tips for improving your event management skills
When it comes to event management, very few rules are set in stone. Because every event is different, each one requires a unique approach. To be a great event manager, then, you need to be as flexible as you are organized. This flexibility is what lets you adapt, learn, and change to make each event better.
Set clear objectives
If you’re coordinating with an event planner, she might send a list of objectives your way. If not, work with your client to come up with concrete goals for the event. Make these goals as specific as possible. How many cars do you want the parking staff to move each hour? How many questions are you hoping to fit into one question and answer session? Use numbers wherever possible
Start planning now
The sooner you can confirm the details of an event, the better. Start making calls as much as a year in advance so that you can lock down your venue and take advantage of vendors’ early-bird specials. While it’s important to make flexible agreements in this early period (you don’t, after all, know how many participants to expect yet), reaching out to venues and vendors early on saves you time, money, and headache down the road.
Negotiate with vendors
Every event is different. Vendors understand this, which is why many offer custom services with flexible pricing. Instead of asking vendors for a quote, figure out how much you’re willing to pay, and then offer the vendor between 5-10% less. This way, even if the vendor negotiates up, you’ll stay on budget and, in many cases, save money.
Mobilize your networks
Event management is all about networking. Stay in close contact with the venues and vendors you love to work with. When you need them, they’ll be there for you. Keep former colleagues and volunteers close too. Build effective staff and volunteer teams quickly and painlessly by mobilizing your extensive social network.
Tips for EventProfs
All great events have a few fundamental things in common. A great venue, an engaging event app and memorable guest speakers are a few of the essential ingredients. As an event professional, it’s your job to get these things right. Here are six things to keep in mind to make sure your next event gets the essentials right.
Networking
Networking is often the biggest draw of an event; it’s critical to overall event engagement and success. Attendees, vendors, exhibitors, and event planners are all looking to connect and it’s your job, as the planner, to maximize all of these connections. Our advice? Make the most of your event app to to help facilitate positive, memorable and useful connections.
Speakers
As the event planner, it’s your job to research and vet the best possible speaker prospects. Create a list of desirable candidates, then watch any videos they have, or better yet, see them in person. Don’t be afraid to invest in the right speaker — this should be a priority.
Extra Activities & Creative Sessions
Extra activities often help cultivate connections that may not have been made otherwise. Consider adding ‘out of the box’ event activities such as a pre-event 5K run, a morning group yoga session, volunteer opportunities to support the local community — the possibilities are plentiful. Get creative when it comes to your sessions, and try one of our tips for shaking up the traditional breakout session.
Location & Venue
Location matters. A lot. Consider which region is best for you and your attendees. Will the majority of your attendees have to travel and if so, how far? Keep cost of travel in mind as it will impact your attendance rate. When it comes to picking a venue, some planners prefer to start venue sourcing before location sourcing. Whether this step comes first or second, consider the infrastructure and functionality of each venue you look into. For example, will you need to offer Wi-Fi, and will the network comfortably hold your targeted number of attendees? Will the space and facilities accommodate the number of people you’re working with? For more on this, check out our series on successful event planning tips. We also suggest using Unique Venues’ checklist for what to remember when sourcing a venue.
TIPS TO BE A BETTER EVENT PLANNING CONSULTANT
For you, events are like works of art: each starts as a vision. From this vision, you carefully lay out how to get to the finished product. Step by step, the vision forms into something with substance. Through time, effort, and some struggle, your event grows into something more and more tangible
Have an open mind
As you progress in your career, you’re bound to develop your own personal style of planning. It’s important to be open to the suggestions of your team members, clients or event volunteers.
Find an organization method that’s right for you
Let’s face it: there’s no way you’ll be able to memorize and recall all the information necessary to plan for your event. Utilize tools and resources to aid in your planning process. Selecting a world-class event management software will help you plan better events in less time. In addition, you might want to consider incorporating some task management tools into your workday, to help you keep track of key-deliverables.
Stand out on social media
LinkedIn. Twitter. Facebook. Pinterest. Tumblr. It’s crucial to keep up with all of them so that you can build your brand and attract potential clients
Build connections that last
Although you’re in charge of a majority of the grunt work, your clients are still a driving force in the event’s debut. Research your clients to find out their basic financial information and their competitors, it will help you position yourself as someone who’s interested in building events that help them achieve success
TIME-SAVING EVENT PLANNING TIPS
Let’s be honest, event planning is a stressful job. At any given time there are a number of jobs that need to get done and it can seem like every deadline comes right down to the wire. The 18 tips in this blog post will help you save time during the event planning process and ensure your next event is wildly successful. Let’s dive right in
Start Early
As you know, planning an event is a monumental task. The more time you can give yourself to nail down every little detail, the better. So start as early as possible. This will not only allow you to maintain your sanity, but also give you an advantage when booking a venue, finding event staff (we’ll talk more about this later in the post), and putting out unavoidable fires.
Leverage Event Software
Want to maximize event ROI? Then do yourself a favor and leverage the power of event software when planning and managing your next event. This type of tool will save you time (on average, businesses that use event software save 223 hours a year) and craft a unified brand experience for each of your attendees
Invest In Essential Event Tools
Even software, while incredibly important, isn’t the only tool you should consider investing in. There are other important event tools worthy of your consideration as well, such as project management apps like Trello, marketing automation tools like HubSpot (more on this below), software integration tools like Zapier, and event streaming software like Livestream.
Focus on the Priority
Knowing how to best prioritize your time and efforts is a common productivity tip. The more focused you can be on the right objectives, the more success you’ll see. This is especially true when planning an event.
Ways to Be a Better Event Manager
As we enter the New Year and set our goals for the next 12 months, many of us want to make a difference in our chosen career and ensure our skills stand out for all the right reasons. In the fast paced and competitive events industry it is important to stay on top of your game and strive for constant improvement.
Practice Makes Perfect
The simple fact is that the best way to become a better Event Professional is to gain more experience. In ‘Outliers’ Malcolm Gladwell explains the concept that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to make you skilled or an expert in any field. Volunteer, take paid work, run your own events.
Read Widely
From theoretical event planning text books and industry magazines to eBooks and blogs there is a plethora of current information available about every element of the industry. Dedicate time each month to keeping up to date, identifying trends and learning about new technologies
Reflect
After every event project ensure you reflect, analyse feedback and discuss with your team and the client how to improve. Enjoy the praise but look most closely at any negativity or areas rated average. Share anything that didn’t go to plan with the wider team, along with how the situation was dealt with and lessons learnt. Don’t sit back and be complacent, no matter how big a success the event was. Every small detail can make a difference and there is always room for improvement!
Use Technology Wisely
Keep yourself sane by making the most of tools and technology which can make your job easier. Steer well clear of technology that takes up too much of your valuable time for little reward or clear purpose. Understand the process behind the technology too so you can understand better why it is important and the value it is adding.