Top 5 Corporate Planners in Kansas
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Content Marketing Manager -
Editor & Publisher
- August 13, 2026
- 14 min read
- Events
Source: Peerspace
The best corporate planners in Kansas are the ones who make a high-stakes company event feel effortless, and this list gathers five of them: Liz Ashley Events, Events with Kristen, All About You Event Planning & Rentals, McKenzie Phillips Events, and designwise KC. Each has real corporate credentials, from conferences and product launches to galas, holiday parties, and executive retreats.
A corporate event carries a different kind of pressure than a birthday or a backyard wedding. There are budgets to justify, brand impressions to protect, and a room full of colleagues, clients, or donors who notice every detail. A specialist who lives in the world of run-of-shows, vendor contracts, and load-in logistics is what keeps that pressure off your team, whether you’re gathering in Overland Park, Wichita, Manhattan, or right in the heart of the Kansas City metro.
Below, you’ll find who each planner serves best, how they price, and why they earn their spot, plus practical guidance on choosing the right fit and booking a polished corporate event space in Kansas. Consider it your shortcut past the endless search results.
How we curate our list
We don’t pull these names out of a hat. Every planner here clears a consistent bar before they make the cut.
- We read client feedback across public review platforms, looking for consistent, specific praise rather than one-off raves.
- We check each planner’s portfolio for the quality and range of their corporate work, from intimate meetings to large-scale galas.
- We verify professional credentials and listings in reputable industry directories to confirm they’re the real deal.
That mix keeps the focus on planners who consistently deliver, so you can spend less time vetting and more time planning.
Best corporate planners in Kansas
Here are five Kansas planners who demonstrate expertise at every turn. Read each profile for the fit that matches your event.
1. Liz Ashley Events
Company name and founder/lead planner: Liz Ashley Events / Elizabeth Gunkel
Specialty/niche: Based in Overland Park, Liz Ashley Events pairs full-service planning with standalone event coordination for companies that want a single, unflappable point of contact. Beyond weddings, Elizabeth coordinates corporate conferences, nonprofit galas, holiday celebrations, and milestone company moments, and she’s comfortable scaling from an intimate fifty-person gathering to a four-thousand-guest gala.
Notable projects or signature style: Her calling card is a detail-obsessed, calm-under-pressure approach built on a single-planner model, meaning the person you hire is the person running your event. That focus is backed by a Kansas City vendor network more than 400 deep, so sourcing the right caterer, AV team, or rental partner rarely takes more than a phone call. She’s also been recognized locally as a standout wedding and event planner.
Pricing: Contact Liz Ashley Events through their website to learn about corporate planning packages.
Why we love them: Clients keep coming back to the same theme, which is that nothing slips through the cracks. Problems tend to get solved before anyone in the room realizes there was one, and because Elizabeth serves as the steady point person, hosts get to actually be present at their own events instead of chasing vendors. For a corporate team that wants to look polished without lifting a finger on the day, that quiet competence is the whole point.
Connect with them: Follow @lizashleyevents on Instagram for a peek into their creative process and recent events.
2. Events with Kristen
Company name and founder/lead planner: Events with Kristen / Kristen Stivers
Specialty/niche: Operating across the Kansas City metro, Kristen brings more than a decade of planning experience to weddings, galas, and corporate events alike. She’s just as at home with a twenty-person executive dinner as she is orchestrating a celebration for 1,500, which makes her a flexible pick for companies whose event calendar swings between board retreats and all-hands blowouts.
Notable projects or signature style: What sets her apart is a genuine love for the logistics choreography, the who-needs-to-know-what-and-when puzzle that quietly makes or breaks an event. She’s earned bridal-press features and a regional “best of” nomination, and clients describe her as the person who has already thought of the thing they were about to worry about.
Pricing: Contact Events with Kristen for a custom quote based on your needs.
Why we love them: The recurring note across her work is anticipation. She tends to think of everything before the client does, quietly absorbs the last-minute tasks that pile up in the final week, and keeps every moving piece organized so the day itself feels effortless. That’s exactly the energy you want when a room full of colleagues or clients is watching, and it’s why she’s a reliable partner for corporate hosts who’d rather enjoy the event than run it.
Connect with them: Follow @eventswithkristen on Instagram for a peek into their creative process and recent events.
