Posted on April 4, 2024
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Event Management
Practical strategies for event organisers
In a busy world, we all need strategies to perform at our best. Event management – as a recognised stressful task – is no exception. So how can you be a peak performer, whether events are your whole job or just part of what you need to do each working week?
Recently, Cliftons CEO Vanessa Green co-hosted a workshop at Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) – the leading trade event for the meetings and event industry in the Asia Pacific region – called “Get ready to be the number one talent in your industry” which was focused on how to be a peak performer and better manage the ups and downs of work for event professionals. As part of the AIME Knowledge Sessions, Vanessa alongside Thomas Staunton (SoldOut Events), Daniel “FuZZ” Walker (Afterburner) and Lisa Kelliher (Be Challenged) provided insights on how to thrive in the event management industry.
So, how can you be at the top of event management?
The past few years have only emphasised the high pressure of events, as many event professionals have had to rapidly adapt to changing situations, bouncing back from setbacks and sometimes ‘barely managing.’
Despite the unpredictability, many of us in events love the spinning plates and looming deadlines. The pressure can be motivating, but it can also drive your blood pressure sky-high. The best events are the ones that seamlessly glide along, like a swan on a lake, where no-one sees the paddling under the surface.
The focus of the workshop was on providing the tools and knowledge to help event professionals be more like that calm and graceful swan, delivering events without falling in a heap. So, what’s the inside scoop on being a peak performer?
It’s a lot to do with stress management
Stress doesn’t need to be a bad thing – the right stress, managed well, can drive us to achieve great results and help us to stand out as a top talent in our field. Stress is only a problem when it interferes with our lives and well-being.
But how do we know when we’re taking on too much? At the start of the session, Thomas and Vanessa asked the audience to rate how ready they felt to take on another work challenge, from ‘1 – Not at all! I really can’t take on another thing right now’ to ‘10 – Bring it on baby! I am ready to go. No challenge is too big for me!’ Most responses came in at around the 7-8 mark, suggesting that a lot of event professionals thrive on the busyness of their roles, but just need some strategies to help keep this pressure in check to perform at their best.
But what are the things that cause us stress? Thomas and Vanessa asked the audience the number one thing that causes them stress, with the most common responses being time, money, time management, lack of control, and people. And the answers for the most effective things to remove stress were equally illuminating, with exercise top of the list, followed by watching tv, drinking wine (editor’s note: I love wine too, but not always the healthiest coping strategy…) and to-do lists. These responses just confirm that a lot of being a peak performer can come down to our own choices on how we work and take care of ourselves.
This was only reiterated when Lisa Kelliher from Be Challenged shared that so much stress is a consequence of misunderstandings, misperceptions and misinterpretations – and embracing difficult conversations allows us to nip these issues in the bud before they tip over to causing us distress. Much of being a high performer at work comes down to building our communication skills to address little issues before they turn into even bigger challenges and breaking down big problems into achievable actions to be addressed.
Lisa’s framework for difficult conversations is all around the concept of treating people with dignity to earn respect. Lisa’s tips included:
Being a high performer is also about delivering in any situation
It’s great having strategies to defuse and prevent stressful situations. But sometimes a high pressured and stressful environment is unavoidable. So, what are the strategies you can use for peak performance, no matter what the circumstances?
As a former fighter pilot, Afterburner MD Daniel “FuZZ” Walker knows a lot about how to execute under pressure. He took us through the tools he learned in the military that he now applies to business planning, and are equally applicable to events. This included running through the BRIEF framework:
This structured approach gives a process for managing situations, including any uncontrollable threats. When it comes to time to execute, FuZZ talked us through the importance of having a nominated wingman and strategies for managing distraction, to keep focused on the objective and remain flexible in how you get there. Being able to adapt is an important element in stress management and successfully delivering in spite of stressful conditions.
Peak performers know when to draw on others
A key theme that came through is that a strong element of being a peak performer is about knowing when to draw on the skills of others to effectively delegate. That’s where a team of event specialists like Cliftons can help to make you look even more like that ever-graceful swan.
When you work with Cliftons, you can get more than just a venue when you tap into our event management services . Our team can provide an end-to-end planning service, and help you work through the potential scenarios, as well as step into action to deal with any challenges in the lead up or on the day. As experts working in events day in and day out, we know the potential pitfalls and can help you to minimise your risk (and stress) by having robust plans and processes to ensure your event runs smoothly, no matter whether it’s in-venue, hybrid or virtual .
Get in touch with our team to start talking about your event needs and your options to outsource as much or as little of the planning as you want.
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