event managers...opinion thread

[Beansandneedles]

Have you noticed attendees requiring much more hand holding in recent years?

e.g......the EM has noticed that the venue location is slightly incorrect on google maps, so (after trying to resolve the issue with google) they make sure the 'how to find us' page, ticket confirmation and the pre-event information says DO NOT TRUST YOUR SAT NAV....follow these instructions. Yet a percentage of attendees get lost/go to the wrong place and then arrive disgruntled and include it in the event feedback as criticism.

Or, you have a members ticket which is free. It says 'free RSVP for members only', yet every time there are 4 or 5 people trying to book this ticket and complaining there's something wrong with the system when they can't do it

I'm not sure if it's me getting older and less tolerant, or if people are genuinely becoming less independent/able, but it is noticeable!

Anyone else?!

Not just event management, there are people everywhere incapable of hearing or reading instructions and blame others for their utter incompetence. They just make themselves look like morons. How they get manage to get through life is a mystery.

I remember once organising a team event in Paris - spent months organising it and the detailed information leaflet which was emailed to everyone in advance giving instructions about what to do regarding luggage on arrival and departure, coach/cars from to the hotel and airports etc.

One important thing - the full address of the event location, including a detailed map plus written directions plus my contact details. Plus I suggested people added the instructions to their work smartphones. First working day one of the managers went to a completely different and unrelated meeting venue (rather than the one over the road the rest of us were at) and arrived 30mins after the meeting had started.

It might have had to do with the fact he'd enjoyed the bars of Paris far too much - he was still hungover and you could still smell the alcohol on him. It was, apparently, my fault... 🌹

Maybe there's just always going to be a percentage of people like it and there's nothing to be done. I just feel like either it's getting worse, or 10-15 years ago my patience levels were higher/I was able to smile more and professionally assist people even when they'd arguably been given all the information they've needed, but now I have no capacity for it!!! Making me consider a career change 😂

I used to work with teenagers and think too many instructions is worse than none sometimes. A detailed set of instructions with map etc is likely to be ignored by a minority of adults and teenagers. But that's their own fault really. I imagine most people get it right / follow the instructions correctly. I don't think this is a new problem either.

I had someone phone me three times on the way to a meeting because they couldn't find their way. They were using public transport. I sent links to the time table and clear directions for the 5 minute walk from the bus stop! Unbelievable.

the more event info you give the more complaints you will get as people become more infantile.
so maybe the answer is just give the venue address and time and that is it. Anything else is up to the attendees to sort!
just don't take responsibility for people getting to or from the venue in any way at all

I don't think this is anything new sadly!

Attendees always expect the earth and will shout very loudly if you haven't anticipated every eventuality... even when you've already included it in the FAQs in capital letters 🙈

It's not my job, but I organise sports events on a voluntary basis and yes, it does my head in sometimes that people seem incapable of following even simple instructions. I have a closing date coming up soon. It's very clear when entries close on all the event info, I am doing a countdown on our social media and so on, but I will guarantee thatin the days after entry close my inbox will be overflowing with requests for late entries from people who "didn't know". Likewise in the week before the event I will get multiple queries the answers to which are in the event manual already circulated. Then on the day people will still turn up at the wrong time, try to sign on for the wrong age group, not have brought the necessary ID and so on.
Of course most participants are well organised, polite and thankful but I think the minority who aren't is getting bigger and the worse culprits are parents of our junior competitors. I am seriously thinking of giving up running junior events as they're so bloody stressful.

I'd agree with that.

I have an event running in Leeds today. I was phoned at 7.02 this morning with the first completely unnecessary query which would have been solved if the person concerned had simply paged down their joining instructions.

Maybe people are still suffering from a post-covid lack of confidence.

That's a kind way to consider it.

I do try to give people the benefit of the doubt, or at least it used to be easier to do that. Now I just seem to be exasperated!!

I am often onsite at exhibition booths for clients - just incase something on the booth stops working etc. Anyway one day one of the client team came up to me and asked me who had called her on her phone? said they were speaking french (I am english and we were in spain!) I still do not understand why she though I would now who had called her mobile phone!

Maybe people are still suffering from a post-covid lack of confidence.
Lack of confidence I don't have an issue with. Say someone is a first timer at one of our events, is unsure what they're doing and asks for help then that's absolutely fine. And people do make mistakes and forget stuff. If they are polite and accept responsibility that's ok and we will help if we possibly can. It's people whinging about trivia or being downight bolshy that wears me down. I had parents turn up with a kid who wasn't entered at one of our events recently. We don't accept on the day entries but they'd travelled quite a long way, the kid was upset and it wasn't his fault so we rushed everything through and got him in. You'd think the parents would have been grateful but actually all I got was abuse from them because he had to wear a spare number that was a different colour to everyone else's! It's things like that that make me wonder why I bother.