Murphy’s law

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Having our cups half full, we always hope that we won’t ever have to call in the cavalry, but we can’t always be that sure. So, being prepared for these circumstances might actually save your entire event from falling apart. 

• • Someone calling in sick. What happens when that one person who has a huge responsibility falls sick? Is there somebody to take their post? Will that person know what to do or do you have to guide them on the spot? 
  • Technology fails. There is nothing more frustrating than having your technology fails on you and you can’t do anything about it. Those times where the speakers were not working or when the presentation slides are not displayed and the whole event has to be stopped. Is there backup equipment ready to go whenever something like that happens? 
  • Medical emergency. Do you have anybody trained to offer first aid when something unfortunate happens? These events don’t always happen but seeing the fact that event production deals with numerous equipment, accidents happening is a “when” question rather than an “if” question. You don’t necessarily need first responders on-site, but having people with basic knowledge of what to do during these times is always a good idea. 
  • Equipment. In the realm of event production, there are so many pieces of equipment that go hand-in-hand with each other. To illustrate, if one equipment fails, others might be affected. This is another nightmare that you need to try your best to avoid. Test your equipment beforehand. Make a list of the most important items and have back-ups for them. It also helps to be alert when a piece of equipment is missing. 

Think of contingency plans as risk management practices. By planning ahead, it can even feel like you’re predicting the issues ahead of time and help you reduce disruption during the event. 

Misjudging the scale of the event 

No offense, but this is a rookie mistake. It is a bad faux pas that will cost you tremendous money and time. Look at this especially closely when your event is a huge event with lots of people. These people need space and attention. Make sure that the venue and your workforce can cope with the demands because if you can’t keep up with that, there will be a lot of problems. Be prepared for: 

• Seats and space for big amounts of people
• Enough food, drinks, or even accommodation for the number of people you’re expecting. 
• Also, something that is constantly overlooked is the ability to handle and manage humans. For example, people going to places they shouldn’t or not being at the places they should be. 

Not only being underprepared can jeopardize your event, but also overestimating the numbers. If you’re planning for an event of 100 people and only 30 showed up, your event is going to look empty. Moreover, you will still need to bear the cost despite those people not showing up. 

Both of these scenarios will taint the experience of your attendees. Hence, properly estimate the number of attendees and plan out your event from start to end using the help of technologies to smooth the entire process. Most importantly, be extra alert and attentive when allocating adequate resources as too many hands on a job may cause it to slow down as well. 

Failing to follow up 

As the event progresses, it is almost certain that there will be changes throughout the workflow. A simple mistake of not keeping up with the most recent changes can be detrimental to the flow of the entire event. 

This is particularly an issue when there are multiple people in the planning and organization. The wide range of tasks related to event production are often contingent to one another and just a small change can cause a ripple effect to a bigger problem. If there isn’t an easy and open flow of communication, chances are things will be missed. 

A good solution to this is to use a centralized planning system to monitor the planning process. There are specific software options set up for event management where the entire team has the bird’s eye view to the entire flow of the event. The point of this is to get everybody on the same page and not have any surprises on the day of the event. 

The best events do not mean that the team is highly experienced, it merely means that the team has prepared and rehearsed it meticulously. To the point where there is no room for them to fail and that nothing can surprise them. They are well aware of “Murphy’s Law” and the dangers it poses to the event. 

Another important thing to note is that your event does not end when it’s over. Follow-up post-event to see where you can improve on and how to do better next time. Maximize the most up-to-date technologies available to you as it will be one of the best investments you can make.