We’re back to organising in-person events! But let’s be honest…organising events in 2023 comes with its own set of challenges. And although it no longer means navigating lockdowns, event organiser fatigue is taking its toll.
Who would have guessed organising events in 2023 would be a different ball game ALL OVER AGAIN? (brain overload emoji)
I’M TALKING ABOUT EVENT ORGANISER FATIGUE.
SEE…
Back in 2019, event fatigue used to be this post-event crash organisers would experience. (I wrote a blog about it. You can read it here.)
Then a pandemic came along.
And event fatigue became a ZOOM thing. I mean, how many hours can you spend staring at a screen without slightly losing your marbles? I’m sure you’ll remember. (rolling with laughter emoji)
But then… surprise, surprise…on the back of all that, the face of event fatigue in 2023 has changed once again.
AND IT’S NOT WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT!
Event Planning Challenges In 2023: The Contributing Factors
How naïve we were to think that in a post-pandemic world, everything would return to normal. As if nothing happened. We’re finding out the hard way that we do live in a different world.
And just like everything else around us, organising events in 2023 looks different.
SEE…
- In the span of a few years, we went from an unquestionable 9 to 5 workday (give or take), to suddenly working from home (THE SHOCK!), to some days in the office and other days not, to ….??? Do we even know what the new standard is? When should we be in the office? When can we take a break? Anything goes. But then also… it doesn’t. It’s confusing, and it’s taking some time to find our feet.
WHICH MEANS… STRESS IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH.
- But also, I don’t need to tell you there are staff shortages everywhere. You’re probably experiencing it first-hand. Fewer people doing the same amount of work between them. It’s crunch-time on all levels.
WHICH MEANS… STRESS IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH.
- And to top it off, if you thought the end of a pandemic would be the end of the shock, you probably know better in the meantime. We’re desperate for the exhale, but instead, we’re dealing with sky-rocketing mortgage rates, rising cost of living, cyclones, floods, tornadoes… We can’t seem to catch a break!
WHICH MEANS… STRESS IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH.
And while we’re trying to navigate all that, business is back to organising events in 2023 like there is no tomorrow.
The result? EVENT FATIGUE ANNO 2023!
Deadlines get missed, emails remain unanswered … and the event date looms!
Because… THE EVENT IS JUST ANOTHER THING TO DEAL WITH ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE!
The stretch is gone. It’s all in the too hard basket!
BUT events remain as powerful as they were a mere 5 years ago! Of course we want to keep them going!
My thoughts?
I’M FEELING YOU!
But we also can’t ignore the signs.
So, we may need to come up with a few strategies to make organising events easier on us, the people involved with organising the event.
Strategies To Help Event Organiser Fatigue In 2023
I’m not going to lie. My team and I notice event organiser fatigue. And we feel you!
So, we sat down and came up with some strategies that will help you cope with organising a business event that has been piled on top of all the other things you have on your plate.
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Event Organiser Fatigue Strategy 1: Do Regular Workload Capacity Check-Ins With Everyone On The Team.
When everyone is stretched to the max with simple day-to-day tasks, you can’t assume people will have the capacity to do the additional event work. Which means… you have to do regular check-ins with other team members and be flexible with re-allocating tasks across the team if needed.
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Event Organiser Fatigue Strategy 2: Introduce A Workload Capacity Tracker.
Building on event organiser fatigue strategy 1, what easier way to regulate your workload capacity than with a capacity tracker?
You may have been able to juggle it all in pre-covid times, but the reality is… things have changed. When you track the number of hours across the team, you have a better idea of what’s a realistic timeline for the event. And let’s be fair, allowing the team a realistic schedule (rather than stubbornly sticking with what used to be the norm in pre-covid times) will give you the breathing space you need to get it all done without missing deadlines.
Everyone wins!
We’re massive fans of our project management tool Monday.com. But of course, you do you.
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Event Organiser Fatigue Strategy 3: Spread Projects And Events Out Across The Year.
Be realistic about other projects that will interfere with the team’s availability. Randomly picking a date because the venue is available may not be the smartest thing to do when you also have a new product launch deadline looming.
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Event Organiser Fatigue Strategy 4: Take A Break!
We all know this, but so rarely do it. (Old habits, right!?) But with flexible working hours becoming the norm, going for a walk to clear your head instead of mindlessly staring at the computer screen, may just be the smart thing to do to boost productivity.
Let’s just call it first-hand experience, ok!?
I hope these 4 strategies can instigate a discussion amongst the event organising team on how best to deal with organising events in 2023. Let me know if you can think of other strategies to make organising events easier while we’re coming to grips with a changed world. As we’re navigating the new normal, multiple brains always know more than one!
