Event management is hard, but it’s an equally rewarding career. An event is a highly stressful arrangement for the event planners; anything can go wrong, someone might not show up at their chosen time; the sound or the light system could malfunction; in short, there are thousands of things that could go wrong. But to successfully rock at managing events, you need to be adept at a variety of event planning skills from the get-go.
No matter the scale of the event, management is central to its success. Key to successful event management is having a plan that takes unforeseen circumstances into account and has contingency plans in place.
Add to this the COVID-19 restrictions, plans can go haywire, and you should be ready to adjust on a dime.
Event planners lead a high-speed life. From the chaos of coordinating with vendors to the hiccups that can unexpectedly occur, managing an event is about bearing high-pressure situations where you’ll be multitasking more often than not.
However, making an event a success requires more than just management skills. You need to know what exactly is it that people would like to see or experience at your event. Although events are supposed to be enjoyed, there need to be sufficient arrangements in place for taking care of the people’s needs.
For instance, if you’re organizing a concert or an outdoor party in the picturesque Salem, Oregon, you must know about all the good portable toilet rental in Salem, Oregon, so you know where to get one. Because in outdoor events, arranging a loo is a must.
With that said, let’s now take a look at some other skills that one needs to make event management thrive.
Smart Networker
Networking skills are a hallmark of the best planners. In the events industry, relationships play a major role. To put together a great event, you need to call upon a network of diverse professionals, including caterers, DJs, photographers, bands, audiovisual providers, decorators, videographers, etc.
These connections will help make your events memorable for your clients. Furthermore, you would like that same network to reel you in more business.
Not sure where to start? Consider these suggestions
- Participate in industry networking events sponsored by ILEA, NACE, and MPI.
- Take advantage of LinkedIn and Facebook for networking. You’ll find these conversation starters easier to use in person once you’re used to online conversations.
Versatility
Responsibilities of an event manager are not set in stone. One minute they’re working with vendors for arranging drinks, the next they have to be on stage taking care of leadership duties.
Clearing up messes as they happen, coming with solutions on the spot, and having to make tough decisions are the skills that event managers are tested on routinely.
This means that you will made to bring your best in versatility and flexibility, as those are the two main event organizing soft skills that you need to have in high-stakes and quickly shifting situations.
When it comes to arranging events, one thing is for certain: things will go wrong. No matter how prepared you think you are, how confident you are in your best laid plans, reality has a way of disrupting them. As the Murphy’s law states: anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
These are the times that will call upon your resilience and adaptability. In order to overcome challenges, obstacles, mess ups at an event, you will need to adopt a go-with-the-flow kind of an attitude.
Unleash Your Creativity
You have to think outside the box to flourish in your event management business. Clients expect you to come up with creative ideas. So, you should be ready to mix things up a bit, go against the grain of event management trends, and build your own unique style of event management.
Your clients will bank on you to come up with theme, the ambience, the service, and the vendors, but you can also help them with improving the design elements and all the other things of the event that could represent the company’s feel.
Each event presents its own sets of challenges and opportunities, and creativity will be your best aid.
When you need inspiration, consider the following:
- The latest trends in event design can be found by following Pinterest and Instagram.
- Keep an eye on the blogs for the latest style ideas at events.
- Annually, Pantone releases its Color of the Year, which reflects the colors you can expect to see in event design.
- See what the leading thought leaders are seeing as the next big thing in events by following them on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Organizing skills
Event planners are excellent organizers. Even if you’re part of a team, you should rely on procedures and methods. As a leader, this means keeping clear communication with your team on adhering to budgets, timelines, and appointments as well as organizing important documents and information.
After all, a well-executed event doesn’t just happen of its own. From planning to post-event analysis, this process requires sharp organizational skills. Event planners have a knack for recalling the smallest details and are always on top of everything.
Create a Long-Lasting Impact
In the world of event planning, first impressions can mean everything. With fierce competition, you’ll need something that can make you stand out from the crowd. If you want to land a job, make sure you keep your resume up-to-date and ask for plenty of customer feedback. When your clients rave about your exceptional service, it goes a long way towards spreading the word out about your business.
Make sure you dress to impress, too, aside from your skills and impeccable record. You can pair a women’s business casual sweater with a clean pair of uniform pants or go with a custom work blazer if you primarily handle more formal corporate events. At the same time, a knee-length trendy sundress is ideal for casual events.
STAND OUT
Put your professional message across in an engaging manner with clever branding ideas. Looking to host an outdoor concert? You can also present your brand with promotional goods, such as a custom blanket.
Do a proper branding of your pens, notebooks, and USB storage. Then, on the event day, you can share your story with the rest of the world. In case, you will also be offering merch, embellish your logo, along with web address, on the front of the merch.
Give your staff or team custom-made work jackets, polos, or tees. Make sure that the way the staff or organizers are dressed complements the proceedings and the overall vibe of the event.
Final Words
In all, these were just a few of the skills you need in order to develop a name for your business in the event management world. If you manage to refine these skills, you’ll be able to grow your event management business exponentially.
