1. What personality traits, skills, and education do you think all event planners must have? Answer: The most successful event planners tend to be highly flexible, organized, and easy to get along with. They also have great time, money, and people management skills. And although formal education isn’t necessarily required it’s always good to have a college degree and/or a certification or two under your belt when starting out.
2. What is your game plan for managing event budgets? Answer: The most common reasons why projects go over budget have to do with the inexperience of the event planner (poor communication, unrealistic targeting, lack of foresight are the main issues), so it makes sense why this would come up. Make sure they know you’re aware of this and plan to prevent any foreseeable issues through additional research and education.
3. How would you handle an event going over budget? Answer: 85% of projects goabove budget but there are plenty of things you can do if your event does go over, including negotiating with vendors and finding cheaper alternatives for essentials that don’t directly add to attendee experience (think scansion's and signage).
4.What steps do you take to handle last minute or unexpected setbacks before and during an event? Answer: Managing last minute event planning madness is a skill all its own but it starts during the initial planning phase by including wiggle room in both the timeline and budget for things that come up. 5. How do you stay motivated when things go wrong? Answer: Again, this is another great opportunity to showcase a specific characteristic you possess through a personal story, unrelated to work. Don’t be afraid to explain where you pull your strength from or who inspires you – these details will make your interview far more memorable.
6.What is the best way to choose an event venue? Answer: This handy 7 point checklist for choosing your event venue is great if you don’t already have one. Otherwise you can always mention how budget and event goals factor into the process for you.