The 4 Event Management Mishaps To Be Prepared For

October 24, 2017

Murphy’s law states that ‘Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.’ And if you assume that to be the gospel truth, it may go a long way in helping your event planning business. 

While every event planner would plan the event down to its last details, there are some things that are bound to go wrong on the D-day. So the smartest strategy is to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. That way you aren’t taken by surprise and geared up to be solution-oriented.  

So here’s a list of some common mishaps at events and ideas on how you can be prepared for it: 

Unexpected Weather 

Imagine that you have a beautiful outdoor wedding planned and on the D-day you wake up to rains pouring down with all their might.  Naturally you will not be able to proceed with the outdoor event as planned. So what do you do? 

Solution: Firstly, if you live a city where weather can be unexpected then planning for unexpected weather will be Step 1 of your risk assessment strategy. Secondly, there are 2 ways to prepare for an eventuality like this. The first way could be to have a back-up indoor venue in the same premises or neighboring premises ready to shift the event at a short notice. The second option could be to have a back-up of erecting tent like structures using water-proof material to ensure the event can proceed as smoothly as possible. This may need to be done at the cost of pushing the budgets up but it’s an absolutely essential eventuality to be prepared for. 

Technology Let Downs

We have all had experiences where the sound system will refuse to function properly or the mic throws a screeching sound every time it’s switched on or the video just refuses to play or the internet simply doesn’t work. This can have a serious impact on the event quality & experience. So how does one ensure a smooth AV experience? 

Solution: Firstly, ensure that your AV team brings their A-game to the table. It makes sense to have a rehearsal a day prior to the event so you have contingent time to address any issues that may crop up at the time of rehearsal. Secondly, do your best to collate all the data you need to be played on offline mode. For instance, if it’s a video that needs to be played ensure you have the video saved on a laptop instead of trying to buffer it online at the time of the event. This may surely take up more time & coordination on your end but it will reduce the dependency on internet availability on the day of the event. 

Performers Turning Up Late 

It’s quite common for featured performers or the main guest of honour to reach the venue late. You have an audience anticipating a great performance or eagerly awaiting the guest of honour. How do you manage them without letting the enthusiasm dip? 

Solution: Firstly, keep a tab on your performers or your guest of honour in terms of knowing they’ve booked tickets (in case they travelling from another city), their arrival time etc. It makes sense to even go the extra mile to pick them up from their residence/office/airport personally so that you are in control of ensuring punctuality. More importantly be prepared with certain stall techniques to entertain and engage the audience while awaiting the performers/guest of honour. It could be being prepared with simple 1-minute games that are usually a hit with the audience. If it’s a rock concert, then may be invite 5 people from the audience to perform on their favourite song. If it’s a mall event, do a Q&A based on a relevant topic of the event. These techniques will ensure that the audience spirit is high even as they wait for the actual event to commence. 

Poor Turn-Out 

Nothing can be as disappointing as seeing an auditorium barely filled after putting your blood and sweat into organizing an event. So how does one ensure decent participation at events? 

Solution: Promote! Promote!! Promote!!! You need to learn to promote the event across multiple platforms. There is no point planning a perfect event if there is no one to witness the same. Secondly have a system of RSVP to the event so you can have a constant check on the estimated number of participants. Be creative in dropping them reminders closer to the event date. Drop a fun email or make an interesting phone call to ensure that your event is on top of the mind recall for the participants. Also it’s best to assume a 20% drop-out rate so you can always overbook by that margin. In that scenario, even if there is a drop-out you will still have a strong turn-out! 

So plan a great event but prepare a greater risk-assessment strategy to ensure you are in a position to face any last-minute mishap that may occur. Remember the great law that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. As long as you are prepared, you will do just great!