Whether due to lack of office space, global team members, or international clients, working with colleagues who aren’t in the office is a common reality for today’s teams.
The good news is that a far flung team can give personal attention to clients and plan events far and wide, but it can make it difficult to make sure everything is on track when you don’t see your team members face-to-face everyday. Thankfully, there are plenty of smart strategies for remotely managing your event.
1.Set Clear Goals & Expectations
Nothing muddles a project— even when your entire team is working in the same office — like an unclear event timeline. While you don’t need to have all the details figured out, it’s important that each person knows what their responsibilities and deadlines are. Make sure that recaps with deadlines and action items are sent after each phone call, and communicate any changes to the schedule or event plan as soon as possible to keep everyone’s priorities aligned. The more organized you are, the more likely your team is to follow suit.
2.Stay Connected
There are any number of ways to stay connected with your co-workers. From email to phone to text, it might seem like you’re overconnected, but there are better ways to keep work communications efficient when event planning. We love team messaging apps like Slack to keep all your team conversations in one place. The best part is that when you need to find a specific detail, you’ll only need to search the app (instead of email, text, and your shared server) to find the info you need.
3.Make Project Tracking Easy
Just like messaging, event planning deadlines can be streamlined to make sure everyone is on same page. Try using a project management website or app like Trello or Asana to manage deadlines, track progress, and communicate updates. Combined with an easy communication system, it should be easy for everyone on on your team to stay on track and pull off your event without a hitch.
4.Build a Strong Culture
When you see your event management team everyday in the office, it’s easy to build a good working culture, but that can be more challenging when you are all working remotely. Make sure that you take the time to build relationships and learn more about your co-workers than just the progress of their projects. Having occasional hangouts or video calls that involve a mix of work and non-work can go a long way toward building a solid team.
5.Trust Your Team
Once you’ve put all the other strategies in place to keep your projects running smoothly, the most important thing you can do is trust your team members. You know what they are capable of and have chosen to work with them for a reason, so give them the space to show you just what they can do. You should always be available for help, opinions, or support, but be sure to give them the chance to impress you with their ideas and ability to execute an amazing event.It takes a lot of hard work to learn how to manage an event successfully, and when your team is spread out across the country or around the world, it can be even more challenging. Luckily, there’s never been a better time to have a remote team plan an event together. Following the five strategies above will ensure event management success.
