It turned out we don’t need 10 000 hrs of practice to master a skill. Still, learning how to be a remarkable event organizer takes a lot of effort. The good news is we can get better at something not only by practising it but also by learning from others. The article guides through the successful event organizers’ characteristics and rules to improve organizational skills. So how the performance of event professionals is different?
They eat the frog first
Creating a general plan without defining priorities and time-consuming tasks, you step into a #somethingwentwrong risk. Often, event organizers instantly follow a to-do list and start execution from the beginning. A checklist is an advantage, but we can do way better. Successful event organizers divide the list into the three complexity blocks to sort tasks by levels. Put them to elementary, medium, or advanced blocks depending on the complexity and priority. Reading each assignment, ask yourself: “What chances that something will go wrong here? How much time would I need to find a solution?”. If answers to both questions equal “lots of” this is where you need to start. Choose the blocks name whatever you want. The most important is to define prioritized and time-consuming elements and begin with its execution.
They keep everyone on the same page
When you organize an event, you may mistakenly think that a lot of things clear for you are clear for everyone. Sure, it could be understandable how the software works or what are the team responsibilities. The funniest stuff begins when it’s not. Generally, a lot of event organizers are informing the closest team members of what’s happening. But great event organizers make sure that every contractor also knows a goal of the event, technical details, and what the expected result. They make regular checks to see if everyone’s on the same page. And make sure that stakeholders not only get tasks but a chance to ask general organizational questions.
They can quickly adapt
The pandemic situation has shown that things can dramatically change within a short time. Professional event organizers always have a plan B. They know that scenario when everything goes smoothly sadly doesn’t happen too often. Therefore, they inspect the possible risks in advance. When an event organizer – the chair event person – is in panic, so that imagine what do participants or other stakeholders can think about the whole organization. When something unexpected happens that ruins or changes plans, firstly, real professionals get patient and start to create a new road to go: no judgments, no complaints, only a fresh eye to find the most efficient solution.
They are good networkers
To be a great event organizer, you don’t need to be a born extrovert. Doing events is always about teamwork, no matter how many years of experience you have. When something goes not according to the plan, having a wide network of people will be especially helpful. Remarkable event organizers are genuinely interested in others: what they do for life, what are their struggles or hobbies. So that when the right moment comes, they spend less time searching for a partner to collaborate with and solve issues quicker. It’s important that when you get to know new people you do it sincerely and not for taking advantage in the future. Also, be ready to help others too. A win-win strategy is a key for any business relations.
They are not afraid to ask help
It is all about fears. With two years of experience, we afraid to ask help as everyone will think about you as a fool (spoiler alert: they will not). Working 15 years, we afraid to ask help as everyone will think you are not a professional. In reality, of course, it looks different. Luckily, task delegation and admitting that you are not a rockstar at everything are in vogue again. Great event managers are eager to let other people do something they’re not that good at. Asking for help or a piece of advice is a great option too. It seems very easy, but because of the inability to ask help on time, a lot of projects crash.
Learning and following the mentioned characteristics will help you to feel more confident before and during events. Be ready for changes, adapt quickly, and surround yourself with professionals to create a unique experience for everyone.
Be different
To be remarkable, you need to do things differently. You can look at some processes or events parts and ask, “How can I do this differently? How can I do this better?” And you keep doing that until you’ve found a different and better way to do it. That’s how you become more noticed and unique.
Read our new article about event organizers’ mistakes during a virtual event to avoid them in the future.