What are your tips for handling event changes?

Once we were ready for a Saturday event, and on Friday we were asked to move the date. We were in the process of launching a new light rail line, and the event was massive. Hundreds of employees were lined up to participate; the event scale included multiple stations, school bands, 500 invitees, and food and equipment vendors. As a planner, I always ask for emergency contact information for everyone during the planning process, and I explain to them that things like this can happen because of the nature of our business. It took the rest of the day until early Saturday morning to pull the plug, but we did it! I can't say it was the last time something like this happened, but it made me focus on contingency plans for future events.

De principio hay que considerar qué tipo de cambio es, y si lo solicita el cliente o bien es un imprevisto ya sea por cuestiones de clima o bien solo por qué algún proveedor haya quedado mal (esto nos ayudará mucho a la hora de comunicar cambios). Siempre hay que considerar tener políticas bien establecidas donde dependiendo el tipo del evento se defina el alcance de cambios, esto ayudará mucho para el desarrollo de los posibles planes de contingencia y que la resolución sea más efectiva. Lo que se busca siempre en los eventos es que la experiencia hacia el usuario final no se pierda independientemente de que haya cambios de último minuto.

I think that prompt and clear communication is crucial. Please let all relevant stakeholders, including team members, participants, vendors, and attendees, know about the changes as soon as possible. To ensure everyone is informed, use multiple communication channels, such as emails, phone calls, social media, and messaging apps. At the time, we were not in the everyone had a cell phone era, and we were using Blackberries and pagers. Every event had a contact list that included multiple ways of contacting everyone in an emergency, including home phones. I also created a script to hand out to anyone helping me to make sure the information given was correct.

You need to be flexible as much as you can to handle any changes could be happening during operation, it’s matter of the mentality of the leader who can accommodate solutions to save his event.

Be as open and honest in your communication as possible, I have faced some difficult decisions this year with outdoor events and 2023’s rubbish summer - providing all the facts to stakeholders and those involved means we can we work together for the best solution.

Se debe informar según sea el cambio. Si dicho cambio no repercute en los asistentes solo se informa al cliente y a todo el equipo de producción, para ello con el cliente se habla personalmente y se sustenta por correo dicho cambio o bien con una carta autorización; mientras que al equipo de trabajo se le informa por llamada o reunión y en algunos casos cuando el cambio es en el momento se informa por radios de comunicación (para esto el equipo debe conocer posibles planes de contingencia). Cuando el cambio repercute en el usuario final (asistentes) pueden utilizarse mail, o redes sociales si el evento es público, o bien anunciarles por medio de mensaje dichos cambios y el motivo de estos para no generar incertidumbre o molestias.

Pro-active risk management at all levels of the planning process is an asset for anyone working in events- think “what if” and store it up to use as “ok this…”. Issues can arise at any time whether there is a change or a delay. If we commit to learning from our research as much from our experiences, we can build a solid game plan for a wide range of scenarios, even if we never have to use it. That means that we can reach into the toolbox for considered, measured options, choices and responses without breaking a sweat when others are saying “what on earth do we do now.” The more you plan this way, the easier it is to pivot on a dot and keep going.

Doing post event debriefs, that are among your internal planning team only and then external with the client(s) or stakeholder(s), are key parts of the process. For yearly events it can lead to improvements in processes and also the event itself. This is where you realize what changes were effective and what new ones need to be considered as you move forward. You’ll find the successes and what has room for improvement. For events that aren’t recurring, everything you learn is a mental note that will help you on a future event in some way, shape, or form. There’s more commonalities than not in the world of events. Keep in mind, the way you accept the insight is often linked to how likely your client is to want to partner with you again.

This line: The key is to be proud of yourself and your team for overcoming the challenge and delivering a memorable event. I realize that everyone handles change differently, but to be able to pull together and still have a special event is truly something to celebrate. We, as professionals, make this look easy, but things seem different. Surrounding yourself with a good team, using the lessons learned, and celebrating the small victories make it easier!

Planners should also manage the change. There should not be multiple people responsible for making a decision about whether to make a change or what to change. There needs to be one leader where changes begin. Not to say they will make decisions in a vacuum, but one person needs to manage the process so that communication, impact, and execution can happen well.