As an event planner, you’re skilled in creating memorable experiences, organization, and multitasking. But you’re also required to be a genius problem solver, which means being able to predict and project potential problems. Anticipating event challenges also means contingency planning for your events. And these are the contingency planning event tips to ensure you’re ready to tackle any obstacle and still come out ahead with a spectacular event.
1. Contingency Event Planning for Weather
If you’re curating a New York event outdoors, one of the first contingency plans you’ll make involves taking the party indoors should the weather not cooperate. Since you can’t control or predict mother nature, you’ll need to prepare your event clients for a backup scenario that includes an indoor location. There are other weather-related contingency plans to consider, too, even if your event is already slated to take place indoors. For example, anticipate guests arriving and entering in the rain and make accommodations for an awning or tent to keep lines of guests dry. Consider puddles, street flooding, and other elements that might impact guests upon arrival or during departure from the event.
2. Contingency Event Planning for Staffing Needs
Despite your best efforts to coordinate enough staffing help, workers may call off or not show. From catering staff and venue helpers to your own teams of event staff, emergencies happen. And you can’t pull off a successful event if you’re short-handed. Contingency plan by arranging for on-demand staffing help for the day of your event. Talk with your event vendors about their plans to cover staffing shortages, too, so you can coordinate your efforts.
3. Contingency Event Planning for Speakers & Performers
Another contingency plan you should consider involves replacement speakers, performers, and entertainers. When negotiating with your talent, inquire about terms and conditions in the event of cancellation. And take the steps necessary to pivot any speaker lineups or book a contingency DJ service so your guests don’t notice a problem exists.
4. Contingency Event Planning for Budget Fluctuations
A savvy event planner will also take steps early on in the event curation process to budget for contingencies. Consider allocating contingency funds to cover any last-minute bookings or additions. You can make all the contingency plans you want. But if you don’t have the budget to accommodate those new strategies, you won’t be able to implement them.
5. Contingency Event Planning for Emergencies
There are additional core steps to creating effective event contingency plans. These “categories” will help you organize your to-do list and your efforts to lay in backup options for everything.
- Business Impact Contingency Planning
- Preventive Controls
- Testing & Training for Contingencies
- Emergency Guidelines
- Sharing Your Contingency Plan with Others
Reference these tips for contingency planning with every event you curate, so you can always be one step ahead of potential event challenges and obstacles. And learn more invaluable strategies for smoother event production by networking with the best event professionals at The Event Planner Expo 2023! Tickets are available now for all three days of high-energy networking, incredible learning, and opportunities to grow and improve your event business!
