There are indeed easier things in life to do than run an event. They are complex things that require event managers to demonstrate a range of organisational and leadership skills. In this blog I want to focus on the leadership skills an event manager should demonstrate and or seek to acquire. Successful events are nearly always a team effort and to get the best result ( a great event ) your event teams need to well lead: by you the event manager. Here are my 13 traits of an inspirational event manager
Have you got 5 minutes to spare to broaden your event planning skills? Then grab a coffee, tea or whatever is your drink of choice and do read on. Thank you.
Here are my 13 traits of an inspirational event manager
During the event planning process and on event day great event managers demonstrate many of the following traits:
Being an inspirational leader who guides, supports, motivates and delivers
Encouraging teamwork, as one of the greatest challenges facing any event manager is creating a real sense of team amongst an often-disparate group of people: the team needs a great team spirit and a strong desire to deliver a successful event
Fostering effective two-way communication, which makes your event teams feel involved, valued and committed to the cause
Setting the direction and communicating it with passion, energy and belief, in other words it is the “talking it up” by the event manager that inspires staff to follow and make a commitment. Do remember that there is only one thing more infectious than enthusiasm and that is the lack of it – be “up” for your event.
Walking the talk because great event managers lead by example
Making it fun because we do best what we most enjoy. Always keep a smile and laugh close to hand.
Building trust by letting your staff know where they stand and by being open, honest and above board
Setting high standards in values such as honesty, confidence, hard work, a positive attitude, the ability to praise and inspire, determination, a caring attitude, openness and timekeeping (don’t be late for meetings!)
Promoting creativity and innovation which means supporting event staff when they make mistakes. Why? Because this will keep the ideas coming and give them the confidence to try new things. We work in a difficult and fast paced industry where we are often doing things for the first and want to push the creativity boundaries: mistakes are going to happen.
Being on hand to seek out and resolve problems, which means always being there for all your staff. Things will happen at your events! People forget things; they do silly things. Sometimes, it will not be your fault but it will certainly be your problem. You are also going to have deal with problems: not of your making.
Making difficult decisions which are, after all, why you are the event manager. You will find yourself having to face up to difficult or uncomfortable situations – these come with the job. You will also need to understand the art of compromise, because you will need to exercise it throughout the event planning process.
Appreciating and recognizing the work of your event team, remembering that saying “thank you” is the most underused motivational tool in the book – use it lots! Having a ready supply of chocolates and coffee does help too!
Involving your event team in everything, because your team members need to understand what you are trying to achieve, why you are doing it and what part they will play
My experience of running events has shown me that some of these skills will be things you find easy to do: they come naturally to you – others you will need to develop and or get help with. You may have already noted that these traits are probably no different to those demonstrated by today’s great leaders.
Top leadership tip: Always do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
So there you have it and yes it’s just another set of skills you need to learn that come with the territory – it’s quite a job being an event manager – don’t you think?
Your thoughts?
If you have any suggestions or personal experiences of the ‘how to’ of being an inspirational event manager…please do let me know.
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About Chris Powell, The Event Expert
I run an event management training and consultancy company (The Event Expert) delivering In-house and On-Line event management training courses and event consultancy services to accidental, occasional and professional event managers. My objective is to give them the confidence and skills to design, plan, promote and deliver their own successful and rewarding events.
Thank you for taking the time this article
Chris
The Event Expert
Helping you design, plan and deliver your OWN outstanding events