Event Day Survival Guide
There’s nothing quite like the rush of event day. It’s all missed calls, IKEA bags, and split second decision making. You can spend weeks, up to months, in the planning stage but showtime is showtime and it often brings unique challenges for which it is simply impossible to plan. But just because it feels that way doesn’t mean it IS that way.
Here’s a quick and dirty cheat sheet on how to face event day with a smile.
Do Your Homework
Is it tedious to write out every word of an emcee script? Or sit through hours of interview footage to understand your speakers? Or make an itemised list of everything you need on event day? Of course it is. But it’s always the little cogs in the machine that allow the big ones to turn. Taking care of the finer details means come event day, there are zero gaps to fill.
Overcommunicate
There are many people involved in the running of a PR event. From the on-ground crew and video and photography team, to the special guests and clients, there are often multiple streams of communication running simultaneously. A rookie mistake to make is to assume everyone is operating with the same understanding as you are which is, quite frankly, never the case. Save yourself the time (and frustration) by making sure you’re on the same page from the get-go!
Delegate, Don’t Gatekeep
The best part about having a team is being able to share the work load. Spreading responsibilities evenly allows everyone to have a little bit of ownership over their part of the event. Agree on the outcome and let the process be theirs, empowering them to make the decisions they need to make to get them from point A to point B.
Let Event Day Be
Every second counts on event day. You really don’t want to be wasting precious minutes trying to speedrun gruelling grunt work that could have been done days before. Whether it’s pre-packing, label making, or a briefing, if it can be done beforehand, it should ALWAYS be done beforehand. You don’t want to be running around a premium shopping mall with a stack of flattened cardboard boxes in desperate search of a dumpster (you will not find it).
Let Go and Enjoy Yourself
Event day hardly ever goes exactly to plan, and that’s okay! It's the nature of the beast and your job is to be ready and rested enough to think on your feet and improvise solutions to the issues that crop up. There is a weird sense of calm that comes with event day; if nothing else, it’ll be over in a few hours. But don’t let that numb you to all the hard work that has gone into preparing for it. Allow yourself to take a step back and appreciate the spoils of your effort.
