Step 9: Orchestrate a Great Event

An image of myself making an announcement at the 2016 Find Your Sunshine Benefit Concert

The day is now here! After all the hard work and persistence, your event is coming into fruition! What's next?

Organize & Schedule

The easiest way to ensure your event goes smoothly is: organize, organize, organize! If you do everything you can to sort the little details out before the event, you'll be much more relaxed during the actually event.

First, think of all the things you know you'll have to do during the event and list them, so you know what you have to accomplish. Anything you're worried about, try to set it right before the event so you don't have little things that prevent you from remaining calm or from the event going as smoothly as possible. If you know all the ins and outs of your event, you'll feel confident and be able to handle issues that may come your way.

Second, make a schedule for the day. This schedule will keep you and others around you on track and focused on the tasks ahead. Personally, I like to keep a clipboard handy during the event, as pictured above, and keep my schedule with me throughout the day. It helps me not only keep focused, but also, if I have to switch things around, I can easily see the layout for the event and work accordingly.

Assign Jobs

Earlier when you first created your committee, you most likely assigned roles to them that fit their speciality. For the day of the event, you want to do something similar. Assigning your committee members jobs ensures that everyone knows what they are doing and that everything needed to be done throughout the event is covered in someway. Give committee members specific jobs with a clear task. For example, during my concerts, I made folders for each job that held instructions within them so whoever was working job would have a clear understanding of what they are supposed to do. This also prevents last minute pandemonium and confusion during the event.

If you're not exactly sure what jobs you should have, think of all the components of your event. If you are selling tickets, you'll need people working at the ticket booth. Jobs might also be more specifically tailored to your event. For the benefit concert, I needed musician handlers who would help me keep the musicians organized and ready to go. Obviously that job is not needed for every kind of event, so make sure to think outside the box and brainstorm about what kind of help you'll need.

An image of two committee members working the ticket booth at the 2018 Find Your Sunshine Benefit Concert.

Be Flexible

Even if you are extremely organized and put together, things don't always go according to plan. Be ready and be flexible. I know it might seem frustrating if things aren't working out at first, but don't give up hope. You can always switch things around and ask others for help. This is why being organized is extremely helpful. If you know what can be changed and how everything works together, you should be able to adjust accordingly.

It is crucial not to panic or freak out if things start getting a bit messy. It can happen. Sometimes you're behind schedule, or you can't find people, or you forget something, but you have to remember: it is ok. You have put so much time and effort into this event by now that one little slip up isn't going to ruin everything or put your efforts to waste. Even if there is a larger issue, know that if you were able to handle the chaos and stress of planning an event, you can handle anything!

Enjoy!

The day you've been working towards is finally coming up and it feels surreal. One thing I must stress to you, besides staying organized and keeping calm, is just to remember to enjoy the event. After all the hard work you put into it, it makes no sense not to! Try to stop yourself from running, and force yourself to just sit, even for a moment, and recognize what you've done. Be ok with just observing and enjoying all the work you spent planning to get to this moment.

I always felt like the concerts went by so fast, so this year I really focused on living in the moment and enjoying the event. I got to talk to people, observe reactions, and receive positive feedback. By just trying to relax a little bit and not get caught up in the, what you'll realize later are, minuscule details, you can appreciate everything you've done, all the people that got you there, and the amazing things you can accomplish.

As always, if you have ANY questions, please feel free to email me at find.your.sunshine.concert@gmail.com and send them my way!