As the year winds down, event professionals, including Sonja Söderbom of Ovation Global DMC and Vibes Ambassador for The Venues Collection, eagerly anticipate a well-earned break. Amidst the final rush of events before the holidays, there’s a collective breath of relief and anticipation for family time. Reflecting on the year’s successes prepares them for an even more prosperous 2024, filled with promise and new opportunities. It’s a thoughtful pause, embracing past achievements and future aspirations.
What were the most successful initiatives you introduced in 2023, what contributed to their success and how did they shared the future?
A focus area has been the health and well-being of our talent who are our most important asset and the key to the success of our business. We all know that creating a strong culture and positive work environment increases employee retention and engagement and for our team connecting socially is important especially when we are not all in the office every day. We have implemented group exercise classes on Thursday afternoon which have included dance classes, pilates, boxing and personal training sessions, we also offer a half day Friday on the last Friday of each month a chance for the team to have some down time or focus on those personal things that sometimes we don’t always get to during the working week. We include healthy snacks in the office and also organise quarterly lunch gatherings for the whole team to connect and reflect on the last few months.
What advice do you have for event professionals regarding maintaining a sense of balance during stressed times?
Our industry can be a high-pressure environment often so it is important to prioritize self-care, delegate tasks when possible and set realistic expectations. Look at your time management techniques, communicate openly with your team and be adaptable. Remember it is ok to ask for help and to adjust plans as needed to reduce stress. It is important for me to take breaks and staying organised so I can review and prioritise what needs to happen when there are multiple things that need to be completed.
What does 2024 look like for you and your team and how do you prepare for it?
We are coming out of a very busy 2023 and 2024 is going to be another exciting year for our business and the industry. As we start to slow down what is key is reflecting on the past year what worked what didn’t so that we can make sure we are growing, planning but also implementing any new processes to provide a more efficient work environment. Getting ahead of our project plans as much as possible this side of Christmas will allow our team to relax and truly enjoy the festive time without already thinking about the next project taking place.