Event management is one of the most challenging jobs that involves bundles of tasks and difficulties. However, these challenges and difficulties keep changing over time, following the client’s requirements. Therefore, you must con consider event trends and select AV equipment depending on the occasion you manage.
That is why people, most of the time, enquire what are the current challenges facing the event management companies.
If you aim to start an event management business, you must be aware of the challenges you may face. It will help you manage things accordingly to avoid any mishaps while providing event management services.
In this blog, we discuss the most recent challenges an event management company faces while managing events for its clients.
What Event Management Is and Why It Is Important?
Event management comprises a range of functions for organizing large-scale events, including conventions, conferences, trade shows, concerts, festivals, and award ceremonies. These functions involve logistics, venue décor, Audio visual production, audience management, and catering.
And it is important to make an event a success in every aspect. It is important for the reputation of both the management company and the client’s organization.
If a company manages the event effectively, they become more trusted and known in the market. On the other hand, a successful event also improves the credibility of the event-hosting organization.
If you, as an event management company, provide effective services, it may lead you to greater exposure in the market. More satisfied clients and happy participants can result in more business and engagement.
What Are the Current Trends in Event Management?
In recent years specifically from 2019 to the start of 2022, the event management industry came across some drastic changes in trends due to covid-19.
Though things are getting back to normal conditions, some protocols are still applicable, and things are trending in the same fashion as in the last three years. Here are some event management trends that are currently prevailing in the event management industry.
Hybrid Events
Owing to the COVID-19 restrictions, in 2020, virtual events have taken a rise and become one of the preferred modes of events where audiences and speakers join online. Though the restrictions are lifted in most regions and countries, virtual events are still on the rise.
According to a recent report by EventMB, about 71% of event planners are willing to continue virtual events despite the return of live events. And more than 63% of businesses now prefer hybrid events, considering them a better event marketing solution.
Micro Events
Before the covid-19, the average attendance for an event was around five thousand, according to Statista’s statistics. That got smaller in the next two years. As people are still conscious of the coronavirus, micro-events are still in the game.
So, as an event-organizing company, you should expect such events to organize for your clients.
Events For Upskilling
Due to changing trends in the event management industry, there is a need for change in infrastructure and learning new skills for professionals. Post covid-19, event planning experts are learning newer things to experience in the coming years.
So, you must keep up with the changes to stay successful in this business.
What Are the Challenges the Event Management Companies are Facing?
Event management is not an easy job and comes up with a lot of challenges that, as an event management company, you may face. Here are some practical challenges of hosting an event for event management companies that need to be dealt effectively to provide an unforgettable experience to clients.
1. Comprehensive Event Planning
The basic and initial challenge you may face as an event planner is planning the event from start to end. It is not easy as it may seem to someone. It requires a lot of things to consider, from event theme selection, Event Lighting, invitation card designing, and arranging speakers, to ensuring maximum audience, décor, lighting, food, etc.
Missing a single detail can result in destroying the event’s charm, which you cannot afford as an event management company. To cater to this challenge, it is vital to consult clients in every aspect and listen to their expectations. In addition, you should also have written down the event proceedings’ sequence.
When you and your team have everything in writing about what has to be done, where, and at which time, you can successfully meet your client’s expectations.
2. Managing Work Flow
Managing the workflow before and during the event is also a tough job, specifically when your team is large. If your team has been working with you for quite some time, then there should not be any issues in assigning and executing tasks.
However, it can be troubling if you have new people on your team or you are new to the business. Though assigning tasks might not seem tough, it becomes when you evaluate the respective person’s ability to get the assigned job done.
Communication gaps can also be a problem in managing the workflow during the event, specifically when you have team members with different languages.
3. Understaffing
Understaffing is also one of the critical issues for event management companies. And often, determining this problem does not come easy until the event day, and it becomes too late for the event organizers to do something about it.
So, consideration of this aspect beforehand is essential to provide the best experience to clients. In this regard, as an event manager, you should be;
- Talking to key stakeholders to get every essential detail on what they require for their event.
- Writing the tasks assignment plan to determine responsible people.
- Determining how many staff members will be enough for different percentages of attendees.
- Keeping some staff on backup.
4. Budget Constraints and Tracking
Budgeting, allocating money to different components and functions of the event, and tracking the expense is also a challenge for event organizers. The occurrence of unexpected things like breakage of the equipment or increasing inflation rate can cause major trouble for event organizers to manage within the given budget.
In this regard, always try to provide your clients with a bit excessive budget so you can arrange things according to the event plan. When you, as an event manager, ignore this and provide exact quotations, you may fall short when it comes to fulfilling all the event needs.
Similarly, you should also be keeping track of the expenses so you can stay within the budget constraints and cans secure your margins.
5. Time Management
Time management is also one of the daring challenges for event organizers. As even the simplest and small event has plenty of moving parts. It gets tougher when clients ask for event management services on the verge of the event date.
Every aspect takes time, from arranging equipment to arranging vendors, venue selection and décor, and ensuring guest speakers. That is why professional event organizers suggest buying enough time so you can get everything done properly.
