Can you name some toxic traits among event suppliers?

— Lord Vincent Van Mendoza (@digitallourd) June 12, 2021

Having worked in the event industry for 3 years now, I have come across and observed that there are some toxic traits that suppliers may possess. Not only are these disturbing, but such are bad luck for our industry image. Allow me to share some of the ruminations and sentiments I experienced myself and have heard from fellow event suppliers here in Davao city.

Bypassing Authority

This is the # 1 problem among organizers, specifically. Without naming names, I want to share an anecdote about an instance when I had to organize a wedlock party for my colleague. I couldn’t help but feel sad when I somehow knew that a co-supplier was bypassing my authority as the event manager. We may have different number of years of experience, academic background, and other credentials — but I believe that submitting to authorities is not an old fashion.

There is but one friend whom I admire the most. It’s Menrose Dunay of Menorosa Events Management Services. Our friendship goes beyond even in our professional errands. The first time we were together in an event was for a wedding party in Pantukan. I was the event director that time. Menrose was just taking my lead. I highly appreciate that! Fast forward, when we had our concert for Southborder, Silent Sanctuary, and other Philippine artists, she was our production director! And, I was just so proud that I had to follow her say. She’s the best director I know!

Not Respecting Clients’ Preferences

I am a firm believer that the real “event planners” are the clients themselves. This implies that event organizers are mere “managers”. In other words, we are there to guide them so that their event will become successful. It is then imperative that we should only suggest — but never insist.

If you have ever heard of Rings & Bouquet Events Management Services, I am an eye witness to the BIG heart of its CEO, Ms. Ross Bato. She really sees to it that her clients are getting more than what they’ve paid for. In her branding position, she really wants to deliver every wedding party to be signature and unique. I can personally testify that she is adaptive to the needs and wants of the clientele as she was in fact the first one who had an intimate wedding during the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. She deserves to be hailed as “The Queen of Intimate Weddings in Davao city”.

‘Sulot’ Culture

To simply ‘sulot’, let’s put it this way. There are fellow suppliers who bribe clients for them to win them. Char! It’s a bit hard to explain it in the most modest way. Actually, it’s a practice of getting a client who has already had an initial business relationship with your fellow suppliers. The worse case is that if a client has already booked for the service of the other, you’re going to offer either an even lower rate OR convince a client that your offer is way better.

Outwitting could also happen between a coordinator and organizer. Sometimes, a coordinator may persuade a client to cancel the service with the organizer. Even worst, some coordinators are starting to organize on their own. This is ‘sulot’ at its best! No further explanation needed.

Not Arriving on Time

Mounting an event could cause a domino effect. One way is by not arriving on time. For instance, the cutting of the cake may be missed if the cake has not been delivered on time. A bride may feel so disgusted when she wants the party to be started already — yet the master of ceremony is not yet around. The list goes on. We know so well what tardiness can bring about in any event experience.

Whether you are the star of the show, or the lights and sound supplier, you need to be on time!

Rendering Service with Bias based on Compensation

This is one thing that I’ve learned from my mentor, the legendary “Papa Kiko”, or Mr. Franklin Cuadrillero: “Whether it’s a highly paid event gig or a low cost prod, you need to deliver as if it’s your last one.” This means that regardless of the type of the client (whether A, B, C), you should give your best. Do not ever compromise the quality of your work based on the monetary value that you receive from your client.

Not Open to Work with other Suppliers

While we may respect branding and consistency, it should be made known among event organizers that clients sometimes have their own preferences of their suppliers. It could be their friends, their clients in some other ventures, and their own choice (because they might to DIY).

We should normalize being open to working with other suppliers (especially if we deem each other professional) because after all, we are after the satisfaction of our clients.

It isn’t easy to educate fellow event professionals, but it’s never too late. Share this blog to improve our best practices in the event industry.