Event Management and Planning Mistakes To Avoid
A team of individuals that work relentlessly, often after hours and behind the scenes, to make a good event happen is the foundation of any successful event. It is a tough profession, but it is extremely satisfying when everything goes smoothly.
Everyone makes errors of judgment, and while learning from them is perhaps more valuable and necessary than avoiding them in the first place, it is also more humiliating. Being aware of certain frequent mistakes that event organizers make might help you avoid them, therefore we’ve compiled a list of some of the most prevalent ones. We hope that eventually, you will be able to look back and feel relieved that they were not your fault.
Here are the 10 most frequent event planning blunders to avoid at all times!
10 Event Planning Mistakes To Avoid
1. Failure to Plan Early Enough
Begin as soon as you have a date, a budget, and a brief. Do not put off booking since venues fill up quickly. So, reserving your location should be at the top of your priority list. Then, explore entertainers and guest lecturers to see if they are available, and then hire them as quickly as possible. To guarantee that the contracts are safe, make sure they are signed and returned.
Before you pick the date, make sure there are no competing activities on the same day or around the same time. Don’t make prospective attendees pick between your event and another on the same day. Send out save-the-date reminders to your visitors so they may note it on their calendars and follow up with RSVPs. Send a reminder closer to the event’s date.
2. Failure to check for competing events
Have you ever scheduled an event only to discover that there is another competing event on the same day after the planning process has begun and the event date has been set? Only one event will draw a crowd, so don’t take chances and hope that those invited will choose your event. Avoid the situation entirely.
Do your research and look for any event clashes before it’s too late. Examine the timetables for large and minor industry conferences, as well as their proximity to holidays, significant athletic events, and local gatherings that might cause turmoil for individuals driving to the event. Once you’ve agreed on a date for your event, notify your guests. “Save the Date” alerts and “Upcoming Events” listings allow individuals who are interested to put your event on their calendars.
3. Lack of an Event Project Plan and Checklist
Make a master project plan with dates and activities that are budget-aligned. This checklist is essential since it offers an overall picture of how the project is developing and ensures that planning deadlines are not missed. A master project plan will also enable you to keep track of changes to the event’s scope. Make one more last checklist before the big day and double- and triple-check it before going for the venue.
4. Failure to Confirm Vendors
A signed vendor contract is a legally binding agreement that allows you to hold the vendor accountable for the services they are to supply. However, it is useless if you discover the vendor is unable to attend the event. That event contract won’t feed your hungry visitors or supply tables and chairs to an empty ballroom. Confirm not once, but twice, with each seller. Yes, two times. At the moment you both agree on the conditions, confirm receipt of your signed contract. Prior to the event, confirm once again.
This is not the chat you will have about food delivery or décor; this is a follow-up to ensure that your event is still on their schedule. Event providers schedule several events, and it is very simple for your documentation to be lost in the flow or misfiled by another employee. So, to avoid this, return to them and clarify that your event, as well as the specifics of the day, time, and services to be delivered, are indeed on their calendar. And keep that vendor contract close at hand.
5. Lack of a “Plan B”
A contingency plan is essential for every event, but especially for ones planned to take place outside. Weather is unpredictable, so have a backup plan in place if a hurricane, severe wind alert, or odd hail storm threatens to cancel your event. If your outdoor event – or a portion of it – must be moved indoors, you have many alternatives, including rain dates, substitute event sites, and altered activity schedules.
Other unique events, in addition to weather uncertainty, can be addressed ahead of time. Power outages can be reduced by keeping a generator on hand. Overflow parking can be relocated to a predetermined site. Issues with hotel room availability might be overcome by maintaining a few additional rooms on reserve within your hotel block. Consider the characteristics of your event and the regions that are more prone to problems. One of the most costly event planning blunders may be avoided by preparing ahead of time and establishing alternate scenarios.
6. Leaving insufficient time for event preparations
There are two considerations here: how long in advance you begin planning your event and how many hours you devote to it during that period. Organizing an event is generally a full-time job, if not more, so if you have other obligations or believe that devoting one day to preparations every two weeks would be enough, you may be disappointed. Things like team building and promotion must begin well in advance of the big day, and jobs frequently take longer than expected, so set out exactly what you need to do and by when, then give plenty of time for everything else.
7. Not Recruiting Enough Help
When it comes to event staffing, more is more. It will be more expensive, but it may save your event. Consider this: a line of automobiles waiting to enter a parking lot while staff scrambles to keep up As one waitress tries to keep up with demand, a line of unhappy diners waits to purchase a beverage. The high number of visitors who had just arrived overloaded event registration employees, leaving weary tourists waiting far too long to check-in. You get the picture.
Having extra event workers on hand to assist at busy times, give additional service to areas in need, fix problems as they emerge, or be a welcome presence to incoming guests with inquiries may boost your event from excellent to exceptional.
8. Insufficient promotion of the event
You may have properly researched your target market and ensured that your event is exactly what they want and desire, but if you don’t tell them about it, no one will attend. Getting the message out clearly and consistently across different platforms over a long period of time is critical to your success. This one may seem simple, but it is at the top of the list because event planners are frequently disappointed because they did not successfully express how amazing their event will be. Make certain you are not one of them!
9. Ineffective time management
Working with your team to build a realistic calendar of deadlines is part of time management. Promotional and marketing materials should be distributed strategically, and equipment should be tested thoroughly before the opening ceremony.
Furthermore, each item on your schedule should be precisely timed. High-intensity and inspiring workshops are excellent, but should they be interspersed with pauses or relaxing activities? When will your visitors need a break to get a cup of coffee? When will lunch be provided, and should uplifting activities be scheduled following breaks? These are all aspects that should be examined and arranged for so that your visitors are not bored or exhausted!
10. Failure to follow up
Don’t let your event fade into the ether of forgotten recollections. Follow-up can help you extend the life of your event and acquire critical information for the next time. Thanking your attendees, conducting post-event surveys, and sharing a recap or relevant content will all help to keep the buzz going and your next event even better.
Final Thoughts
You’re all prepared to make your own event a huge success now that you’ve learned the most common event planning blunders. And you will not be committing these planning errors yourself. Right?
We are sure you want to avoid all these mistakes during your next event! Worry not, that is what we are here for. From the concept to planning and execution we got it all covered! Contact us now.
