5 Important Skills Every Event Planner Should Have

Attention to detail, attendee engagement, and expectations management. There is consensus about the anatomy of outstanding events. What about when things go wrong? Are there bad event planning habits we can change to make our events successful?

My event planning horror story is a rather big blunder, but something I’ve taken heed of since.

The first-ever large-scale event I hosted was with a certain company.

I arrived at the venue with a car full of goody bags, only to discover it locked up. I rang the head office, who informed me that I didn’t have a booking there and that my event was booked in another of their branches, across the other side of town.

I quickly had to make my way to the new venue, while simultaneously frantically emailing, texting, and tweeting about the ‘venue change’.

Later on, I had the opportunity to double-check the booking details with the PR I’d organized it through a small print email in a long chain of correspondence. We’d been talking about the ‘original’ venue, but we both hadn’t noticed the mistake in the booking.

There are important event planning skills I have learned over these years. Some of these skills are innate, and readily present in the “natural-born event planner”.

 However, with dedication and willingness to learn, anyone can achieve some level of mastery over the following 5 event planner skills below.

1. People Skills

When it comes down to it: event planning is all about the people involved. Whether the event is in-person, virtual, or somewhere in between; interpersonal skills are essential for an event organizer.

You need to be comfortable connecting with high-level executives, government officials, vendors, co-workers, sponsor reps, customers, supervisors, suppliers, staff, and event attendees.

2. Proficiency in Technology

Regardless of the virtual or in-person status of the event, technology is going to be involved in some capacity. The event planner doesn’t have to be an expert computer coder or a genius when it comes to technology in general. But technological proficiency is one of the most vital skills required for event management.

3. Organization

To successfully run any event, you need to be able to do about 50 things at once. This multi-tasking prowess is one of the key skills for event management, required for both smooth planning and flawless execution of an event.

 The best planners have foolproof systems, step-by-step checklists, and handy tech tools. Working in events requires the ability to focus on the big picture while keeping track of all the little details. To avoid burnout, get comfortable delegating some of your more time-consuming tasks. And if things don’t go according to plan, don’t be afraid to switch to Plan B.

4. Calm Under Pressure

Planning is incredibly important. However, there is no way for an event planner to account for every possible thing that could go wrong during an event. The technology could fail, a presenter could get stuck in traffic, or any number of other tragedies could affect the event.

Remaining calm is crucial during these times. Panicking can only make a bad situation worse.

5. Detail Oriented

All events should be planned with extreme attention to detail. Whatever can be controlled before the event begins, should be.

This will leave less up to chance when the event starts, creating fewer items that need to be managed during the event itself.

As you can see, being an event organizer is a demanding and rewarding career. If all this sounds like you were made for it, then maybe it’s time for you to get started by enrolling in this event planning course today!