Choose the event type and role you will sell
An event planner might coordinate weddings, corporate launches, birthdays, graduations, conferences, or community events. The client may expect full planning, day-of coordination, décor sourcing, guest management, or a specific vendor referral. Define what you do and what you do not do. A clear scope prevents the client from assuming that a planning fee includes venue, catering, décor, entertainment, and unlimited changes.
Start with the event size and type your experience can support. Talk with venue managers, caterers, photographers, and past clients about the problems they see: late supplier arrival, unclear budgets, guest-count changes, or weak communication. Build your package around solving a real coordination problem rather than copying another planner’s bundle.
Cost the work before promising a package
List planning hours, site visits, calls, supplier coordination, transport, staff, equipment, printing, communication, and contingency. A small celebration may still require many hours if the client changes the guest count or programme repeatedly. Distinguish your professional fee from supplier charges and state who contracts and pays each vendor.
For a package, define event size, planning period, number of meetings, vendor sourcing, setup supervision, event-day hours, staff count, and what changes incur extra fees. For custom events, charge for a discovery and planning process or provide a written quote after the scope is known. Avoid quoting an entire event from a single inspirational photo.
Use written briefs and decision deadlines
Create a client brief with event date, venue, guest count, budget, audience, programme, accessibility needs, dietary notes, theme, and decision-makers. Confirm who can approve spending and changes. Send a budget tracker with committed, paid, and estimated costs so the client sees where the money is going.
Set deadlines for guest count, menu, seating plan, print items, and supplier confirmation. Agree how substitutions work if a vendor becomes unavailable. Keep decisions in a shared written record rather than relying on multiple voice notes. If the event is outdoors, plan rain cover, sound, power, and a decision deadline for moving indoors.
Build a vetted vendor network without guaranteeing others
Collect supplier details, service area, capacity, equipment, references, insurance or licences where relevant, cancellation terms, and payment schedule. Meet or test important vendors when possible. Explain to the client whether you receive a referral fee or commission and obtain consent where disclosure is appropriate. Do not claim a vendor is “verified” if you have only seen their social page.
Use written agreements for venue, décor, catering, sound, photography, and entertainment. Confirm arrival time, setup access, power needs, teardown, overtime, and who handles damage. A supplier’s no-show can affect your reputation, so keep backup contacts and clarify who is authorised to activate a replacement.
Show proof of your coordination skill
Ask clients for permission to publish images and identify the exact work you performed. A gallery can show a run sheet, room layout, décor coordination, or timeline—not only professional photos of the finished venue. Do not reveal private guest lists or event budgets. State event size and location only if the client approves.
Track enquiry source, quoted budget, acceptance, event type, hours used, supplier issues, and final margin. If you repeatedly underestimate setup time, change the package or staffing plan. Referrals are stronger when the client feels the event ran calmly, not when the photos look expensive.
A KobStore service page can organise planning packages, event types, portfolio examples, and enquiry contact in a link a client can share with a committee or partner. It does not book venues or vendors, manage event payments, or guarantee attendance. Confirm the scope and availability personally before taking a deposit.
Build a run sheet that names the decision-maker
For event day, write a timed sequence with supplier arrival, setup, guest entry, programme transitions, speeches, meal service, and teardown. Put one contact beside each task and name the person who can approve a change. If the client has several family members or committee representatives, agree whose instruction is final; otherwise two people may give a caterer contradictory directions.
Share only the version marked final with suppliers. When the programme changes, record who requested it and tell the affected vendors. Keep a printed or offline copy in case the phone battery or network fails. A detailed run sheet cannot prevent every surprise, but it allows the planner to respond without searching through old chats while guests wait.
Sources and verification: Kenya Business Registration Service; confirm county and venue-specific requirements for public events, food service, temporary structures, and sound with the responsible authorities.
