What is the difference between an event planner, an event designer, and an event decorator? In this episode, May Silvers explores the distinction between these roles to clear up common misconceptions and guide newcomers in the event industry towards finding their niche.
May explains that while event planners may have the skills to perform the roles of both designer and decorator, designers and decorators typically do not take on planning. Planners are the strategists who manage everything behind the scenes, overseeing budgets, schedules, and vendor relations to ensure every aspect meets the client’s vision and objectives.
In contrast, event designers are the creatives focused solely on the event’s aesthetics, crafting the look and feel through their choice of colors, textures, and design concepts. They transform spaces to create the desired ambiance but generally don’t manage logistical or operational aspects.
Decorators are the hands-on team members who bring a designer’s vision to life. They handle the physical setup, arranging decorations and ensuring every detail matches the theme.
May emphasizes the importance of understanding these differences to better identify and define one’s career path within the event industry. She encourages her listeners to try and experiment with different roles to truly discover what they love doing before specializing.
Quotes
• “The event planner can be an event designer and an event decorator, but an event decorator and an event designer cannot be an event planner because the skill set is very different. (03:30 | May Silvers)
• “So the client tells me what they’re looking for, and then I start thinking how I want the event to look like in terms of the decor elements. I start designing based on the color, the theme, the texture, the type of furniture I want to use, the floral centerpiece—the type of flowers, the vase, and the placement—where I should be putting it in the room. Then, when I’m designing it, I already have an idea which of my vendors can fulfill this order, this event.” (08:33 | May Silvers)
• “I don’t want to say that the hierarchy is the event planner and then the designer and then the decorator. No, we all have our own space. But if you look at it on paper, that’s how it looks. The event planner will do everything in terms of strategy, in terms of planning. And they can even design if they want to.” (17:54 | May Silvers)
• “If you’re joining the events field and you’re thinking, ‘I don’t know what I want to do.’ Ask yourself. You won’t know until you do it, until you try it.” (19:01 | May Silvers)
• “If you don’t know what type of events you want to do, expose yourself to all of it. Then narrow down. Take out those that you don’t like to do until your field becomes narrower or your niche becomes clearer.” (21:22 | May Silvers)
Links
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