Event management – planning for the unexpected!

We love events at Elevate and over the years we’ve realised even when these are planned to the absolute letter, you can’t control everything.

As an Event Manager, it is vital you are prepared for the unexpected and have the skills to deal with any issue efficiently and effectively to ensure the event continues to run smoothly no matter what.

An event involves a great number of people; you have to manage your client as well as sponsors and suppliers, from collateral printers, key note speaker agencies to venue managers.

Issues can come from any direction, but it is how you handle them that guarantees a successful, or unsuccessful event.

The challenge is addressing a problem and finding a solution in a timely and efficient manner to ensure it won’t happen again during that particular event.  

The answer lies in the power of relationship building. It is essential you build strong working relationships that allow feedback to flow easily, with all issues taken seriously. It is these professional relationships that will either make your job a whole lot easier, or a whole lot harder.

The most important tips are to be aware, flexible in your approach, as well as acting quickly and considerately to everyone involved, all the while ‘keeping face’.

There may be underlying factors you have not been made aware of that has brought the issue to bare so be sure to gather thoughts and feedback from all personnel in the situation, to allow you to make the best possible decision on how to progress.

The immediacy of an event often means a problem cannot be addressed in full at that particular time as your primary focus is on implementing an appropriate solution. This solution will come from the contingencies developed during the event planning phases, as well as your experience and “know-how” of on-the-ground event support. At the first available opportunity, address the matter with the appropriate people through factual only documenting and follow through with a suitable course of action.

An appropriate course of action will be dependent upon the severity of the issue including any impact it may have on your client, or on you as an Event Manager. 

You are what is going to keep the event on track. No matter what is going on behind you – remain calm. You will come up with a solution, which may even be better than the original! 

If you would like to harness the power of Elevate’s superb event management skills and the value we place on stakeholder relationships, contact Elevate today to discuss how we can assist with your next conference on 07 3180 3666.