For all event practitioners out there, The MICE Academy would welcome how you would handle the situation as described here:
- Discussions commenced at director level over one year in advance for an event scheduled to take place the following year. Regular ongoing meetings were held to smooth out any rough edges;
- All details were committed in writing as agreed โ plus signed by all parties – with the details appertaining to six key aspects which were assured wouldย take place;
- Less than three weeks before the event day โ the key director departs and the file details appear to be missing including emailed correspondence with various attachments;
- Hurried meetings are convened plus the event practitioner calls for onsite meetings a day prior to the event with the key contractors secured by the party with whom all the written agreements have been counter-signed;
- Comes the event day with the attendees arriving – all key aspects with the contractors appear to be forgotten.
The result?ย All key aspects regarding a variety of sub-contractors proved less than satisfactory causing a variety of attendee distractions to occur.ย In turn the set objectives were less than satisfactorily concluded.
As an event practitioner โ how would you handle a situation such as the one described? Would you:
- Become noticeably aggressive and unpleasant with the responsible parties while attendees look-on in the distant background;
- Announce a delay to the commencement until the key decision-makers had sorted out the less than satisfactory sub-contractors;
- Announce a new date to re-convene at a future time;
- Make the best of an unsatisfactory situation and allow the event to proceed according to the programme time-table;
- Gloss-over the entire situation and soldier- on in the belief that it will fade fromย peopleโs memories (eventually) with the hopeful impression that โthese things happenโ.
This particular event practitioner opted for number 4 as the other options were either unprofessional, impractical or utterly unacceptable.
The Academy agrees with the decision taken by the event practitioner in this instance. In situations as described it is best to โbite the bulletโ and grin and bear a most untenable situation. ย A few individuals that arrange events as a sideline believe it is not the event practitioners fault โ it is the sub-contractors that erred.
Unfortunately the responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the eventย practitioner who should ensure that following the event in question, all parties who agreed to the key aspects are made to be accountable for their actions โ or lack of effective actions.ย It is only through ensuring that those who profess to be effective sub-contractors stand-up and be counted to answer for their dismal performance and ensure that the standard is raised for future events.
Another real learning curve in an industry that is so dynamic in nature with limited verifiable standards of performance that accountability has to be instilled going forward.
Hence from a forgettable MICE situation โ a great deal is likely to be derived by both the event practitioner and in particular the MICE industry.ย For when โlife gives you lemons โ make lemonadeโ.
