What do you do if your event clients' needs and expectations are constantly changing?

Se as necessidades e expectativas dos clientes do seu evento mudam constantemente, é importante manter uma comunicação aberta e constante com eles. Certifique-se de estar sempre atualizado sobre suas preferências e esteja disposto a fazer ajustes conforme necessário. Além disso, mantenha-se flexível e adaptável para atender às novas demandas dos clientes, garantindo que o evento atenda às suas expectativas em constante mudança.

Change is inevitable eventually in any business, especially in event production. There are many variables that may need to be altered due to attendance, budget, weather, or your client simply changing their vision. Staying flexible keeps everyone at ease, provides a positive environment for all involved. Having imagination and back up plans help make the changes seamless. Your client will remember your quick thinking and hire you over and over.

Client expectations are driven by one of three things: past experience, pressures they are facing and inexperience. Document the scope of work and focus on seeking clarity on the outcome. After that, discussions on timelines and cost become a little easier. Make sure you document your assumptions very clearly and then invite your client to challenge them. That dialog will get you on the same page!

Embrace agile project management methodologies to adapt to changing client needs efficiently. Break down the event production process into manageable iterations, allowing for flexibility and responsiveness to evolving requirements. Regularly reassess priorities and adjust plans accordingly to accommodate shifting expectations while maintaining progress toward the event's goals. Agile planning enables you to deliver value to your clients incrementally, fostering collaboration and satisfaction throughout the project lifecycle.

Always having a few back-up plans enables you to retain flexibility when priorities change, and means your clients always feel they can rely on you.

Proactively identify and mitigate risks associated with changing client expectations to minimize disruptions and ensure project success. Conduct risk assessments to anticipate potential challenges and develop contingency plans to address them effectively. By anticipating and addressing risks early, you can mitigate their impact on the event timeline, budget, and quality. Effective risk management instills confidence in your clients and demonstrates your commitment to delivering a seamless event experience despite uncertainties.

Early engagement on the purpose and goals of the event can be really helpful at later guiding the client back to their original success metrics. Sometimes the minutea and stress of the event can lead the client to forget those aspects. It's our job to be cool-headed, empathising with the client's concerns, but ultimately keeping a cool head to deliver excellence. Communicating regularly, and seeking to understand their wider ecosystem, can really aid your ability to deliver them the best solutions, or simply being there to listen to their gripes!

Having regularly scheduled meetings with your client that are specifically around updates means you can manage expectations and keep them abreast of the situation at every stage of the event. By not leaving any ambiguity and giving them as much detail as possible, you can make them feel a bigger part of the event, make them feel included and answer any questions preemptively. Having that constant communication also builds better relationships so if and when you do need to have a challenging conversation you are starting from a much better place.

Maintain a scalable resource pool to accommodate fluctuating client needs and workload demands. Establish strategic partnerships with vendors, freelancers, and subcontractors who can provide additional support or expertise as required. Having access to a diverse talent pool allows you to scale up or down quickly in response to changing client expectations without compromising on quality or efficiency. Flexibility in resource allocation empowers you to meet client needs effectively while optimizing resource utilization and cost-effectiveness.

Keep a firm hand on the non-negotiable elements of the event - the objective things that have to happen to ensure event success. Having these tied up well ahead of time ensures you've got the flexibility to keep an eye on the finer details.

To avoid over promising or under delivering, set clear boundaries that are supported by the contractual agreements in place. This should include any party impacted by the changes. Minor changes add up literally and figuratively. Be candid about fees for extra hours and additional costs for changes to things outside one’s control.

I'm a huge proponent of setting a structured production timeline during the discovery phase. The nature of the business requires some flexibility, but Post-Pandemic it's almost 80% managing expectations early, and realistically.

Leverage technology solutions to streamline communication, collaboration, and project management processes in the face of changing client expectations. Implementing cloud-based collaboration platforms, project management software, and communication tools enables real-time information sharing, task tracking, and feedback collection. By centralizing project data and communication channels, you can enhance transparency, efficiency, and responsiveness, facilitating seamless coordination and alignment with evolving client needs.

Satisfy the clients immediate needs as best as possible if it's within the scope of the contract. If it is not, then suggest an alternative which will not involve additional expense. If the expense is acceptable, then implement as requested, making note to notify the front office of the additional request and associated cost.

Scheduling regular stakeholder calls is imperative to ensure everyone stays aligned to the same priorities. During these catch-ups, an 'experience deck' is a fantastic tool to paint a visual concept of the event, and remind everyone of the milestones and what's already been agreed and signed off. Much better than a boring old Gantt chart! When you get into the event this document is a great tool for avoiding potential disputes over what has been promised and what will be delivered. Don't forget to circle back to the big picture - what is this event for? What are we trying to achieve? As you get into the weeds of a project it's easy to loose sight of that. Make sure the project still going to deliver on the agreed metrics.

Enjoy the unexpected! This is what is unique about our field and where we really shine as events professionals! Where others might crumble, we can deliver!