The world of event planning has never seemed so healthy, despite what many consider to be an ongoing and possibly deepening risk of recession. We never tire of gathering together for a myriad of reasons and sporting events, social activities, commercial functions, smaller celebrations, society weddings and all the way up to giant conventions and conferences.

At the time of writing preparations were well in hand for one of the leading events in the industry, the Event Production Show, which takes place in central London during the winter. Of course London will be the center of attention in 2012 as the Olympic games get underway, but the British capital is also gearing up for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and numerous other keynote events.

Event production is an exciting and challenging sphere of business. For event planning companies however one thing is a  constant and must be remembered, no matter how small or large the function concerned.

Event planners know that they must live by the motto, to never leave any stone unturned as they put together a first-class event from “soup to nuts.” The proverbial stone, if left unturned, can hide something that will according to our good old friend Mr. Murphy, significantly and adversely affect the running of the event itself. What it means in other words is that every “what if” scenario should be investigated and it is up to event planning companies and their principles to anticipate different scenarios as they lay out the course of the event.

When an event goes smoothly and all those involved go away with good memories, the sponsor of the event is happy, the associated brand is well represented and all attendees are richer for having attended. Yet unless many different stones were turned over to see what was beneath, something untoward could have cropped up to derail the best of intentions. What happens if another event encroaches on yours, causing the possibility of a reschedule? What if a keynote performer fails to materialize? Do you have a backup plan in case of electrical or equipment failure at an important point in proceedings?

It doesn’t matter whether you are preparing for a large family wedding or a qualifying event in the Rugby World Cup, event production must be carefully analyzed from the point of view of a master logistician. When you think that you have covered “everything” go over it all again and ask your “what if” question from a number of different perspectives. That’s what it takes to be successful in this industry.

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