Top 6 Interview Questions and Answers for an Event Planning Position - Times and Trends Academy (TTA)

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Top 6 Interview Questions and Answers for an Event Planning Position

Top 6 Interview Questions and Answers for an Event Planning Position

Top 6 Interview Questions and Answers for an Event Planning Position

Event planning, as you know, is a challenging position, demanding a blend of soft as well as hard skills. As with the position, so is the interview!

If you are about to appear for an event planning interview, you must know the questions your interviewer is most likely to ask you, and their answers as well.

Reading through this blog will help you prepare better for your event planning interview, as it compiles six of the most commonly asked interview questions, along with the sensible answers to them.

6 Event Planning Interview Question and Answers

While some of the following questions will test your technical abilities, some will aim at evaluating your soft skills and approach. Remember, these aren’t ideal answers, as they don’t exist practically. However, they will serve as guidelines to help you frame your response sensibly and therefore, to stand a better chance of cracking the interview.

1) How do you prepare for the kick-off meeting of a project assigned to you?

Here, the interview is referring to your leadership skills, how organised you are, and the extent of responsibility you can handle, if the company assigns you an event project.

So, begin with researching the customer, preparing the agenda, and introductions. You must also talk about outlining the event’s purpose, timelines, objectives, as these factors will pretty much drive the discussion and its output.

Lastly, as a leader, you will also brief your team (if you are getting a team along with you for the meeting) on the communication flow, and who will step in when during the meeting.

2) What factors do you consider while selecting a venue for an event?

Venue selection is as critical as the objective of the event.

Before finalizing the venue, you must be mindful about the purpose of the event, the type of the event, and also the kind of audience you are expecting at the event.

However, considering the following factors too proves fundamental from the viewpoint of choosing an appropriate option.

Hence, also talk about considering a list of the best possible venues, based on various elements, including the client’s budget, target audience, the number of guests. Besides, other crucial ones such as parking space, and the amenities the venues offer must also constitute your choice.

Mentioning a personal visit to each venue will assure your employer about the personalised touch you give to every project and every detail associated with it.

3) How do you deal with last-minute changes or an unforeseen situation?

Event management deals with people, and when something is people-intensive, you are very likely to encounter last-minute changes or unforeseen situations.

Some of the most common challenges are the weather, sudden and unexpected influx of guests at the event, unreasonable guest demands (food, beverages, amenities, etc.)

Your interviewer will be eager to listen to your answer, as it will define your skills as an event planner, determine how prepared you are to face such challenges, and how you resolve them.

Begin with talking about your problem-solving skills, supported by a real-life situation that you handled successfully, without letting the event go for a toss. Your experience, along with the solution, and its outcome are crucial factors the interview will look for in your answer.

Talk about how organized, composed, and calm from within were you while dealing with the situation. Specify the process you followed, such as understanding the exigency or situation, informing your client contact about it, and your solution to it, without compromising the event’s objective.

4) How do you ensure you don’t exceed the event’s budget?

Money is an equally essential factor in event planning. You’ve got to give the best, but without exceeding the client’s budget, unless you want to compromise your profits for the excess amount.

Here, you must specify your budget planning and tracking process. Mention the budget sheet that you maintain, and which specifies the budget of every element of the event.

Specify that you refer to the sheet, and you monitor the budget while negotiating and closing a particular deal, which helps you stay within the budget.

Nevertheless, don’t forget to talk about flexibility. A 10-20% budget flexibility to choose something relatively better for the clients is necessary and seems practical, real, and sensible.

5) Which event types you like the most?

Be truthful, and mention the event types you love planning the most. It reflects honesty, and also your interests to help the interview to decide the event department you may fit the best.

6) How do you prioritize events?

The question, although it appears simple, can be quite tricky!

Over here, the interviewer wants to know if you are a multitasker, and how do you prioritize events while handling multiple events at a time.

If you talk about profits or the event’s financial value, the interviewer may question you about the event’s reputation. If you prioritize events by their imminence, the interview may ask you, what about the company’s profits!

You must compare important vs urgent, assess the value of the project, plan your workforce accordingly so that all the ongoing projects, irrespective of whether remunerative or not, run smoothly.

Conclusion

We hope this blog added to your confidence, and the guidelines will help you crack the interview. Courses such as Bachelor of Event Management cover these aspects. TTA’s Event Management Course too will help you prepare for your interview better, and transform you into the event planner the industry would want to work with. All the best!