Event Planner Interview Questions & Answers
Event planners are responsible for the production of events from conception through to completion. They are responsible for creating event concepts, selecting venues, budgeting, securing sponsorships, handling logistics, handling event marketing, negotiating with sub-contractors, preparing expenditure reports, and evaluating event effectiveness.
Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of Event Planner or
an employer preparing to interview candidates for Event Planner position,
these Event Planner interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.
Event Planner Interview Questions
Below are a list of some skill-based Event Planner interview questions.
- Imagine that you should plan and organize a business conference for executives from banking industry, approximately one hundred people. What steps would you take?
- Tell me about the largest event you've ever planned.
- Do you have experience using project management software?
- What’s your process for training event staff?
- What are some common challenges that event planners face?
- What information would you ask for from a potential client? Why?
- What is your experience with virtual events?
- If you had to boil it down, what are three things an Event Planner should care about most?
- Describe a time when you provided a creative solution to a problem. What was the result?
- It’s been difficult to contact your client during the planning stages, especially when critical decisions need to be made to go forward. What do you do to address this?
- Are there any event types you find particularly interesting or exciting to plan?
- How would you choose the location/venue for an event? What are your priorities after choosing a location/venue?
- How do you choose partners (e.g. caterers) when organizing an event? What are your criteria to assess their eligibility/quality?
- What is your experience with managing budgets?
- How many events do you plan per year?
- How would you persuade a client of the value of your services?
- What elements must be considered before you start planning an event?
- How do you resolve conflicts between team members when working on an event?
- What do you think is the key to a successful event?
- What steps do you take to ensure that all details of an event are accounted for?
- How would you react to technical problems during an event? What are the most common/serious problems you have encountered during an event and what did you do about them?
- How do you manage a nervous client who is concerned about their event going smoothly?
- Describe your most successful event planning experience. What did you do that made it so successful?
- Are you comfortable working long hours or on weekends if necessary?
- Describe an event management experience that didn’t have the results you aimed for. What happened and what did you learn?
- The event details keep changing, and the client is flip-flopping back and forth. What do you do?
- Do you know the most popular venues in X location? Why are they popular?
- Imagine that a lighting system failed during an event, and everyone stayed in the dark. What would you do?
- Miscommunication can severely impact an event coordination. Tell me how you’d work to minimize miscommunications should you be chosen for this role?
- How do you create an atmosphere at your events that is engaging and fun?
- Do you prefer working with overbearing customers or lax customers who give vague instructions?
- How do you convince a client to upgrade their event?
- What would you do if you were in charge of planning an event and a keynote speaker canceled at the last minute?
- Can you describe how you approach negotiations with third parties, like vendors and sponsors?
- What types of events do you usually plan? Do you have a specialty? Why did you choose it?
- Are you comfortable working with a wide range of clients, from individuals to corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies?
- If a client requests a unique event, how do you get the inspiration to deliver?
- What do you think sets your events apart from other events?
- What do you enjoy most about organising events?
- How do you assess the success of each of your events?
- What technology/software do you use/prefer? What do you know about event technology?
- Drawing from your experience, describe the best way to deal with aggressive customers.
- Since branding has become increasingly important, how do you make sure that your events reflect the values of your client’s brand?
- From your experience as an event planner, how much do you think a wedding of 200 guests will cost?
- Can you give an example of a time you had to deal with last-minute event changes?
- What do you know about DMS (Delegate Management System)? What is DDR etc.?
- What do you like most about your job? How do you stay motivated when things don’t go as planned?
- How would you deliver an outstanding event on a limited budget?
- Have you ever had to plan more than one event simultaneously? How did you do it? What was the result?
- How do you use social media for your event planning or for attracting customers?
- Describe a time when you went over budget. What went wrong and what did you do to fix it?
- How would you manage stress as the date of an event draws near?
Event Planner Interview Questions and Answers
Every interview is different and the questions may vary.
However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.
Below are some common questions you'd expect during Event Planner interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.
- Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
- What is Your Greatest Strength?
- Tell Me About Yourself
- Why Do You Want This Job?
- Are You a Leader or a Follower?
- What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
- What is Your Salary Expectation?
- Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
- Why Should We Hire You?
- What is Your Greatest Weakness?