How to Manage Stress in the Events Industry
Stress levels can quickly get out of hand in an industry where people are often at the beck and call of others.
Between dealing with last-minute changes, difficult clients, and various demanding situations, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed sometimes.
This can harm your productivity and quality of work – not to mention your overall happiness and health.
Luckily, there are several ways to reduce stress if you work in the event space to have a career that doesn’t hinder your mental well-being.
In this post, we’ve outlined some simple tips you can implement today to start feeling less stressed if you offer event services in London or the event industry.
What Is Event Stress?
Event stress is the pressure that comes from planning and executing a successful event. It can be caused by various factors, including tight deadlines, working with demanding clients and managing last-minute changes.
Nevertheless, there are ethical ways you can use to manage stress as an event planner or manager.
With these methods, you’ll be able to keep things cool even when things get hectic, making it easier for you to succeed as a professional event planner.
Top Stress Risk Factors About Working in Events
The events industry is a high-pressure environment with tight deadlines, and the margin for error is slim. Here are some of the top stress risk factors about working in events.
1. Working Long Hours, Often With Little or No Break
This is one of the obvious factors for increased stress as an event manager or planner. You’ll usually work long hours with little or no break in between.
Sometimes, you’ll have to skip meals, which leads to an unhealthy lifestyle because stress will find its way there.
But the great thing is that you can do something about this, like taking time out for yourself by scheduling regular breaks into your day.
2. Dealing With Unprofessional or Unethical Suppliers
Suppliers can be a pain in the neck for event planners, especially if you are paying suppliers upfront or when work is not completed.
With a lot up in the air and having to chase people for information or call them to get your money back, it can make working with suppliers one of your biggest stress factors.
Therefore, it’s essential to vet any potential supplier before signing a contract. It may look like a lot, but it is worth it because the more research you do, the better you find someone who has worked with other event planners and has good reviews.
3. Travel and Logistics
Planning an event involves a lot of international and domestic travel. Flying from place to place, driving around looking for venues or equipment, and dealing with different time zones can all affect anyone’s mental health.
In addition, you might feel exhausted or stressed from trying to manage multiple timelines and budgets simultaneously. However, there are ways to stay on top of your game. One way is by getting organised early on.
Make lists and timelines as soon as possible, making changes along the way as needed. Also, ask for help when you need it.
Finally, event professionals should always feel comfortable reaching out to their team members for support–stress shouldn’t go unchecked just because only one person is running the show.
4. Budget
Besides worries about meeting deadlines, spending too much money, or not spending enough, budget is another big cause of stress for event planners.
Finding the balance between quality and cost can be difficult, and many struggles to determine the right numbers for their bottom line.
One option is to put together a list of everything that goes into planning an event–the venue, catering, staffing costs, etc.–and compare those figures against your budget to see where you are overspending or underspending.
5. Safety
Safety is a concern for everyone in the events industry, and sadly, there are many horror stories of violence and theft happening at conferences and trade shows.
No matter how much you plan, there may be an unsuspected eventuality, which is why prioritising yourself mentally and physically is important while also ensuring you know how to defend yourself.
6. Deadlines
Deadlines are one of the biggest stress factors for event planners. As mentioned above, it’s essential to be realistic about how much work you can do in a day and avoid working late into the evening.
This is particularly true for event planners with families–put your family first and make sure you get enough time to spend with them during the week. Next, get into a routine, waking up and going to bed simultaneously.
Schedule meals and exercise time as part of your day, and ensure you have a few minutes to relax before bed. It is all about prioritising your life–prioritise yourself!
7. Managing a Team
Working with a team is a great way to alleviate some of the stress you feel when managing an event.
Nevertheless, it can be hard to delegate and trust others with tasks you are used to doing yourself.
Leading and organising a team to complete diverse tasks can be challenging. For example, some events may entail a huge team of employees, volunteers, AV technicians, caterers, and other vendors.
The easiest method to combat this is to clearly define everyone’s roles so that everyone understands their position and to whom they must report.
