There’s good reason why the position of event planner is consistently named to the top ten most stressful jobs each year. There are so many moving parts, demands, and unexpected complications that can arise. And through it all you not only have to find viable solutions, you need to ensure you keep your composure and remain gracious to attendees, sponsors, and vendors.

That’s a lot of pressure!

One way to decrease the pressure is to set up a strong and well-executed plan for the day of your event. Streamlining your operations will help ensure you’re at your most productive, which in turn will yield brilliant results.

But how do you increase productivity when you’re already feeling stressed and not fully in control of your schedule? These productivity tips will get you on your way.

1. Reach out to sponsors a week to three days out and ask them if they need anything.

   Get to their requests that day, if possible.

2. Do a walkthrough of the venue space.

   Make any final corrections. Note anything that is still outstanding. Assign that to someone on your team to follow up on. While you may be tempted to add it to your list, it’s likely not something that really requires your attention. Make a note on what needs to be done and what is considered a success and pass that on. Speaking of….

3. Delegate without micromanaging.

   If you trust your team and you took the time to ensure everyone was in the right place with the right skills, giving them additional responsibilities will make everyone happier. Remember you don’t have time to micromanage and no one performs well under those terms. There may even be negative health ramifications. No one needs to be sick and stressed.

4. Always have a “MacGyver” kit.

   Fill it with all those little items you might need like a needle and thread, duct tape, a lint roller, stain stick, batteries, chargers, mints, floss, clear nail polish, etc.

5. Always have a “MacGyver” kit.

   Fill it with all those little items you might need like a needle and thread, duct tape, a lint roller, stain stick, batteries, chargers, mints, floss, clear nail polish, etc.

6. Assign someone to watch social media streams so a small issue doesn’t become a big one.

   Create a social media escalation procedure chart to give this person some autonomy. In this flowchart, list “if/then” scenarios that explain what they can handle with pithy comments (or attendee support) and what requires direct intervention. Include both situations and attendee status. For instance, you probably don’t want your social media person running to you if someone complained about dessert. However, you do want them to notify you if the CEO of your organization did.

7. Batch tasks that are similar or in similar areas and do them all at once.

   For instance, if you know you need to check in on the kitchen staff and take a picture of the meal for Instagram, do these things at the same time, even if one is much less important than the other. You’re there anyway and it will improve efficiency because you’re not running back and forth

8. Do it when you have the time.

   Don’t put something off just because you think you can. The only block of time you’re assured of is the one you’re in now. When things are hectic or you’re tired, it’s easy to put something off. But with an event, you never know what’s going to happen. You may think tomorrow morning is open and you can slide the “to-do” in there when you’re more rested, but there’s no way of predicting what that spot will look like come tomorrow. If you have the time, do it now. Now is all you have.

9. Maintain a Good, Productive Attitude:
10. Give yourself a small win early on to build momentum.

    While many experts suggest tackling your toughest tasks early, and that is important, adding a small, quick task that you know you can finish first thing, allows you to build momentum and feel good about getting something done fast. After that, tackle a tough job but break it into manageable pieces to keep up the momentum.

11. Don’t rent space in your head to doubts about the choices you’ve made.

    Move on. Revisiting past decisions can take up a lot of our emotional reserve. Make a decision and let it go. If you need to change the decision, do so for good reason, not because you’ve been dwelling on it and second guessing your original thought.

12. Remember: completed trumps perfect.

    In most events, tasks need to be completed. Working on something longer than necessary because you’re trying to get it perfect doesn’t help you or your client. Your client wants completed work, not perfect ideas.

13. Smile.

    You’ll feel better and so will those around you. While it sounds a little trite, a recent study found that those people who were unable to frown were happier than those who could. So if you want to be happier, consider that what we do with our bodies may have an effect on how we perceive emotions.

14. Listen to the issue at hand.

    Don’t try to solve it until you understand it. Many people hear a problem and immediately begin searching for solutions before they fully understand the issue at hand and what has been tried. If someone comes to you with a challenge or issue, give them the time they deserve in understanding their side before you propose solutions. If you’re busy thinking of solutions, you could miss the point behind what they’re saying.

15. Streamline Your Operations for Greater Efficiency:
16. Use a chatbot to cut down on FAQs to you and your staff.

    This technology is still novel enough that people enjoy using it. (SXSW’s chatbot fielded 56,000 questions at its 2017 event.) It’s easy to implement and most attendees are familiar with voice search as it’s likely what they use in their personal and professional lives.

17. When problems arise, ask yourself if they need your attention or if they can be handled by a junior staffer.

    Make good use of your time. If you’re working on a printer jam at registration, you can’t be handling the issue with the VIP. Doing tasks that can be passed to others (like the printer) gives the appearance that you are running a one-person show or that you don’t trust your team.

18. Streamline and automate what you can.

    Is ticketing a major headache for you? Consider self-check-in kiosks, which require minimal staffing.

