We have no idea how much we rely on technology in our lives until it fails us. When it fails, it is like losing one of our arms. As an event planner, about 90% of my work is computer-based, which makes it incredibly convenient to work at home, on the road, communicate with people far away, work on presentations, and basically run my life. However, there are times when technology fails and it is important to know how to deal with that.
There's No Time To Be Sick!
The month of April has been an unusually busy one. I could feel the tension of the busy season building at the end of March and I began bracing myself for what I knew was going to be a difficult April and May. I'm currently in what feels like a never ending list of tasks and programs. My genius self rescheduled a program from February for April (which seemed like a good idea at the time). In addition to that, I made a trip to New Jersey with my 7 month old, ran a Spartan race, and decided to go to the National SGMP Conference in Minneapolis (coming up next week). I would say I'm looking forward to May, but it is looking like more of the same. The real life of an event planner.
One Whale of a Party!
I am back from New Jersey where Gardner and I spent the weekend visiting family. The main reason we went to visit is to celebrate Fynn's birthday (Gardner's second cousin). Fynn turned one yesterday and on Saturday the family got together to celebrate. My cousin, Heather, did a really wonderful job with the ocean themed party. It reminded me of why I love Pinterest so much when it comes to creative party themes!
Networking and Friendships
I got the most wonderful text from a graduate school friend, Melissa, today. She asked about a colleague of mine at UNC. I asked her why, and she noted that my colleague was on the list to go to the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) National Conference. I immediately texted her back to ask if she was going. Then I waited... five... long... minutes for her response. And it was a very suspenseful five minutes. I even told her that I would do cartwheels down the hallway if she was going. (Though, I am wearing a skirt and heels today, so I'm not sure that promised cartwheels will actually happen.) Then the text came through, she is going and I will be seeing her at the conference in Minneapolis in a week and a half. I couldn't be more excited!!
Crisis Averted!
Surprises are generally a part of the event industry. Things like your conference materials have not been delivered, or your volunteers didn't show up, or the speaker's presentation is crashing, are all examples of bad surprises. These "mini-crises" can cause some stress for an event manager. Sometimes no matter how hard you plan the unexpected happens. In these moments of crisis: DO NOT PANIC! Whether you realize it or not, you set the tone for how people around you react. Instead, make a plan and spring into action. I have a motto that I like to use:
Turning Blunders to Successes - Spartan Sprint 2015
While you are in the middle of an event your senses are heightened, you feel the rush of the last minute details, and hope that all your planning has paid off. The event goes off and your deem it either as a success or failure. Then, you take a breath. Often, you move on to the next big event without thinking anymore about the one you just finished. However, I urge everyone to really think about taking the time after an event to review it.