Recently, I experienced working my first event. It was a very busy time, in which I bounced around from department to department, helping out wherever I was needed. It was a lot of work. Part of me wondered about how the guests handled all the craziness, and then I realized, they never saw it. The only thing they saw was their successful event.
The same thing can be said about planners. Guests fill out a sign-up form, pay their money and then head off to the venue to enjoy a few days of worship and fun. What they don’t see is the endless hours of research, scheduling and organizing that go into planning a successful event. They don’t have to figure out who will be rooming with whom, talk with sales about dates and times, or sketch up any of the promotional material. Planning is a lot of work, and most guests don’t ever see it. I’m not saying this to discourage you from planning an event. Especially if you use a team, the process can be fairly smooth. What I am saying is don’t give up or take short cuts. Although you may not see all the appreciation for what you do, it is definitely there. One of the benefits is that guests also don’t know when things didn’t go according to plan, because they never knew the plan in the first place. We see so many great events at our properties that transform people’s lives. And although you may not be able to see the fruits of your labor, someone else will. You never know the impact you might have on someone, just by putting in those extra hours to plan.
I’m not complaining about working the event. I actually really enjoyed myself. And hearing about how much everyone else enjoyed it, made it that much better. So no, no one is going to understand all the work you put in to make this event what it was. That’s what makes the best events so successful. No matter the stress or work, the only thing guests will see is an amazing event that makes them want to come back next year.