Managing events is a daunting task, and like any other profession, it comes with its fair share of tripping and falling as you learn to manage things. There are some mistakes you are bound to make as an event planner when you are first starting, but there are also a few that you can stop before you even start by simply understanding the field. Below, we explain a few common event management mistakes that can be avoided if you are conscious enough with your work.
- 100% MANUAL EXECUTION: There are many tools available today which you can use to ease the numerous tasks you have to carry out. However, some event management professionals still insist on doing all the work manually, which slows them down and makes keeping track of everything very difficult in the long run. This is the reason that it is ideal for making use of the available tools and technology for making lists, to-dos, setting reminders, keeping track of schedules, and getting registrations or keeping track of payments.
- AGENDA: While putting together the agenda for the event, try not to cramp it to the point where attendees are exhausted. Although events should have enough quality content to leave the viewer feeling satisfied, there is a thin line between giving them a good amount of content and oversaturation, and it is important to keep that in mind when you begin forming the event agenda or schedule. Following the routine simple and engaging the audience more by having a few interactive sessions is a good idea. This will stop them from being overwhelmed or exhausted even before they have finished the event.
- TIMELINE: Certain things in event planning must happen at the appropriate time, and leaving them for later can significantly affect your overall execution. Irrespective of the plan that you follow, you will probably have a general timeline in mind and work according to it. Slacking off at any stage can be disastrous. Also, remember to leave good time margins so that you can keep up with work even when there is a slight lag. Finally, remember to put down payments and begin marketing the event or sending out invitations well in advance so that you do not have to struggle and panic at a later stage.
- UNPROFESSIONALISM: This relates to both your organization and any organization that you choose to collaborate or partner with. Since event management demands strong levels of professionalism, your reputation can be significantly hit by any sloppy work that you do. Moreover, if you employ people or work with other organizations that are unprofessional, you will feel the same impact on your reputation. Hence, make sure that the caterers, venues, services, and performances you organize are all top notch and have teams that are very professional throughout. Delays, substandard work, excuses, and late payment or delivery should not be entertained at any point.
- NETWORKING: If the event you are organizing is going to involve networking at some point, remember that this is usually an awkward part of the event for most people. Moreover, networking time can be boring or ineffective if you do not create the right environment for people to move around, talk, and have stimulating conversation. Giving the people many different options and slowly pushing them into interacting with each other requires prior planning and a good setup. In most cases, only icebreakers will hardly do the job. Finally, keep in mind that there will always be a few attendees who do not want to interact and seeing them avoid these sessions can be disappointing but try not to take it to heart and keep powering through to make it an exciting experience for all the other attendees.
Hopefully, these pointers give you an idea of how to go about planning your events and some mistakes you can easily avoid even at the starting stages. Event management will always have a risk factor and a huge line-up of things that can potentially go wrong, but it is up to you to manage them efficiently. Good luck!