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Time runs out quickly for event planners when they have to get everything fixed and perfectly planned. Most importantly, client’s need is on the top of the list and exceeding the expectations is what makes the event successful.

However, event planners have to struggle every now and then to ensure deadlines are met. Failing to deliver on an event will harm your business and most likely to lose the client in the first place.

Time management plays a vital role in anyone’s life and event planners are no exception. If you are an event planner and don’t know how to manage deadlines, go through these tips to meet the deadlines effectively.

1. Have Clear Picture of Expectations

Before anything, make sure to have one to one meeting with the client. Ask for what is the purpose of the event, date of the event, food to present and other special requirements. Note down everything on a piece of paper and follow it strictly.

Apart from asking their requirements, make sure to ask the purpose of their event. You can propose some other ideas that would help them decide what to include and what to exclude. You might save your time by eliminating useless items, helping you to focus on important tasks in a timely manner.

2. Engage your Team

Event planning is all about teamwork. After listing down the requirements of the client, you need to align your team and let them know the requirements. Assign each team member specific set of tasks according to their skillset and expertise.

Ask every team member to write a checklist of tasks to be completed. In this way, your team will have a clear picture of what’s pending on their side. Do not forget to ask them about the work progress and things required from your side. Motivate team members and ask them to help others when required.

3. Prioritize Urgent VS Important Tasks

If you are on a tight deadline, you have to prioritize the tasks from urgent to important ones. For instance, the urgent tasks may include things like booking a venue, planning menu, creating a booth, power backup and arranging for equipment like audio and video. Keep in mind that certain tasks add immediate value while others are less important but keep you busy like a bee. From the to-do list, you have to prioritize your tasks according to their importance.

4. Utilize Tools to Help You Stay Focused

If you are looking for meeting the deadlines in a timely manner, making use of technology. You can find a number of apps and software to help you in managing time more productively. Make sure to ask your team members to have those apps installed on their smart devices. By doing so, many of the tasks will be completed well before time. This will also help in managing more tasks in little time as well as stay away from wasting it.

5. Stay Flexible

Most of the new event planners don’t recognize the unforeseen circumstances, which is going to be there as long as they are in the business. Many obstacles and tasks will pop up out of nowhere and you might lose your nerves.

As an event planner, you need to be flexible and accept the unprecedented changes that hinder your way. In such cases, if you need to change the schedule or assign more tasks to the team members, do it as long as it does not stops your working.

6. Don’t Indulge in Multi-Tasking

No doubt, today’s fast-paced world demands to multitask and no one can deny it. However, if you are thinking of applying the same on event planning, it isn’t possible. The reason is that multi-tasking is detrimental to our productivity as revealed by research.

It is therefore recommended to handle one task at a time and instruct your team members to do so. You can ensure more quality by handling one task at a time rather than handling tasks simultaneously.

7. No Time for Micromanaging

You have hired a trusted team and checking every little detail will not only waste your time but also annoy them. It is important to build trust among team members and every one of them is equally responsible for getting the work delivered at the end of the day.

As long as the work is being done up to satisfactory level, there is no need to interrupt. However, if any of the team members need help, make sure to address their concerns and fix it in a timely manner.

8. On the Event Day

The day has arrived and you need to have a final check on every task that you assigned to your team. Have a look at the checklist and go through each. If there are any shortcomings, make sure to take it on your shoulders and get it done.

Moreover, on the event day, you have to check whether the event app is working right and everything is set to kick-start the event. Test the app to make sure everything is working perfectly in order to ensure hassle-free registration and attendees’ engagement.

Conclusion

As an event planner, it is your responsibility to plan things effectively in order to meet your deadlines. If you fail to do so, it will not only lose your valued customers but also have a bad repute in the event industry, which might result in losing business.

Ray Parker

Ray Parker

Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and tech enthusiast who loves to incorporate new technologies to get more efficient outcomes. When he's not marketing his latest venture, he keeps himself busy in writing technical articles to educate peers and professionals.
Ray Parker

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