Planning a successful event is no easy feat, and with so many moving parts involved, the challenges and complexity of bringing everything together can often feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve asked the world’s leading event professionals to share their number one piece of advice for those in the industry. With years of experience, these experts have learned valuable lessons that can help to make any event a success. So, whether you’re a seasoned event planner or you’re just getting started, we invite you to read on and gain some valuable insights from the best in the business.
Erica Pew
Senior Event Manager, Bloomberg
“Every day is (still!) a school day, but here are some gems I’ve never forgotten…
Stay Kind
Be aware of how you treat everyone you come across. From clients to pot wash staff and everyone in between, you all need each other in this events ecosystem. More than once in the last 27 years I have had people at the ‘top’ of their careers treat me less than kindly, only for a few years later to witness their comeuppance. Successful event professionals are only as strong as the team and network they build around them. A smile, laugh and those post-event drinks are a must – be someone people look forward to working with.
Stay Humble
You will and can NEVER know it all – and that’s OK.
There are no stupid questions, so don’t be afraid to put up your hand, speak to a mentor… or Google. Ask questions, admit when you’re wrong and stay open to learning. Every experience is different, even repeat events come with new challenges. The minute you think you know it all, arrogance will bite you in the ass! The Elevate mentoring program is a great place to start.
Stay Calm
We’ve all heard the analogy about the graceful swan above the surface of the water with the feet paddling madly below… Channel your inner swan!
It’s stressful, we all get it, but it’s all about pulling together to get through the project. Take a time out, count to 10 and approach challenges with a calm head. A good event professional doesn’t waste time on site – pool resources to get issues resolved fast. Focus on solving the problem rather than being the problem!
Stay Hydrated
Make time for you, and your crew, to eat and drink – if you’re not on your game, how can you expect your event to be? Way back in my early event-producing days, my first EVER event, I did not realise we had to order crew meals (insert scream emoji!) A pizza delivery later and I was forgiven, but let me tell you, I’ve never forgotten them again. A happy crew are productive, helpful, problem-resolving crew… Have a decent meal, snacks & plenty of drinks on standby (save the alcohol for post-event!).”
Dania Riad
Head of Global Executive Engagement Marketing, LinkedIn
“After 10 + years in the industry, there is still always such a wealth to learn in marketing and events. It’s an ever-changing space that is always evolving and innovating – you never stop learning. I find that curiosity is key!
The how and why
Questioning the why and how of how things are done can support both your program’s growth and your own growth. It keeps ideas and innovation flowing- which then aids change in the way you think about how you engage with your audience and the experience that you create for them.
Running the show
When it comes down to the operational part of the role – singing off the same song/hymn sheet from the beginning is crucial to your success. This can mean briefing the venue (and/or) agency that you are partnering with to ensure everyone is aligned on the vision, expectations, and objectives of the event. I find doing this early doors can help ensure your venue is aligned on what to deliver, and that the experience that is delivered is ultimately in-line with what you want your attendees to experience.
Keeping the bigger picture in mind can help to keep you grounded in this industry. Events specifically can be stressful if you allow them to take over, but grounding yourself and remembering that as long as you have planned the event to a fault, and you are organised – the rest will nearly always fall into place. My all-time favourite piece of advice was, to remember that you are not saving lives – this can help to put it all into perspective, and there is always a team of people at hand to support!
Advice handed-down
When it comes to careers overall, it can be valuable to deliver value consistency and gain trust amongst internal (and external) supporters. These can vary from the executives you work with, who can advocate for your work, or it could equally be your teammates and your manager. This can support you in your day-to-day, and make work more fun. Not only that but having internal advocates can be really valuable to leverage when you are looking to grow in your career, in whatever form that may take for you!”
Mark Kilens
CMO, Airmeet
“Events are complicated things. There are so many moving parts, and so many things going on. I think for someone to really succeed at helping to produce events, manage events, or any job that is core to putting on events, you have to have your own personal operating system—you have to be able to manage yourself really well. If you can’t manage yourself, you’re not going to be able to manage an event. You need to be able to manage your time and control your emotions, as, with events, your emotions are going to go all over the place. You need to be situationally aware, and emotionally intelligent. You need concrete skills that are going to help you put on a better event but you also need skills that are more human nature vs discipline level skills. If you can’t handle stress well or you can’t handle last-minute changes or things like that, it’s going to be tough.
The ultimate thing is that you have to have passion for what you’re doing. My ultimate recommendation is that you should really critically think about whether you’re excited about learning about this space and want to do more.”
Saskya Liney
Head of Sustainability, emc3
“It’s really easy to get caught up in the small detail of an event, to believe that the Pantone of a print being off by 1% is the end of the world, that the napkins being folded incorrectly is catastrophic. It isn’t, and the chances are that the attendees won’t even notice. Nobody ever got an NPS feedback that said “really nice shaped armchairs on stage at the conference therefore 10/10”.
