There are two things that all event planners must know how to manage: events and stress levels. Event management is a demanding job that takes a physical and mental toll on the planners, who have to constantly work under high pressure to meet tight deadlines. No wonder a career as an event professional has been named the fifth most stressful job according to a survey conducted by Forbes. So if you aspire to be an event planner or already are one, read on to find out how to handle stress well.
A common misconception is that stress is something that happens to us. But in fact, stress is just our response to external factors. And for event planners, these factors include missing a deadline, juggling different components of an event, last minute requests, tight budgets etc. The key to deal with all such pressures is to work in such a way that you don’t take too much on your plate all at once. Divide your work into manageable chunks and set realistic goals. You may feel the need to micromanage to ensure everything is done just right, but that will just lead you to become overwhelmed with work and result will be – rising stress levels!
It is crucial to learn importance of stress management, or it can have serious effects on our quality of life – not just professional, but personal as well. Here are some tricks to overcome stress and ways to avoid it whenever possible:
- Learn to say ‘no’. Be assertive.
- Manage your time well. Plan ahead with enough time to prepare and plan each and every activity in great detail.
- Include rest and relaxation time in your daily schedule for yourself and for your team members.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle which includes regular exercise, nutritious diet, meditation, etc. - Fill your mind with positive, happy and gratitude-filled thoughts. A mind full of positive thoughts is likely to respond to moderate amounts of stress in a positive manner.
- Use smart, comprehensive event management technology to automate your planning tasks and save your time and effort by 25%. Event technology can help you manage everything from one place and saves you the hassle.
- Always have an exigency plan to avoid last minute panic situation. For instance, encourage your attendees to download your mobile event app so that you can easily update them in case of any last-minute changes.
Practically, we cannot completely eliminate stress from our professional life. In fact, I believe some amount of pressure is necessary for people to perform well. So surround yourself with good people, learn ways to neutralise stress and promise yourself a happy, contented life. It’s never too late to make positive changes in life!
