We’ve finally arrived at week 3, the final week of our Event Hero Survival Guide series. If you missed week 1 and week 2 go ahead and take a look at all of the great event survival tips we’ve shared there as well.
Use the following tips to make it through and be the hero of your meetings and events.
Take care of Number 1
Remember to take a break when you can. Head on over to the event office for a quick sit down. Have staff that can cover for you during a quick break. Pack your Event Survival Kit with of all the tools you need and make sure you have some energy bars for a quick snack.
If you are like us, just about the time you sit down for a bite, your spider senses start to tingle and off you go to save the day. Often, you just don’t have time for a real meal on event days.
Water, water and more water
A super event hero knows that it’s hard to take care of yourself and save the “event world” in one week, but drinking water and keeping hydrated in dry ballrooms and convention centers will make all the difference to the super event hero. Yea, we know you need your coffee, but make sure you drink lots of water as well. A superhero cannot live on caffeine alone!
Social butterfly
It’s important to be a social butterfly and to let your super hero side be seen, but you need to keep your head about you and socialize responsibly. You may have many days ahead of you, so make sure you socialize in moderation.
You’re probably a bit dehydrated from all the running around and lack of a healthy diet, so watch your alcohol intake. If you do partake, drink a glass of water or two for each alcoholic drink you consume.
Grab some food to keep your stomach from rebelling and betray the event super hero you are! There is nothing worse than a super hero hangover or an epic case of digestive disasters to ruin your day at a successful event.
Celebrate your success with your team
You’ve managed your event with stealth like moves, handled VIPs like a highly sought after bodyguard, and led your event staff to another WOW! event. Now take a moment (or two) to celebrate!
Immediately following the event, set aside time to tell your staff “Great Job!” “Thank you for all you do!” Just a quick champagne toast or glass of wine and a pat on the back! This will suffice for a week or two until you can celebrate over a dinner…and start the whole process over again.
Don’t forget a personal or handwritten “Thank you” to the venue staff. Little, seemingly inconsequential gestures like this can make a big difference in how well your next event goes. Don’t underestimate the value of making someone feel good about the hard work they did for you.
Take a day or two for yourself
You’re in a beautiful location, you’ve managed a successful event, and everyone is happy! Schedule a day or two for yourself and hit the spa. Refresh yourself and get ready for the next event. You have work to do but even an event super hero needs to recharge their battery.
After all is said and done…
Now that you have produced another successful event and are back in the comforts of your own office, the final step of your process is to review. Do it now, while the event is fresh in your mind and you can remember what went exactly as you wanted it too and what could have used improvement.
Be perfectly honest with yourself. Some of us are better at finding the positive in everything and some are better at focusing on the negative, but now is the time to step back and evaluate your event from both sides.
If you took surveys, crunch the numbers. If you asked for feedback, consolidate the comments and make notes. Every event is a chance at learning how to perfect your skills. The real Event Heroes are those who continue to improve on what they know and what they have learned from their experiences and the experiences of others!
Tracy Fuller-White has owned and operated an event production company for 30+ years and has done events nationally and internationally for fortune 100 and fortune 500 companies.