I
recently received a press release detailing the
most common nightmares experienced by Brits*.
While it's not entirely relevant
to our industry, it got me thinking about what our
audience - a collective of event, meeting, conference and incentive planners - consider to be nightmares in event planning.
From delegates not turning up, to double-booked venues, can you tell the difference between our eventprofs’
sleeping and waking nightmares?
Jill Hawkins, director of Aniseed PR:
“For me, it's stepping
in at the last minute or on the day to help out at an event and then being
asked lots of questions that I don't know the answer to! Or simply attending an
event and being asked questions (I must look like I know more than I do) and
not knowing the answers but wanting to help. I think I must have control
issues...”
Lucy Williams, cofounder of BeSure Events:
“Oh
my God, my worst nightmare was showing up to 'the venue' and it being double
booked and having 200 people to house and nowhere to go.”
Mags Shaw, director of Mags Worldwide:
“I
recall many years ago waking up in a nightmare sweat not knowing where the
group was. I had no recollection of saying bye to them…
“Thankfully,
I was already at home, as was the group, not in same home, of course, that
would be another nightmare, but it did scare me not knowing where I was…”
Peter Evans, founder at Third Space Solutions and ThriveSpace:
“Mine
was the multitude of last-minute requests and the chaos around pre-build -
checklists to manage checklists.”
And the classic from Helen Moon, founder of EventWell:
“My
nightmare is always no one turning up!”
*According to the report, trying to escape and falling are
the most common nightmare themes shared by Brits.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
