You’re working on a live event and something goes wrong. What’s the first skill you need to use?

1 Resilience or adaptability

Resilience or adaptability is the ability to cope with change, uncertainty, and stress. It's essential for live event professionals, who often have to deal with tight deadlines, complex logistics, diverse stakeholders, and unexpected challenges. Resilience or adaptability helps you to stay calm, focused, and flexible in the face of adversity. It also enables you to learn from your mistakes, improve your performance, and bounce back from setbacks.

2 How to be resilient or adaptable

Resilience or adaptability is not a trait that is either present or absent; it is a skill that can be developed and strengthened over time. To become more resilient or adaptable in live event production, one should plan ahead and anticipate potential problems, have a contingency plan for every aspect of the event, and review the plan regularly. Additionally, effective communication and collaboration with team members is essential, as is being open to different perspectives and ideas. Change and innovation should be embraced, as should learning from successes and failures. Finally, managing stress and emotions is key; recognize your triggers and signs of stress, practice relaxation techniques, express your feelings, maintain a positive attitude, and have a sense of humor.

3 Benefits of resilience or adaptability

Being resilient or adaptable in live event production can bring you many benefits. You can improve your quality of work and customer satisfaction by delivering better results, meeting deadlines, and exceeding expectations. Additionally, you can handle complaints, feedback, and changes more effectively and professionally. This can also enhance your reputation and career prospects by demonstrating your competence, confidence, and leadership skills. Furthermore, it can increase your personal satisfaction and well-being by allowing you to enjoy your work more, feel more fulfilled, cope with stress better, avoid burnout, and achieve a better work-life balance. Additionally, it can help you build trust and rapport with your clients, partners, and colleagues as well as expand your network and opportunities.

4 Examples of resilience or adaptability

To demonstrate the value of resilience and adaptability in live event production, here are some common scenarios and how to handle them. For instance, if a speaker cancels at the last minute, you can contact your backup speaker, adjust your agenda, and inform your audience. You can also use the extra time to engage with your attendees, answer questions, or showcase your sponsors. In the case of a technical glitch disrupting your live stream, you can apologize to your viewers, explain the situation, and switch to a backup device or platform. Additionally, use social media or chat to keep in touch with your audience, share updates, and provide alternative content. Finally, if a weather emergency forces you to postpone or cancel your live event, communicate with your venue, staff, and attendees; offer refunds, rescheduling, or online options; and create more hype and loyalty for your live event.

5 How to practice resilience or adaptability

Practicing resilience and adaptability in live event production can be done in a variety of ways. For instance, volunteering for different roles and projects can help you learn new skills and expand your horizons. Additionally, seeking feedback and improvement from clients, partners, and colleagues is a great way to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Celebrating your achievements and failures is also important for recognizing your efforts and progress, as well as learning from mistakes and challenges. Sharing your stories and lessons with others is another great way to practice resilience and adaptability.