This is a lot like learning how to be an event planner…
Remember the plate twirler at the circus?
The ones who pitched a plate high in the air and caught it on the end of a stick only to spin another plate on another stick while still spinning the first plate. He would do this over and over until he had sticks with spinning plates on his head, his feet and both hands.
That’s what event planners do. Get one task going and start another and another and another.
We put all the pieces of an event together and are master multi-taskers and often think like this:
” I enjoy a challenge”
” I see the big picture”
“I’m good at multi-tasking”
“I love it when a plan comes together”
“I’m fast on my feet and can solve problems quickly”
When we think of an event we think of the Academy Awards, Mardi Gras, the Super Bowl, or the Presidential Inauguration, but event planners also work on thousands of smaller events.
Any time people gather together for a purpose – whether it is for a wedding, a conference, a festival, a formal dinner, or the grand opening of a new store – someone is needed to oversee the planning and management of the event to ensure it’s success.
Be An Event Planner
Do you have what it takes to be an event planner?
Use this mini-checklist to help you determine if this is the career for you:
- You can juggle many things at once without missing the details?
- You have the vision to see the big picture and the personality to get other people to see it too?
- You are results oriented, but always cautious about the bottom line?
But, here’s the thing…
According to the Forbes list of ‘top 10 most stressful jobs”, event planning is #5.
Let’s face it, event planning is stressful!
As an event planner, how do you manage your stress levels and meet the demands of the job?
Teamwork
“Two heads are better than one” and teamwork allows you to blend complimentary skills so you’re more efficient, making it easier to accomplish more, and it encourages everyone involved to take ownership over the event.
Communication
It’s your job to coordinate the client, vendors, speakers, venues, and event staff so it’s easy for stress to creep in while you’re managing the event and working to meet the client’s expectations.
To manage your stress level, communicate with your team, vendors and venue staff to define roles and responsibilities and identify the best means of communication (email, text, phone, WhatsApp, etc). With strong communication skills, each member will have the opportunity to bring the event to life.
Using these strategies to be an event planner, will quickly turn stress into productivity.
Now I’d love to hear from you.
In the comments below, let me know what skills you believe are important to be an event planner.
Thank you, as always, for reading and being part of our community.
