It is said that being an event planner is one of the most stressful occupations out there. Considering that one little mishap can stain months of hard work, the preparation and planning that goes into organizing an event seldom covers all the variables that could go wrong. But there are occasions when an event turns out beyond our wildest imaginations and this makes all the stress and hours put into organizing a great night worth it. Well, it is our mission to help make your next planned event a great success, here are 10 problems that event organizers face, take note of them, and avoid these pitfalls after all, forewarned is forearmed.
#1 Be Memorable
It is great to organize a successful event, however, to make the most of it in terms of boosting your event planning profile, you have to make your event memorable. The reason is that if you organize a memorable event, you have the added bonus of having free word of mouth marketing that just might land on a lucrative ear. Have photos taken that can then be sent to social media accounts of people who attended your event who will hopefully have fantastic things to say when friends enquire about the event or comment on the photos.
#2 Shrinking Budgets
I like to say event planners are part-time financial advisors, in fact, getting well acquainted with the financial planning side of event management may be worth your while, click here for an article on financial planning for event planners. In a nutshell, considering the economic climate we are in, even planners are increasingly required to deliver stunning events on tighter budgets, this requires dedication and creativity.
#3 Short Lead Times
Short lead times means that event organizers will not have the time to source the best venues and provide the top notch service they would otherwise be capable of delivering. So trying to get over the preliminaries as soon as possible will give you time on the back end to work on sourcing great venues, and essential staff, ensuring outcome for your event.
#4 Rise In Costs
Adapting and avoiding rises in cost is the art of the event planner. Lock in agreements to agreed prices were ever possible and get suppliers and venues to work with you on the best ways to keep costs down.
#5 Environmental Issues
It is becoming increasingly important that event organizers are in tune with environmental issues that come into play as far as their planned event is concerned. Take as much steps as possible to lower your carbon footprint then make it known that you have taken these steps, through your marketing campaigns etc.
#6 Technology
Event planners will have to stay on top of developments in the tech world or risk being out-dated. These advances could mean more cost effective methods or more extensive advertising that if you do not stay on top off, your competition will quickly take your slice of the cake and eat it too.
#7 Having The Right People
Any project is only as good as the people who make it. An event manager has to be a hands on supervisor, making sure that other members of the team do their work efficiently and diligently. Event managers have to make sure services contracted out are delivered to the required standard and take responsibility for any negligent short-comings of their staff. When a lot of people are brought together in one place, oversights can have disastrous consequences.
#8 Staying On Track
Keeping abreast of all changes will be a feat the larger the event is. It is very likely that changes will be required for one reason or the other as the big day approaches so it is vital that event organizers take into account all ramifications and variables arising as a result of any last minute changes. It will be helpful to have a formal process that will document any changes ensuring that everyone knows what they are supposed to know to do their job well at all times.
#9 It’s All In The Planning
At the end of the day, the most important part of the event management process is the planning stage. An agreed upon plan should be arrived at as soon as possible, and an important part of this is the budget. Having a well-drawn plan will reduce the risk of last minute disappoints or negligent acts. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Call it cliche but it’s the right message to send to any event planner.
#10 Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will go Wrong
The event planners mantra. It is amazing how something comes up out of nowhere on the big day to put months of hard work at risk of failure. Positive thinking is fine and well, but we event organizers have to work with cautious pessimism. Anticipate all setbacks, and then anticipate some more.