Life of an Event Planner: Tara Dougal, Content Director at Informa

My first events job was running infrastructure finance conferences across Latin America. It was a market I knew nothing about. I was operating in Spanish and dealing with very senior finance execs, lawyers, and government stakeholders – safe to say, I felt very out of my depth. Looking back now, despite how I felt, I took it all in my stride and learned a considerable amount in that first year. It's straightforward for an Event Planner to be obsessed with the detail. While you must prepare everything meticulously, it's also important to remember that if something doesn't go to plan, it's not always the disaster you perceive it to be. So, advice to my younger self, which still applies 10+ years later, would be: 1. Don't panic: You can only prepare so much for events. I love to have backup plans B, C and D up my sleeve, but ultimately, it's not a case of planning for EVERY eventuality. It's about how you respond in the moment. The most important thing by far is not to let anyone know that something hasn't gone to plan; panic is contagious. Make like a duck - serene on the surface but paddling like hell underneath! 2. Don't sweat the small stuff: With the time we invest in planning each moment of our events, it isn't enjoyable when a particular aspect doesn't go to plan, and you feel the experience may be compromised for attendees. If a speaker cancels or the catering is wrong – it's not always the end of the world. It might not be what you planned, but will it detract from the overall experience? (See Point 1). 3. Enjoy the moment: There is so much build-up for events, months of preparation, blood, sweat and tears; before you know it, it's all over. When you're on-site, it feels like it's ALL HAPPENING. Try and pause for a moment to take in the result of all the effort and energy that went into making it happen. I love meeting attendees or the speakers you’ve emailed countless times, walking the exhibition halls, and soaking up the atmosphere.