Planning Events: 12 Useful Tips To Reduce Stress and Enhance Productivity
Event planning is a very lucrative and interesting job. Event planners can get up to 10% of the event budget, which can be a large sum. Apart from the fact that the job pays well, it is a good chance for networking.
However, it is worth noting that event planning is a high-pressure job— the competition, travel, and the environment of chaos all contribute to it. To make life easier, we have collaborated with professional event planners from job aggregator Jooble to discuss some things you can do to reduce stress when planning an event.
What Can I Do to Reduce Stress And Maximize My Productivity?
Event planning has been rated one of the five most stressful jobs in the world every year since the last decade. With the unrealistic expectations of many clients, the tight deadlines, physical demands, and having to manage many vendors, the stress in event planning is quite much. So, do not be too scared when experiencing low energy, headache, migraine, and tiredness. Although it is not great, it is related to your work.
There are ways you can reduce stress as an event planner, which we will discuss now:
1. Make Technology Your Friend
Technology can make your work easier and make you more productive. It is time to dump analog and go digital.
- Use a CRM software
- Use an event management software for automation
- Automate your communication with software such as Slack, Asana, etc.
- Use a calendar or scheduling tool
2. Get Reliable Vendors
Worrying about the event is tiring enough, so avoid working with a vendor that will drain you as much as possible. As the event planner, you are in charge of everything, including the vendors. Therefore, when the vendors create a problem, it will come back to you.
This is why you should get reliable vendors that will not give you problems and stress you further.
3. Communication Is Key
Event planning deals with relating with people from different angles of the event. You are at the center of the clients and the vendors in ensuring the event is flawless. The event planner needs seamless communication with all parties to achieve this goal.
So, create a communication channel that the person you are trying to reach out to can access every time. Also, communicate with your clients about their wants and your vendors about their delivery.
Software for communicating with teams online:
- Slack
- Google Workspace
- Zoom
- Monday.com
- Trello
- Asana
4. Have a Team
It always seems like we are the best person that can do everything for ourselves. However, this is not true. We only think so because we have not learned to let go. However, this will only increase our stress level, make us less productive, and burn out quickly.
The solution is getting capable hands to help when planning an event and trusting them to do it well. Trust is necessary because if you do not trust the people you have delegated duties to, you will end up checking on them frequently, which will defeat the purpose of the delegation. Also, not trusting the people you delegate to will make them less productive, as they will not know what to do.
5. Make a Checklist
There is nothing as stressful as realizing at the late hour that some things are not in their place for an event. It can make the event planner frustrated and mental stress. Also, rushing to put things in place at the last minute can strain you.
Therefore, you should make a checklist to avoid forgetfulness and last-minute rush.
6. Manage Your Time Well
Time is of the essence when planning an event.
Proper time management is needed to prevent last-minute decisions or any rush that can stress you. Therefore, outline everything you want to do for the event and allot time to them. Also, keep to time as much as possible.
7. Take Care of Your Team
Your team is your backbone. Your team members are your helping hands, and having them in good health can give you a break. Therefore, it is vital that you take care of your team, have the members in optimum condition, and appreciate them when they do well.
8. Have a Contingency Plan
There is no certainty in life. Even a well-strategized plan can fail. In addition, a failure without options will lead to problems. Therefore, as you do your best, plan for the worst.
9. Take Out Insurance
Taking out insurance is like having a guard protecting your home. When everything fails, insurance may bail you out. Research the different insurance available for an event planner, get a reliable broker, and subscribe to a plan.
The little money the insurance company takes from you may be your saving grace someday.
10. Perform a Test Run
What is the best way to detect the error or possible failure of a plan early? It is by testing the plan and noting the details of your mock performance. Performing a test run can help you see the flaw that would have stressed you later.
11. Give Yourself a Break
We all love to work and earn money. However, a continuous cycle of working without taking a break may not allow us to enjoy the money. Most importantly, an event planner that doesn’t take breaks is bound to break down someday.
So give yourself time to rest, so you don’t get overwhelmed and stressed while planning an event.
12. You Are the Most Important, Take Adequate Care Of Yourself
Your work is essential, but you are the one who made it important. Therefore, you must take care of yourself while working hard. Exercise regularly to keep your body in good shape for the rigors of your job. Also, take care of your diet and ensure you get adequate sleep.
Conclusion
It is no doubt that event planning is stressful. Therefore, you are not alone if you are stressed as an event planner. You, however, should learn to manage the job’s stress to make you well productive. This article discussed how you could avoid over 60% of the stress you can go through while planning an event. Follow the points discussed here, and you are on your way to planning an event stress-free.
Author: Inna Reshetniak
Inna has been a blog writer for Jooble since 2015. In addition to writing for Jooble, she also provides coaching and copywriting services for businesses of all sizes. In her spare time, she likes to swim and cycle.
