How to check a planner has run events at your scale before

You need a planner who has managed events the size of yours. This isn't about prestige or Instagram portfolios—it's about knowing whether they've actually juggled your headcount, budget band, and logistics complexity before. A planner brilliant at 50-person dinners may crumble under 500 attendees. One confident with R100k budgets might not know how to stretch resources at half that. Here's how to verify they have real experience at your scale, not just claims.

Check their Business Registration and Track Record

Start with CIPC. Search the planner's business name to confirm they're registered and that the entity is in good standing. This takes two minutes and tells you they're operating legitimately. Next, ask them directly: "What was the largest event you personally managed in the last three years?" Listen for specifics—date, venue, headcount, budget range, and their exact role. A planner who dodges the question or only talks about events where they "consulted" is a yellow flag. You want someone who was on the ground, making decisions when things went wrong.

Ask for a client list from events at or above your scale. Not all of it—confidentiality matters—but a handful of names and headcounts you can ring. If they balk at giving you three references from comparable events, that's telling. They're either protecting weak delivery or they haven't done what they claim.

Ask the Right Questions About Their Capacity

Schedule a call and ask: "How many events your size are you running simultaneously?" A planner juggling five large events at once may not give yours the attention you need. Find out whether they have a team or work solo. Solo planners can deliver brilliantly for smaller events but often hit a ceiling around 300–400 attendees without support staff. If your event is bigger, you need at least one person they can delegate to—whether that's an assistant, freelance coordinator, or external logistics crew.

Ask them to walk you through what went wrong at a past event at your scale. Not perfection—anyone claiming flawless delivery is lying. Listen for how they diagnosed the problem, what they changed mid-event, and how they communicated it to the client. A seasoned planner knows where things typically break down and has systems to catch them. If they can't give you a honest failure story, they haven't actually managed complex events.

Verify Through References and What to Ask Them

Don't just take names; get email addresses or phone numbers and actually call. Script three questions: "What was the headcount and budget of the event we worked on?" (Confirm it matches what the planner told you.) "Did the planner handle staffing and vendor management, or did you?" (Clarity on their real scope.) "If something went wrong, how did they respond?" (Their problem-solving under pressure.) Listen for hesitation or vague praise—references sometimes soften their words out of politeness.

Ask the planner whether they've managed events at your specific venue or in your industry sector. This is a bonus, not essential, but someone who's worked in your space before knows the unwritten rules and typical pitfalls. A planner who's run five corporate awards nights in Johannesburg will navigate that ecosystem faster than a generalist.

Check Their Supplier and Logistics Network

Experienced planners at your scale have deep relationships with caterers, AV crews, decorators, and security firms who can handle events of that size. Ask: "Which three suppliers would you bring in for an event like mine, and why them?" Their answer should include specific names, past results, and how they'll manage those suppliers on your behalf. Avoid planners who promise to "source vendors cheaply"—they often mean inexperienced operators or discount shortcuts that hurt delivery.

Finding someone with proven track record at your event's size matters far more than a polished website. Search CIPC, ring their references, ask them to name past similar events, and listen for honesty about their limits. When you're ready, Strove's event planning directory lets you filter planners by event type and read verified reviews—a shortcut to finding someone who's actually done this before.