Planning social events is a lot of work; it takes time, energy, and creativity. However, even if you have all of those things, that doesn’t make it any less stressful. This year, event planning was named as the fifth most stressful job in North America. If you’re stressed out planning social events, here are seven tips we would suggest!
1. Create a Master Plan
Have one place where you organize all the necessary information for the event; a place for all the different schedules you need to coordinate, lists of things you still need to do or arrange, and the actual breakdown of the event day. Having a master plan for your social events can be a real game changer, ensuring nothing is left up to chance.
Being thorough is one of the best ways to avoid a significant headache on the day of the event. Include everything in your master plan, even the little details you don’t think you need to write down. If you’re feeling particularly stressed about one particular thing, you can rely on the master plan for comfort and information.
2. Give Yourself Enough Time
One of the biggest mistake people make when planning social events is not giving themselves enough time to get everything done to their satisfaction. Feeling pressed for time can cause major stress. Pick an event date early and line up all the necessary services way in advance to make sure that nothing is rushed. Some vendors and venues book quickly, so having more time for planning is essential.
3. Set Your Goals
It’s important to know what your objectives are for the event. Writing them down on paper will help you understand the bigger picture of your event, instead of getting caught up in the smaller details that cause undue stress. Make a list of what your expectations are along with practical ways you can achieve those expectations. Set deadlines for what you need to accomplish and by when so you can keep up the pace and not leave yourself with too much to finish at the end.
4. Be Realistic
While considering your goals, it’s important to be realistic. Whether we like it or not, there are certain limitations that will have to guide the event planning process. Biting off more than you can chew will not only put unnecessary stress on planning, it can also derail the event in a big way. Understanding the limitations and working within them is your best bet for pulling off the best party possible.
5. Establish a Budget
The budget needs to be one of the first things you think about when you sit down to plan your event. For most people, money ends up being one of the most stressful parts of planning an event. Without a clear budget in mind, things can get out of control quickly, and nothing is more stressful than finding out you’ve spent too much before your big event.
6. Get a Team Together
Having people help you along the way will considerably lessen the stress of planning an event. No one expects you to do it all on your own! Asking for help can make everything go much smoother.Make sure you keep the team on track and motivated in their duties.If you’re working with a venue or event caterer, they can take on much more of the work than you might expect. Tell them what you’re looking for and then let them do their thing; they’re experienced professionals who know what they’re doing.
7. Have Fun
While planning social events can certainly be a stressful experience, it doesn’t have to be an unenjoyable one. Throwing a party is all about celebration; try and infuse some of that celebratory feeling into the planning stage. Make sure to take time for yourself that doesn’t include worrying about the social event. It’s also important to understand that when planning a large event, things will never be perfect. Things might go wrong here and there and that’s okay; the most important thing is that guests have a good time no matter what happens.Make sure to plan time for yourself during the planning process—down time, rest and, of course, time to enjoy all of your hard work!
