12 Secrets to be the Best Event Manager

Everyone who has been in the industry strives to be the best event manager and be in the top of their game. They want to make a great event and do a job well done, but how can event managers achieve this? The following 12 ‘hot tips’ will help every event manager strive for excellence.

1. Do Your Research

Nothing beats thorough preparation when it comes to being the best event manager. This means getting into the nitty gritty details of running any event from concept, all the way through implementation and execution/delivery. With careful planning typically come budget cost savings in terms of time and money, increased chances of success due to comprehensive knowledge of the space and people involved, as well as more event managers making event design and event management lives easier.

2. Think Outside the Box

Event managers often find themselves in situations that call for innovative solutions to keep event-goers engaged and entertained. The bottom line is that no event is like the other, therefore event managers should learn from each event they run and implement new ideas which will make future events better than the last. Providing an engaging experience will ensure customers return and tell their friends about you!

3. The Little Details Matter

It’s more important than ever to come up with creative ways to get your event attendees excited by adding interesting touches such as giveaways, unexpectedly great food or event staff who know how to have a little fun on the job too! If you can get event attendees involved, they will be more likely to come again, and most event managers know that event regulars are the backbone of any great event.

4. Reach Out

This is a big one, the best event managers and event marketers need to be proficient in social media and other online tools such as blogging, text messaging and email marketing in order to reach their target market, event guests and event staff. Better event communication equals better feedback which leads to better events! But most importantly – it’s free advertising through word of mouth!

5. Engaging Employees

Every event manager knows how important it is to motivate people who work for you, this means empowering them with knowledge of what they’re doing why. However this can go even further by getting event staff involved with event planning in order to ensure event success. If event managers apply this tip, they will have an event team who are not only motivated but also feel included in the event process which leads to event success!

6. Refine Your Skills

No matter how long you’ve been in the events industry, it’s important that every event manager keeps learning. There is always something new or different that can be tried or implemented at events, so why not try?

To be the best event manager you shouldn’t be afraid of experimentations when it comes to your events because although experiments can often fail – experience and expertise gained through mistakes is priceless and essential for growth and improvement. The more we learn, the better we get!

7. Know Your Event Guests

Event managers should always take the time to understand their event attendees, what they want from an event and why they keep coming back. This is a great tip for event managers because knowing event guest motivations can give event managers a competitive advantage as well as help them identify new target markets or event opportunities that have been overlooked in the past.

8. Know Your Strengths

Every event manager has different qualities that make them unique and excel at their job – it’s important to know these qualities and utilise them to suit your needs. For example some people are great with numbers but might lack event planning know-how, so event managers should always acknowledge their event management strengths and find event professionals who are the opposite of that to compensate for any event manager weaknesses.

9. Flexibility is Key

To be the best event manager, you need to be flexible in order to fill multiple roles at an event which could include PR, logistics, marketing or even managing event staff! This means event managers have to learn how to multi-task but it also means they’ll be more likely to get involved with every aspect of the event process which leads to better events overall.

10. Take Notes

All the best event managers know how important this one is but we going to mention it anyway! If you don’t take notes during or after each event then you won’t have any event documentation to show for it! Your event notes will help you learn from your event experiences and improve event performance in the future. Not everyone has the memory as a elephant so notes are crucial.

11. Know When to Delegate

The best event managers need to know how to delegate certain event tasks to event professionals such as event photographers, web developers or even event planners – depending on their skill set of course!

This tip is important because it allows event managers to spread their time across different tasks which can help achieve better results overall and avoid burnout during peak events times. However, this doesn’t mean they should step away from their responsibilities completely…event managers still have a big role in every aspect of an event so don’t be afraid to get involved if needed.

12. Be Organised

Event organisation is often overlooked in event management but best event managers know how important it is to be organised before, during and after an event. Event organisation starts with event planners who create event schedules, event timelines and event checklists – these documents are essential for keeping events on track which leads to successful events!

After the event, event organisers should have a clear out of any event materials that need throwing away or sending back to suppliers e.g. signage or furniture hire. Finally, preparing for the next event doesn’t stop at the end of event day…event managers needs to plan ahead so they can schedule time between tasks to deal with all aspects of future events.

That’s our top 12 tips for being the best event manager you can be! We have also covered some interesting research on MICE industry in Thailand which you can read here. We hope you found this article useful, Please like and share this if it has helped you.