Plan, plan, plan. Then let go.
As a ‘Type A’, overachieving, analytical, detail-oriented, career event planner, I plan for everything. I learned how to plan an event and confirm and reconfirm details and partners so many times, that there is little room for the unexpected. At the risk of being cliche though, one must expect the unexpected. No matter how tightly I’ve planned a run of show, how well I chose vendors or how many backup plans I secured, events and businesses are made up of human beings and natural forces, which means perfection is an illusion. So how have I reconciled my need to control with the need to let go? I still reconcile these, but here is what I learned:
I’ll never regret over preparing. The more time I spend preparing for events- drafting and redrafting the perfect production schedule, having multiple check-ins with vendors and partners, setting up backup plans, having a list of backup vendors on hand, making sure there are enough staff members in palace, etc. the smoother the event will run, and the more confident I and the team will be at show time. I’ve never regretted being “too prepared” for an event. When something does go off script, as it always does, I’m ready to calmly and confidently handle it, letting my clients continue to enjoy their event.
Who you hire matters. As an event planner, my company can only take on so much of the responsibility. We don’t cook meals, grow flowers, set up décor, install lighting, or make any magic on our own. We rely entirely on our trusted team of vendors to bring the event’s vision to life. One inadequate vendor- a late band, a florist that did not bring the agreed-upon amount of centerpieces, a shuttle that is nowhere in site- is enough to derail the event. So, an event planner is nothing without trusted, experienced vendors that work well together as a team.
Let go. At the end of the day, when the plans and backup plans have been made, confirmed, and reconfirmed and when the A-team has been hired, accept as a matter of fact that plans often go off track. In these moments, the best thing to do is to calmly and confidently use my judgment, wisdom and knowledge, refined over a decade of experience, to swiftly make a call and keep the show going.
Learn. Post-event recaps allow me to keep learning and growing as a person and a company. After an event, analyze what went well, what could have gone better, and what can be done differently next time. Use these findings to inform the way you over prepare for the next event.
As Colin Powell said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure”. I think he gave us the secrets right there.
