If there's one person who's seen the full arc of the event planning industry — from the white-glove polish of a high-end country club to a last-minute AV scramble solved partly by DoorDash — it's Kristen Hawley.

Kristen is the Owner and Senior Event Planner behind Kristen Hawley Events, an independent planning firm specializing in corporate, association, and nonprofit events. With a Hospitality Management degree, an MBA in Entrepreneurship, and a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation to her name, she's not exactly winging it. She's planned sales kickoffs, investor meetings, executive retreats, board meetings, roadshows, holiday parties, B2B events, and conferences of all sizes — and she's got the spreadsheets (and the stories) to prove it.

We sat down with Kristen to get her unfiltered take on what it actually takes to plan a great event. Buckle up.

Start With the RFP. No, Really.

If you've ever skipped straight to a venue search without a detailed RFP in hand, Kristen would like a word.

Selecting the perfect venue, she says, always starts with a clear and detailed brief. From there, she mentally walks through the entire event before a single email is sent: how guests will move through the space, how the layout supports the program flow, whether the venue's aesthetic matches the client's brand. A stunning ballroom means nothing if it forces your attendees to take a ten-minute detour between sessions.

Beyond logistics and cost, Kristen pays close attention to the venue's sales team. Responsiveness, flexibility, and communication style weigh heavily in her decision. When a sales partner is attentive, detail-oriented, and takes the time to truly understand the event goals, it's usually a strong indicator that the execution will be just as positive.

The data backs this up. According to G2, 64.6% of attendees agree that the venue can make or break their event experience — and 42.6% of planners say getting timely venue proposals is their biggest sourcing challenge. If a hotel is slow and disorganized during the sales process, it's not going to improve after you've signed on the dotted line.

Pro Tip: Evaluate proposals side by side — looking beyond price to assess layout, flow, and whether each space genuinely supports the event experience. When timing and budget allow, site visits are worth it. Ask targeted questions and check for red flags before any contracts are signed.

Build a Tech Stack That Actually Works

Kristen's event tech stack is refreshingly practical in an industry drowning in platforms promising to change your life. Her anchors: Google Sheets and Excel for detailed planning and tracking, Asana and Monday.com for project management when coordinating with teams, and Slack for client communication.

Slack is her favorite — fast, easy to use, and clients love it for sharing documents, instant messaging, and keeping everyone aligned. She's also integrated AI tools like ChatGPT into her workflow for sourcing, drafting contracts, generating ideas, and building templates. Technology has become so ingrained in her day-to-day that it feels seamless — and she's always exploring new ways to make the planning process smarter, faster, and more efficient.

She's in good company. Research by PCMA shows that over 90% of planners now use AI in their workflows, and according to American Express Global Business Travel, 89% of businesses using event technology save around 200 hours per year — nearly five full work weeks back in the calendar.

Reusable templates are a cornerstone of Kristen's process: RFPs, contracts, budgets, run-of-shows, and checklists that ensure nothing slips through and that starting a new event doesn't mean starting from scratch.

Pro Tip: Don't dismiss the basics. Spreadsheets aren't unsexy — they're reliable. The best platform is often the one everyone on the team actually knows how to use.

Do Not Skimp on Food or AV

This may be the most important sentence in this entire article, and Kristen says it without hesitation: don't skimp on food or AV — these are core to engagement.

The numbers are almost alarming. Food and beverage alone represent 40 to 50% of total event costs at most U.S. venues, and per-attendee costs are rising approximately 4.3% per year. Cutting corners on catering is one of the fastest ways to crater an event's atmosphere — attendees notice, they talk about it, and they remember it.

AV carries the same weight. A glitchy microphone, a projector that decides it's done mid-presentation, or lighting that makes your keynote speaker look like they're being interrogated — none of it goes unnoticed, and none of it is forgiven.

Kristen's approach to attendee experience goes beyond the basics. She layers in thoughtful surprises — fun swag, interactive stations, the occasional unexpected speaker — things that create moments people actually remember. The key is knowing your guests and anticipating their needs. Clear flow, a warm welcome, and accommodations for dietary restrictions and accessibility set the tone.

According to Swoogo's 2026 data, event content is the top driver of a memorable attendee experience — but the production quality around it determines whether people stay engaged or quietly check their phones.

Pro Tip: A warm welcome, smooth flow, and great food and AV aren't optional — they're the floor. Everything else is a bonus.

