Photo by Amara Studios, www.amarastudios.com
I’ve had the very good fortune to have been involved in hundreds of events over the years. A common problem which arises time and time again is the actual event pacing and how easily an event schedule can become de-railed. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the words “we’re running late,” or “we’ve been delayed.” Event delays DO NOT have to be a reality in the party-planning world contrary to what some industry folks will argue.
Below I will outline the most common dos and don’ts pertaining to event pacing…simple steps you can take as the event planner to keep your schedule on track and the party going. Great event pacing can make your event. Likewise, poor event pacing can decimate your party.
Do: Transition your guests from the lobby/reception/cocktails area into the main ballroom in a swift and efficient way.
I was at a 1920s Chicago Speak Easy-themed event recently where the planner had fake gun shots ring out and mobsters chase the guests into the main ballroom. (When I say “chase” I really mean “walked briskly” as corporate suits with drinks in their hands are unlikely to break out into a run ~but you get the point). The guests loved it and the planner had achieved her end-goal of moving a large group of people into the main room in a short span of time. Dinner, after all, should not be delayed because your event attendees refuse to sit down, which brings me to my first “Don’t”…
Don’t: Tolerate kitchen delays. It is unacceptable to starve your guests!
If you want to find out how to put the “grump” in the word “grumpy,” serve your guests their first course a half hour late. (Sigh) Perhaps it’s because I was raised in an Italian family, and there is food available around every corner at every gathering, I happen to be the most intolerant person when I’m forced to wait to eat. Unfortunately, I am not the only person who feels this way, which is why it is imperative to have excellent communication with the chef and kitchen staff and pre-plan the pacing of the meal in accordance with your event schedule. Ensure that there are enough staff on hand to keep the flow of the meal going. Do not cheap out on wait staff as this expenditure can earn you the praise or the scorn of your clients. Above all else, be sure to feed your guests on time.
Do: Invest in a dynamic MC who will help to keep your pacing on track.
A very common mistake is to allow the moderately out-going company employee or CEO be the night’s master of ceremonies. There is one central problem to this arrangement: That person is also an event guest! As planners we can not expect the guests (much less the company CEOs who are paying the bills) to actively take up the role of MCing the event. Excellent MCs are trained showmen whose job it is to study the event schedule before hand, rehearse his/her remarks and improvise witty come back lines should there be the opportunity to crack a joke or respond to the inevitable wise-guys who are bound to be loose-lipped after a few drinks. Save the CEO appearance for a brief speech. And I must emphasize the word “brief,” which brings me to my next point…
Don’t: Let speeches take over. Speeches can often be dubbed as “party killers”, and for good reason!
Often speeches are viewed as a necessary centerpiece of an event. Our job as planners is to shorten those speeches as much as possible in advance. Advise the people giving the speeches to keep their time on the microphone to a page or less. Blathering, tangents, and lectures can stifle your “fun factor” and otherwise disrupt your pacing. I was at an event last year where the company president pre- recorded her year-end address and had a production crew edit together a 3-minute video which played on a large screen during appetizers. Perfect! Timing was bang-on, and the company president didn’t have to fret about stumbling over her speech because it was already done.
Award ceremonies are notorious for running overtime so acceptance speeches are best eliminated all together. Work with your MC to have pre-scripted introductions to allow your award-recipients to feel acknowledged. Unless you are planning the Academy Awards there is no reason to have long winded, dramatic acceptance speeches. Many of us planners orchestrate events for the corporate world where company employees (while superstars in their own right) are not trained actors and glamorous starlets comfortable with standing up and making a spectacle of themselves in front of their peers.
Do: Select a venue which the bar is located inside the main ballroom.
There is truly nothing worse than having your guests engage in a mass exodus to the bar outside your main party space. A bar is a natural meeting place where people congregate and chat. Once many people migrate outside to the bar they don’t come back in! Try to avoid a separated bar like the plague…you’ll be happy in the end that you did!
Don’t: Allow long delays in between songs from the band or DJ.
It just so happens that my own father is an award-winning instrumentalist and one of Toronto’s foremost band leaders, Bob DeAngelis. This is also the reason why I am sensitive to the precious space between one song to the next. It only takes a matter of seconds to clear a dance floor, and good band leaders know this for a fact. Watch a great band leader carefully and you’ll see that he or she is always rushing to prep the next tune so as to minimize or eliminate the gap all together. The same goes with DJs. The flawless mixing from one song to the next keeps the energy up. Talking and introducing the next number should also be kept to a minimum.
Bob DeAngelis and "The Music Spectrum" www.bobdeangelis.com
Don’t: Put your guests asleep during dessert.
This follows my last point about the importance of having an experienced band leader or DJ on hand. The music pacing should transition smoothly from background music (during dinner) to party music (for dancing afterward). My preference is of course to select live music over canned tunes, but that’s another blog post for another time. Judging the mood of your guests is also extremely important. Your music specialist will help you select an appropriate play list while helping to keep to the theme of your event. You should also put trust in your hired musical entertainment to monitor your crowd and switch gears on the songs based on your guests mood.
Don’t: Be afraid to schedule your featured (cirque) entertainment staggered throughout the evening.
As I’ve spent many years advising clients on appropriate entertainment packages for their specific event, and I will always recommend vignettes which span a period of five minutes each as opposed to one main “show” which can run 20-30 minutes in total. Guests are satisfied with watching shorter acts and returning to their meals, conversations and walking around. To me there is nothing worse than making guests stop and watch. Our cirque performers are outstanding to say the least, but the “wow” factor and your guest’s interest is preserved when you choose to separate the featured entertainment. Cirque act by course is also a great way to pace your entertainment. As an example, have your ribbon dancers come out during appetizers, bring out the double hoop act during your main course, and shock everyone with a tumbling aerialist in a heart-stopping silks performance. Wow! Talk a bout a memorable experience!
Do: Be conscientious!
When planning the pacing of your event, ask yourself “would I like to be a guest at this party?” The point after all is for your event attendees to enjoy themselves! If you pace an event in a way that you find enjoyable, chances are that your guests and ultimately your client will relish in the experience.
Best of luck!
