Why the best event planners are massive overthinkers (even if everything looks calm on the outside)
I’m not the biggest fan of Scotland’s most famous poet Robert (Rabbie) Burns. Although I’m generally a fan of any excuse to celebrate all things Scottish, he was quite the * ahem * ‘ladies man’ and fathered many an illegitimate wean. But as you’d expect, he’s pretty hard to escape if you go through the Scottish education system, and I can still recite large chunks of his poetry. Like Shakespeare, some of his turns of phrase have become part of our everyday language, including this line from ‘To a Mouse’.
“The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men gang aft agley.”
It has stuck because it is true – often our best laid plans go awry and, as Burns says, leave us nought but grief and pain. It sprung to mind today because my daughter is currently doing her GCSEs, and she’s not handled the pressure well, which has meant many of my plans have gone awry in recent weeks. This post for example should have been done yesterday, but it just didn’t happen.
Expect the unexpected
It’s often the case with events too. We plan and plan and then something unexpected happens. For me the most dramatic involved ambulances (one for a very poorly child, the other for a science show presenter who accidentally spilled a corrosive chemical all over himself – they were both fine 😅).
But there is the everyday stuff too – the catering that doesn’t arrive on time, the room that’s double-booked, the AV that doesn’t work, the keynote speaker who gets sick. I have often said that event planning is the ideal job for overthinkers as it give us a legitimate way to channel all of the mental churn. We can think through all of the possible things that might go wrong and mentally rehearse what to do. I am notorious for having a plan A, and a plan B, and often a plan C too.
Fail to plan, and you plan to fail
Of course risk assessments are incredibly important from a health and safety perspective, but you need an event contingency plan too. Essential phone numbers saved, a way to pay for emergency catering, presentations saved in multiple different formats, an alternative speaker on standby. Having all of these things ready if you need them can help you glide smoothly through any drama like the proverbial swan.
To all the swans out there – I see you paddling! Just keep paddling. It will all be alright in the end. 🦢
Photo by DAVIDCOHEN on Unsplash
