Endless Events: When you are hosting an event, we know you want everything to go perfectly. However, events have a lot of variables and with Murphy’s law, you can bet something can always go wrong. This isn’t to say your event is going to fall to pieces and you should just avoid having an event altogether, though. If you plan well enough, you may not even have anything go wrong!
7 comments:
What to do when an event goes wrong...I feel like this article really did live up to the expectations I had after reading the headline. I was really hoping for something I hadn't heard before. That really was not what I got. I feel like this article fell short in that the recommendations it did make, were pretty common sense. Staying calm...that seems like a given for basically any situation where something is going wrong. Bring extra equipment...I mean it would be nice to have an extra of everything, but you could absolutely be talking a crazy amount of money to do this. I was hoping for something a little deeper that I hadn't heard before. I don't think I could think of anything not listed in the article, but that is kind of why I was hoping for more from the article. The only somewhat interesting part to me was the part about having knowledgable employees, but again, pretty common sense.
I feel like these are common knowledge. I don’t know, I have been a planner since I was little so these steps feel natural to me. I mean they summed it up pretty well… “Always be prepared”. I think that is a little too broad though. I think that they could have done with giving a little more example or expanding more on these ideas. It’s kinda hard to write a comment because in the end. I think that the point about have reliable partners is a good one, thought that can be hard sometimes. You have to build up a next work of people. Yes “you have to be in control” but at the same time you need to be willing to delegate that control to others you are working with especially when you are problem solving something in the moment that needs to be fixed in a timely manner
I always love to read the article that give you “10 Tips to Stay Organized” or “5 Ways you can Not Procrastinate,” because they are always the same. I think there has only been one of these kinds of articles that I have read where I actually appreciated the advice given, but this article is unfortunately not that one. I don’t think anything on this list is not common knowledge. Of course it’s important to stay calm. Of course you should have a plan B. Of course your entire team should know of plan B. I especially loved how aggressively the author tells you to “keep a positive attitude and stay calm – no matter what!” and then immediately proceeds to tell you that “you are responsible for resolving the issue” in the “Stay In Control” section. The combination of something going wrong at an event and knowing that you are the sole person responsible if the issue does not get resolved is not at all a good combination when you are trying to stay calm.
I do agree with others that this article didn't really list anything that I haven't heard before, but I will also say that it is still important to review. I mean, things consistently go wrong in the school of drama, and on many occasions we don't know what to do. Preparedness is always key, and many others follow. Have backup plans, have individuals you can call upon to step up, and stay composed. As we went into this year, I mentioned to the TD office that we will make many mistakes along the way, but it is how we react to those mistakes that will define our success. We are all here to learn, and messing up is one of the best ways to do that! It is extremely great this year to have the group of TDs currently in the office, and even when mistakes do arise I'm sure we will find a solution collectively. In the end, we succeed as a collective team.
One of the reasons I love the theatre industry, stage management in particular, is because solving problems is what always keeps me on my toes. In high school, I was mesmerized when a professional show I was in the audience for had to solve a problem on stage. It may seem obvious to me and others in the industry, but it is so interesting how just another theatregoer probably didn’t even notice the problem when it was happening. As the article mentioned, when it is you who must solve the problem, it is important to “remain calm” and “take control” of the situation. These two skills have always been something that come naturally to me. For example, in high school I was the stage manager for all the productions the four years I was there and so that meant I was working with other students who had little background in problem-solving in the theatre. As mentioned in the article, you want your “staff” to be knowledgeable, but in this case, not only did I need to solve problems and have a team to help me, but I had to teach that team, in that moment, how to solve such problem.
I quickly learned starting out doing theatre that one guiding rule of performances was this: something always goes wrong. Whether it's a small mixup with a line or a prop left onstage, or something much larger like a tech malfunction (or god forbid the set falling apart), it's extremely rare for a show to go exactly according to plan. Which is why it's so important to be prepared for these eventualities. The article makes several good points: being prepared for mishaps through backups and training are essential, but a level head and clear thinking in the case of misfortune are perhaps most important. Being able to deal with difficult, unforeseen circumstances on the fly doesn't always come naturally, but it is vital that run crew know how to keep a show afloat in all but the direst of situations.
I’m always terrified of things going wrong and me feeling like a failure from it, so it’s definitely good to know how to deal with those kinds of things while they’re happening or after. Unfortunately the article here basically just says ‘dont be stupid about it.’ Obviously panicking isn’t going to stop a situation from going south. Having backup plans is good thing to do in general; and yeah, you’re not going to want to intentionally have a bunch of incompetent staff. The part about how you have to stay in control seems a little odd. Like sure you’re in charge when things are going wrong, but if something fails in a way that you are not properly trained on how to solve, you’re going to need to delegate. I think one of the other main problems with this article is that it says “What To Do When Your Event Goes Wrong” but almost everything it’s telling you is about what to do beforehand. I was hoping there would be more tips on how to actually deal with things after they start going in the wrong direction.
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