Firefighter, Soldier, Police Officer…Event Planner?

Forbes recently released its annual summary of the most stressful jobs and coming in at number eight was event coordinator.[Tweet "Most stressful jobs... Number 8: Event Coordinator"] Those of us who have planned events, whether every day or once in a while, know there is a lot of pressure in making sure everything goes just right on event day. While errors are not life threatening as in the other professions listed, the adrenaline rush that comes from knowing you only get one chance to make it right is considerable. Add in the stress leading up to the event - are enough people registered? Why haven't all of the speakers sent in their slides? What if a giant storm hits right before the event? - and the ranking of the profession starts to make sense.

So how can event planners find their zen in the midst of the high stakes and multiple outside variables that can be out of their control?[Tweet "How can event planners find their zen? "]It all comes down to preparation. Here are some tips from GovEvents' organizer members that have helped them reduce the inherent stress in the profession.

• Have a back-up plan for everything - planning a winter event, what's your weather contingency? What will you do if AV fails in the middle or just before your keynote? What's the plan if your keynote or other speakers can't make it at the last minute? Planning for the worst provides a feeling of calm when things do go wrong.
• Pad deadlines - if you need materials from speakers or even your own design team give them deadlines that are one to two weeks ahead of when you really need things. Don't tell anyone you're padding the deadline, stick to it and follow through to make sure everyone comes as close to meeting them as possible.
• Stick to the budget -- procure big ticket items (venue, promotional materials, travel) as far in advance as you can to avoid rush fees and leave more time and room for negotiation. Doing so should leave room in the budget for the last minute emergencies that always come up.
• Communicate early and often - set a communication plan that includes social media, email campaigns, and PR months in advance of the event (as possible). Write as much content (including social posts) as possible well before you'll have to use it. When the event draws closer all you have to do is cut and paste this planned communication. Then you can concentrate your time on listening and responding to the chatter around your event on social platforms.

Finally, we suggest keeping it in perspective. While event planning may be ranked behind law enforcement and military professions, consequences of mistakes are minor in comparison to other stressful professions and often are more noticeable to those behind the scenes than those in attendance. We'd love to hear your thoughts on how you reduce the stress when working on events - leave us a comment!

Photo Credit: bottled void