3 Tips to Survive Event Day Chaos

Someone asked me recently how I am able to stay so calm under pressure on event day. After working in the meetings and events industry for as long as I have, it’s not something I consciously think about anymore. No two events are alike, and there is always some sort of issue that needs to be addressed, so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Once I sat down and thought about the different experiences I’ve had over my 20 years, a few things came to mind that truly do help me survive event-day chaos. Here are my top three:

  • Be Prepared. I do my best to be fully prepared for an event. By event day, I have reviewed the event planning checklist multiple times to ensure everything is complete. I will have sat in on a pre-con meeting to go over the full event schedule, by room and by day, with the venue’s representatives, which usually include a CSM (Convention Services Manager), a Catering Manager, a Head of Security, and an Operations Manager. I’ll check in with everyone on the event execution team to ensure they’re all present and have what they need to do their jobs. And, every document related to the event will be printed and organized in my binder so I can find what I need when I need it. Plus, I am on-site early before anyone else, so I can settle into the on-site office and be mentally and physically ready to welcome the team.
  • Dress Appropriately. As the Certified Meeting Professional and usually the decision-maker (also known as the authorized signatory), I like to dress a little bit nicer than others. It tells people I’m in charge without having to tell people I’m in charge. Still, I run hot and am on my feet all day, so comfort is the name of the game. I dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes. I have a sparkly pair of tennis shoes that go with every look; dress or pants alike. I also wear a sleeveless shirt as my base layer, so at a minimum, I can slip into the onsite office and strip down in front of my fan for a few minutes.
  • Be A Swan. I would have never used this term, but I heard it recently, and it describes things perfectly. A swan looks graceful, effortlessly gliding across a pond; however, below the water, their feet are kicking, sometimes frantically, to get to the other side. I have to keep a level head and calm demeanor on the outside, no matter what I am feeling on the inside. Just as children take their emotional cues from their parents, so do junior team members or volunteers or attendees, for that matter, from those who are, or even appear to be, in charge.

If you focus on getting these three right, the other things will fall into place. Because you’ve prepared, you won’t be scrambling to find a copy of the BEO (Banquet Event Order) for the next meal to see if you remembered to order the special pescatarian dinner; it will be color-coded and in the F&B section of your binder. Because you are not feeling blisters develop on your heels, you can focus your attention on welcoming guests as they arrive and escorting a lost attendee to their next session. Because you have mastered the art of looking calm on the outside, no matter how you feel on the inside, when the CSM comes to you and says there is a conflict with a breakout room, you can turn to her with a smile and say, “Let’s go take a look.”

What is one of your top ways to survive the event day chaos? Share with us here or
send me an email!

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Bonus Tip! One thing that helps me survive event day chaos is knowing that very few people actually know what is going on behind the scenes. It may feel like the entire event is ruined by whatever “surprise” comes up requiring a change in the plan, however, in all honesty, it is usually only the person who brought the issue to your attention, someone you may need to consult to make any changes, those whose help you need to implement any changes, and the handful of people who might have been initially impacted by the issue. 99% of the rest of the attendees, staff, volunteers, vendors, exhibitors, or venue employees have no idea that anything even happened in the first place. This takes the pressure off of feeling like you’re letting people down, or that in any way this issue has “ruined” the event.

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Poolside State of Mind

As I sat poolside under the umbrella in a very comfy lounge chair, letting the breeze lull me into a trance, staring mindlessly into the bright blue water, enjoying a few minutes of respite in what has been and what will shortly be more busyness and responsibility, I pondered for a few minutes what it would be like to have a pool. I got to thinking whether I would have pool parties or if I would selfishly enjoy the tranquility and clean water all to myself.

I grew up in small town USA. Our town didn’t have a public pool. If we wanted to swim in that we needed to hitch a ride to one of two towns in opposite directions, both about 20 minutes away. There were four kids in my family spanning 10 years, which meant going anywhere was a chore. To go to the pool meant finding this year’s swimsuit for everyone that fit well enough to be seen in public from the box of hand-me-downs, packing up all of the flip-flops, towels, sunscreen, snacks, water, and attitudes, and piling into the woody station wagon. By the time we arrived at said pool, there was usually a swim break to clean the pool or rotate life guards, followed by limited swim time as the pool would be closing soon or we needed to get home to make dinner for dad.

A pool party at our house consisted of the 8-foot, plastic-sided, rubber-bottom pool in the yard outside of the leash-line for the dog so we didn’t step in any steaming piles. Shade? We don’t need no stinkin’ shade! The little white Illinois fish fried to a crisp early in the summer, set their base tan, and were good for the rest of the season. Skin cancer didn’t exist in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Learn to swim? Why bother, the entire pool might have been 12 inches deep.

