10 Prioritization Tips for Promoters

When in planning mode, event managers have a million and one things to worry about. Time management and prioritization are not just skills, they become a lifestyle. Even the most seasoned event planners can stand to add a few more things to their toolbox. Here are 10 prioritization tips to help you keep calm under pressure and execute on an incredible event.

1) Establish your overarching goal and vision

Before the planning even begins, clearly articulate why you're even having this event in the first place. Then set concrete goals that align with that vision. Doing so will make decisions down the road much easier because you'll be sure that they align with your overarching goal.

"It's easy to get distracted the thousands of details that come with event planning. But if you establish clear goals from the beginning, the rest of the planning becomes much easier."

-Rachel, Customer Success Manager at Bizzabo.

2) Outline the day

To keep focused on the overarching goals, it's important to make every day count. Make sure to start your day with a clear schedule of what needs get done and by what time. This daily ritual will help you stay focused on checking off the tasks that contribute to your main event goals.

3) Make deadlines, not to-do lists

The danger of to-do lists is that once the tasks start piling up, your list becomes endless and more difficult to prioritize. That's why it's essential to immediately set deadlines once tasks start coming in. Having a logical, chronological progression of objectives will help you better visualize the needs for your event.

"Everyone needs deadlines. Even beavers."
-Walt Disney

4) Know the difference between urgent vs important

It's easy for a task to feel important because of a creeping deadline, but make sure that the sense of urgency is not distorting the actual importance of the task. Certain tasks add immediate value and others just make you feel busy. The clearer the line is between urgent and important, the smoother your event planning will be.

"What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important."

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

5) Use tools that help you focus

Good prioritization isn't only about ranking your tasks. Sometimes it comes down to good old fashioned hard work and focus. To help you focus on one task at a time, there are a number of productivity tools available. For instance, Marinara Timer helps you stay focused for 25 minutes at a time, in what is known as the pomodoro technique. The app Self-Control creates a blacklist of websites that remain locked for a set period of time. Tools like these will definitely help you stay focused on the task at hand.

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