Make Networking Feel Effortless

Here's an uncomfortable industry stat: only 15% of organizers rate their networking experiences as "very effective" — even though networking is one of the top reasons attendees show up in the first place. That's a substantial gap between intention and reality.

Kristen approaches networking with a different philosophy. Rather than scheduling a block of time on the agenda and hoping people find each other, she designs environments where connection happens organically. She incorporates interactive elements that spark conversation — a strolling magician, a mixologist, or hands-on activities during breaks or receptions. These experiences give attendees natural conversation starters and make networking feel effortless and fun.

Icebreakers and small-group activities are also in her toolkit, especially when aligned with the event's goals. The objective isn't to force connection — it's to remove the friction that usually prevents it.

Pro Tip: Think about what gives two strangers permission to start talking. A cocktail-making station, a photo booth, a strolling entertainer — these aren't extras. They're connection infrastructure.

When Things Go Sideways (And They Will)

Every planner has a story. Kristen's involves a client who changed their expectations for the general session room and AV setup on setup day — not setup week. Setup. Day.

Luckily, her hotel partner and AV team were on board. With some quick decisions, a couple of DoorDash runs for extra monitors, and a few overtime hours, everything was set perfectly. By morning, no one in the room would have guessed anything had gone sideways.

The lesson here isn't that DoorDash is a legitimate event planning tool (though apparently it can be). It's that preparation and relationships are what make improvisation possible. Before every event, Kristen maps out potential risks and contingency plans — covering AV failures, weather, speaker cancellations, and medical situations. All vendors and staff know their roles and escalation points before doors open.

The key is to anticipate challenges in advance so that when the unexpected happens, the event continues seamlessly and attendees hardly notice any disruption.

Pro Tip: Build a simple "what if" document for every event. What if the speaker cancels? What if the room flip runs long? What if the Wi-Fi dies? Having a rough answer to each scenario saves significant stress when you inevitably need one.

Post-Event Is a Phase, Not an Afterthought

Once the last attendee heads out and the last vendor table gets broken down, Kristen's work isn't done. Her post-event process is structured: debrief with the client and vendors, send attendee surveys, reconcile the budget, and document lessons for next time.

It's tempting to skip this step when you're exhausted and the event went well. But the top KPIs planners use to measure success — attendee engagement (34%), feedback and satisfaction (34%), and attendance (31%), per Cvent's 2026 Planner Sourcing Report — can't be evaluated without a deliberate post-event review.

Kristen's own success markers are telling: Are attendees engaged? Are they staying for the full program? Is the energy in the room positive? And above all — is the client happy? A happy client is the ultimate measure of success.

Pro Tip: Send attendee surveys within 24 hours of the event ending, while the experience is still fresh. Response rates drop significantly after 48 hours, and the feedback you lose is usually the most useful kind.

For Anyone Just Starting Out: Thick Skin and a Wide Network

Kristen doesn't sugarcoat her advice for new planners, and that's exactly what makes it useful.

First: develop thick skin. Even your best events will have areas for improvement. No event is ever perfect, and there's always something new to learn. Stay humble. Stay curious. Keep going.

Second: network. Relentlessly. Not just with other planners, but with hotels, AV companies, caterers, DMCs — anyone in the ecosystem. The more connected you are, the better prepared and more resourceful you'll be.

The CMP designation Kristen holds — earned by fewer than 13,000 professionals across 55 countries globally (Events Industry Council, 2024) — is a meaningful credential and a meaningful community. For anyone serious about building a long-term career in this industry, the combination of formal learning and deep professional relationships is where the real advantage lives.

Ready to Source Smarter? Start with Hopskip.

One of the biggest time sinks in event planning is venue sourcing — and Hopskip was built to solve exactly that. Hopskip is a B2B venue sourcing platform that connects event planners with hotels for group RFP and proposal management, cutting out the back-and-forth that eats hours every week.

Planners on Hopskip save 30+ hours per RFP, get cleaner proposals faster, and have all the information they need to make confident venue decisions. The best part? It's free to start for planners. Book a demo today to get started.

References & Sources

1. G2. (2025). 70 Event Planning Industry Statistics for 2025.
2. upmetrics. (2026). Event Industry Statistics (2026): Market Size, Trends & Growth Data.
3. Swoogo. (2026). The Big List of Event Statistics.
4. Bizzabo. (2026). Event Marketing Statistics and Benchmarks for 2026.
5. Events Industry Council. (2024). EIC Year in Review 2024.
6. American Express Global Business Travel. (2025). 2025 Meetings Forecast. Referenced via Swoogo.