But as I sit here next to this beautifully manicured garden and pool, I wondered what effort I would put into planning a pool party. A grown-up pool party. Like the ones I’ve seen on TV and in the movies. I don’t think I’ve actually ever been to one. It was hard to concentrate as I watched the fake blue waves lap against the smooth-edged tile which was set in a perfect pattern around the pool.

I’ve outgrown the B96 radio station, Eddie and JoBo party-jam-style parties where the booze and baby oil are excessive and the music gets you shut down. I’m not pretentious enough to have a glamour gown, high-heeled, full-face makeup, housewives-of-the-highest-paid-plastic-surgeon party. I think a fun, relaxed, friend-filled gathering under the warm sun, with a cool, refreshing pool, plenty of food, and great conversation would suit me just fine.

Maybe it’s my age and stage of life, maybe it’s just today because I’m tired and enjoying the break, but there’s just something about sitting next to a pool under this umbrella, sipping my tart lemonade that sets my mind and body at ease. My cares momentarily melt away. This is the feeling I would want my guests to experience. They could come and go like an open house for a few hours. I would consult my catering friends to see what food would make the most sense to serve that isn’t too temperature sensitive but fits the pool vibe. I love the tart lemonade today, so that would be a must.

Depending on the number of guests, I would want to rent towels, lounge chairs, and tables, based on the space. I certainly couldn’t provide these things, I think my husband and I have three towels between us. Of course there would need to be catering with invisible waitstaff moving in and out of the crowd with ease, a bartender serving this tart lemonade with ocean life-shaped ice cubes and little umbrellas, and a DJ or someone making sure the music keeps playing and fits the mood throughout the party. Shade, shade, shade. I have so many skin sensitivities these days I appreciate a good sun shade and fan.

No hot tub. Hot tubs make a party wierd.

I would do my due diligence to see what makes a truly great pool party great. I’d take the best ideas that worked really well for my party and leave behind what didn’t. If I planned this party in Illinois where I live, as per usual, there would clearly need to be a party date, and a bad weather alternative. Even if I picked the most consistent weather month of the year – August – we could still have freak tornadoes, flooding rainstorms, excessive heat and humidity, or a random cold spell. Welcome to Chicago.

For now, I’m getting hot. I’m going to dip my toes in the water, maybe I’ll get in up to my ankles and splash a little water on my arms, but my time is almost up. The dream is over. Back to reality.

Have you planned a pool party? If you live in a part of the country where this is a regular phenomenon, I’d love to hear what you do!
Comment here or send me an email!

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One Less Excuse

The subject of offering childcare at an event has always been a little love-hate for me. On one hand, offering childcare could increase attendance exponentially if your audience includes women or couples as it removes the number one barrier to this demographic registering.* However, you could open up the host organization to liability they are unable to handle if something were to happen while a child is under their care or being watched by a childcare worker they’ve endorsed. Good news, there are now organizations who will partner with you to provide screened childcare workers complete with activities and supplies, along with assuming the liability. But as with anything added to an event, there are trade-offs.

There are many benefits to offering childcare at an event. Families who want to add vacation onto the end of a business trip may be more inclined to attend. Even though more women are in the workforce than ever before, they still tend to be the primary caregivers. More women are likely to register knowing they can bring their child with them. Since 2020 and the year-that-shall-not-be-named changed how we work and interact with events, there are many households in which one parent works from home and leaving for an event would put the family in real hardship. Offering childcare increases the chances of actual attendance, provides new networking opportunities, and can act as additional advertising for your event to other families or attendees who might need a childcare option. Most importantly, it can put a parent’s mind at ease, knowing they don’t have to spend time coordinating childcare at home. Their little darling can come along.1

Parents and event host organizations are not the only benefactors of having childcare onsite. Children can benefit as well. Kids get the reassurance of knowing their parents are not far from them. They also receive tailored experiences for their age and ability, have the chance to socialize with others (kids of some work-from-home parents have limited opportunities to do so), and kids who speak different languages can receive care in a language they can understand. Plus, most childcare organizations can accommodate children with special needs when they have time to prepare, allowing all children to have a positive experience.

Of course, the decision to offer childcare at your event needs to fit within its goals and objectives. Philosophically, the host organization may feel it is imperative to offer childcare, however their budget cannot sustain the cost. If providing childcare, the decision needs to be made if the organization wants to reprioritize their expenses and cover the cost or or pass this onto the parents. There may be opportunities to include childcare as part of a sponsorship allowing the sponsoring organization to brand welcome signs or shirts the children all wear while on-site.

