Prepare For Your Event Like a Professional Athlete: Variety

Now that you know how to build your team like a professional athlete, it’s time to learn about variety. Variety comes in all shapes and forms for athletes and event planners alike. For an athlete, switching up your routine and bringing in new exercises is a great way to cross-train and prevent injuries.  In the same sense, as an event organizer, you need to be using different event prep methods and ensure you’re resting in order to avoid an event-related injury!

1. Proper Warm-Up
   1. Stretch
   2. Set an Achievable Goal
   3. Start Slow
2. Be Consistent
   1. Set a Pace (and be consistent)
   2. Visualize Your Victory
   3. Maintain Proper Nutrition 
3. Your team
   1. Coach
   2. Fans
   3. Training Buddy
4. Variety
   1. Take Time Off/Sleep/Recover
   2. Use a Range of Different Exercises and Training Methods

Take Time Off to Recover

The day before a marathon, what do you think a runner is doing? Most likely, they will go on a short run or do some form of mild exercise, but nothing too exhausting. They will go to sleep early to ensure they are properly rested for the next day. After crossing that finish line, what do you think a marathoner is doing? Whether it was just a training run or an actual competition, they immediately begin recovery. This means they start drinking lots of fluids full of electrolytes and recovery aides. They may choose to take an ice bath, stretch, or do electro-shock therapy to help their muscles recover. The more they help their body refuel and recover, the sooner they'll be able to get back out there. The same goes for event planners. Whether the event is still weeks out and you’re caught up in all of the organizing you need to do, or you’re in the middle of the event, make sure you remember to breathe. Pulling an all-nighter in college might have been something you were secretly proud of, but you aren't in college any longer and you need your sleep. Even if it seems like your work will never end, you are far more productive when you’ve had enough rest. Make sure you’re closing your laptop and turning off your phone for a few hours so you can rest and re-energize for the next busy day!

Cross Training

Did you realize that just because you work out every day, that doesn’t mean you're benefiting? In fact, people who do the same workout (such as the same 3 mile run every day) could be gaining weight. This is because your body, thinking it is doing the right thing, prepares itself for that workout by storing fat for you to use during the workout instead of burning it. In order to avoid this, athletes vary their workouts by cross-training and incorporating variety into their workout regime. Similarly, as an event planner, you need to use multiple different tactics instead of focusing on only one area. If you put all of your planning efforts on food, your attendees are going to be disappointed by the lack of content. Instead, you should incorporate variety into your event planning toolkit. Focus on different areas of the event, such as check-in, content, food, and more. You should also incorporate a mix of different planning exercises to help ensure your event works out perfectly. Need some help adding variety to your planning toolkit? Try new promotional methods such as social media to draw a larger audience and get your attendees hyped up early. Use an array of event tech such as CrowdCompass by Cvent to stay organized and keep your attendees in the loop, or Cvent OnArrival to help streamline the event check-in process. No matter what tools and methods you use, incorporating variety into your planning process is going to help you succeed.