Planning an event can be incredibly stressful. Arranging all the details to cover every aspect and pulling it together to create a memorable event for all the right reasons is a massive effort you don’t want to fail at.
Whether it’s your first or fifth event, understanding the common mistakes others make and what you need to avoid can provide relief. This knowledge can help you ensure your event is a success and everything runs without a hitch, giving you the confidence to tackle any challenge that may arise.
This post will delve into some of the most common mistakes event planners make, providing you with valuable insights. These insights will equip you to avoid these pitfalls in your own planning, making you feel more informed and prepared.
Inadequate Planning
Failing to make detailed plans and put a roadmap in the palace of what needs to be done almost guarantees your event won’t run smoothly. You need to take your time well in advance to sit down and look at every single aspect of the planning. This includes thinking about equipment, location, security, parking, amenities, speakers, hosts, entertainment, food, logistics, etc. Note what is involved and needed with each point and who you might need assistance from. what you need to do to involve it in your event. Don’t try to keep it all in your head. Have a notebook that tracks all the details, such as contact information and cost. This level of organization will give you a sense of control and ensure a successful event.
Not Marketing the Event
Marketing the event is a crucial step, even if it’s an in-house event for employees. If no one knows about it, then no one will show up. You need to start your marketing as soon as you have a solid plan in place and have verified the event bookings, dates, and times so people know what is going on and when to attend. Your marketing budget needs to be able to support the type of event you’re holding especially if you’re relying on ticket sales. Marketing needs to be done as soon as possible so more people are aware and can add it to their calendars. This proactive approach will ensure a successful turnout and create a buzz around your event.
Not Focusing on the Attendee Experience
If attendees are not having a good time, your event will not be a success. Not focusing on the attendee experience can lead to negative feedback, reduced attendance in future events, and a tarnished reputation. You need to put the attendee experience at the center of all of your planning and logistics. You want to optimize the event for your guests’ enjoyment to deliver them the best experience possible.
Understaffing Your Event
You need a team to help you organize the event, but the type and scope of the event will determine what staff you need or how many people you need to assist. From having people on hand to welcome attendees and sign them, security staff, tech support, cleaning staff, serving teams, hosts, entertainment, and more, it is essential to have enough people on hand to facilitate a smooth event. You don’t want attendees complaining about having to wait for food or better yet, what is supposed to be a hot meal is served cold. Know exactly who and how many people you need, and don’t wait until the last minute to bring them on board. Also, make sure they know exactly what their duties are so there won’t be confusion on the day of the event.
Choosing The Wrong Catering or Not Catering at All
Most events serve some type of food and drinks, and not catering to the attendees, especially for longer events, won’t go down well. Whether you need professional catering services for a black tie event, seminars, or awards shows, or you need more informal options such as food trucks or buffet-style catering, you need to choose appropriate catering and beverage options for your guests. Be sure to consider dietary restrictions and make suitable options available. There are certain types of foods I don’t eat, and I hate when I show up to an event and there are no other options to choose from.
Leaving Planning Too Late
Early planning is key to a successful event. Giving yourself ample time to set up your event allows you to secure the right people, generate enough buzz, and ensure all event needs are met. Some plans, especially those involving specially designed equipment, take time to materialize. Last-minute planning limits your vendor options and may lead to higher costs or not getting what you need. This is especially so if you need specially designed equipment or fixtures to help you run your event. Last-minute planning also reduces the number of vendors available. You might not get what you want or need or end up incurring higher costs for last-minute bookings.
Date Clashes
Plucking any date out of thin air and not checking if anything else is happening around the date in question can be a huge no-no. You need to be strategic when selecting a date. If it’s an internal event, you want to make sure the company has nothing major happening that week. People might be forced to not attend to meet work commitments. Suppose it’s an eit’s for a local area or a specific group of people. In that case, you need to ensure it doesn’t clash with other community events, big holidays, or even religious dates, as this will ensure people won’t attend. Avoid booking when other industry events are occurring, during popular vacation dates, etc. If you don’t consider what’s happening around the selected date, you can have an event where only a few attend. You can end up wasting a lot of time and money.
Not Having Backups or Contingency Plans
Not planning for things to go wrong is a huge event-planning mistake and can leave you struggling should the worst happen. Whether it’s vendors pulling out of the event, speakers or entertainment not being able to make it or volunteers or staff pulling out or not showing up, you need to be aware of what can go wrong and have plans in place just in case. Hopefully, you won’t need to use your contingency plans, but failing to even consider what you’ll do should things run as you planned or envisioned is a recipe for disaster.
Planning events can be frustrating, but following these steps can reduce some of the overwhelm. With all the great planning you will do, you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy the event along with your guests. Here’s to your success. And I’ll be looking out for my invitation!
Carolyn R. Owens has over 25 years of proven experience and serves as a Career Strategist, Leadership, and Mentor Coach. She is the Chairwoman and CEO of Infinity Coaching, Inc., where they help you up-level your skills so you can up-level your income. Infinity Coaching, Inc. provides one-on-one and group coaching, organizational training, and personality assessments. Carolyn is certified to give the Energy Leadership Index, Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DISC, Emotional Intelligence, and Leadership Circle Profile assessments. You can learn more about assessments and other products and services at https://infinitycoaching.net.
