A few days ago we said goodbye to the old year and welcomed the new one. And the New Year came with a chance for new opportunities. For event organizers, it is probably another 12 months full of professional challenges. Just like in personal aspect, also in your professional life, many of us will set new goals for ourselves that we want to achieve. What is an event manager dreaming of? How to persevere in your resolution? Statistics indicate that the New Year’s resolutions have almost half of all people in the world. Slightly more than 50% of them will stick to them in February, but only one third will last in their will until mid-year or longer. Why is this happening? Usually for trivial reasons: the goal is not realistic (usually too ambitious) so enthusiasm disappears into thin air. What the specialists from the event organization industry would like to achieve this year?
Resolution No. 1 – I will improve the current offer
The pursuit of perfection is present not only in personal life when we choose a new training program or another box diet. This is one of the most important goals in the event manager’s work and probably the most important for your potential attendees. So how to improve your current offer? Above all, look around and learn:
- minimize the risk of mishaps – incidents happen in the event organization industry – it’s common knowledge. Moreover, it is quite possible that it’s happening more often than in other branches – the number of variables, the intense pace of work, character differences of persons participating in the project – it is only the tip of the iceberg. What you can do about that? First of all, prepare yourself as best as you can for potential mistakes, and, at the same time limit the space for their appearance (try to avoid Murphy’s law). This task will be easier to conduct if you implement a checklist in everyday practice;
- learn from mistakes – draw conclusions and treat them as valuable lessons on the way to excellence, the SWOT analysis will be an excellent tool in this case;
- attend events organized by others – not necessarily conducted by your direct competitors. The ideas of other event organizers and their solutions can be a valuable source of inspiration;
- read, watch and analyze – and don’t limit yourself with the industry, reach for all kinds of media: printed, blogs, podcasts – you will find in there valuable information about current trends and expectations of your future event participants.
Resolution No. 2 – I will improve team working
An event team should work like a well-oiled machine. All its members should know the goal they want to achieve, know what tasks they face. At the same time, they need to feel the deep sense of what they do and why they do it – this guarantees their commitment. So what can you do to make the work of the event team more effective?:
- communicate wisely – we all know how important communication in a team is. When it is ineffective, there are misunderstandings and even conflicts, for solving which you lose valuable time. In extreme cases ineffective communication in a team can be a source of frustration, sometimes it’s big enough that the risk of losing valuable team members is becoming quite real. Solution – exercise communication skills, better to be safe than sorry;
- work on the skill of efficient team management – one of the most important features you must have as a manager in the event industry is delegating tasks and formulating SMART goals: if you work hard on these skills, the benefits will be tangible. Develop your competencies – as a manager, planner, organizer, and crisis management specialist. With each subsequent event, it will be easier to manage it;
- don’t be afraid of new technologies and stop avoiding changes – analyze whether your registration system meets the requirements, it’s quite possible it is time for a change. Check the effectiveness of the mailings. Suggest to the team to implement joint project management: jointly work out a consensus on how the processes in your organization should look like.
Resolution No. 3 – I will keep the balance between work and private life
The modern world changes every day, rushing forward with the speed of Formula 1. Event organizers, who want to keep up with this pace, must have an excellent psychophysical condition. It is becoming more and more obvious that maintaining this pace comes with the price: burnout – if you forget about time for regeneration. How to keep up the speed without burning out:
- set a permanent “no event” zone – the place and time when professional matters will be restricted. Let this be your own space-time, destined for activities that are a source of relaxation for you;
- work out rituals that will guarantee you regeneration – take care of enough sleep, time for exercise, contact with nature;
- secure time to relax – also when your schedule doesn’t provide for the holidays.
Take small steps to achieve greater results
New Year’s resolutions can be a powerful motivator. But in order that we persevere in them, they must be formulated in a realistic way, and their implementation should be carried out by a small step rather than a great revolution. So take small steps and achieve great results – let this be the New Year’s goal for all event organizers.