EVENT PLANNING IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

Event planning on TV:

Sex and the City PR exec Samantha Jones makes planning events look sexy and fabulous. All you have to do is make a few calls, show up in a killer outfit, grab a cocktail and greet your famous guests with a kiss on the cheek.

Event planning in reality:

Countless of hours of work, endless to-do lists, 4 a.m. wake-up calls and 12-hour days. Coordinating the location (back up location), theme, guest list, invitations, speakers (back up speakers), food, drinks, itinerary, name tags, agenda, talking points, and promotion. Just to name a few.

Planning events can be fun, but it’s definitely not always sexy. I have found that sweating is not uncommon at some point during an event. Carrying boxes of materials and supplies, setting up decorations, and moving tables…all in a suit and stilettos seems to be a right-of-passage to becoming an event planner. Then there is the nerdy three-ring “master binder” that is never far from reach and includes all contact numbers, a guest list, confirmation numbers, sponsor names, people to talk to etc. organized with color tabs of course (see Exhibit A).

Exhibit A: Here I am talking to a sponsor at an event  captured on film with my “master binder”

Challenges can also come up throughout the process including up until the day before an event, the day of an event and hours or even minutes before it is to begin. This is where a lot of the stress can come in. But it’s also one of my favorite aspects of event planning because it gives me the opportunity to be a fast-thinker and put my problem solving skills to the test. In those last-minute crises it is all about evaluating the situation, figuring out a plan of action and sticking with it. Most of the time participants and guests don’t ever realize there was a problem or a change.

Event planning is demanding and requires the abilities to multi-task and work well under pressure. I love walking into my office during event planning season (which is basically from March – November) knowing that this day will be different than the previous and the next. Although there are moments I can become buried in details, I always have my trusty post-its and to-do lists to divide and conquer my tasks, and pull off a successful event.