I recently did a speaking engagement and they had the standard questionnaire form. They asked for my biography, achievements, and so-on. They had a question that perked my attention, as I was cutting and pasting my information in to the form. It asked, “What was the best advice I ever received?”
The best piece of advice that I ever got was during my wedding. A friend told me “that regardless of all the planning, if something doesn’t go right, the only person that will know or care is you.”
In my work with groups and committees around planning events, this is some powerful advice. It is not a piece of advice that you give at the onset of planning. It is impactful when said in the moments just before the event. There is also relevance when it is given in the thick of planning. It is probably advice that should be sprinkled throughout the planning process.
It is not attempting to say that all your hours of planning and details mean nothing to those in attendance. The efforts of those involved are extremely valuable. The details that you checked off have made the event outstanding. Your commitment to time, professionalism, and presentation have created something special.
The message is that this event is to serve a greater purpose. That could be the merging of two lives to create a family, or the opportunity to raise money to support an important cause.
If the flowers are not correct, or they delivered the wrong stemware, or the ribbons are not the correct shade of blue, no one will no but those involved in the planning. The rest of the people will think the flowers you have are beautiful, that the champagne tickled their nose, and the hue (or hues) of blue was icing on the cake. Most of all, they will focus on the message and the mission of the event. That could be how happy the couple was, or how moved they were to support this amazing organization in their community. In some cases, it could just be all the great items/ gifts they got at the silent auction.
There will be critics. Chances are they will criticize something that is not even on your radar, or anyone else’s.
That is why it is important to be clear on your goals, your budget and your timeline.
Events are work, and fundraising is challenging. Be realistic in your expectations and don’t set yourself up for failure. If you are working with a group that has never raised “X” amount, do not assume your group can do it because ABC organization put on a similar event and raised so much.
Set your organization up for success. Most of the people you involve, will not know anything about the other event or the other organization. The people you invite are coming to an event for you and your organization, not to attend another “ABC Organization Gala {Reprised}.” Make your expectations reasonable and your timetable realistic.
Focus on making your event capable of achieving your goals and mission. That is much more important than the color of your napkins.
Here is a link to a worksheet you can customize for your event.
I have shared many other great pieces of advice. This however is the piece of advice that I share verbally most often. So …
Remember, that outside of someone crashing into the building, or an act of God, “that regardless of all the planning, if something doesn’t go right, the only person that will know or care is you.”
