relationships
Consistent collaboration with a vendor can lead to long-term relationships. Since you’re both used to working together, you both know each other’s expectations and preferences. Additionally, you’re aware of the quality of service they can provide based on the scale of the event you’re organising. For instance, if you want to create a perfect corporate event management routine, you know they can help you with it.
10. Stay in Touch
Your business relationship doesn’t always have to be whenever you have events to organise. You can still send them updates, invite them to gatherings, and greet them during holidays. Besides, staying connected allows them to keep you on their list of possible future transactions.
Final Thoughts
Building a strong, long-term relationship with vendors can significantly contribute to the success of your event planning business. By keeping these tips in mind, you won’t have to encounter problems along the way, and you can achieve smooth sailing event executions all the time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aliana Baraquio is a content writer for Pink Caviar Events Sydney, a full-service event management and decorative hire company located in Sydney. When she’s not typing out blog posts, you can find her watching anime series or baking cupcakes.
