Events don't reschedule. The 200-person wedding on June 14 happens June 14. So how do solo event planners take vacation? By choosing the off-season carefully and building a coordinator backup for emergency-day-of issues that hit during smaller off-season events.
Solo event planners take vacation in three windows: (1) genuinely off-season (typically Jan-Mar for weddings, mid-Jul to mid-Aug for corporate), (2) intentionally booked-out dates (block 2 weeks per year on your calendar before the year starts), (3) the dead week between events. Always have a covering coordinator for any event during your absence — typically 50% of normal day-of fee.
For corporate event planners:
If any event falls during your vacation (even one), have a covering coordinator pre-vetted. The arrangement:
Active clients (under contract): direct call or in-person meeting at least 4 weeks before. Cover dates, covering coordinator info, what's been pre-handled.
Inquiry leads (not yet contracted): auto-responder with realistic re-engagement timeline. If you'll be slow to respond for 2 weeks, say so — leads who can't wait will move on, but the ones who can will stay engaged.
Cold leads = lost bookings. Routing keeps them warm. 14 days free.
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