Festive season is “the most wonderful time of the year”, but that’s only if you can keep on top of it. As Santa probably knows all too well, it takes serious event management skills to juggle all the logistics, people, deadlines, budgets and last-minute surprises that lead up to December 25.
You can make life easier this festive season, by thinking like an event manager. Here’s our top tips of how to manage festive season so it’s calm and full of joy.
Timelines, checklists and run sheets are gospel
From timelines to checklists, run sheets to stationery lists, a professional event manager wouldn’t dream of missing out on the planning tools that keep everything on track. Don’t be a hero – write down your deadlines, tasks and details and you’ll never be in doubt about what needs doing and when.
Budgets control stress (not the other way around)
It’s never too early to set a budget. The festive season, like any good event, can get out of control without a cap on costs. If you take the time to set your budgets early, track your spending along the way, and hold yourself accountable to the plan, January will be much less painful.
The best-managed people are informed people
It’s rare for someone to put together a Festive season meal, party, or celebration by themselves. There’s usually a mix of other stakeholders, from family members to suppliers to service providers. An event manager would take care to set everyone’s expectations early, keep communication clear and regular, and monitor everyone to ensure they stay aligned.
Atmosphere is the aim of every event
Event managers, producers and designers are in the business of creating atmosphere. They understand what elements, timings and people bring out the best in others. Apply that same thinking to your festive planning and you’ll have better events, calmer homes, thoughtful touches and, most importantly, more enjoyment all round.
Plan A, B and C
Events, like the Festive season, always have plans A, B, and C for weather, suppliers, timings and more. When the unexpected inevitably strikes in December and January, apply event-thinking to the problem, and you’ll have the answers you need to get back on track. Last Festive season our oven broke on Festive season morning, but we had spare fuses to hand and air fryers on standby, so all was ok.
Coordinate like a maestro
Catering, timings, travel, gifts, decoration, and more. What do all these things have in common? When approached like an event, they all become much easier to coordinate, assign and keep track of.
Manage the experience for the best Festive season ever
Event managers don’t just check tasks off a list; they are responsible for the experience as a whole. They are passionate about making events go to plan so that people can forget the stress and simply enjoy the event. Get into this mindset and you might just get your Festive season back.
Schedule “you time” (yes, really!)
Schedule some downtime for yourself in the calendar as a priority.
Enjoy it
Take some time to enjoy it, pause and look at what you achieved – look at all the smiles, you did that.
Debrief, and make notes for the next Festive season
Well, kind of, pour a glass of something nice and either reflect on what you’d like to do the same and different next year OR nominate someone else to host next year.