The following could take place between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM:

An event can be stressful and time consuming; there’s just no two ways about it. After months of planning, speaking with vendors and selling sponsorships, everything can still not go according to plan. The most important thing to remember here is the follow-up. The best way to ensure that someone is going to be reliable on the day of your event is to methodically contact them prior to the event and ensure that everything is proceeding according to plan.

While it shouldn’t be your problem if the vendor needs more information about the site or if they are missing something, it will ultimately come back to haunt you in the end – if you let it. By staying in constant contact with vendors and sponsors alike, you (as the event manager) will ensure that nothing falls through.

Occasionally, calling vendors may not be enough. If this is the case, you will have to go into crisis mode. Most likely a few weeks prior to the event, someone will back out and you will have to deal with it. How can you deal with it? There are myriad options. The most obvious is to look for new vendors. It may not be that hard if it’s something small. After all, it may be for the best if they cancel before the event rather than create a fiasco during the event. However, if it’s something big, depending on the circumstances, the damages can be irreparable.

So roll with the punches and do your best to keep people in line and if all else fails, just look towards Jack Bauer. See how much he can accomplish in an hour, because when your event comes around you’ll be just as busy as him.