Mistakes are bound to happen when planning events. Some of these events, however, can be avoided if you plan well and early. Below are some of the mistakes that most event planners make.

#1. No plan B

Truth is, not everything will go as planned. Sometimes things you didn’t foresee can go wrong so you should always expect the unexpected and try and plan for any eventuality. For example what happens to your outdoor event if it rains? What happens if one of your speakers don’t show up? Plot out your contingency strategy at least 2 weeks in advance for good measure.

#2. No help

No matter how capable or experienced an event planner you are you can’t expect to do everything yourself, even if it is a small event. Not only will you be exhausted, your event will suffer. One of the main reasons why event managers get little or no help is because getting labor is costly. However, falling short of helping hands can cause bigger problems than going over budget. Coordinating an event involves a lot and you definitely will need help to get things going smoothly.

#3. Not Allowing Enough Time for Setting Up

This is one of the biggest mistakes event planners make and it’s totally embarrassing. Attendees should walk into a perfectly set event. It is unprofessional and unseemly to have workers running about trying to fix things when guests have arrived. Your guests aren’t meant to see what goes on behind the scene. It’s always best to have an estimate of how much time you’ll need to get everything in place. Imagine having a hall full of wedding guests and when the instruments are still being set-up …tacky..just tacky!

#4. Communication with client

It’s important that you sit with clients and get to know what they want exactly. No matter how much experience an event planner might have, the success of the event is dependent on your client’s opinion. Many event planners often assume that they know what their client wants but a good event planner will try to understand his/ her client’s point of view and and then make decisions to improve the event. Sometimes some clients will allow the event manager to handle everything but even in such cases you need to keep the client updated on every step you take.

#5. Cutting down

Prices of items always fluctuate and thus event managers struggle with their budget. So event managers that don’t want to confront their clients try and reduce costs wherever it seems possible. The problem with this approach is that at the end of the day something must be lacking. For example if prices of food items go up the manager might take money from the budget from the venue and that can lead to a low quality venue. The only way out of this is to be honest with your client and let them know that either the budget or the event will have to be adjusted.

#6. Double-checking

This is important for all of the arrangements for your event- from suppliers to the venue bookings. Imagine turning up on the day to find out that the live band hadn’t been confirmed so they’re a no-show. Always remember to check and cross-check again. Remember that if anything goes wrong it all falls back on the event planner. So even if this responsibility has been delegated, check for yourself.

There’s always a risk of unforeseen problems happening at your event. With proper planning most of them can be prevented.

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