A survival guide for event managers

Organising end-of-year events is fun - said no overloaded event manager, ever.

As we head into one of the busiest times of the year, we bet your event list looks decidedly scary. You’re likely to be organising seasonal celebrations for staff and customers, as well as squeezing in just one (if you’re lucky) more sales, networking or product push before the holiday period. And you’re probably also thinking about what needs to be done in the New Year.

According to World Scholarship Vault, event planner stress levels are hitting a new high — and they rate it as the third-most stressful job in the world. While the pandemic may be over, event managers are facing talent shortages, high inflation rates impacting costs and budgets, and having to learn new technology skills. Burnout is a reality.

So, how do you survive the job and minimise burnout and stress at the best of times, let alone at the end of the year?

Build in some time out.

While you may be amazing at your job, you’re just as prone to being ‘over it’ as anyone else. Jumping from seamlessly delivering one high-pressure event to the next gives you little time to physically or mentally decompress, let alone recharge your batteries.

Don’t undervalue the importance of resting both your body and brain - schedule time out for interests and hobbies that allow you to think and behave differently. Move out of work mode and give yourself permission to relax, exercise, play, enjoy family and friend time, or switch off.

If you can’t escape the pressure, even just tackling routine admin tasks to change your work pace or going for a walk at lunchtime will improve your ability to refocus. According to Science Daily:

A new study in the journal Cognition overturns a decades-old theory about the nature of attention and demonstrates that even brief diversions from a task can dramatically improve one's ability to focus on that task for prolonged periods.

Recognise your limitations (and learn to say no).

Saying ‘no’ may make you unpopular at times, but in the long term, it will also raise the bar for how the business treats you and your team. Setting standards for incoming briefs and acceptable timelines and pushing back when communications, agendas, and objectives are unclear or built on shifting sands will reduce miscommunication and unrealistic expectations.

Be firm about your availability outside of working hours and step away. Even leave your phone on charge somewhere out of earshot. And don’t answer or encourage outside business hours events-related messaging unless you’ve previously agreed to it for planning purposes. Obviously, you may need to attend some after-hours events in person or manage international online events with differing time zones, as that comes with the territory. But that level of availability and flexibility shouldn’t intrude on your personal or family time outside of agreed event commitments.

Work on teamwork

Teach your team that it’s okay to push back, stand firm, and take time out. If your team is large enough, allocate tasks that reflect and reinforce their specific strengths and capabilities. One may

shine at online events or developing content, while another has the magic touch for making networking events memorable – so delegate and empower the people around you.

Pay attention to your team’s stress levels and support them by acknowledging and rewarding hard work – taking even a minute to celebrate a win during a work-in-progress meeting can bolster spirits. While it’s always tempting, avoid micromanagement – but make sure you’re available and approachable if an event is slipping off the rails. And encourage other team members to step in and help if needed.

Surround yourself with trusted suppliers.

We all need a little help from our friends. By surrounding yourself and your team with partners you can trust to offer great advice, provide innovative ideas, and then deliver to perfection, you can significantly reduce stress levels.

A great vendor or supplier will go out of their way to support you. Yes, their reputation is at stake with every event – but most (especially us!) are happy to share knowledge and best practice checklists to help you stay on track. Every vendor interaction is a valuable opportunity to learn from an expert who has designed and provided lighting, audio, video, staging, signage and more - many, many times. Your suppliers are used to dealing with client stress and the unexpected, week in and week out, and working through challenges. So don’t be afraid to ask for help or consider their recommendations.

Find better tools.

There are numerous project management tools which are designed to automate the processes behind successful event management.

You may rely on spreadsheets and Outlook if you only run a few events yearly. But as the volume, complexity, and number of moving parts of your events grow, you need tools to help you organise tasks, track progress against the timelines, assign help if and as required, and have 100% visibility of your team’s checklists. The same goes for automating event reporting to evaluate return on investment and compare event styles, types, and times for effectiveness.

Content creation tools also help streamline the information needed to support events, from landing pages to agendas. Likewise, you can opt for digital processes for emails and reminders, guest enrolments and confirmations, and event check-in, and to enable you to print off name badges once attendees arrive (which is a nice nod to sustainability, too). Customer satisfaction surveys can be shared digitally to encourage feedback for easy, stress-free post-event reporting.

Set priorities that include you!

Priorities aren’t just about what must be done first – although that is undoubtedly critical in a fast-paced, deadline-driven role.

A commitment to managing your time effectively, maintaining well-organised checklists, being realistic about where delegation is a better course of action, building strong supplier relationships, and placing value on personal well-being is also crucial to the success of the events you are responsible for.

Event management will inevitably be stressful, but burnout doesn’t have to be part of your job description.

For a low-stress audio-visual-video experience, reach out. We’re here to help.