Below are 4 ways to help you survive planning even the biggest of events: 

1. Organise and have a clear plan

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” –Alan LakeinPlanning, checklists, and great organising is the holy grail for event planners. And with good reason! It’s well worth spending your time organising and planning to prepare for your event before you begin implementing. This allows you to have a clear timeline for when things need to be completed, gives you a list of tasks you can delegate to others, and provides a great overall blueprint for the event that can be handed over to someone else in case of emergency.Having a clear plan also ensures you’re driving the event, rather than setting yourself up to be constantly reacting to things that come your way. Being in constant reaction mode is exhausting and a quick way to lose precious mental energy.The type of event will dictate your timeline and to-dos, but you can start with this generic checklist and these scheduling tips.

2. Get the help you need

“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” –Lena Horne*Planning for a large event might be a heavy load, but it doesn’t have to break you down. Being smart about getting the proper help will ensure you can carry out each and every task in an effective and efficient way.Enlist the help of your own team, colleagues, or planning committee to tackle your to do list. When it comes to actual event production, hire the right people for the job to help you bring your vision to life. This could be crews like landscaping, catering, audio production, event set up such as StretchStructures, and the after event cleanup. These crews can save you time, money, and sanity and prove to be truly invaluable to the big day. StretchStructures alone can help in regards to décor, the weather, cost, and time. Find out how.There are companies who excel in their niche and what they do – don’t try to take on these tasks yourself when you can hire the pros instead.

3. Keep calm and anticipate change

“Change is inevitable. Progress is optional.” –Tony RobbinsOne thing we know for sure – there’s always something that comes up when planning for events. It’s typically very last minute and it’s typically a scramble to get the issue handled. Life happens! Whether it’s last minute changes, emergencies, or something that got left off of the planning list, things WILL come up as you approach your event day.The first way to handle this is to stay ahead of your schedule as best you can. This gives you the space to handle anything that might come up. The second is to simply watch your reaction to whatever comes up. We can waste a lot of mental energy freaking out about things or we can recognise that change happens and continue to make progress towards our goal. How you react in these situations is a big indicator of how well your event will be executed and if you’ll still be standing at the end.

4. Remember what’s important

“I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.” – Audre LordeSurviving events is as much about how you’re treating yourself as it is the actual event pieces. Self-care is an absolute must! If everyone is looking to you to lead them through a big project such as a big event, you have to be in tip-top shape to do so.It’s easy to fall into the trap of too much stress when you’re in charge, but remember that you are your best asset and what’s truly most important is taking care of you.Everyone’s version of self-care is different, so explore what you love and get started with these ideas . Keep your energy high, that smile on your face, and relax through it all.