Ask the Expert – Horror Story Edition


Ask The Expert is back with another cycle of industry Q&A. Our group of professional experts have come together for another month. To address some of your pressing questions.

We are fans of events. We love planning and executing them. Like snowflakes no two events are alike. And for most of us planners that’s a good thing. While the job can definitely be demanding, a bit tricky and yes stressful. It’s never boring.

If we’ve said it once we’ve said it a hundred times, planning an event is huge responsibility. And it makes no difference if the event is big or small. With so many moving pieces, something’s bound to go wrong. To help in making each and every event situation as effortless and trouble-free as possible. We brought together our most excellent group of industry pros to address some of those dreaded event planning horror stories. All our pros are knowledgeable, informed, experienced and involved in various aspects of the event planning world.

Ask the Expert – Horror Story Sharing

Any horror stories the group want to share?

It really doesn’t matter what kind of event planner we are. Every client expects perfection. You heard it right perfection. No matter how good we are at our job. If we do something long enough there are going to be mishaps. And we can all learn from our own missteps as well as others. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how organized we are “stuff” is going to happen. Panel wide we have all experienced situations that we wished we hadn’t. Food poising, heart attacks, running out of food, bad (really bad) weather and supplier no shows, just to name a few. Some of us have even had clients book and sign off on events on the wrong date. From entertainment that flops to power outages. From ridiculous client requests to talking clients off a cliff. From extremely poor service to equipment fails. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there, experienced nightmare scenarios and lived to tell the tale. Having said that, there is also no planner we know that doesn’t do their damnedest to avoid every bad dream and ensure a happy client.

Ask the Expert –  Solutions

When disaster does strike, what do you do?

With all the details that are involved with planning an event one thing we can count on. There will be issues during the planning process. As every planner knows, when it comes to events, it’s imperative to be ready for whatever may come our way. We never (ever) receive an alert; problem ahead, problem ahead. Since none of us do know what sang or dilemma may rear its ugly head. We must do our best to be ready for anything. So first and foremost we all are BIG proponents of a Plan B, C or D. But for situations where there isn’t a back-up plan. Like Henry Ford said “Don’t find fault. Find a remedy.” And if you’re like us, all you can think about is fixing the situation. When disaster does in deed strike jump into action. Breathe, recognize and accept, keep things in check, communicate, take the reins and make it right and as Taylor Swift says shake it off, shake it off. Remember if you plan for the worst and hope for the best. You are (almost) ready for anything.

Has Ask the Expert been addressing your questions? Do you have a doubt, dilemma or query? Reach out to MasterTheEvent online or on Social Media. Next time the Ask the Expert meeting of the minds comes together, you may just see us address your issue right here.

Recent Posts