The $847 Mistake Every Event Planner Made in 2025 (And How to Avoid It in 2026)

You lost $847 last year.

Per event.

Maybe more.

Most event planners changed vendors right before their events last year. Like, weeks before. Sometimes days.

You locked someone in. Then switched. Right before go-time.

Here’s what that actually cost you. And the stupidly simple fix.

What $847 Buys You (Spoiler: Nothing Good)

When you change vendors last-minute, here’s what you’re really paying for:

Rush fees. Vendors charge 30-40% more for quick turnarounds. Your original quote was $2,000. Your new vendor? $2,600 minimum. Rush fees in events typically run 25-50% upcharges.

Your team’s time. Someone spent 12-15 hours managing the switch. At $50/hour loaded cost (per SHRM), that’s another $750.

Starting over on design. Your first vendor already did mockups and custom designs. All useless now. Rush design work? Another $300-500.

Do the math: Around $850 per event.

Run 10 events a year? You just lit $8,500 on fire.

For a vendor who looks 5% better but delivers 50% worse because you gave them 3 weeks instead of 3 months.

Why You Keep Making This Mistake

The “Better Option” Trap

You book someone. Then keep scrolling. You find another vendor with a cooler portfolio. You convince yourself the switch is worth it.

It almost never is.

The quality difference between vendors in the same price range? Minimal. You’re just paying $850 to second-guess yourself.

The “My Boss Saw Something” Scramble

Your CEO attends another event. Sees something impressive. Texts you: “Can we do this?”

You panic and switch vendors.

The problem: That impressive thing took 6 months to plan. You’re trying to pull it off in 3 weeks. Behavioral scientists call this recency bias, when recent experiences overly influence decisions. I call it expensive.

The Budget Change

Your budget gets slashed or headcount doubles. Now your vendor doesn’t work.

This is the only legitimate reason to switch. But most planners still wait too long to make the call.

The Part That Hurts More Than Money

Your reputation takes a hit. Internal clients remember the chaos. Not your reasons.

You burn vendor relationships. That vendor you dropped? Good luck next year. BizBash found most vendors deprioritize clients who’ve bailed within 30 days.

Your team loses confidence. When you constantly change direction, they stop taking your first decision seriously.

Your event quality suffers. Last-minute vendors deliver last-minute work. They’re filling a slot. Not creating magic.

The Fix: Lock It In Early

Here’s what the best event planners do differently.

They commit early.

The 90-60-30 Rule:

90 days before: All major vendors locked in. No more shopping.

60 days before: Full creative kickoff. This is when custom designs happen. When your event becomes memorable.

If you’re still shopping at 60 days, you’ve killed your shot at anything custom.

30 days before: Vendor changes are off the table. Unless something catastrophic happens; vendor goes out of business, key contact quits; you’re locked in.

How to Pick the Right Vendor From the Start

The real mistake isn’t switching vendors.

It’s picking the wrong one.

Stop relying on portfolios alone. Ask to see their last 5 corporate events. Not their favorites. Their last 5. That tells you what they consistently deliver.

Make sure they’ve done corporate events. Someone who crushes music festivals might bomb at a board retreat.

Talk to their recent clients. Find their last 3 corporate clients on LinkedIn. Ask if they’d rebook. You’ll learn more in 5 minutes than from a sales call.

Test response time now. If they take two days to answer questions during sales, imagine what happens when you need something at 11pm before your event.

Pay more for reliability. The cheapest vendor costs you more when they underdeliver.

What to Tell Your CFO

Your CFO cares about budget and results.

Here’s what you say:

“Last year, we spent about $8,500 on preventable vendor change fees. This year, I’m locking vendors 90 days before each event. We’ll save that money. And events will be higher quality because vendors have 3 months to customize.”

That’s it.

Deloitte’s CFO Signals report shows cost predictability ranks in CFOs’ top 5 priorities. You just gave them that.