Expert Strategies For Event Planning To Reduce Stress

Why haven’t the flowers turned up? Where’s the maid of honour? It’s raining – what are we going to do! Running around like a headless chicken on an important day isn’t a good look for any birthday boy, bride, or business owner. And while hosting an event is never easy, it doesn’t have to dramatically raise your blood pressure either.

In this blog, we’ll go through strategies for event planning that reduce stress and make the process easier, and, dare we say it, perhaps even a bit more fun.

So without further ado, here are our tips for successful event planning, from the wisdom of the professional event planners at Canvas House.

Here are our expert strategies for event planning to reduce stress:

• 1. Choose The Right Venue & Suppliers
  2. Delegate Tasks
  3. Create (& Stick To) A Budget
  4. Work Through A Checklist (& Deadline List)
  5. Spread Out Your Itinerary
  6. Have A Back Up Plan

1. Choose The Right Venue & Suppliers

Your venue will set the tone for your event, whether you’re organising a high-end sophisticated cocktail party or a rambunctious 40th birthday party for you and your besties. It’s about more than picking somewhere that looks good, however, and there are plenty of questions to ask when choosing a venue that we’ve covered in detail in another blog.

Managing event logistics effectively will be much easier if you’re working with a competent, flexible, and experienced team of event planners. Make sure they’ve hosted similar events to your style in the past, and find out if they can put you in touch with local, trusted vendors and suppliers. Often, established local event venues such as Canvas House here in Melbourne will have long-lasting partnerships with catering companies, florists and furniture suppliers, so make the most of their connections to guarantee a seamless event set-up.

2. Delegate Tasks

Even if you’re the designated event planner in your company, household or friendship group by default or by design, you shouldn’t feel responsible for perfecting every last detail of the event. Lean on the expertise of the venue and suppliers you’re working with, and don’t be afraid to ask for second opinions.

If you’re hosting a birthday party or planning a wedding, ask your bridal party or close friends (the reliable ones!) to each take on one small, manageable task either in the lead-up or during the event. For example, it could be having one person responsible for greeting guests with a welcome drink, and another for collecting and putting away coats and jackets. You don’t want your guests to feel like servants, but most will be happy to help and take one thing off your to-do list.

3. Create (& Stick To) A Budget

Successful event planning for beginners starts with knowing your budget. If you’re setting your own, do some research on average venue prices, peak demand seasons, and entertainment costs before deciding. If a budget is allocated to you, for example by your company or boss for your EOFY work party, find out where they want no expenses spared, and where they’re open to saving money.

If you’re planning an event on behalf of someone else, it’s wise to confirm the largest spends, such as the venue hire, catering costs, and live entertainment before you commit to them, so everyone is kept in the loop, and there’s no surprise bill shock! Don’t spend your entire budget either – save an amount for last-minute cancellations or necessary replacements. This is one of the secrets to stress-free event planning, trust us.

4. Work Through A Checklist (& Deadline List)

Once the puzzle pieces are beginning to fall into place and you have the outline of your event, create an event planning checklist, which should be informed by deadlines. How far back you need to plan each component will depend on the nature and scale of the event. 

Wedding booking timelines can go back to two years before the event, whereas you should be able to comfortably arrange a smaller corporate dinner or seminar a month or two in advance. Time management in event planning is everything, so keep your checklist clearly visible and tick off each detail as it’s confirmed, as well as track deposits and payment plans.

5. Spread Out Your Itinerary

You’ve told everyone the speeches should be no longer than five minutes. You’ve got five speakers – that means you won’t need to allocate longer than half an hour for the whole thing, right? But what about the toasts in between, the microphone that switches off halfway through, or the speaker that has to keep pausing for the audience to finish laughing?

Almost everything that’s scheduled during an event takes longer than you might initially plan for. When hosting any event that involves a certain number of people and a certain amount of collaboration, there will always be disruption, delay and distraction. A surefire way to add stress and create a tense environment for your guests is to pack the activities of your event too close together. You’ll end up rushing through the day and constantly checking the time. Instead, allow a window of at least half an hour between activities, so you can factor in this wiggle room without it disturbing the flow.

6. Have A Back Up Plan

One of our crucial event planning tips is to identify potential risks and have a back-up plan. Whether it’s potential ‘problem’ guests, unpredictable weather, or forgotten dietary preferences, map out the alternatives. That means having a marquee or indoor space available if the weather turns for your outside event, arranging for extra catering, and informing your event staff of anything on your mind that they could keep an eye out for and handle, should it escalate.

No matter how many event planning strategies you implement, you can’t control everything. Arrange back-up plans for feasible situations, but for those totally unexpected moments, roll with the punches and do so with a smile. You may end up with one of the most memorable parts of the event, and at the very least, your guests will stay more calm and relaxed if they see the host maintaining composure.

How To Reduce Stress When Planning An Event

So, now you know how to plan an event without causing an undue amount of stress. You’re bound to still run into a couple of headaches and hurdles along the way, but with our expert event planning advice under your arm, you can do all in your power to reduce their likelihood or know how to handle them.

Of course, there’s always the option to leave it to the experts. Our tips for organising events without stress have been forged through fire, after two decades of planning and hosting our own. Save yourself the learning curve, and choose Canvas House and its dynamic, experienced team, as the venue for your next function.

Send us an inquiry today or reach us directly at 0478 056 390, and tell us what it is you want. Together, we’ll develop an event that runs smoothly and successfully.