As the long-running ripples of a locked-down society begin to fade, it’s beginning to be increasingly clear that the way we organized events may have been a bit flippant. So many concerts and sporting events are ruined by a single problem that, were the proper procedures taken, could have been avoided.
So, even though we are all excited to start making our social gatherings as great as possible, let’s all take a step back to make sure even the worst situations are accounted for. These situations aren’t usually as terrible as something like an accident or medical problem (though they could be) but they can still have a huge negative impact on your event.
This might be a no-brainer for some, including hopefully any organizer of an outdoor event, but even some predominantly indoor functions are ruined by slippery roads or storms that make roads inaccessible. As long as the roads are fine, your indoor event is likely fine. But, it’s always worth checking.
This type of advice is extremely applicable for many different factors, though. If you make an event but forget something extremely obvious it can make the entire affair a disaster. Things like bathrooms, refreshments, and wheelchair accessibility (if applicable) are some of the simplest things to provide but also to forget. Don’t forget the fundamentals!
Location is everything for a successful event. Imagine a wedding with a terrible backdrop or a concert with a complete lack of parking. These disasters are easily averted by either having a building floorplan you can refer to on the go or by just showing up days or weeks beforehand to plan things out.
Weddings and funerals make this especially important. Family gatherings usually involve a huge amount of different people with varying levels of mobility and navigational prowess. If you need to have everyone move from one place to another in their own cars, you should have directions prepared. This is true even in the age of Google Maps. You can’t ask someone with a flip phone to navigate a complicated city using that kind of technology.
If you are holding an outdoor gathering, this kind of thing becomes much more important, so click here for an overview of the worst things to look out for during all seasons. A lake may be picturesque, but should it rain those pathways you use for walking may become an unusable muddy nightmare.
Specifics Matter!
The simple issues and the possible problems are terrible things, but every event has a set of problems unique to that type of occasion. A wedding should have paths that are walkable in high heels, a concert should have no one around that might complain about the sound, and so on. Think in terms of those around you, as well as those in the event. If I were walking around in here, what would I be mildly annoyed by? If I lived near this event, would I take issue with anything there?
Most gatherings produce a bare minimum of trash, but if you bring it there’s a big chance it will end up on the ground. So, for occasions that involve food, leave time for cleanup! This is super important for indoor locations, since missing something in a field isn’t a terrible thing for you (though the wildlife may disagree!) but you can guarantee the owner of that building won’t appreciate a mess.
A lot of recurring community gatherings are held at a set location. If you aren’t having your barbecue at the regular place, you need to make sure the next place has a grill! Problems can creep up during an event, and since you’ll probably be running around putting out fires on your own, it’s good to delegate someone to go down the list and prepare for these problems. It’s best that the person cooking checks the premises that they’ll be using, and so on.
Insuring any event, even a small one, is never a bad idea for the safety and health of the attendees. Even if you don’t end up picking a plan, knowing the hazards is worth it and there’s no better way to identify those hazards than to learn more about event insurance and see what they plan for.
If you insure the success of an event you can stop a nighttime medical inconvenience from becoming an absolute life-stopping nightmare, at least financially. You don’t need to pick the expensive stuff, since even the bare minimum attention to the possibilities will give everyone some peace of mind.
Every type of thing with a lot of people requires organization. You may be tempted to do everything the occasion requires, but delegating to others is a necessity. With that said, delegating comes with its own risks. You should know the people you are handing tasks off to, and if they have their own quirks that may affect their prowess account for it.
Don’t be a helicopter organizer, though, and if you do it correctly you should end up having the ability to enjoy yourself just like everyone else. Creating a fun atmosphere is the most important job of all, so don’t neglect it even if you could theoretically do someone’s job slightly better. As in all things, there’s an ideal balance to hit, so don’t hyper-fixate!