3. All About You Event Planning & Rentals
Company name and founder/lead planner: All About You Event Planning & Rentals / Tara Grubb
Specialty/niche: Based in Manhattan, All About You brings nearly two decades of experience to weddings, milestone birthdays, and corporate galas. The distinctive part is the one-stop model: alongside planning, Tara’s team maintains an in-house décor-rental inventory of linens, arbors, and centerpieces, and offers venue consulting, so a single company can cover design, rentals, and coordination without stitching together three separate vendors.
Notable projects or signature style: The style here is design-forward but budget-conscious, with custom looks that get delivered and set up by the same team that dreamed them up. That vertical approach is a practical advantage for corporate clients in central Kansas, where pulling together a full production from scattered vendors can eat up a coordinator’s week. Tara also holds a Certified Wedding Planner credential.
Pricing: Planning packages start at $2,000. Inquire through their website to request a custom proposal.
Why we love them: Clients gravitate toward the all-in-one, budget-minded approach. When one team handles the design concept, the physical décor, and the day-of coordination, a company isn’t playing telephone between a planner, a rental house, and a venue, which means fewer surprises and a cleaner final invoice. For a business that wants a striking room without a sprawling vendor list, that consolidation is genuinely refreshing.
Connect with them: Follow @aayevents on Instagram for a peek into their creative process and recent events.
4. McKenzie Phillips Events
Company name and founder/lead planner: McKenzie Phillips Events / McKenzie Phillips
Specialty/niche: Working out of the Louisburg and Olathe area and serving the greater Kansas City region, McKenzie covers corporate events, weddings, showers, and parties, with design, coordination, and rentals under one roof. Her packages run the full spectrum, from soup-to-nuts full-service production down to day-of coordination, so companies can dial the involvement up or down to fit the event and the budget.
Notable projects or signature style: She’s coordinated an annual nonprofit fundraising event and been featured in bridal press, and she carries a “Best of Weddings” honor. The through-line in her portfolio is polish under real-world conditions, the kind of composure that turns a chaotic timeline into a smooth one.
Pricing: Corporate planning starts at $500. Reach out through their website to request a tailored quote.
Why we love them: The theme clients return to is that she brings full-service care even to a day-of engagement, always staying a step ahead. In one memorable stretch, her team calmly absorbed an unexpected wedding-day medical emergency while keeping the celebration running so seamlessly that guests never sensed a hiccup. That’s the temperament you want in a corporate setting, where an AV failure or a late caterer can’t be allowed to derail a program in front of clients or executives.
Connect with them: Follow @mckenziephillipsevents on Instagram for a peek into their creative process and recent events.
5. designwise KC
Company name and founder/lead planner: designwise KC / Caitlin Wise
Specialty/niche: Based in Merriam, designwise KC leans into creative event design, décor, and rentals, with a corporate and brand-activation portfolio that’s tough to match locally. Think flower walls, custom backdrops, drink walls, and disco-ball installations, the visually loud elements that turn a launch or a milestone into a moment worth photographing.
Notable projects or signature style: The client roster tells the story: Caitlin’s team has produced activations and décor for well-known brands and institutions including the NWSL, Visit KC, Helzberg Diamonds, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the KU Alumni Association, and the studio has been featured in regional press. If your event needs to look unmistakably on-brand, this is the specialist who builds that.
Pricing: Full-service event planning starts at $4,000. Reach out through their website to request a custom quote.
Why we love them: For corporate clients, designwise turns launches and milestones into photogenic, on-brand moments rather than generic ballroom setups. One standout example is a custom drink wall with acrylic signage paired with a floral backdrop for a business launch party, exactly the kind of shareable centerpiece that keeps a brand top of mind long after the event ends. When the visual impression is the whole assignment, they deliver it.
Connect with them: Follow @designwisekc on Instagram for a peek into their creative process and recent events.
Choosing a Kansas corporate planner
Five strong options is a good problem to have. Here’s how to narrow the field to the planner who actually fits your event.
1. Match the planner to your event type
Corporate is a broad umbrella, and the right partner depends on what you’re actually hosting. A high-design product launch calls for a different skill set than a two-day sales conference or a formal donor gala. Look closely at each planner’s portfolio and ask which categories they run most often.
- Launches and brand activations reward a design-heavy specialist.
- Conferences and retreats reward logistics-first coordinators.
- Galas and fundraisers reward planners fluent in both.
The closer a planner’s recent work maps to your event, the less you’ll pay in learning curve.
