Last year, I was tasked with organizing my company's annual gala dinner at a prestigious venue in Marina Bay. Confident and armed with a decent budget, I reached out to the first "event professional" I found online. Big mistake. Turns out, I hired an event planner  when what I actually needed was an event manager . The result? Beautiful concepts and mood boards, but come event day, I was scrambling to coordinate vendors, manage timelines, and handle last-minute crises myself!