Did you know that 鈥渆vent coordinator鈥� was in 2016? And that鈥檚 only behind enlisted military personnel, firefighters, airplane pilots, and police officers. Successfully running events takes a wide range of skills 鈥斅燼nd nerves of steel.
Free Download:聽The Event Planner鈥檚 Ultimate Productivity Handbook
To celebrate the everyday heroes of the event industry, here are the top 10 qualities of successful event managers:
1. They have people skills. The number one quality shared by successful event managers? People skills. You need to be comfortable connecting with high-level executives, government officials, vendors, co-workers, sponsor reps, customers, supervisors, suppliers, staff, and event attendees. To successfully work with this wide range of people, you鈥檒l need to be able to nimbly resolve conflicts, be a confident but pleasant negotiator, and maintain your sense of humour.
Remember to try and have fun with the work you do, and the people you work with, and they鈥檒l want to work with you again. You can鈥檛 do it all by yourself, so building relationships is key.
2. They鈥檙e flexible. Event managers must double as cleaners and firemen. Cleaning up messes and putting out fires 鈥� quickly, quietly, and efficiently 鈥� is part of the job. Stay calm, get it done, then get back to running the show.
3. They鈥檙e good listeners. The ability to understand what key stakeholders want to from your event is critical. These folks may not be in the event industry, so might not speak the lingo or know what鈥檚 realistic. You have to be able to discern their needs and make sure all parties share the same expectations. Pay attention to what鈥檚 said 鈥� and what鈥檚 not said 鈥� in key conversations. Tapping into these spoken (and unspoken) needs throughout your planning process will help you stay one step ahead.
4. They鈥檙e organised. To successfully run any event, you need to be able to juggle about 50 things at once. This multi-tasking prowess is required for both smooth planning and flawless execution of an event. The best planners have foolproof systems, step-by-step checklists, and handy tech tools. Working in events requires the ability to focus on the big picture while keeping track of all the little details. To avoid burnout, get comfortable delegating some of your more time-consuming tasks. And if things don鈥檛 go according to plan, don鈥檛 be afraid to switch to plan 鈥淏.鈥�
5. They鈥檙e passionate. With all the stress of the job, you have to really love what you do. Genuine passion helps you overcome bumps in the road and stay cool when all seems lost. It also leads to bursts of creativity and the inspiration to create something great instead of just trying to get through the day. Things like time management can be learned, but you can鈥檛 teach passion, and you鈥檒l need it in order to succeed. Being an event manager can, at times, be a thankless job; it needs to be about more than just a pay cheque for you.
6. They鈥檙e good communicators. Clear, firm, and kind communication establishes you as a leader of the team, keeps everyone on track, and ensures that the goals of the event are clear to everyone involved. It also allows you to effectively share your vision and get others excited about it, too. Communicate in a way that is respectful to everyone and doesn鈥檛 put anyone down. Accept criticism and be open to new ideas. Everyone plays a part in the success of an event, so make sure you鈥檙e communicating with them in a clear, confident, and empowering way.
7. They鈥檙e calm under pressure. Your team will look to you for answers to almost everything. In moments of stress, the last thing they need is a shaky leader who makes poor decisions because they鈥檙e cracking under the pressure. Successful event managers stay level-headed and continue to treat everyone with respect, no matter what. Try to remain cool, calm, and collected when dealing with other people, even if you鈥檙e a bundle of nerves inside.聽
8. They鈥檙e creative problem-solvers. Whether it鈥檚 tracking down some emergency duct tape or reworking a keynote presentation at the last minute, you have to be resourceful with what you have. No matter how well you plan, something will go wrong. And it will be a lot easier to address if you enjoy finding creative solutions to the challenges that arise.
9. They鈥檙e decisive. Event managers need to be able to make several decisions at once, and make them quickly. And, perhaps more importantly, they need to be able to recognise when it鈥檚 too late to change those decisions 鈥� and have the resolve to stand by them.
10. They鈥檙e experienced. It will be a lot easier for people to trust you if you have a significant amount of experience. And your job will be easier for you once you鈥檝e seen the range of challenges an event can throw at you. Plus, the experienced manager has a network of trusted professionals to call on when things get tough. If you don’t have a ton of experience yet, don’t worry 鈥� just give it time!
