Event Planner's Top 5 Pet Peeves—And Our One Solution

Ugh! Once again, your clients have changed their mind on the reception flowers, and now you have to start all over on the design. That’s enough to make your head spin, right? I mean, they’ve only changed it about seven times already. But as a professional, you take a deep breath, resist the eye roll, and say, “OK, what flowers were you thinking about?”

Mr. Webster, famous for his ability to define words, would categorize this as a pet-peeve moment—you know that one incident or occurrence you find especially annoying? But don’t feel bad; you’re not alone. We rounded up five of the most common pet peeves every planner has when planning an event:

1. RSVP Nightmares

Late RSVPs are enough to drive you completely event-planner crazy. You and your clients send out RSVPs for a reason: so you can get an accurate headcount for seating, food, bulletins, and countless other items. But when someone sends a late RSVP, you have to completely reorganize the venue layout to accommodate for them. Why do these even exist?!

2. The No Shows

This happens at every. single. event.

The guests RSVP’d on time, you ordered them a meal, and you saved them a seat, but when you look around, they’re not there. Maybe they didn’t want to insult your clients by checking “No” on the RSVP slip, but what the guests fail to realize is that you arranged tables, prepared food, hired staff, and might have even delayed the start of the event just for them. This one is a big event planner pet peeve!

Related: 15 Wedding Expenses You Forgot to Budget For

3. Vendors Arriving Late

It’s the day of the event and everything is on time, except the DJ. He is over an hour late and you could just scream. He needs to run AV cables, set up his table, and do a sound check—all before the guests arrive. As an event planner, you rely on vendors to help you implement a successful show. However, when one part of the event runs behind, everything else does too. And yes, we understand problems with vendors do arise, but a good vendor will ensure they show up early to silence your event-day worries.

4. Hidden Costs

Your clients depend on you to plan the event of their dreams within the means of their budget. And nothing annoys you more than a vendor who gives you a quote, but neglects to include the hidden service charges. Sneaky, sneaky! Knowing the exact prices up front helps you plan a realistic budget because no one likes asking the clients for more money at the end of the event.

Related: Event Contracts: Your Armor and Your Shield

5. Lost Guests

You tried your best to paint the prettiest signs, and you made sure every sign post had the directional arrow guiding guests to the event. But it never fails, a guest always gets lost and then gets mad at you. Although you have a great poker face and apologize for the miscommunication, all you want to do is roll. your. eyes.

The One Solution: Inspherio

Pet peeve moments happen, but the Inspherio Crew is here to make them less of an occurrence. As experienced event professionals, we know there are certain moments that can drive you crazy, which is why we designed the perfect anti pet-peeve, event planning solution. When you join the Inspherio family, you’ll have access to features that can help keep people on time, track and update guest lists, budget events, and a vendor contract feature to ensure every event is spectacular.  Don’t believe us, try it free for 30 days. You’ll be glad you did.