Event planners and managers have a lot on their plates. When you sign up for the job, it’s almost like signing up to play the middle-man for every single person or organization that’s involved in an event. You’re responsible for coordinating with vendors, other service providers, the organizations involved in the event, and even attendees.
Being a man or woman about town is tough. It’s no wonder that so many event planners and managers run up against the same pain points with each event that comes their way. The volatility of creating a live, hands-on experience can hardly be overestimated.
Below, we’ve outlined the top three pain points that event managers encounter on a regular basis. Read on to find out more about what makes your colleagues tick– whether it’s an old dog trying to learn new tricks or never-ending waits and angry attendees.
The Top Three Event Planner and Manager Pain Points
New Event Technologies
Whether you’re running an event that doesn’t have the budget to integrate helpful new technologies or you’re feeling overwhelmed trying to keep one step ahead of the trends, the concept easily becomes a pain point. Plenty of organizations can’t bring adequate technological equipment for their events. They’re often left to handle processes like check-ins manually, which means more work for you to coordinate.
On the other hand, some companies have got the serious dough to spend– and it shows. It can be difficult to keep track of the latest technological advances. Working with technology you aren’t familiar with can be demoralizing, frustrating, and a massive time sink. The tremendous capabilities of today’s tech won’t do you much good if you can’t use it.
Attendees in Never-Ending Lines
Depending on the size and location of your event, it’s completely possible that attendees will wind up in lines of some sort for hours before getting where they want to go. Massive events (or those held in tightly-packed cities, for example) can create roadblocks and traffic jams. That means guests are waiting to get in before they’ve even parked.
The lines don’t stop there. Maybe there is a line for parking. There’s almost undoubtedly a line to enter the event. Any lines for refreshments? How about for individual performances, meetings, parties, or other gatherings that fall under your event’s umbrella? Line management and crowd control are serious responsibilities—and you’ve got to handle them several times over.
Connectivity Troubles
As if all that shiny new tech weren’t enough, most event planners wind up stuck battling shoddy systems and subpar internet connectivity. What makes for an annoying moment back at home can spell out disaster at a professional event; the pressure is on for event managers to ensure that systems and internet run without a hitch.
But oftentimes they don’t. Large events are notorious for problems when it comes to system outages, poor connectivity, and a host of other problems. These issues can impact everyone at an event– from attendees to vendors to employees. Grappling with failures and shortcomings in the moment is never easy.
The list of event manager and planner pain points could likely stretch on for miles. It’s an exciting, fulfilling job; but every great opportunity comes with its downsides. Getting the opportunity to bring people together and help organizations promote what they value comes at a price. You’ll likely be battling over budgets, longing for increased lead times, and chasing confirmations around the clock.
The three pain points outlined above serve as shining examples of where to focus your energy during the planning process. If you’re able to identify and address these scenarios before they snowball into all-out calamities, you’ll be well on your way to a successful (and profitable) event.