8. Clients
You will run into a challenging or excessively demanding client at some point in your career. They will pressure you and make your job tougher by altering and raising their demands, acting rudely, and generally being obstructive.
Excellent client management, especially with challenging clients, is the secret to reducing stress. It would be best if you established timeframes, reviewed the event needs, and clearly and methodically defined expectations with every customer, especially the demanding ones.
If issues arise, you must determine their precise nature and make an effort to satisfy them by resolving the issue.
Ways Around Managing Stress in the Event Industry
1. Eat and Drink Healthy
A good diet is vital for physical and mental health. And don’t forget to hydrate! Several studies have shown that dehydration can cause headaches, fatigue, lack of focus, depression, and irritability, to name a few symptoms.
To keep your body at its best, ensure you get enough water daily. Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day or more if you often exercise or live in a hot climate.
Limit yourself to a single caffeinated beverage (coffee, tea) daily.
Caffeine is dehydrating, so it’s important to stay hydrated. In addition, be aware of foods high in sugar and alcohol, which are also dehydrating but provide short-term energy boosts, which might be helpful before an event when you need to power through late night work on the computer.
2. Exercise Regularly
Exercise releases endorphins that improve mood and help manage stress. Not only will regular exercise decrease levels of stress hormones like cortisol.
But, research has revealed that those who engage in physical activity regularly report fewer feelings of anxiety than those who do not get any exercise.
It’s essential to find an activity you enjoy – something fun like playing basketball with friends or biking around town rather than going for a long run if running isn’t your thing.
3. Mindfulness
Take time daily to slow down and check in with yourself. For example, try sitting in silence for 10 minutes after a stressful interaction or taking some deep breaths throughout the day.
If you need some help making time for meditation, download an app that offers guided meditation sessions that last from 5-30 minutes, depending on what fits into your schedule.
These apps are usually free and range from beginner to advanced options. For people new to meditation, I recommend starting with shorter meditations lasting 5-10 minutes which could be done right before bedtime or first thing in the morning, so they’re easy to fit into your routine.
4. Use a Good Event Management Tool
Managing all aspects of events can feel like a lot of work, even when you love your job. However, there are a lot of management tools available which can make life easier.
For example, getting the best London event rental service can do a whole lot of good because that’s an aspect of the event you no longer need to worry about.
Event planners should take advantage of the tools available because they will ultimately save them time and sanity later.
5. Share the Burden
This tip can be especially helpful for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small business owners.
Find someone to bounce ideas off or lean on when you need a sounding board. This can include a spouse, significant other, co-worker, friend, therapist, or coach.
Working hard and sacrificing everything else in your life can lead to burnout, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
You must stop and step back to ensure you’re not doing too much. Don’t let yourself become overwhelmed; this will only compound the stress in your life.
The goal here is to strike that balance that leaves you with time for family, friends, hobbies, and personal interests so that work doesn’t consume your life.
6, Getting the Right Logistics in Place
Logistics is essential when planning an event. Make sure that you book the venue with plenty of time and make sure it’s large enough for the size of your event.
The last thing no one wants is to be stuck scrambling to find a different venue on the day of your event, which will add stress and anxiety to an already busy day.
Once you’ve secured the venue, you’ll also want to secure the equipment you’ll need for your event. You may have to rent a PA system, tables, chairs, etc. A lot of these things can be rented at most local hardware stores.
Remember that renting costs money and may cost more in the long run than purchasing your equipment.
7. Start Planning Early
One great way to curb stress is to start planning early. It gives you ample time to work through the details of your event and make changes as needed.
In addition, planning yields a sustainable event while you avoid stress and anxiety. If you’re overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Conclusion
The events industry can be stressful, but there are ways to manage and keep yourself sane.
Planning, delegating tasks, and having a good support system are critical. It’s also essential to take care of yourself both physically and mentally.
Healthy eating, exercise, and hobbies outside of work will greatly reduce your stress levels.
Keeping an eye out for current events will help you feel more connected and less stressed.
You don’t have to walk through the ropes yourself. Instead, take advantage of London event hire services and enjoy a stress-free event.
