Here it is… the results are in for the annual review of which occupations are the most stressful, and there might be a few surprises on that list. Okay, most people would agree that the first four — military, firefighters, pilots and police — universally recognized to be stressful jobs. But you can bet there’ll be a large part of the audience who won’t believe Event Coordinators could, or should, be at number five. But their disbelief is largely because they’ve never tried to coordinate an event … or been in the vicinity of someone who is.
“The 10 Most Stressful Jobs of 2016” – Business News Daily
Based on the site’s ranking, here are the 10 most stressful jobs for 2016 and their stress scores:
- Enlisted military personnel: 84.78
- Firefighter: 60.59
- Airline pilot: 60.46
- Police officer: 53.82
- Event coordinator: 49.93
- Public relations executive: 48.46
- Senior corporate executive: 47.46
- Broadcaster: 47.30
- Newspaper reporter: 46.76
- Taxi driver: 46.33
– See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/1875-stressful-careers.html#sthash.AukXEjtS.dpuf
“You must be kidding…Event Coordinators at number 5? Surely NOT” I hear you exclaiming! “All they do is organize a party, don’t they?”
Well consider this… First and foremost, Event Coordinators have a huge amount of accountability. They are responsible for creating, organizing and executing a smooth, successful event. As a result, the branding, marketing, reputation and future success of a business can rest on the shoulders of one very overworked and dedicated event or meeting coordinator.
So who would be the best person to cope with this high level of stress?
Here are a few traits to consider when looking for someone to plan your event, large or small. Whether looking internally or for an outside provider (contractor), look for someone that:
- Is militarily organized – and we mean battle-spec organisation.
- Is a master of venue management
- Is an expert at booking entertainment – the most appropriate entertainment
- Has an impeccable attention to detail
- Is skilled at knowing how to brand and market your event
- Is professional at staging your event and ensuring your event’s decor is spectacularly reflective of its theme, objective and outcome
- Has a composed temperament under pressure
- Has effective people skills
- Is an accomplished leader
These are just a few of the characteristics that good event professionals demonstrate — at a minimum they should be all of these things.
An Event Coordinator MUST also have a “Make It Work” attitude. There will always be last minute issues that arise; and whether or not they have been planned for is irrelevant — how they are handled is all that really matters. The Event Coordinator must take everything in their stride and adjust as needed; it may not have been part of the plan, but it is part of the reality.
They JUST Make. It. Work.
Now it makes more sense!
Event Coordinator: number 5 in the 10 most stressful jobs for 2016.
