by For many years, event planning has been in the top five of the most stressful jobs in the world. So if you’re feeling stressed out, know that you’re not alone—far from it. So how do you go about reducing stress as an event organiser?
Most blogs will simply tell you to calm down, go for a run, and meditate. They’ll describe breathing techniques and how to connect with the positive energies around you.
This is not that kind of guide.
Sure, we’ll cover exercise and meditation at the end. But first, we’ve got things to do. And those things mainly have to do with learning, planning, preparing, and automating.
That’s the real key to reducing stress as an event organiser.
1. Learn the basics of event planning
Knowing is half the battle. The more you understand about event planning as a whole, the less you’ll stress when it comes to executing. It’s stressful to learn essential skills at the last minute.
Tip: Learn the essential event organiser skills and event planning tips to start off the right way.
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2. Write an event business plan
Once you have the basics down, it’s time to look at the big picture. What are your overall goals? Your life will be less stressful when you have a solid event business plan to follow.
Tip: Here are the steps to a successful event business plan.
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3. Use event planning templates
With the big picture covered, you can look at individual events. Again, it’s important to plan everything out but there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. You can always use a planning template.
Tip: This free event planning template is a good starting point and applicable to all event types.
4. Manage your event budget
Every event planner will tell you that money is a major source of stress. Event budgets are difficult to manage because of all the unknown variables. Make sure to stay on top of yours.
Tip: Learn how to prepare an event budget and how to manage it with an Excel spreadsheet.
5. Give yourself enough time
Just like money, time is a hot commodity. Don’t overestimate your ability to meet deadlines, especially if you’re dependent on other people. It’s a rookie mistake. Schedule events far in advance.
Tip: We’ve written a guide on how to pick the right date for an event to help you out.
6. Create an event programme
Speaking of other people, it’s important that your entire team is on the same page. It’s even better if your attendees also know what’s going on. Share an event programme with all of them.
Tip: Check out how to create an event programme that’ll keep everyone on time and on track.
7. Use event registration software
It’s both confusing and stressful to sell tickets over the phone, email, social media, and your website. Keep everything in one place by using event registration software (like Billetto).
Tip: Here’s a guide to picking the right event registration software.
8. Use a checklist
You might have the best memory in the industry, yet the pressure can easily make you forgetful. Use a checklist for every aspect of your event to reduce stress and make sure you don’t forget any important steps.
Tip: We’ve rounded up a lot of key elements to put on your event planning checklist.
9. Use online tools
Physical checklists are good, but online tools are even better. From social media scheduling tools to project management tools, there are loads of free options to make your life easier.
Tip: We suggest no fewer than 14 different free event planning tools in this list.
10. Automate everything
Well, maybe not everything. But as much as you can. That goes for your planning, execution, marketing, and management. The less you have to keep tabs on, the better.
Tip: Look into event automation software or marketing automation software to free up time.
11. Perform a dry run
The day is almost here. Do you rest on your laurels? No. You perform a dry run to make sure that everything works as it should. Test the lights, camera, microphones, WiFi, and projector.
Tip: Read our expanded list of tips for performing an event dry run to avoid technical hiccups.
12. Create a contingency plan
What’s better than having a plan? Having a backup plan. Things can go south despite your best intentions and rigorous preparation. Make a plan for what to do when life takes you by surprise.
Tip: Fortunately, we have a guide on how to make an event contingency plan.
13. Take out insurance
What if the contingency plan fails? You need a plan for that as well. That comes in the form of an event insurance policy so you, your staff, and your attendees are covered in case of disaster.
Tip: Here’s everything you need to know about event insurance policies to combat force majeures.
14. Do physical exercise
You’ve got everything planned, automated, and insured. What do you do with all the residual energy? Drink another cup of coffee? No. Put it down and go for a run to release some endorphins.
Tip: Do any of these nine exercises to relieve stress now that everything else is taken care of.
15. Meditate
You went for a run but your mind is still running in place, overthinking all the details. This is when you can finally do a bit of meditation and mindfulness training to calm your inner voice. A few quiet minutes will do you good.
Tip: Meditate with an app like Headspace or use these meditation techniques to help you relax.
Feeling relaxed yet?
The last thing you want as an event planner is probably more things to put on your to-do list.
Yet if you follow the above tips, you’ll be less pressed for time, money, and energy. And that means you can save it all for your big day: the event you’ve planned.
Here’s a quick recap of our tips for reducing stress as an event organiser:
- Use templates to save you valuable time.
- Use tools to organise and automate tasks.
- Create a big plan, a detailed plan, and a backup plan.
- Perform a dry run and take out insurance.
- Exercise and meditate to calm your mind.
What do you like to do when you’re feeling stressed as an event planner? Make sure you share your best tips and techniques with us in the comments below!