When planning an event offering childcare, there are some logistics to consider.  

  • Be sure to read the contract with the childcare provider carefully and compare it to the contract you have with the venue to ensure there are no conflicts, hidden fees, or penalties from the venue for adding a service of this nature to your program.
  • Review the process for screening childcare workers that the provider performs to affirm it meets your organization’s standards.
  • Confirm you understand what liabilities the childcare provider is assuming and what you need to protect your organization from.
  • Compare the space requirements for the childcare program with those already included in the venue contract, or consider the cost of adding more space. 
  • Consider the impact an additional program of this nature might add to your F&B costs. 
  • Remember that there will be additional income from attendees who might not have come without the benefit of offering childcare.

When at an industry event recently, I met with a representative from one of these childcare providers. As a planner for religious, nonprofit, and association events, I can tell you with certainty that attendance is higher when we offer childcare. I was excited to know there is someone out there who provides care for children from 0 to 17 years old, travels all around the country, and staffs at higher than industry standard ratios based on age group. I look forward to an opportunity to recommend or work with this organization soon.

Have you partnered with a professional event childcare organization? What is one thing we need to know? Share it here or send me an email!

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*The exact percentage increase is difficult to calculate based on many factors like time of year, content of the event, specific audience targeted, however, those events where professional childcare was offered experienced increased attendance, higher engagement, and longer stay times than those who didn’t.1

1. The ABCs of Onsite Childcare. Smart Meetings. March 11. 2024. https://www.smartmeetings.com/magazine_article/the-abcs-of-onsite-childcare#:~:text=Edward%20Boucher%2C%20assistant%20manager%20at,those%20different%20options%20you%20have.%E2%80%9D&text=Want%20to%20visit%20the%20local,travel%20experience%20of%20their%20own.

Yet Another Holiday?

In my blog “Another Holiday” I tell the tales of a vacation which required some creativity as my husband and I met my sister and her family in Europe to travel together. The day we arrived was a Saturday, however, we realized when we checked into our hotel, too late to do anything about it, that it was a holiday and everything was closed. Everything. No restaurants. No grocery stores. No shopping. Nothing. We made things work that first night as my sister saved the day with convenient store sandwiches and chips from the only store still open as her family came through the airport. We had a hotel picnic and some good laughs as we got caught up.

After a week of fun and family time, our vacations diverged. My sister and her family went to a different city in Austria, and my husband and I went on to Munich, Germany. We took a bus across the Bavarian countryside, checked in, grabbed dinner, and prepared our plans for the following day. As we awoke ready to do some shopping, we discovered it was… you guessed it… another holiday. No shopping for us because the following day we would leave. None of this ruined our vacation, it just caused us to be creative in how we spent it. We found a single castle and grounds that were open for viewing, and luckily we packed snacks that we travel with for just such an occasion.

Recently, we traveled again, just the two of us, to the Czech Republic. I have never seen so many malls in one place before. It felt like every time we turned the corner, there was another mall. Not exactly like the ones in the US, but almost “secret” stashes of stores that seemed to be only a storefront on the outside, but upon closer inspection, actually consisted of many, many stores that went back into the hidden recesses of the buildings. As I was looking at the weather and surveying the area where we were staying, I noticed that the day smack dab in the middle of our trip was… wait for it… a holiday. Labor Day to be exact, which happens to be May 1st. Because of our previous experience with European holidays, on April 30th, we stocked up on food that we could ration the following day figuring everything would be closed.

Boy were we wrong! I’ve never seen a city so crowded with people in my life! 98% of the shops, grocery stores, restaurants, attractions, museums, transportation options, and more were fully operational. Our past scars had left us with adhesions that marked any future trip with potential pain, only to realize, not every European country operates in the same way.

Then we ran into the marathon. Oh everything was open, but with 16,000 runners and their families and friends, on top of what was already an overcrowded city of tourists from around the world, descending on the very neighborhood in which we were staying, it might as well have been a holiday. We intentionally stayed within walking distance to everything we wanted to see; old town square, the Charles Bridge, the city center, however, these areas were exactly where the marathon was running. We were basically sequestered to our hotel room unless we were willing to be pushed and shoved along the sidewalks and streets watching marathoners as if we were cheering on our loved one, going where the mobs wanted to go. 

Again, our vacation did not suffer because we ran into the marathon AND a holiday, we just changed what we thought our days might look like. With a bit of creativity and having learned to hold our plans loosely, we leaned into the unexpected and changed the adventure. 

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