Running a successful event is NOT an easy task. It really is an art of its own. Those who choose to learn how to become Event Stewards take on an enormous task, whether the event they head is a small or large one. I have had the pleasure of hosting both Kingdom level events as well as local ones and have worked to train several new Events Stewards. This post is in no way to say “this is what you must do to be successful,” it is being written to show what has worked for me.
Below are my Event Steward 10 Commandments, follow them and follow me to the event promise land! Hallelujah!
Event Planning 10 Commandments by Baroness Eleanor:
1. Thou shall keep control of your emotions, even when the kitchen is on fire
(You must keep a calm head, people will look to you to take control and solve issues, freaking out and being highly emotional will just stress others out and take time away from solving the issue, so suck it up buttercup!)
2. Thou shall not expect events to run themselves; they don’t, you do
(You are going to have to say no. You are going to have to make decisions. You will have to be the glue that holds the event together, this event will not function if you don’t.)
3. Thou shall pick wisely when choosing your staff
(So maybe your friend wants to be the Feast Steward and they are no Wolfgang Puck or even Tom who works at Qdoba…a person wants to be Merchant Steward but has flaked out in the past…your Laurel wants to be Gatekeeper but clearly needs to stick to embroidery when it comes to doing math. You have the duty to say no thank you, and or to train them, or find someone who can train them to your expectation.)
4. Thou shall not assume a person is doing their job, be involved in all aspects of planning
(We’ve all been there, you ask a friend to stop by and walk your dog while you are away at an event…. annnnnd you come home to a poo-poo palace. Ask yourself, did you check in the morning of to cement plans? No, well you have a mountain of poo to clean. Yes, then the job should have been followed through on, if not, they are off your Christmas card list and your staff choice for next year… you may also have needed to explain your expectations more clearly.)
5. Thou shall be flexible; flexibility is not giving in, or giving up
(On the day of the event, things may not go as planned. As Event Stewards we want ALL of our plans to go off without a hitch, and then it rains, or snows, or tornados, or the ovens freeze, or the bread doesn’t rise, or the dance instructor breaks her toe, or the youth activities coordinator goes in to labor. Having the ability to be flexible when dealing with situations is paramount, you will think of a fix or gracefully apologize for changes due to unforeseen circumstances. The event will be okay.)
6. Thou shall be both leader and manager
(A good leader is not a person who will strike a mighty pose and dish out jobs and duties with a point of the finger. A good leader will make informed decisions in cooperation with her staff and work with others to implement and follow up on those decisions. On the flip side, micro managing just pisses people off, let your staff know up front the points (days and times) that you will be checking in on their progress. If they know ahead of time it won’t feel like you are hovering or are searching for incompetence.)
7. Thou shall be vigilant about organization and deadlines
(If you are about to step up to run an event, have a system of preparation planned out well in advance, create deadlines for your staff and yourself and then work to keep them. Make lists, create a staff only Facebook page or google doc and or do both!)
8. Thou shall always check in with ALL involved parties a week before the event
(Do not assume! Do not assume! Do. NOT. Assume. Call or email each and every person who is involved in the event the week before, even if it’s to say you are excited and how can I assist with anything. Call the site, send a message to guard and retainer volunteers, call your cook, call your set up crew, call your luncheon steward, call your entertainment… you are the HUB around which the event rotates. Like the planets rotating around the sun, you bring them all together and shed light, if you are not on point as the sun....all planetary beings die…along with your event.)
9. Thou shall be clear, and communicate effectively
(Know what you want from people before you start talking to them. Make a plan as to when you share out information. Don’t overwhelm with too much information at once and have your staff respond back after you divulge so you can see if your communication was indeed, effective. What you are saying and what they are hearing could be different, it’s up to you to make sure all are on the same page.)
10. Thou shall congratulate the team for successes and personally take responsibility for fiasco's
(Encourage, support and congratulate your team even if snags were hit along the way. Take responsibility if things were not planned well enough. We want people to volunteer in the future to help out with events and there is nothing like a kind word or praise to ensure that happens!)
Below are my Event Steward 10 Commandments, follow them and follow me to the event promise land! Hallelujah!
Event Planning 10 Commandments by Baroness Eleanor:
1. Thou shall keep control of your emotions, even when the kitchen is on fire
(You must keep a calm head, people will look to you to take control and solve issues, freaking out and being highly emotional will just stress others out and take time away from solving the issue, so suck it up buttercup!)
2. Thou shall not expect events to run themselves; they don’t, you do
(You are going to have to say no. You are going to have to make decisions. You will have to be the glue that holds the event together, this event will not function if you don’t.)
3. Thou shall pick wisely when choosing your staff
(So maybe your friend wants to be the Feast Steward and they are no Wolfgang Puck or even Tom who works at Qdoba…a person wants to be Merchant Steward but has flaked out in the past…your Laurel wants to be Gatekeeper but clearly needs to stick to embroidery when it comes to doing math. You have the duty to say no thank you, and or to train them, or find someone who can train them to your expectation.)
4. Thou shall not assume a person is doing their job, be involved in all aspects of planning
(We’ve all been there, you ask a friend to stop by and walk your dog while you are away at an event…. annnnnd you come home to a poo-poo palace. Ask yourself, did you check in the morning of to cement plans? No, well you have a mountain of poo to clean. Yes, then the job should have been followed through on, if not, they are off your Christmas card list and your staff choice for next year… you may also have needed to explain your expectations more clearly.)
5. Thou shall be flexible; flexibility is not giving in, or giving up
(On the day of the event, things may not go as planned. As Event Stewards we want ALL of our plans to go off without a hitch, and then it rains, or snows, or tornados, or the ovens freeze, or the bread doesn’t rise, or the dance instructor breaks her toe, or the youth activities coordinator goes in to labor. Having the ability to be flexible when dealing with situations is paramount, you will think of a fix or gracefully apologize for changes due to unforeseen circumstances. The event will be okay.)
6. Thou shall be both leader and manager
(A good leader is not a person who will strike a mighty pose and dish out jobs and duties with a point of the finger. A good leader will make informed decisions in cooperation with her staff and work with others to implement and follow up on those decisions. On the flip side, micro managing just pisses people off, let your staff know up front the points (days and times) that you will be checking in on their progress. If they know ahead of time it won’t feel like you are hovering or are searching for incompetence.)
7. Thou shall be vigilant about organization and deadlines
(If you are about to step up to run an event, have a system of preparation planned out well in advance, create deadlines for your staff and yourself and then work to keep them. Make lists, create a staff only Facebook page or google doc and or do both!)
8. Thou shall always check in with ALL involved parties a week before the event
(Do not assume! Do not assume! Do. NOT. Assume. Call or email each and every person who is involved in the event the week before, even if it’s to say you are excited and how can I assist with anything. Call the site, send a message to guard and retainer volunteers, call your cook, call your set up crew, call your luncheon steward, call your entertainment… you are the HUB around which the event rotates. Like the planets rotating around the sun, you bring them all together and shed light, if you are not on point as the sun....all planetary beings die…along with your event.)
9. Thou shall be clear, and communicate effectively
(Know what you want from people before you start talking to them. Make a plan as to when you share out information. Don’t overwhelm with too much information at once and have your staff respond back after you divulge so you can see if your communication was indeed, effective. What you are saying and what they are hearing could be different, it’s up to you to make sure all are on the same page.)
10. Thou shall congratulate the team for successes and personally take responsibility for fiasco's
(Encourage, support and congratulate your team even if snags were hit along the way. Take responsibility if things were not planned well enough. We want people to volunteer in the future to help out with events and there is nothing like a kind word or praise to ensure that happens!)