Event planning and management is not for the faint of heart. Managing a live event has been described as second only to surgery in terms of complexity and difficulty. With that said, there are successful surgeries all the time and the same is true for event management. There is an art and science to managing events. The art comes from the intuition and skills cultivated through practice, imagination and learning from past experiences. The science comes from being educated, having studied processes, statistical measurements, developing and documenting repeatable processes, knowing the right software tools and how to use them.
Without a doubt, you can succeed without one or the other, but having them both is best. Great purveyors of the art are Moms. Moms can organize the most incredible birthday parties and do so with no formal training, software and without writing anything down. (I’ve seen it happen!) Moms are very intuitive about a lot of things and can certainly manage a small event. However, you can’t solely rely on intuition for large events when there so much at stake. The art and intuition alone works for small events because your children, family and friends have limited expectations and are very forgiving clients. Conversely, individuals with nothing but training, certifications and software knowledge, will crumble under the scale, scope and stress of a live event. (I’ve seen it happen!)
Professional event managers are just that, ‘professional’. At the event when everyone is enjoying the festivities, they are managing. They are making sure there are no backups in the parking lot or getting into the venue; the temperature is just right; the food is served on-time; the DJ or entertainment is on point; the announcements are being made and everything is cleaned up at the end. They are the one walking around with the schedule in their hands. They know exactly what is supposed to be happening at what time and who is doing it. They are in control and if you are enjoying yourself and barely noticing them; Perfect!
Professionalism starts with the planning, a good plan provides the best opportunity for success, but when things do not go as planned is when the true professionalism is observed. Event professionals avoid crises by having a risk plan, backups and contingencies. If it rains, they have an indoor facility nearby, if the power goes out, they have generators on standby, if there is a disturbance, they have security available that you may not have even noticed. Plain and simple, a professional event manager has thoroughly planned out your event and on the day of the event, it’s gametime; they are ready to get your event to a successful completion.
