No matter how well you plan your event, things can still get awry. Events are complicated and dynamic and somewhere along the way, things are bound to go astray. It is best for event organisers to approach each event with this mindset. It helps keep them on their toes. As they say, do your best but expect the worst. Here are some common challenges that event organisers face when planning for an event.
- Budget Shortage
Money makes the world go round, right? You need money for printing. You need money to reserve the venue. You need money for catering. And so on, you get the idea. Sometimes we’ve an expected amount for the expenses but as the project rolls, you find yourself spending way more than you planned. This is why it is important that you track your expenses. Negotiate for the best deals out there so that you can stretch your budget.
- Last-minute cancellations
Your speaker can’t make it because his flight is delayed? Your staff can’t go to your event because he’s caught the flu? You can’t help it. Emergencies happen and these are out of your control. Breathe in, breathe out. Try to relax. What you can do is to prepare for such cases. Have back up plans.
- Uncooperative weather
This is another thing that’s out of your control. Even when you’ve chosen a date when there’s a 90% chance of sunny weather, there’s still that 10% that it would rain, right? If your event is indoors, then good for you. But if your event is outdoors, you better have a contingency plan in case the rain pours down. Weeks before the event, check the weather forecast and send advise to your attendees regarding the weather so that they too can make the necessary preparations.
- Lack of time
This is a common problem among event organisers. There’s always so much to do yet so little time to do all of them. Well, rock star event organisers thrive during crunch time. But of course, it would help a lot if you stick to your time plan. Never fall under the trap of procrastination. And if you find yourself pressed for time, you can always ask for help from the people around you to share the load and beat the time.
- Insufficient number of attendees
Aren’t you meeting your target number of attendees? Perhaps you’re not promoting on the right channels. Define your target audience and study where they can be reached. Present them a strong agenda for your event. Make your invitations interesting to encourage them to join your event.
- Travel and Accommodation Arrangements
If your location is quite far, then it is best to make travel and accommodation arrangements for your team, speakers, and attendees. Coordinate transportation arrangements from ports to hotels to your venue. Negotiate for a good deal from the hotel since you’re booking for a group of people. But just in case, check out other accommodation and travel options in the area so that you have a back up in case things don’t go as planned.
- Gathering and Interpreting Data
You need data all throughout the event cycle. Of course, these data will come from your attendees. But how will you collect them? There are event technologies available in the market that can help you in this crucial stage of data gathering. They can even retrieve data from other sources – online and offline, to make sure that you have all the information that you need. Once you got the data that you need, event software will also be very helpful in providing you with insightful data and analytics that will help you maximize your revenues from the event that you’re planning.
- Lack of networking activities
Networking is a crucial component of your event. If your attendees do not interact with your exhibitors and other attendees, then there’s little point in organising the event in the first place. With the right software, you can check the engagement activities of the users. They have smart matchmaking skills that’ll initiate connections among exhibitors and attendees whose interests and characteristics match with each other. On the day of the event, you can also plan activities that’ll encourage networking among your guests like setting up social lounges in different areas of the venue, organising speed networking over lunch, or scheduling a happy hour after the sessions where everyone can all come together and have a good time.
Wrapping It Up
Event organisers are constantly tested with different challenges as they plan the event. Rather than clam up, they should see these as opportunities to hone their event management skills. With every challenge that they’re able to conquer with their resourcefulness, quick and smart thinking, and all of the other tricks that they’ve up on their sleeves, they come out stronger and tougher in the event industry.