In this regard, you must outline the timeline of event proceedings and ask for at least 5 to 8 weeks to plan the event properly.
6. Venue Selection
Sometimes, clients ask the event management service providers to help with venue selection. It might seem easy to some people, but it is difficult. When you suggest some venue options using your contacts in the market, they may opt for any incompatible one that cannot meet the event requirements.
Similarly, if you have to organize the event in an unfamiliar venue, things might get tougher to deal with unfavourable aspects. And this happens when the client selects the venue before hiring you.
In this respect, you should show clients the broader picture regarding venue selection through extensive research on the venues they are interested in. You should also visit the venue along with your clients to show them how the venue can make or break the event.
7. Choosing Right Vendor
The selection of vendors for different event needs, such as food, catering, lighting, and other elements, might be difficult for event management companies. It becomes harder when your client asks to work with a vendor with whom you have not worked before.
Vendor selection can be on account of the client or event planner. It should be established very early so you can manage things accordingly. When it is on your part as the event manager, you must use your market network. And find the people who already understand your event management line of action.
8. Meeting Menu Expectations
Depending on the nature of the event that you are coordinating, the burden of selecting the menu may fall on you. Even if that is not the case, you also need to communicate with the caterer and client in order to taste the food.
If it is on your part, it will be one of the toughest jobs as you may not be aware of the food taste of the audience. There might be some guests with food allergies. And fulfilling their expectations might be a challenge.
So, if you are the one to choose the menu, make sure that there is something for all guests to eat. You must consult with your client regarding the guests to ensure that no one is having trouble with the chosen food menu.
9. Staging Décor, Lighting, and AV Equipment
The availability of staging, decor, lighting and audio-visual equipment is also a challenge for most event management service providers. Those with their own equipment feel at ease with the management. However, event organizers who rent out from others face issues.
Even if you own all equipment, you can also face issues when it comes to installation and management during the event. There might be any last-minute issues with the equipment that can lead to ruining the event. Similarly, when you rent out the equipment, you may face issues with the technical side.
Therefore, whether you use your own equipment or rent it out from a vendor, rehearse with all equipment and lighting before the event day. Doing so will prevent you from facing any troubles during the event procession.
10. Speaker Cancellation
One of the most embarrassing things you may face while organizing an event is the cancellation of a speaker at the very last minute. Though it rarely happens, speakers might get sick or face any problem and be unable to attend the event.
In that case, only event organizers with backup plans successfully go through this problem without letting down the event’s charm. Emergencies can happen to anyone. So, while organizing an event for your clients, make sure you are in touch with more than one speaker who can attend the event.
11. Ignoring Audience Management Planning
Managing attendees from registration to engagement during the event is also a critical challenge that needs to be considered while planning an event. You might have planned a remarkable event, but if your attendees are not engaged, then what is the point?
At first, you should not be exceeding with the registrations than the capacity of your event venue. Then you should be planning the event so that attendees feel involved and interact with the speakers.
You can improve attendee engagement in the following ways;
- By using content comprising exhibitions, interaction with speakers, and other event functions.
- By building connections among attendees and sponsors of the event in creative and authentic ways.
- By engaging attendees through online forums and in-person networking.
12. Integrating Virtual Events with Online Community Building
Following the trend of hybrid events, most event hosts want live streaming of their events to build an online community. Considering the covid-19 restrictions and post covid circumstances, people are still looking for ways to socialize while sitting at home.
Virtual events are also considered a remarkable tool for marketing and creating sales opportunities for the respective companies. Whether they are hosts or sponsors. So, as an event management company, you should have all the equipment in place if clients demand it.
13. Logistic Problems
Logistic management is also a key component of event management practices and cannot be ignored. Having things at your fingertips always help in the effective management of an event. However, issues occur when you fail to ensure the availability of every event essential at the venue before the event.
The major reason behind this trouble might be the communication gap between vendors and event-organizing companies. As an event manager, you need to get in touch with all stakeholders to ensure that everything is available and nothing will fall short at the last minute.
14. Legal Compliance
When you are unsure about the legality of your client’s idea for the event, you might find yourself stuck. Saying no to them can cause losing them. While if the idea comes out as illegal, you may face legal consequences as a company.
It becomes tougher when you deal with international clients as the legal status of an event idea might differ in the countries from where you have to organize the event.
The event management company has to ensure that what they are pulling off falls within the local legal constraints.
15. Missing Backup Planning
Event management companies that ignore coming up with backup plans fail to organize events if any climatic or disastrous incident occurs. For example, you are organizing an outdoor event, and suddenly weather takes a turn, and rain starts on the event day.
Now how will you make sure to organize the event without any disruptions? To address such issues, you must plan backup solutions to avoid ruining the event.
Final Thoughts
Challenges for event management companies keep on changing with the time, trends, and evolution of the event management industry. Being aware of them and having perfect solutions is all that keeps event organizers ahead of their competitors.
