Qualities of a Great Event Organiser

Wondering if you are a good event organizer or not? Here is the list of qualities that you should have to be great at organizing events!

Fuelled by persistence, a drive to achieve, and willing to give people an experience, event organisers are people who take you into a dream world. With so many tasks to do at once, event managers have to multitask at various levels. If you like to stay in your comfort zone, then you won’t make a great event organiser.

An event organiser or manager is responsible for the successful implementation of the framework and executing the event. He/she is the face of the event. He/she is responsible for stakeholder engagement, executing ideas to generate revenues, ensuring the operations are flawless. There are a few traits that are innate and then there are few that you learned over the years to become a great event organiser. To be honest, these qualities are not unusual but definitely are rare.

Top Ten Qualities of a Great Event Organiser:

1. Leadership Skills

Every event comes with great responsibility. Right from ideation to the planning stage, event managers are required to clear clutter. A good organiser is a good leader who leads the team and give directions. Given that an event organizer/ organizer works with various decision makers and other key people, they have to be clear thinkers. They need to be able to build a team and manage it to reach its full performance potential.

2. Time Management

Time management is crucial. A great team led by a great leader is only lethal when the team and the leader have great time management skills. There are a lot of details flying around, and everything tends to converge at a single point in time. The ability to prioritise and follow strict timings is a key aspect of the job. Best of the event organisers are multi-taskers and stick to the time commitments

3. Out-of-the-Box Thinker

They are creative problem solvers. Events are by nature chaotic, and no matter who detailed your plan is, few actionable are always jeopardised. Event organisers like to find solutions, be it handling an emergency evacuation or may be realised at the last minute that a keynote speaker didn’t show up- they always have solutions.

4. Attention to Detail

Great event organisers usually have an OCD of getting it right, getting it differently, and achieving perfection. They really understand and visualise how the little pieces will fit together. Event organisers have a sharp eye for detail. They are involved in every aspect of the event- from picking up the pens and notepads to be used to selecting the speaker list and venue finalisation. Interestingly, despite not having paid attention to detail in the planning stage, you don’t feel detached from your event; you might not as well be a good organiser. Event organisers delve into every minute detail and nail it.

5. Love for Technology

Every great organiser knows how important technology is in hosting a successful event. Townscript has earlier covered a full blown article on how technology is shaping the event management industry. Technology has automated many aspects of the industry. You can sell tickets online, make reservations, share teasers before the actual event, and also gathe real time feedback and apply analytics. Use of technology started as a support tool but eventually took over most of the operational tasks. Technology speeds things up and helps to make event managers be more productive and efficient.

6. Networking Skills

Event organisers are true people’s person. Networking is the art of conversation to reach meaningful conversations and explore the win-win situation for each other. They are comfortable connecting with high-level executives, government officials, vendors, co-workers, sponsors, housekeeping staff etc. They have fun with what they do. Also, they find the right team through networking and delegate work when required.

7. Contingency Organisers

Best event organisers always have a backup plan or a plan B. They have a sharp eye for detail, and thus, they try to find potential threats and risks to the event. If identified in time, event organisers are quick to take action and prepare plan B. Events professionals are therefore always prepared to react to any eventuality or error. This not only requires careful planning to rule out any crisis before it happens but also an ability to be reactive and adaptive in case one does.

8. Embrace Change

Change is the only constant. Event organisers are quick at foreseeing change and shifting gears to turn things into favour. They are agile and put all the pieces into place. It requires an agile and adaptive mindset along with resourcefulness. Event is different and it requires a fresh mindset to plan each one of them. Event if the event managers go by the client’s brief, the have to be creative yet adapt to what the client wants.

9. Humble

Events are not a one man show. They are a collective effort of a great team. A great event organiser realises the value of having a great team. They may not appreciate every day, but they go praise their team. Their people management skills allow them to build great relationships and yet be humble to everyone. They are honest, work with no hidden agenda, keep their team and external stakeholders updated.

10. Self Care

A healthy fitness regime is a part of the daily life of all event organisers. They know how important it is to stay focused. Mental and physical fitness allows them to be active. Self-care is not limited to fitness, it also focuses on detoxing from digital tools for a while, or just meditate and calm your mind.

Summary of Qualities of a Great Event Organiser

All of the above qualities come with experience, practice and perseverance. In addition to event planning knowledge and skills, your personality needs to be a good fit if you want to be one of the most successful event planners.

Originally published at blog.townscript.com on June 19, 2019.