Navigating Today’s Event Planning Process: Advice from the Experts
Planning
Navigating Today’s Event Planning Process: Advice from the Experts
BoomPop Team · 4/30/2025Here’s what the experts have to say about navigating key challenges in the event planning process today
The current landscape of event planning is marked by economic shifts, evolving regulations, and changing attendee expectations, creating a complex environment for anyone planning company events.
To help navigate these challenges, BoomPop brought together a panel of experts from the events industry at a recent industry event to explore key trends and practical strategies for safeguarding event programs, advocating for budgets, and demonstrating ROI in this evolving environment.
Meet Our Experts
Anna Cogswell: Head of Retreats at Hampton
Cristina Dalal: Director of Commercial Strategy at Wythe Hotel
Evan Noll: VP of Growth at BoomPop
Hailey Vela: Director of Client Success at BoomPop
Event Planning Challenges in 2025
Our panel covered the challenges that teams planning corporate events are currently facing, from economic uncertainty and shifting global policies to rising operational costs and evolving attendee expectations.
Haley Vela put it well as she set the stage for the conversation, emphasizing the need for resilience: “The events industry is no stranger to change, but right now, we’re facing a mix of challenges. We’ll explore how to respond with resilience: how to protect your programs, advocate for your budgets, and prove ROI when every dollar counts.”
Here are some key takeaways from our discussion to help inform your 2025 event strategy:
1. Embrace Flexibility
In a world of last-minute bookings and fluctuating budgets, flexibility is your greatest asset. Panelists emphasized the importance of being open to alternative dates and locations to secure the best deals and maximize your budget. For example, Sunday and Monday arrivals can dramatically reduce costs.
2. Communicate Openly with Venues & Vendors
It’s important to realize that every venue and vendor is also navigating the evolving landscape and uncertainty of the moment. From an event planner perspective, honest and transparent communication with venues and vendors is key.
From the venue perspective, Cristina noted that being upfront about budget constraints allows for collaborative problem-solving and creative solutions. "If you come back to me and say, ‘Look, we really want to have our event here, this is how much money we have,’ we can see what we can do to make things work," she said.
3. Plan How You’ll Track ROI
In times of uncertainty, demonstrating the value of your events is critical. Anna shared her strategy of using pre- and post-event surveys to track the impact of retreats and secure future buy-in from leadership.
"For all of my past retreats, I try to map out questions ahead of time to ask attendees, and then kind of ask similar questions at the end of the retreat, to track what that retreat did and the impact that it has. I think that's been incredibly helpful for me in getting future buy-in,” she explained.
4. Get Creative with Solutions
Tighter budgets demand innovative approaches. Exploring local vendors, volunteer activities, and experiential alternatives to traditional swag to maximize impact without breaking the bank, panelists said.
You can also consider what elements are most critical for each specific event. For example, if you have multiple retreats each year, balance different elements from a budget perspective. You might skip branded swag for one event to invest in bringing in a workshop facilitator, or choose a team-lead activity to save costs that you can invest in other event elements. A balanced, creative approach can help you maximize budget across your events while maintaining a high-impact event program.
5. Build Strong Partnerships
Strong relationships with venues and vendors are invaluable. As Cristina pointed out, independent hotels often offer more flexibility, and long-term partnerships can lead to cost savings and tailored solutions: "I've pretty much only worked for independent hotels, and we do...have more flexibility. You know, we don't have 85 levels of people, our owners are literally downstairs."
6. Focus on the Human Element
Despite the challenges, our panelists agreed that in-person events are more critical than ever for team building, client engagement, and fostering a sense of community.
"There's no such thing as a bad offsite, and that's just because, as we all know, those amazing moments at events that you can't have anywhere else," Anna said.
Key Highlights for Event Planning in 2025
With these ideas in mind, here's a practical checklist to help you navigate these challenges head-on and get seamless event buy-in:
Gather data and feedback from past events to demonstrate ROI.
Be flexible with event dates and locations to find cost-saving opportunities.
Prioritize the most important elements of an event and be creative with lower-cost alternatives.
Maintain a log of important moments and decisions made at post-event sessions, especially when seeking leadership buy-in.
Give venues as much information as possible about the event, messaging, past history, and key attendees, to help them tailor the experience so you get the most for your budget.
“If there’s one thing to take away from this conversation, it’s this: now is not the time to pull back—it’s the time to refocus,” BoomPop’s Haley Vela said.
“Invest in the experiences that build culture and connection. Fight for your budgets with confidence, knowing events drive growth. And lean on data, creativity, and the right partners to do more with less while keeping impact high.”
The Value of an Event Planning Partner
At BoomPop, we understand the challenges of planning events—we're here to help. Our platform combines expert event planning with cutting-edge software to streamline the process and deliver exceptional experiences. Learn more about how BoomPop can help you create impactful events.
