Let’s talk about Event Planner’s Time Management.
Are you super busy to the point of feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by your activities and responsibilities as an Event Planner?
If you’re nodding your head, don’t worry. We’ve got you. You’re not alone! We’ve all been there.
This is why we created EventDraw, a Time-Saving Solution for busy Venues and Events Planners that helps you stay on top of your admin so that you can get back to doing what you love: planning events!
Learning to manage your time effectively can help you not only get more done, but also keep your sanity in a profession with lots of moving parts and unexpected twists and turns.
In this blog, we’ll learn how to better with time management so that you can deliver your events and have more time to relax and enjoy a job well done.
How could you effectively and efficiently manage your time?
Well, here are some ideas to consider:
DEFINE YOUR VISION
The first step in effective time management as an event planner is to define your vision. The vision is the endpoint you want to reach, and it should be specific, measurable, and realistic.
For example, if you want to grow your event business by increasing revenue by 15% next year, that’s a great goal—but it doesn’t help you focus on what needs to happen next month or even tomorrow.
Your vision for the future should be something like:
WORK S.M.A.R.T
If you work S.M.A.R.T., you’ll be able to identify precisely what the task at hand is, how long it will take, what needs to happen for it to be completed successfully and when it needs to be completed.
Keep your attention on a single task at a time, and make sure it’s realistic. If you don’t have the resources to actually complete what you’re working on, move on to something else.
When it comes to measuring the results of your work, don’t just ask yourself if you completed everything—ask if it was done well and whether or not it helped you achieve your goals.
If you don’t have the time and resources to complete something, don’t try! Instead, consider how much time and money would be required before moving on to another project instead of throwing yourself into an impossible task so quickly.
Make sure that the things on your plate are relevant to what’s going on in your business right now and will help move things forward in a positive direction. Don’t waste time doing things that won’t make any difference at all!
You need to know your goals and how much time you have to ensure they’re realistic. Set boundaries between work and personal life.
BE PUNCTUAL
First, it shows your clients that you take their time seriously. It shows them that you respect their schedules and understand their time’s value. If they know they can count on you to be on time, they’ll feel more at ease with you as a planner and trust you more.
Second, punctuality lets your vendors know you’re serious about getting the job done right. If a vendor knows you’re on time, he or she will be more likely to show up on time too!
And if one vendor is late, maybe another one will be early enough to take up the slack?
Make sure everyone knows what’s expected of them by being punctual yourself—and then watch your event come together like clockwork.
Putting off a task till later is an example of procrastination. This can be harmful because it takes away from the time you have to do other tasks.
Procrastination can also cause stress because you don’t want to deal with the task. You may feel like you’re wasting time or that there’s no point in starting it now when the deadline is so far away.
When dealing with a task that seems too difficult or unpleasant, it helps you stand back and recall why you agreed to take it on.
Remind yourself why this is important by writing down your goals for each event and revisiting them often throughout the process (and even after).
Make sure every task has been broken down into smaller steps so they don’t seem overwhelming anymore! This will help with procrastination and stress levels while keeping things organized and manageable.
IDENTIFY POSSIBLE RISKS
As an event planner, you will likely encounter many risks. Some are common, while others are specific to your industry. To effectively manage your time as an event planner, you should be aware of these risks and have contingency plans in place for them.
Risks can include:
Lack of Planning and Delivery Time
Inadequate Space
Poor Attendee Experience
Poorly Executed Logistics
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
You should also try to keep a clean desk by keeping clutter off and only keeping what you need on there. You can also use tools like a whiteboard or wall calendar to help keep track of upcoming events and have a planner or organizer where you can write down notes from meetings and phone calls.
COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY
When planning any type of event, you need to be able to communicate with clients, vendors, and designers. You also need to know how to communicate with other employees in your company.
It is important that you have good communication skills so that you can have effective time management as an event planner. If you cannot communicate well, it will be difficult for you to complete projects on time and within budget.
You should ensure that you are clear about what needs to be done and when it needs to be completed.
This will help ensure that there are no misunderstandings between yourself and any other parties involved in the project, such as suppliers or contractors working on-site during set-up or breakdown periods; or those who may not have been included in initial discussions but still need information before they can proceed with their work (e.g., caterers).
It’s also important for all parties involved (e.g., clients) to understand what is expected from them; this includes providing enough information about their requirements so that there aren’t any surprises later on down the line (such as additional costs).
Event diagramming software is a tool that makes creating floor plans much easier. It allows you to create and edit your floor plan without worrying about all the technical details involved in making them work properly.
It is much faster than pen and paper because it saves you time by not having to draw every detail of your floor plan before printing it out.
The software will allow you to import images into the program and add them to your floor plan. The program will then automatically convert these images into vector graphics so that they are easy for the eye to see on a computer screen or print out for reference later in the process.
On top of that, it creates beautiful 3D floor plans, charts, and diagrams within a short period of time!