In Conclusion

There are many moving parts when overseeing an event and that doesn’t even cover the pieces you have no control over. Look for ways you can streamline tasks and delegate to become more productive. By doing so, you’ll free up time to handle the challenges that you can’t plan for.

Good word-of-mouth marketing draws a crowd and industry bloggers are well-situated to get your meeting some attention, but how do you get theirs?

1. Give Them Something Special

   If you’d like bloggers to attend your event you need to do something special for them. For instance, Content Marketing Institute offers a bloggers den at their meeting. It’s a room set aside with plenty of charging stations, comfortable seating, refreshments, and more. It’s a quiet space for bloggers to duck in to gather their thoughts, and put together their posts, without having to retreat to their hotel rooms. It also feels pretty special when you excuse yourself from conversation “to enter the den.”
   Another way to make them feel special is a sticker on their name tag identifying them as a blogger, a badge for their website, or asterisks denoting them as a blogger on your member list. This may also get them more followers.

2. Rate Them Accordingly

   Comping someone’s meeting attendance so she’ll cover your event, is questionable blogging ethics. Anything you give them directly that has a monetary value (like a comped ticket) must be declared. Even if the blogger is up front about it, the blog will look less authentic and resemble more of a paid advertisement so it’s best to avoid these potential pitfalls.

   However, some associations offer a press pass. Press passes can be free or offered at a discounted rate. Normally there are requirements of members of the “press.” At the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting in Atlanta a few years ago, the “press” had to attend a debriefing where the mayor spoke of all of the exciting changes and opportunities in Atlanta.

   If you offer a discounted rate for bloggers, it should be available to all bloggers who meet certain requirements. While those requirements are up to you, they should be in writing.

   Remember, you want to avoid offering a free pass for a blog post. The requirements should speak more to their credentials and influence (i.e., must be a daily blogger with at least 2,000 Twitter followers) than asking them to do something for the free ticket.

3. Know Influence is More Important Than Title

   A person needn’t be a blogger to have a great influence in your industry and they needn’t have a large blog following to have a large social media following. For this reason, asking your association members and attendees if they’d like to blog about the event, can bring some interest you may not expect. For instance, you may have a very well-known attendee, who has many industry connections, and a large social following, but he has never written a blog post even though it’s something he’s always thought about. While not an influential blogger, per se, he does have great influence, and the fact that he’s well-known in your industry will give his post lots of traction. Don’t be afraid to reach outside of traditional blogging lists to find someone vocal in the community and on social media.

In Conclusion

Blogger outreach is important to your annual meeting because it amplifies social reach, increases awareness of your meeting and your association (plus lots of talk about your association is good for your Google rankings), and ideally more talk about your conference will increase future attendance, and may increase membership in your association as well.
In finding influencers you want to look for engagement with the audience (whether on social media or through a blog). When you work with influencers for your meeting, you’re building a network of content creators and curators, many of whom will continue to share your content long after the meeting is over.

Choosing a site can be the most difficult part of the whole planning process. When planning for an outdoor event for a corporate group, here are things to consider:

4. What is the seasonal weather like in the region?
   • Are you working in a covered space, such as a pavilion, or with an open area such as a tennis court or golf course? Mother Nature can be unpredictable. If you are working with an open area, it may be possible to arrange for a tent or other back-up facilities in case there is inclement weather.
5. How will your menu support the theme or objectives of the event?
   • If you’d like people to be able to mingle easily, finger foods may be the best option. Or, if you’d like a more formal vibe, it’s possible to create an elegant dinner setting with three-course meal within a partially enclosed or semi-covered space.

Case Study: Spring Solstice Outdoor Event

In the spring of 2012, Q Center hosted a “Summer Solstice” themed corporate event in its outdoor pavilion for over 500 people. It was an opportunity to chase away the winter blues on a beautiful spring evening.
The tables were dressed in bright spring colors – blues, greens, oranges and yellows. A spring floral bouquet or beautiful pot of vibrant wheat grass was placed on each table.

Daisies were draped from the ceiling of the pavilion and highlighted using accent lighting. The buffets were dressed in fresh sod with the chafing dishes placed on top, so the event took on the look and feel of an outdoor picnic.

The bar served fresh lemonade and signature “Springtini” drinks from under a gazebo. At the end of the evening, the path that walks the guests back to the sleeping rooms was lined with candlelit luminaries.

The event went off flawlessly and created a memorable night for the group. The guests had a wonderful time from the moment they got there until the moment they left.

In Conclusion

One of the biggest benefits of an outdoor space is the energy and freshness it lends your event. Whether you are looking to create a productive networking or team building environment, fashionable dining experience, or energizing meeting space, open-air venues can help take your event outside the box by keeping people active and social.

Be creative in highlighting the character of the outdoor setting and you can create a truly impactful event.