Attack of the Newbies

In my daily quest for information about event planning, I came across an article through Special Events magazine’s Eventline e-newsletter titled, ‘Newbie “Wedding Planners” Plague the Professionals’. It detailed the disdain and uproar that newbie wedding planners are causing amongst veteran wedding professionals. As a new event planner myself, I took an immediate interest.

Apparently there has been a "wave" of new so-called wedding planners (or people who think that they would like to take a stab at the industry), when in reality, they have no clue what they’re doing. Among the many ways they are sabotaging more experienced wedding planners is a trend of offering low-cost, “day of” wedding coordination services. Really!? You can't possibly plan a wedding in one day! As Joyce Scardina Becker, president of Events of Distinction, said, “No wedding planner of sound mind, experience and education would simply show up on the day of a wedding, wave their arms in the air like a symphony conductor and expect everything to flow flawlessly.” She’s right. It just doesn’t make sense.

Another tactic newcomers are using is undercutting on price, which often times leaves the veterans having to explain why they charge what they do, which is time consuming. In addition, as Siobhan Craven-Robins said, "...it devalues the brand and makes the industry unnecessarily cutthroat." I couldn't agree more. I like to think of event planners as a big network of colleagues. Sure, we all essentially do the same things, and therefore compete against each other, but overall, I think we all prefer when everyone succeeds. There's so much that we can learn from one another instead of fighting for business/clients.

Newcomer wedding planners are not only driving down fees, but compromising the reputation of wedding planning with their ignorance of the professionalism it entails. Planning a wedding is no joke. After all, it is the one day that most women have dreamed of since they were a little girl. To a pro, watching someone inexperienced try to step in and take over must feel like a slap in the face. The fact of the matter is that quality beats out quantity on any day. Quick, easy and cheap might be all the rave now, but once people realize they're not getting their moneys worth, they'll go back to the experts.

Here are some tips to help you become an enlightened newbie:

• Do as much research as possible
• Find someone experienced in planning & see if they’re willing to mentor you
• Consider getting a certificate in Event or Meeting Planning
• Volunteer at events
• Register for conferences, career panels, networking events, etc.

No one wants to be is a failure. Event planning is not easy, and it certainly isn't an easy industry to break into. After reading this article, I feel more determined to shine. I don't claim to be a veteran and I know that there is so much more for me to learn. Although my focus is not weddings, I still plan to use all resources available to me so that I too will become one of those veteran event planners whose work and talents people trust and admire.

After all, you must learn how to crawl before you walk.