Navigating Burnout in a World of Constant Change

By Naomi Tucker, CMP, HMCC

As event professionals, we have always been accustomed to thinking on our feet. We take in information from our teams, clients and event suppliers and create the most amazing experiences. And although the changes that we’ve had to manage haven’t been easy, in recent times science, laws and regulations can bring change quickly, and as event professionals, we must be ready for it.

However, managing change for continued periods of time can be exhausting and mentally taxing. This constant shifting can create toxic stress that can eventually lead to burnout. Thus, it is increasingly important for event professionals to learn how to navigate burnout. These tips may be helpful as you continue to push the industry forward while planning events.

Focus on the Attendee Experience

Creating a dynamic experience that delights your attendees is the common anticipated outcome for events. Filtering your response to changes through your event’s outcome empowers you and enables you to make quick decisions that positively impact their experience, from registration to departure. Maintaining this attendee focus can help you relieve the toxic stress that can rise up in the planning process.

Emergency and Contingency Plans

Event professionals have emergency and contingency plans in place for their events. Those plans are more actively maintained now than ever before. With so many variables changing in the world to date, it is critical to take a closer look at your plan and make necessary updates that will create advantages for your event. When you take proactive steps to have a decent emergency plan, you are preparing your event to be equipped for any unforeseen circumstance.

Exercise Your Agility Muscle

Change can occur fast. And making sure that you can make quick adjustments to change swiftly is important. Here are some steps that can be effective for you in managing change.

1. Understand the change – ask questions for clarity
2. Identify the impacts to your event
3. Collaborate on the plan to communicate or take action
4. Clearly communicate the change

Having these steps in mind when change comes to your event can help you develop the agility to respond swiftly. Being agile is a keen skill to have as an event planner and can help you make sure that the stress of the change does not affect you personally, allowing your response to be where your strength lies.

Protect Your Personal Energy

You most likely start your days with 100% of your energy. Throughout the day, your energy is expended on a variety of tasks. Protecting your energy on a day-to-day basis is the best form of self-care that an event professional can do to avoid burnout. Managing events takes a lot of energy, so ensuring you are bringing in balance regularly and often by taking breaks, or offsetting stress with time away from work, will help you greatly. Be smart about how you manage your energy reserves so that you can balance your commitments as well as have personal contentment.

Ultimately, making sure that you are adequately prepared for change allows you to make changes swiftly when they occur. When you are intentional about the steps that you need to take, you can make those changes without building up stress and thus avoid burnout. Our industry moves fast and is very dynamic, and as event professionals, we need to be able to do what we do best, and that involves working in high-pressured, quickly changing environments. To be able to navigate burnout is a hidden skill to have so that you can stop burnout before burnout stops you.

About Naomi

Naomi Tucker, CMP, is an Account Director of Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, Inc., a Past President of MPI Wisconsin Chapter, and the Founder of Planners on Purpose. Naomi has more than 25 years of experience planning meetings and events, and she loves to write and discuss her learnings in this industry at her website Planners on Purpose, where she coaches ambitious event planners on burnout and productivity, and most of all how to lead stress free life on purpose. When she’s not coaching or managing events, Naomi enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and getting lost in a good book.

www.plannersonpurpose.com | Facebook: facebook.com/plannersonpurpose | Twitter: @planonpurpose | Instagram: @plannersonpurpose