In-person events are back in full swing after nearly two years of remote and hybrid events. For event planners, that means constantly coordinating with and messaging dozens of vendors and often using several tools and apps to coordinate event logistics. This chaos is something professional event planner Jenny Howard-Maxwell is all too familiar with.
After planning a holiday event last year and coordinating with 25 vendors via text, email and phone calls, Howard-Maxwell was determined to find a better solution.
She and co-founder Josh Walker launched Denver-based Planning Diva Co. on Sept. 25 to provide event planners with all-in-one software. The startup offers messaging and vendor chat threads, a 3D venue layout simulation, shared design tools, a mood board with the ability for others to comment and invoicing.
“It was built based on all of my frustrations with the software that I didn’t have access to in my industry,” said Howard-Maxwell, who also serves as the CEO of Planning Diva. “So last year, it kind of came to a just overbearing frustration and so I decided I needed to dive into research mode.”
Prior to launching Planning Diva, Howard-Maxwell spent 20 years working in marketing and corporate event planning. In 2017, she launched her first business, Occasionally Fabulous Events, an event planning company in Denver.
Before launching Planning Diva, Howard-Maxwell sent a survey to 100 event planners to learn what would make their jobs easier. Some respondees said they use up to 12 different programs at once to plan an event, Howard-Maxwell said. It was clear an all-in-one solution was needed.
Howard-Maxwell isn’t a software person and knew she needed to partner with someone in the industry to make Planning Diva a success. She teamed with Walker, who has prior experience as an electrical engineer and has helped other companies develop software. Walker is now the chief technology officer at Planning Diva.
The original plan was to launch Planning Diva in January 2024, but Walker and his team of five engineers were able to develop the web-based software and iOS app in just seven months.
“There’s a unique thing about Planning Diva and that is that we’re not just an engineering company,” Walker said. “I’m an engineer by my degree work, but Jenny … comes directly from the industry that we’re designing for. In some ways that has meant that we’ve spent a little extra time communicating differently ... but at the same time, it creates a completely unique company.”
Planning Diva is geared toward professional event planners. The startup offers a subscription model for $250 a month but is offering discounted pricing until January.
Although Planning Diva is just getting started, Howard-Maxwell and Walker plan to launch an enterprise version for hotels and venues in Q2 2024.
