Event planning is exciting, fun, and rewarding. It’s also been identified as one of top 10 most stressful jobs in the United States. In addition to event coordinators, other event professionals like DJs, caterers, florists, and more often feel the crunch that comes with events.
Event Therapy Network, founded by Charessa Sawyer, offers therapeutic support resources for event and entertainment professionals. Charessa is a Certified Event Planner (CEP) and Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). This combination gives her a unique understanding of the challenges event professionals face, one of which is being comfortable enough to talk about their mental health.
“No one in the events industry talks about their mental health, and we should. As event professionals, we worry about coming across as unprofessional and whether it would affect our ability to get clients,” says Charessa. “Now, I am not saying we should post our mental state on social media or announce it to the world. What I am saying is that it’s important to talk to someone, put ourselves first, and control what you can. Often, Event Therapy clients will blame their events and work—that there’s so much going on that putting yourself first is impossible. But, instead, we should start by looking at how we can make change within ourselves to create processes and boundaries to provide the grace we need to stay calm and centered.”
Putting yourself first is a big ask when so many event professionals tend to be people who put their own well-being and happiness second to that of their clients and teams. So, where do you start? Below, Charessa offers some actionable advice for event professionals, all of which she’s implemented herself as the founder of SCV Productions.
7 Steps Event Professionals Can Take to Care For Their Mental Health
By taking these steps, you’ll protect your mental health and learn how to respond instead of react to everything happening around you.ettings.
1. Block time for yourself.
2. Use the tools.
Calendars, schedulers, CMS, do-it-all event management platforms like Eventgroove…they’re all there to make your life easier. “Whatever tools save you time and streamline your processes, use them. Adopting new technology or services and training staff may take time up front (and add some stress!) but it’s worth it in the long run, since it will ultimately make things easier!”
3. Set communication parameters and boundaries.
Charessa recommends setting boundaries with clients right from the start. For her own event business, this includes communication clauses in her contracts that state how much she’ll be available by phone, email, text, and, yes, even DMs (because of course clients try to reach you every way they can when they want an answer NOW). If communication exceeds that limit, there’s a fee. The policy informs the working relationship between herself (and her team)and her clients. The trick with this is to stand by those boundaries. If you have a hard stop on texts and calls after 7pm, then only make allowances during a true emergency.
4. Build break time into the event schedule.
Insert some time off to your internal event schedule shared with your team, as well as the one shared with your client. Of course, while some events require all hands on deck in the days leading up that doesn’t mean you can’t block out time that’s off-limits and only for you. On the day of, you and your team will need breaks for the restroom and to eat—you are human, after all! Make sure you build those breaks into the timeline. Remember, everyone does a better job and is more ready to meet challenges when they aren’t starving and exhausted.
5. Praise yourself.
6. Don’t go at it alone.
Having support on site is a must for so many reasons, but especially when you need a moment to gather yourself after a high-stress moment. Even if that person is an event colleague to whom you say, “I need 3 minutes for myself. I’ll be in the bathroom,” they’ll understand! Someone on your team who’s at your side is also essential for when you do have those crisis moments that seem to happen so often in events. Charessa shared this story of a recent event, “All the glassware for the bar shattered in the van. All of it. Instead of panicking, I laughed—it was totally out of our control! And then, because I already knew there was a Michael’s nearby and knew thanks to Honeybook how much it would cost, I sent my assistant to buy new glassware. I was able to handle the situation with calmness, mental clarity, and humor because I had help, actively maintain my mental health, and have systems in place to enable me to quickly problem-solve.”
7. Reach out for help.
If you’re searching for a low stress way to manage yoru events, consider Eventgroove’s all-in-one events platform. It has all the tools you need, including easy registration and online ticket sales, event ticket printing, seamless check-in, team management, and more. Plus, if ever you need help, our Montana-based team is happy to assist.
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