HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire an event planner in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Event planners need no licence in the UK. Here is what to check, what to ask and what the contract must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an event planner in five steps

  1. Ask how they chargeFlat fee, hourly, or a share of the budget.
  2. Ask about commissionsWhether the event planner takes commission from suppliers, and if they tell you.
  3. List the licencesAlcohol, music, entertainment — who arranges each.
  4. Check every supplierFood registration, inflatable tags, SIA licences, insurance.
  5. Read the contractScope, payment stages, cancellation and postponement.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

The law in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland sets no licence, register or qualification for event planners. What you are buying is judgement and organisation, so references from recent clients matter.

Get recent references and a written booking from the event planner before money changes hands.

Licences the event needs, and who the event planner gets them from

Selling alcohol, live or recorded entertainment, or hot food after 11pm at a place with no premises licence in England and Wales needs a Temporary Event Notice under the Licensing Act 2003. Scotland uses an occasional licence from the Licensing Board for alcohol outside licensed premises; Northern Ireland needs a district council entertainment licence for indoor entertainment. Music in public needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS, usually held by the venue.

Ask the event planner to list, in writing, every licence or notice the event needs and who is responsible for each. gov.uk →

The suppliers the event planner books

Each supplier has its own rules: a caterer must be registered with its council as a food business; HSE expects a hired bouncy castle to carry a PIPA tag or ADIPS declaration and a yearly inspection; contracted door supervisors and security guards need an SIA licence under the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

Ask the event planner to send each supplier's registration, tag, licence or insurance, not just a name. gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

When you book an event planner through a business, you are buying from a trader; the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says the service must show reasonable care and skill. Because regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes catering and leisure services booked for a set date or period, a change of heart after booking is usually governed by the event planner's own terms, not a statutory 14 days.

Before paying a deposit, find the clause on what the event planner keeps if you cancel or move the date. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

An event planner's fee is standard-rated at 20%. Event planners over the £90,000 registration threshold have to charge VAT and list it separately from the price.

Ask the planner for the VAT number and whether the fee and the supplier costs are each shown before VAT. gov.uk →

“How is your event planner fee worked out?”

A good answer: A clear model in writing, with what it covers.

“Do you take commission from suppliers, and will you disclose it?”

A good answer: An event planner who says yes or no plainly and shows it.

“Who arranges the Temporary Event Notice or other licences?”

A good answer: A named person, with dates.

“How do you check the suppliers you book?”

A good answer: Food registration, PIPA tags, SIA licences and insurance collected by the event planner.

“Will you be there on the day?”

A good answer: Yes, with hours and any assistants.

“What happens if a supplier lets us down?”

A good answer: A plan, and who pays.

“Can I speak to recent clients?”

A good answer: Two or three references.

Getting the quote right

  • The event planner's fee and how it is calculated
  • What is included: sourcing, contracts, on-the-day management
  • Supplier commissions, if any
  • Payment stages
  • Cancellation and postponement terms
  • The planner's VAT number, with VAT shown on the fee apart from supplier costs
  • Who actually attends on the day — the planner or an assistant — and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • Will not say how the fee or commissions work
  • No answer on licences
  • Supplier paperwork never collected
  • No written contract
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£2,000

What an event planner costs: £250–£2,000 per event

Event planners charge per event by a flat fee, an hourly rate or a share of the budget; supplier costs and VAT sit on top. Event Planner price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Event planners near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BriefThe event planner agrees goals, budget, date and guest numbers.
  2. SourcingVenue and suppliers found, checked and contracted.
  3. Licences and paperworkNotices and licences arranged, supplier documents collected.
  4. The dayThe planner runs the timetable and handles problems.
  5. Wrap-upSuppliers paid, kit cleared, accounts settled.

Flat fee
One price for the planning.
Percentage fee
A share of the event budget.
Supplier commission
A payment from a supplier to the planner.
Run sheet
The minute-by-minute plan for the day.
Temporary Event Notice
The notice for licensable activity at an unlicensed place in England and Wales.
Contingency
Money or a plan held back for problems.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the contract and supplier listWith every supplier's contract the event planner arranged.
Settle final accountsCheck supplier invoices against quotes.
Ask for the fileLicences, insurance and contracts for your records.
Leave the reviewTell the next host how the event planner did; Locufy reviews come only from real bookings. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the event planner is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the event planner in writingWrite down what went wrong — suppliers not booked, licences missed, a muddled day — and what would put it right, then send it by email or message. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (section 49) the event planner owed you reasonable care and skill, and if an event cannot be repeated the remedy is money off, which can be the full fee.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the event planner below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Free consumer adviceThere is no ombudsman or regulator for event planners. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about event planners to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the event planner will not returnA claim against an event planner can go to court without a solicitor: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an event planner: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies to event planners in any UK nation. The event may need licences — a Temporary Event Notice, an occasional licence, an entertainment licence — and the event planner should say who arranges each.

No law requires it, but venues commonly ask for public liability cover. Ask the event planner for the certificate, and for each supplier's.

£250 to £2,000 per event, typically around £400. For the factors behind the range, open the event planner price guide; for real prices, search your area above.

Some do. Ask, and ask for it in writing.

Sometimes you, sometimes the planner; know which, because that decides who you claim against.

For a simple event, often yes.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Party PlannerHow to hire: Corporate Event PlannerHow to hire: Wedding PlannerHow to hire: Event DecoratorHow to hire: Event Staff & HostessesHow to hire: Event SecurityHow to hire: CatererHow to hire: Marquee HireAll 701 hiring guides →

Event planners near you

Event planners in LondonEvent planners in ManchesterEvent planners in BirminghamEvent planners in GlasgowEvent planners in BelfastAll event planners on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  2. gov.scot — Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 guidance: occasional licences
  3. gov.uk — entertainment licence (Northern Ireland)
  4. gov.uk — licence to play live or recorded music
  5. gov.uk — food business registration
  6. HSE — bouncy castles and other play inflatables
  7. gov.uk — check security staff have a licence
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  11. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  12. nidirect — small claims process
  13. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  14. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  15. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register