I’m not saying that details don’t matter, because we all know that attention to detail is really important in this industry, but my advice would be to find the balance between things that really matter (normally content!), that you might have to lose a little sleep over and the things that you can let slide this once.
I’ve often been asked why I don’t really get stressed at events, and it’s because I have the mindset that things almost always work themselves out. Being part of a team means that I can delegate (the print installer didn’t show, please can you help put out these banners), draw on other people’s resources (the chairs are stuck at customs, who has a good supplier for rush delivery?) and focus on the bigger picture (where the F is all the content?!?).
It might be a controversial take on failure at events, but it works for me. I have often said to mid-crisis producers “nobody got hurt and nobody died.” Having that perspective helps in times of crisis and helps you rationalize what might seem like a disaster when in reality it is a small blip.”
Palash Soni
Founder & CEO, Goldcast
“B2B Event marketers work very hard in creating phenomenal experiences, but by the time they finish an event, there’s a rush of emotions that they forget to evangelize about their work to key stakeholders and prove the pipeline impact of their event. I would encourage everyone involved in events in B2B marketing teams to start with a vision & goals document and make sure you keep the stakeholders aligned and informed even post-event.”
Neil Thompson
Founder, The Delegate Wranglers
“When you’re away working (especially overseas) – never, ever tell your partner back at home how nice the place is!! Haha – just say ‘it’s ok’… I learned this the hard way!
Despite nearly 25 years in the industry and hundreds of events under my belt, I would still say I’ve got loads to learn in the event industry but that’s what makes it so amazing. Thinking about how to go about passing on a couple of the things I’ve learned, I thought it would be easier to digest if I did it in bite-size chunks…
always On
Being always ‘on’ as an event manager is a tough thing – waking up in the night, thinking about rooming lists or flight tickets and did you book them. We’ve all been there. I’ve learned a little trick that prevents me from catastrophizing and it’s fairly straightforward too. Never think about the bigger picture too often – i.e. the whole enormity of the event and the responsibility on your shoulders. Just break it down into tasks and look at those tasks regularly – knowing that they ARE the bigger picture. Trust me – you’ll sleep like a baby this way.
personality when working:
This is a tough one to advise on as it’s something that we all have to develop, but I think it’s important to set a tone with delegates, clients and suppliers to make them feel relaxed yet secure about everything. I think it’s hugely important to consider how you talk and come across to delegates as often they are coming to an event alone, so it’s nice to make them feel like they have a friendly ally in you on the registration desk or whatever. Likewise with clients, they are likely to be worried and stressed about their event so it’s important to put them at ease in the days leading up to the event so they can see you’re always steps ahead of them in terms of thinking of everything. Another important bit of advice I was given was to always remember that you are doing your job, so that they can do theirs.
onsite advice:
Without exception, I make sure to be extra nice to all personnel looking after you at the venue, and I don’t just mean the Venue Manager or Operations Manager looking after you – I mean EVERY single person – if they can see you are a decent person and lovely to work with – they will help you when you really need them. A client who shouts at suppliers will only get the bare minimum service, whereas a person they like and enjoy working with will ensure you get amazing service – over and above.”
Alina Banasiak
Co-Founder & Partner, ALMA4
“Being for more than 20 years on the company side, I perfectly know the client’s expectations: starting from attentive listening to customer’s needs to identify their business objectives and then building an emotional and memorable experience to reach them. KPIs setting is fundamental for every company and every industry but often not considered a priority by the event agency: the winning partner from the client’s perspective is the one who can not only produce a great event and experience but above all measure the project success in a tangible way.”
Keneisha Williams
Managing Director & Founder, Black In Events
“The best piece of advice I would give to an event professional is to find your place of expertise – there are so many pieces when it comes to events and although the perception is that we have mastered it all, the truth is we tend to stretch our skills and miss out on honing in on what we do best, whether its logistics, marketing, sponsorship etc. This can make a huge difference in your career.”
Matilda Riley
Sustainability Consultant, From Now
“Sustainability is the current ‘buzzword’ in the events sphere. I get it; it can be a lot to juggle and extremely daunting, especially when you don’t feel qualified enough to collect carbon emissions, manage waste, and choose eco-friendly menus. But, my tip is to start investing in your sustainability skills and knowledge.
The business case for sustainability is growing; consumers are increasingly seeking out businesses and partnerships that prioritise sustainability—and the same is true for events. Bringing sustainability into your following events means you’ll be ahead of the curve—and it’s easy to start with what you know. For instance, simply swapping print from PVC to plastic-free or changing from traditional to digital swag can have a substantial effect. And with it likely soon to be a legal requirement, it makes sense to start from now—you don’t get left behind by not meeting the demand for sustainability!”