Amelia’s 5 Tips to Help Meeting Planners to Stay Sane in 2017

“Every year, I start off the new year with some generic resolution like “Eat healthier” and then shortly after January 1st, Sales Kickoff planning enters full swing and I suddenly lower my expectations for myself to “Please just don’t stress eat 500 Peanut M&Ms…before lunch”.

Whether you’re planning an event for 50 or 5,000 attendees – meeting planning can be stressful! Here are 5 helpful tips to stay sane this month.” – Amelia 

1. Get organized!
2. I love a great spreadsheet, but sometimes they aren’t the best method for working with others, which is why I love Asana. In Asana, you can assign tasks and collaborate with your coworkers, and it couldn’t be easier to use! It’s flexible enough to where you can easily add in those random ad hoc requests that come in and even better, you don’t have to dig through emails to find conversations because you can communicate with your team members right in the platform. Asana also has a mobile app that you can use offline, which I greatly appreciate during my daily Caltrain commute.
3.  

 

Write it down!

Despite my love for Asana, I am still very much a devout “notebook person.” Call me old fashioned, but there’s just something about having something written down that makes it feel official – plus with so many cute designs out there, how can you not love the promise of a new notebook?!

Rifle Paper Co. has some of my favorite designs (which also make me smile because they remind me of these adorable dresses from one of my favorite Amazae weddings!)

Whenever I’m onsite working an event, I always sleep with a notebook right next to my bed. That way, when I wake up at 4AM in a panic that I need to reprint something, I just write it down and go back to sleep (or at least try!)

 

 

Take care of yourself first!

As event planners, we are typically chronic people pleasers who will do anything to make someone else happy. So make a pact to channel some of that energy into doing something nice for yourself! It can be as small as catching up with a friend on your commute home from work, taking a few minutes for a quick morning yoga session, or go “big” and treat yourself to a relaxing mani-pedi after a long day.  What’s my favorite treat? I love working out with ClassPass – it is flexible enough that I can try new fitness classes while traveling for work but it also forces me to schedule my workouts in advance, so I’m less likely to bail and use work as an excuse.

 

• Find humor in every situation – or at least try!
• This video never fails to make me laugh. Whether I’m “working with a committee here” or promising everyone “when this is all over, drinks are on me,” it’s oddly comforting to know I’m not alone in all this craziness!

1. And when all else fails, delegate!
2. We have an amazing network of vendors ready to help make all of your event dreams come true! Leave the hard work to us, so you can actually enjoy your event!