Event Planning Melbourne

Handing an event to a planner in Melbourne means one person keeps the venue, suppliers, budget and run sheet in line, so the host can turn up as a guest. The planners listed here travel to every Melbourne region and fall into two groups: corporate agencies that run conferences, galas and launches, and planners who look after weddings, milestone birthdays and private parties.

On the corporate side, MCO Events assigns a project lead who stays on a job from strategy to the night itself, and also works as a conference organiser. VEE Agency takes on the paperwork many hosts dread – permits, liquor licensing and sponsorship deals – and can track and offset an event's carbon. Peanut Productions pairs event delivery with an in-house video team, Zesty Events has founder Damien Boecasse on every account, and CIS Event Management runs budgets, supplier contracts and venue sourcing, with its own graphic designer for printed material and event websites.

For private celebrations, Evviva Events plans and styles weddings, birthdays and parties as well as corporate galas, for a flat planning fee. Prodigy Events Vic coordinates wedding days from $550 for three hours and makes balloon garlands, grazing tables and dessert bars itself.

What to have ready before the first call:

• Guest numbers and a date range, even if both are rough.
• The format: seated dinner, conference day, launch night or a party with dancing.
• A budget ceiling, so the planner can say early what fits inside it.
• Whether a venue is booked or still needs finding.
• The parts you want to keep in-house, such as catering or entertainment.

Most planners here quote once they have the brief, so ask what the fee covers and who will be on site on the day. For work functions, compare corporate event planners; for styling-led parties, see event management agencies.