Did you know that being an event planner means you have one of the most stressful jobs in the world? It’s true—event planning consistently ranks as one of the top high-stress careers1. There’s so much that goes into event management. Dealing with a structured budget, technological problems, and last-minute changes are only a few of the things that can make event coordinators feel like they’re destined for sleepless nights and a frazzled mind.
While unexpected situations can come up in even the most fine-tuned events, there are simple things you can do to mitigate the overwhelm that comes with event planning. Here are seven ways to lower your stress levels and still pull off a picture-perfect event.
1. Cushion Your Budget
Whether you have a dedicated finance department or the financial team members wear several hats, you should always be up to date with your budget.
As you create your event budget, make sure to add a cushion for any unexpected expenses. That way, you’ll never be left scrambling to come up with extra money when you desperately need it.
Remember to keep the extra funds until the end of your event; any number of things could come up during it. If your event ends without you needing to use them, you can use the surplus funds to cushion your next event’s budget.
2. Set Early Deadlines
Reminding vendors, venue managers, and speakers that they’re past a deadline is always awkward. Yet somehow, one or two parties always bypass your deadlines, forcing you to send reminder after reminder—all while your stress levels mount as the event draws closer.
To help manage this, give everyone you work with an early deadline. If you need something by the end of the month, give them a deadline of the 15th. You might even consider setting deadlines a month or more in advance just to mitigate any problems that might happen along the way.
3. Build Gaps into the Schedule
If you’ve been in the event planning business for longer than a month or two, you’ve learned that events rarely run precisely on schedule. Guests lose track of time, speakers go past their allotted time slots, and caterers arrive short-staffed. That’s not to mention the host of tech issues you’ve surely dealt with: microphones won’t connect to speakers, projectors won’t turn on, and your phone dies right in the middle of an important call.
Accounting for these and other issues is crucial for keeping your event running smoothly and with your sanity intact. When you build out your event schedule, make sure you leave gaps between each session instead of putting things back-to-back. This will also help your guests feel more at ease throughout your event.
4. Use Capable Event Management Software
As your event nears, you’ll need to find a venue that matches your event’s style and size. You can look at your registration numbers to schedule which meeting rooms to use for each session and meal. You can also use it to effectively order seating, food, and beverages.
Once your event begins, you’ll need a high-powered event attendee management system to quickly access guests’ information. This will enable you to print name badges on-demand and find information on certain guests’ accommodation requirements.
If your system isn’t advanced enough to handle all your attendees’ information, you might find yourself pulling up outdated or even missing information. The last thing you want is to give guests a bad impression of your brand, which is why finding a powerful system is so important.
5. Make Check-In a Smooth Process
On the first day of your event, you’ll probably feel nervous, hoping your guests have the amazing experience you’ve planned for them. Giving them an incredible first impression is vital for setting the tone of the rest of your event.
Guests’ first impression happens at check-in. If lines become clogged due to tech issues, misprinted or missing badges, or other problems, your guests can quickly develop a negative first impression.
To make matters worse, the longer the lines become, the longer those guests who checked in first will have to wait for your event to start. As their frustration mounts, many of them might decide to leave your event altogether.
To avoid this problem, you’ll need conference check-in software that allows you to print badges on-demand. This will help you steer clear of long lines caused by misprinted badges, workers sorting through hundreds of pre-printed badges, and many other problems that can slow the check-in process to a crawl. Instead, you can get every guest through check-in and inside your event within minutes.
6. Create a Backup Plan
Even if you plan your event down to the minute, you need to prepare for backup scenarios. Inclement weather, ill speakers, and catering van trouble are only a few of the problems that could arise during your event.
If anything comes up that could ruin a part of your event, not having a contingency plan in place could spell disaster. To keep your event running as smoothly as possible, make sure you have a Plan B—and maybe even a Plan C—for every aspect.
7. Give Guests Immediate Updates
If you need to change a part of your event plan, it’s essential that you let guests know immediately. You can do this through your management software program.
Ideally, you should look for a system that doesn’t require guests to download an app. Instead, a program combining event management with QR codes is perfect for communicating changes. Guests can simply scan a QR code at your event or on their badge that links to your event’s landing page. From there, they can navigate your event’s venue map, schedule, and session topics and receive real-time critical updates.
Taking the Stress Out of Event Planning
You’re likely not in event management because you enjoy being stressed, though that is an unfortunate part of the job. Fortunately, if you implement these simple changes into your planning methods—and maybe add some chamomile tea or yoga—you’ll have the tools to learn how to plan an event with minimal stress and maximum success.
1https://convene.com/catalyst/meeting-event-planning/event-planning-most-stressful-jobs/