by Sabina Popârlan, Project Manager M.I.C.E. Division
The clock is ringing. E Thursday and e 5:45. I'm not a morning person at all, it's just that today is shaping up to be a long day; we're going to the event tonight. While the kettle is sizzling on the stove, still half asleep, I'm doing today's to do in my head.
Mostly, it's about the upcoming event, but I'm also sneaking in tasks for upcoming projects and clients who can't wait for me to come back next week.
The whole day goes according to plan, with e-mails and phone calls, going through the whole event once more. One more time, that's about three times, because if I have a flaw it's OCD and the fact that from the “event planner” I learned that if you end up stressed on the day of the event, it means that something was not done right.
00:00: all materials, luggage and project team are “loaded” in the cars. We have a good couple of hours of driving ahead of us, but we are used to spending most of our lives in cars. We crank up the music and dance, laugh, sleep or tell a few details about the event. We always find something to do.
The day before the event is never friendly and keeps you on tenterhooks from morning till night. It asks you most questions and sometimes makes you doubt yourself because you still have many ideas and it's not an easy exercise to convince yourself that the decisions you've made so far are the best ones, of course, leaving room for small improvements.
Every detail that comes up you think about leaving it for the next morning, then you realize you'd better save that time for the unexpected. Because there is no event that doesn't involve the unexpected. No matter how much you plan and go through checklists, there will always be at least one item you haven't accounted for or a change, so you need to be constantly on alert.
Why so much attention to detail? Does it not work “so what”? No. Your clients naturally expect you to be more than a contractor. You are a consultant, you are the specialist who offers them the best solutions and ideas throughout the project. How comfortable would you feel just to implement, without having to make decisions and always looking for other and other options, until you arrive at the best one? Where would your footprint be?!
The event day passes without a moment of crisis, and as you get closer to the end the smile spreads across your face. In the end, that's what it's all about. The joy of the attendees, client satisfaction and a happy implementation team are some of the things that cancel out any sleepless nights, stress and moments of panic. All together because the event is not just about the Project Manager. You need a team with you to go in the same direction, to share their attention to detail, so that when needed they can show you details that you may have missed in the big picture. You need people around you to give you another perspective.
Events have this gift: when they turn out well, they wipe with a sponge everything that was before and let you keep only what you can do better next time.
On Sunday, 12:00, we're back in the car heading for Bucharest. And while you're asleep, you think about everything that's next and the projects you have in the works. One successful event doesn't guarantee that the others will be successful, so you start all over again and do dozens of to do's, go through the checklist countless times and stay alert. Any moment of slacking can be fatal. And the goal is to deliver what you promise: customized, unique events with exceptional customer service and flawless implementation.
Iar daca titlul va induce in eroare, da, uneori o zi din viata unui PM incepe joi si se termina duminica. Alteori incepe in septembrie si se termina in ianuarie.
