The Stressful Life of an Event Planner: Is It Worth It?

Event planning is a demanding job, and it's no surprise that it's been listed as one of the most stressful jobs in the world for the past decade. According to a recent study by the US recruiting site, CareerCast, event coordinators have a stress score of 51.15%, placing them almost side by side with law enforcement officers and airline pilots. The same survey also says that they face more stress on a daily basis than the jobs of top corporate executives, public relations executives and taxi drivers. It's no wonder why event planning is so stressful - there is a lot of pressure to get things right, within a strict time frame and on budget. Combine that with the fact that it's a live experience, where you only have one chance, and that makes the work very stressful. Not everyone can handle that kind of pressure.

If you're an event professional, you're probably not the last one, as event management is anything but stress-free. Of course, people should know where to turn if they have any questions or concerns, but humility is actually a very important attribute for all Event Managers and is a good indicator for me of a successful event. It is still a relatively new and fast-growing industry, so the need for event organizers is expected to remain high for some time. If you work as a freelance event planner, there may be periods of unemployment between contracts.

The best way to reduce stress in event planning is to ask your team for help and understand that you are not alone in this. Event planners should also practice best practices when it comes to reporting on the actual ROI of events and where costs can be reduced without affecting the objectives of the event. We talked about how event planners can reduce stress in a recent article, titled “8 Steps to Wellness for Event Planners.” While event planners may not be literally putting out fires, they are certainly dealing with their fair share of potential “disasters.” Event planners have no choice but to meet their deadlines, even if it means 12 hours a day, skipping meals and getting little sleep. Even more so in the events industry, where they expect you to work magic to achieve an exceptional event that shows an out-of-the-ordinary ROI with a budget that doesn't cover half the costs.

Here are some ways you can ease the stress of event planning and be more efficient in organizing your event: set up alarm devices to ensure you wake up on time; ask your team for help; practice best practices when it comes to reporting on ROI; and understand that you are not alone in this. Due to the nature of the role, event planners can be hyper-winning, perfectionistic, controlling, or a combination of the three. In the following article, we'll discuss these additional benefits as well as the usual pros and cons of being an event planner to help you decide if event planning is right for you.

The event coordinator serves as an information conduit between the client or host organization, speakers (often VIPs), participants, vendors, and event staff.