What are some of the obstacles faced by event planners today?

Event planning is a lucrative career choice. This industry has all the ingredients to have a successful life ahead. But, don’t we remember that there are always two sides to a coin. The other side of the event management industry is not all hunky dory. There are days of gloom and despair here as well. Event planning is a dynamic, ever evolving and somewhat adventurous career choice. One has to be enthusiastic, convivial along with eccentric in a good way. You have to be outwardly stylish and present yourself as a friendly, sociable person. This might feel like a constant pressure for a person who is more relaxed and easy going. Event planning brings with it the unpredictability of work hours, the anticipation before the actual event, chances of unexpected challenges. These are just some of the challenges faced by event planners. When you have real people involved and that too a large number in this case then, you can’t expect them to behave in a certain way that is appropriate to you. You need to analyse those factor and work your way around it. Event planning is all about having great organisational skills. You need to be particular about every little detail. However, this is to be done keeping in mind human considerations and real world problems. Apart from such numerous unexpected and obscure real life scenarios, there are many generalised obstacles faced by most of the event planners. Let us see some of these factors that make event planning a crazy, adventurous and unpredictable ride.These are more demands than challenges in the event management industry. Being an event planner, you have to get the upper edge to overcome these situations and emerge as a leader.

1. Long hours – long, tedious hours are a given in this industry. Most people consider their 9 to 5 job as full time but not when you are an event professional. You might need to stretch your work hours to late nights, weekends and extended hours on a daily basis. More so, when there’s a seasonal flood of events like weddings and parties. You can’t even think of getting rest a day before the event and on the day of the event. That time is the most crucial time and a test of all the efforts that you put in during the preparation phase. This time can get really crazy and out of control if not dealt with in a phased and calm manner.
2. High levels of stress – planning an event is like nurturing a plant or a baby. You work and work to provide the best of your efforts and the best possible set of things, arrangements etc. for the event and then the day finally comes. The nervousness and the anticipation before the event is too much to take for some people. This adds to stress, not only on the event day but also during the preparatory phase. You need to take care of everything that the client asked for. There are numerous instances where the exact thing is not available. You have to handle that, plus other unexpected mishaps, like staff on leave, late delivery of items etc. How could a person hold their composure in such situations. The mind is bereft of any kind of thoughts, leave alone creative ideas for the event. Such high levels of stress are common for event planners to witness.
3. Travel – it’s not about unravelling to see the most beautiful sceneries around the world. An event planner travels with a baggage, the baggage of countless responsibilities. This travel can be exhausting and lonely. You stay out way too much to start feeling home sick. Your work hours are already long and unpredictable and add boring, long travel hours to that. This tends to take a toll on the person and hold his ground and manage all the tasks associated with the event.
4. Always being connected – you might find almost every event planner with the experience of having to attend midnight calls. Event planning is such an attention vying profession that it leaves no measure of time untouched. You have to be in touch with every person involved in the event planning process. There might be any urgent requirement or an issue that requires your immediate attention. Even clients also contact at odd hours, more so is the case if you attend to international clients as well. You have to be on the social media, keep yourself updated after working all day, you need to be in touch with everyone, you have to arrange and attend meetings to plan your strategy and so on. The list goes on and so does the time. You are left with little peace of mind and guess what, you have to live with it. Make your mind and try to see the silver lining.
5. Variety – as we already know, unpredictability is the second name of event planning. You might have new experiences everyday, new clients, new kinds of events, new ideas, new trends and this mounts the expectations of everybody around you. Having variety and that too in line with trends and client’s choices and demands is a task in itself.

These challenges or obstacles can be turned around and perceived as advantages. There’s no limit to what you might face in any career path. There’s pros and cons to every profession. As an event planner you get to meet new people everyday, travel to beautiful places and enjoy great experiences with friends and family. These combined with other perks are really great for any person who is considering making a career in this industry. When you have decided to be an event planner, keep that above everything else. This will help you see the better side of every situation. Such optimistic outlook helps you set a smooth sail on the turbulent waters of life. So, rejuvenate yourself and rejoice with every single challenge that you face. Remember that obstacles are a measure of you moving ahead in your path, one who’s steady will hardly face any challenges. Make the most of such a dynamic role, be a leader, take control of whatever your niche is and become an example for everyone in your profession. Rise above all challenges or obstacles that come your way and prove your worth to the world out there.

The Jigsaw is a video production company headquartered in Mumbai and operating across the globe. Headed by media professionals, associated with leading broadcasters in the country. The Jigsaw is into video production, animation.