The weeks leading up to your event can be hectic. There are a hundred and one things that still need to be done, and you are probably pretty stressed. But, once you get to the day of your event you have a moment to take a breath. Just one moment. You only have one moment of peace before someone needs something, or a vendor has questions, or somehow something goes missing right when you need it. Now not every event will be riddled with problems, but they are bound to occur on occasion.
As an event organizer or leader you have to be able to handle either stressful situations or be able to problem solve like your life depends on it. Here are some tips to make your day go smoothly and to help you through some issues that could arise.
- Your volunteers are at your disposal:
As a leader and planner you have a group of volunteers who would like to help you through the day. They have given you their time so use it. Make sure each group has a job or tasks to keep them busy. If you need something done ask someone who isn’t doing anything. I have seen many planners wear themselves thin to exhaustion while they have a whole group of people offering their help.
- Some things will be out of your control, so let it go:
Sometimes when it comes to the venue and the management you may not have control over how the event is set up or the seating available. Just recently during an event I organized, a band had been hired by us, and tickets were being sold by us as well. The bar that we asked to host the event didn’t have to pay for anything. But they had rented over 40 seats to different offices for their Christmas party on the same night. They had also set up all the tables closest to the band stage only leaving a small square for a dance floor. The bar management had assured us that the tables would be available before most of our paying guests showed up, but that didn’t end up happening. All the people he had stayed would leave staid and most didn’t bother to pay admission. At first it was a bit of a set back to our event because there was virtually no space for the over 300 people who had purchased tickets. But it was out of our control so we took advantage of the extra bodies to sell more raffle tickets.
- Setting up displays for your prizes:
Winning a prize is always fun for people attending an event. When you are setting up for your event I would recommend displaying any prizes at the entrance or a table where you are selling raffle tickets. People will be more likely to buy raffle tickets if they can see what they can win. I would also recommend setting a price for a fixed amount of tickets, like 10 for $5. You should also have your tickets ready-to-go in bundles before you start selling.
- Hydrate and nourish:
People always say ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’. But when you are spending all day setting up and getting ready for your event, all your meals are important. Your body will be using all the energy it can get a hold of so it is critical to your mood and work ethic to keep yourself nourished. Also, it is important to your health that you stay hydrated. Drinking water will replenish your body with energy and nutrients it needs to get through the day. It is also important to keep your volunteers fed and hydrated.
- Pace yourself:
You can’t be in two places at once. The key to a smoothly run event is how organized you as a leader are. Be prepared. Have everything you need before you leave the house, have all your volunteers are where they need to be, and make sure all vendors have set up properly. These are all big tasks that can be time consuming but are very important. Never rush through the event. Make a list, check it twice, get it done and then you can move on. So have checklists, a great volunteer crew, or whatever you need to do to make sure everything is going smoothly before your event actually starts.
