We’re all familiar with the phrase, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” 

Yet, for event organizers deep into the planning process, it probably feels more like, “Where did the time go?” 

We love planning conferences, trade shows, workshops, and virtual networking opportunities, but we understand how things can get off track without proper planning and time management skills. Conference organizers juggle hundreds of tasks and work long days. And we know from experience that even the best organizers in the businesses can benefit from time management tips. 

Why is time management important for event organizers?

For starters, time management keeps events on track and on budget and ensures you have the capacity to get the job done. But effective time management needs to go further than just ensuring your event runs on schedule. For event planners, good time management skills are all about having a plan, knowing when to say no, and leaning on technology to streamline your workflow. 

Want to free up some capacity and work smarter? Read on to learn some time management tips you may not have considered before.

6 time management tips for event planners

1. Delegate the work

Event organizers passionately work on every last detail to ensure a flawless and fabulous event experience. It’s in our blood. But overdoing it can quickly waste time, cause mistakes, and hamper work-life balance. 

Smiling female company leader ceo give paper report business plan to diverse employees at group office meeting, businesswoman manager conducting team briefing work on paperwork at boardroom table

If you have dedicated event staff, don’t hesitate to delegate. We all possess different skills, so take advantage of your team’s unique abilities. You may realize one member is a rockstar at enlisting sponsors, while another excels at social media marketing.

Delegating also helps other members on your event team gain new skills, which levels up the entire team, boosting efficiencies and improving time management along the way.

2. Identify and act on quick wins

Effective event planning and management involves a wide range of tasks, both big and small. As you build your event plan, make a list of tasks you can complete in a couple of minutes or less. Then, whenever you experience some downtime, complete a few items on the list. It helps you stay productive while freeing up time to work on larger, mission-critical tasks.

Plus, checking items off your to-do list (even quick 5-minute tasks) feels amazing!

3. Take a break (or several) 

Woman enjoying coffee to go and using her cellphone outdoors

We know you’ve heard this time and time again. But it’s true. Taking a break from the event planning chaos is the best way to clear your mind so you feel fresh and ready for the next challenge. 

Event organizers passionately work long days on end, and sometimes weekends, too. But without regular breaks, you’ll quickly feel burnt out. Take moments throughout the day to go for a walk, meditate, exercise, or perform any other activity to help you destress. You may even think of your next big idea! 

4. Pre-record event content

Running a live event takes considerable focus and attention to detail. One way to free up capacity and make your life easier is to pre-record some of your event content. From keynote sessions to sponsor commercials, save time and eliminate live-event mistakes by recording all or a portion of your content in advance.

Event technology like Simulive and video-on-demand enables you to pre-record event content and schedule it to go live at a specific time during the event. With your event programming queued up and scheduled in advance, you’ll free up additional time during the event to focus on other event management tasks.

5. Use event tech to your advantage

Event management technology helps event teams simplify tasks and work efficiently. Whether you’re planning a one-day event workshop or large-scale hybrid event, take a look at some of the ways event technology improves time management.

Power events from start to finish with one platform

An end-to-end event management platform helps event organizers save time by running the entire event from a single platform rather than piecing together disparate systems. From facilitating attendee registration and on-site badge printing to reviewing metrics and sending out post-event surveys, the best event technologies simplify every step of the process.

Easily update event materials in seconds

In the old days, organizers needed to reprint agendas, marketing collateral, and other materials whenever there was a speaker or schedule change or to simply to fix a typo. Because event technology stores all data in the cloud, you can instantly update the agenda, change the time of a session, and communicate last-minute details. Even better, you can erase printing costs from the event budget and never make another trip to the print shop.

Customize the look and feel

Event tech improves time management by enabling event organizers to fully brand and customize the look and feel of the event. Drag-and-drop technology and intuitive design make it easy for anybody to build a sleek and professional event experience, with no design experience required. Change layouts and  add your brand colors, logos, and icons with ease.

6. Plan for surprises

A microphone stand alone on a stage in the rain while a group of people hide in the background

Event planners should take a Murphy’s Law approach to time management and assume “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” 

We aren’t suggesting it’s possible to plan for every possible outcome and solution, but you can make life easier by including various contingencies in your event plan. Add extra budget to cover surprise expenses. Also choose back-ups for the venue, speakers, and catering, then prepare for how you’ll resolve technology issues.

When you plan for the unexpected, you save time by quickly turning to a pre-vetted solution versus scrambling in the moment to come up with a viable alternative.

Improve time management with Webex Events

Webex Events (formerly Socio) provides a comprehensive, end-to-end event management solution to support seamless events, whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid. 

Schedule a free demo today to see how Webex Events can help you manage your next event by powering registration and check-in, attendee engagement, sponsor promotion, event production, live streaming, networking, and more!