The ability to organize effectively is one of the most important qualities that an event planner needs to have. Event planners need to know which vendors or guests should be arriving when and what they need to have with them as well as hundreds of other details throughout a day-long or week-long event. If something goes wrong, the client might not book with the event coordinator again. What to look for:

• Knowledge of organizational techniques
• Use of digital tools and organizers
• Use of an itinerary or schedule

An ability to network and make contacts is one of the primary jobs of an event coordinator. They need to be able to find the vendors that will work well for the client and schedule them well in advance. Event coordinators also need to be on the lookout for the best talent for entertainment to stay ahead so that they throw the best events to attract future clients. What to look for:

• Use of a variety of resources to find people and businesses
• Enthusiasm for tracking down leads
• Existing network connections

When a client is hosting a big event, it's common for them to get nervous, especially if they've never worked with the event planner before. One of the most important things event planners can do is to reassure the client that everything will go well. This is especially important if you want to ensure that you get future work from a client. Showing progress is another way to assure clients. What to look for:

• Awareness that clients need reassurance sometimes
• A positive attitude about communicating with clients
• Proactive strategies to ensure that the client receives feedback

Some clients want their event to be particularly spectacular but do not know exactly what they want. A good event coordinator should always be looking for ways to stay on trend so that no client feels disappointed. If your event coordinator is to plan multiple kinds of events, they will need a full line of ideas to suit multiple types of settings because birthday parties and corporate events need different tones. What to look for:

• Confidence in the ability to plan something unique
• Existing ideas, preferably in a portfolio
• Enthusiasm for new challenges

With so many details that are involved in making an event go well, it's very common for a vendor to run late or for some other detail to be slightly off. Event coordinators need to be resilient and adaptable to make things run smoothly, and they need to be calm to set clients at ease in the event of a mishap. Event coordinators need strategies to control as many things as they can and identify potential problems. What to look for:

• Awareness that the unexpected happens
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Use of backup plans