2. Weigh full-service against day-of coordination
Not every company needs a planner from day one. If you have an internal team that can handle sourcing and budgeting, day-of coordination may be all you need to keep the event on rails. If your staff is stretched thin, full-service planning buys back their time. Be honest about your team’s bandwidth before you shop, because paying for full-service when you only need coordination (or vice versa) is the most common budgeting mistake companies make.
3. Review their portfolio and vendor network
A planner is only as strong as the vendors they can summon. Ask how deep their local bench runs for catering, AV, rentals, and staffing, and whether they have go-to partners for the exact scale you’re planning. A well-connected planner can often secure better availability and pricing than you’d land on your own, and their relationships tend to translate into smoother day-of execution when something needs to shift. If a specific Kansas corporate event venue is already on your shortlist, ask whether they’ve worked there before.
4. Align on budget and what’s included
Before you fall for a mood board, get specific about money. Ask what a package actually covers, where costs can flex, and how they handle overages. A good planner will talk numbers openly and help you decide where to splurge and where to save.
- Confirm what’s bundled versus billed separately.
- Ask how they invoice and when payments are due.
- Clarify who owns vendor contracts.
Transparency here is a preview of how the whole engagement will feel.
5. Check communication style and availability
The best portfolio in the world won’t help if you can’t reach your planner. Corporate timelines move fast, and approvals often need to clear several people, so you want someone whose communication cadence matches yours. Ask how they prefer to stay in touch, how quickly they typically respond, and how many events they take on at once. Walking in with a short list of questions worth asking makes that first call far more revealing. A quick intro call tells you almost everything: if it feels easy and organized now, it’ll likely feel that way in crunch week too.
Planning a corporate event in Kansas
Even the best planner benefits from a host who understands the local landscape. Keep these Kansas-specific realities in mind as you lock in dates and logistics.
Factors to consider
Kansas weather swings hard by season, so the calendar shapes your plan. Summers are hot and humid, and July is the hottest month, with average highs commonly in the upper 80s to low 90s Fahrenheit in the Kansas City area, according to Current Results’ Kansas July temperature normals. That makes reliable climate control non-negotiable for a July conference or an outdoor tent event. Late spring and early fall tend to be the most comfortable windows, which is exactly why they book up fastest.
Dates to avoid
Big regional events tighten venue and hotel availability across the metro. The American Royal is moving cornerstone fall events to its new Kansas City, Kansas campus, including the World Series of Barbecue and the Fall Livestock Show. Those weeks pull in crowds and rooms. NASCAR race weekends at Kansas Speedway and Chiefs football Sundays also add fall traffic and hotel demand, so if your event can dodge those dates, it’s worth the flexibility.
Expert advice
Book your Kansas corporate venue and headline vendors first, then build the rest of the program around them, because the best spaces and caterers commit months ahead in the busy seasons. Give your planner a clear budget range up front so they can steer you toward realistic options instead of aspirational ones. And confirm the parking, load-in, and AV realities of any space before you sign, since a gorgeous room with a nightmare load-in can quietly wreck a timeline.
FAQs: corporate events in Kansas
How much does a corporate event planner in Kansas cost?
Most Kansas corporate planners quote by scope rather than a flat rate. Among the planners profiled here, published starting points begin around $1,500 for day-of coordination and climb from there for full-service work, while full corporate programs are typically priced individually based on guest count, production, and services.
What’s the difference between a corporate planner and a day-of coordinator?
A corporate planner works with you across weeks or months on budgeting, sourcing, design, and logistics. A day-of coordinator steps in near the finish line to execute a plan you’ve already built. Choose based on how much of the process your internal team can handle.
How far in advance should I book a corporate planner in Kansas?
For larger conferences and galas, three to six months is a comfortable runway, and popular planners often book peak spring and fall dates even earlier. Smaller meetings can sometimes come together in a matter of weeks, but earlier is always safer.
Can Kansas corporate planners handle out-of-town or destination events?
Many do. Several of the planners here manage events well beyond their home base and travel for the right program, so it’s worth asking about their range and any travel fees during your first call.
Great corporate events start with the right space and the right people
The planners on this list prove that a memorable corporate event is really a partnership between a sharp coordinator and a space that fits the moment. Get both right and the rest, from the run-of-show to the last handshake, tends to fall into place.
So as you shortlist a planner, spend equal energy on the setting, and take time browsing the right corporate event venue in Kansas to match your event’s size and tone. The people bring the plan to life, but the space is where the impression is made.
Know a standout planner we missed, or spot something that needs updating? Send us an email at [email protected] so we can keep this list accurate and helpful.
