When things go wrong, you are not alone...

I happened across a funny article in PlannerWire, which is a meeting and event industry newsletter. It was of great interest because it featured examples of other planners who also have experienced "challenging" times when planning their meetings and events.

Needless to say, if you have ever felt that you were alone when things did not go as planned, think again. The article is appropriately named "What could possibly go wrong" and I encourage you to check it out. Some of the examples had me shaking my head in disbelief -- and commiseration -- in how far we go to correct the things that inevitably go wrong.

Eggs Benedict??

I recently attended a morning event that served breakfast as part of the program. I happened to be very hungry that morning and looked forward to eating overall...although, that is really no different from most days!

Well, a few remarks were given and then breakfast was served. I was very excited as I anticipated a nice fluffy batch of scrambled eggs. However, I was very wrong in my anticipation....

We ended up being served Eggs Benedict...and the plate actually looked very similar to the attached picture. What I found interesting from a planning standpoint was the actual choice in entree. Usually, if you are not familiar with a group, it would be best to serve something 'general' and safe. Or if you do know the group, then you would know what is appropriate. For instance, for a group of Cattlemen, it would be pretty safe to serve beef. However, this event was not an annual one where the same people attend, so there was no way to know who would show on that particular day.

As I looked at my table and glanced around the room, I noticed that the entree was not overly consumed. I did eat the vegetables since I do like those. And thankfully they had a good old basket of muffin/pastry carbs stationed on the table as well. Needless to say, it was a very disappointing meal. While you will never please everyone with event meals, I do find it best to be safe when choosing the entree -- especially when your audience is not as well known.

The name tag...or lack thereof

Human nature is always so very interesting when planning meetings and events. If you have attended any in your lifetime, you know that a staple of the registration process is the name tag. But what makes me chuckle are attendee reactions when they do not receive a name tag that is pre-printed. It's almost as if they equate it to doing something wrong or perhaps feeling left out?

What's funny is that I can actually answer that question given a recent event I attended. I was actually one of the honorees at this event and incorrectly assumed that my registration would automatically be taken care of, after all, I was informed that there was no need for me to remit payment in the system. Since the registration system required it, I simply didn't complete the form.

When I got to the registration desk to check in, there was no name tag for me. So guess what? I had to write my name on my name tag! I ended up making a 'joking' comment to the registration staff about wanting a preprinted tag. So I guess I did feel a bit 'different' with my badge showing my scribbled handwriting as opposed to nice, neat text. But it really was no big deal for that event since everyone would know who I was by the end of the event given I was one of the honorees. But it's always interesting how much the little meeting details really can make a big difference in the long run.

Disappearing Acts

There are always those pesky little (or big) things that happen when planning meetings and events. We recently had an event where we had staging decor brought in by one of our suppliers. This particular decor was used to help enhance the overall stage set up.

Why is that the decor was there when we left the room after our evening event around 10pm, only to find it gone when we arrived at 6:30am? The session occuring in the morning was for the last event of the program. However, the decor items were gone and we just had our drape and select plants left.

From an event standpoint, it was horrifying....

Long story short, there was miscommunication about the overall pick up. Instead of being picked up at 11am on that Monday, it had been scheduled for 11pm on that Sunday. The good thing is it was not 'tragic' in that we had some related banner signs and additional greenery to help offset the missing decor that flanked the drape. But it was definitely not something to look forward to happening again anytime soon.