by Danielle Steffan, Event Coordinator

Event planning is a very fun and exciting field to work in! There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your clients happy and overjoyed about their event being perfect.  While most of the time the industry is very rewarding, there are also unexpected things that can come up. In order to ensure our events go as smooth as possible, there are several issues coordinators need to be prepared for. From my experience, there are several common situations that may come up while planning an event: poor weather, miscommunication, and a budget gone wrong.

The weather is something that we have no control over, but it is something that we should consider when planning an event. If the event is using outside space, it is always best to have a back-up plan in mind. As event coordinators, we should always be thinking of alternative solutions in case something happens. Luckily for us at the Convention Center, we have plenty of space if Erie weather does not cooperate. We also have a large, versatile space called the Anchor Plaza which has a large tent with sides; if there is bad weather, we can still utilize the space.

Another situation I have run into is miscommunication with the client. It is our job to make sure we are getting every detail from the client and making sure that nothing is over-looked. Forming a great relationship with the client is very important. We want to turn the client’s vision to life and try our best to do this. Although we try our best to make sure the event is perfect, sometimes there is a miscommunication between us and the client. If this does happen, we just need to make it work!  Here at the Convention Center, we have a great operations and food/beverage team and we all work together to make sure the clients vision is successfully executed.

Lastly, another struggle event coordinators often face is the client’s budget. Whether it’s small or large, we as coordinators need to make sure that we stay within the budget. If the client wants more than what the budget allows, we need to be creative and think of options that would work for the client in their budget. The budget can sometimes be the most challenging part of the event, but making sure we communicate exactly what the client can get within the budget will help the entire event run successfully.

These are just a few things to be aware of, but the majority of the time events run smoothly!  It is our job as coordinators to think fast if something unexpected comes up. It certainly makes the job more fun and exciting.