Are you an event planner with too much work pressure in your life? It’s not surprising. A 2017 study showed that event coordinating made the top 10 list of most stressful jobs in the world. Why is coordination so stressful, and what can you do to reduce stress [1]?
Well, one doesn’t need to ponder long to understand why.
Event coordinators face tight deadlines, often unrealistic expectations, and constant interruptions to their focus. Then there’s the lack of personal control over many factors and the physical toll caused by long hours and little sleep. One solution to ease your burden is hiring an entertainment event management expert. Entertainment support frees you to focus on other vital aspects of event planning.
Event planning stress can take its toll. The show must go on, but there are ways to make it less stressful. Below we look at how entertainment management support can play a major role. But first, an overview of common entertainment planning problems that dog organizers.
The Hidden Difficulties of Entertainment Planning
Sound knowledge and experience are your best tools to successfully manage event planning stress. Unfortunately, neither is something you can buy. But even talented coordinators run into trouble in areas of event planning and production where they are weak, such as the entertainment side of a function. Here are some examples of the areas that raise coordinator stress levels.
Relying on Venue Equipment
If the audience can’t hear you well or at all, you’ve lost them from the outset. Relying on a venue’s in-house sound systems without prior testing can be a huge mistake. Many venues have outdated or improperly maintained equipment that makes them an event liability. The same goes for not testing a venue’s technical capabilities, such as power supply reliability, lighting, staging, etc.
Another often overlooked problem are doors is when rented equipment and performance props won’t fit through the venue’s doors. And if it’s an outdoor occasion, have a flexible backup plan in case the weather turns.
Entertainment Management—Talent Nightmares
Talent management is no small feat, and performers can be a temperamental lot. Your job is to ensure they show up to right place, on time, and are ready to perform on cue. You also need a Plan B in case of no-shows and last-minute cancellations. It happens!
Stress-Causing Distractions
Distractions come in two parts. One is the distractions caused by the non-entertainment tasks that still need organizing. The other is audience distraction once the event starts. The former can manifest in many ways depending on the function. The latter is about entertaining the attendees so that they stay engaged with the event don’t become sidetracked.
Captivating and engaging a crowd from start to finish requires several things. You need to carefully curate the right acts for the target audience, the ideal venue, timing, and experience planning similar functions.
Stress-Free Entertainment Management by Bravo!
Remove some of your event planning stress by collaborating with Bravo! Entertainment. Our entertainment experts can manage the entirety of your entertainment needs from beginning to end, letting you focus on making other aspects of your event a success. And our captivating experiences will engage your audiences and leave a lasting impression of your event.
More Here on Bravo! Entertainment’s Stress-Free Entertainment Management
Entertainment Management Stress Before the Event
As a planner you know you can’t simply show up before an event and pray that everything goes according to plan. The event entertainment alone often requires full rehearsals, technical checks, staging, and other tests conducted before the doors open. Thus, successful entertainment management requires proper organization, clear and consistent communication at all levels, and live management of all the aspects one the event starts.
Event planners can face many potential issues across the many aspects of an event, which can leave many entertainment questions unanswered and potential problems unaddressed. And that’s on top of the 101 other details you must cater to as an event planner outside of managing the event’s entertainment.
Stress-Busting Tips for Event Managers & Planners
The easiest way for event planners to reduce stress is to stay as organized as possible. But, unfortunately, once the event starts something will make a mess of your plan and it’s not always easy to adjust plans when there’s so much other stuff going on. Even so, the humble checklist is the most underrated stress reduction strategy. Refer to it often, and you will be better organized, on track, and less anxious.
Five tips for reducing the stress of strategic entertainment management planning:
- Surround yourself with the right event teams and partners
- Ask yourself what could go wrong, and ensure you have a back-up plan for it
- Embrace technology with an event management software to make life easier
- Work smarter, not harder, and use your time wisely
- Know when to step away, take time to recharge.
Invest in Professional Entertainment Management Experts
Event planning is as much about people management as it is coordinating functions. If you lack the time or feel swamped by the enormity of the task, consider Bravo! Entertainment as a partner for the entertainment management side of your event. We can own and organize the entire entertainment for your function, including all the stress that goes with it.
Conclusion
Entertainment event planning is one of the world’s most stressful jobs. Using the services of a professional entertainment agency makes good business sense for inexperienced or overly stretched coordinators. Event entertainment management companies like Bravo! handle all distractions and pressures that typically go with event planning. Hired help is a wise move that saves time, money, and headaches for event planners.
