Skift Take
These quotes are a perfect fit for event professionals. Here are 30 quotes to inspire and motivate you.
We could all do with a little more motivation, and it can be found in many different places. Here are 30 interesting quotes to resonate with event planners. Save, share and look back on this collection to reflect or serve as a reminder when you are lacking motivation. Every event organizing superstar needs a little inspiration from time to time.
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“It is very rare or impossible that an event can be negative from all points of view.” – Dalai Lama
Things can go wrong during events, and very rarely will everything go exactly as we plan. Listen to the Dalai Lama and look at the plus or positive side of an event, or try looking at it from a different perspective. You may find that it at least offers you some unique experience for the future, which means it can’t be all bad!
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“Time is what we want most but what we use worst.” – William Penn
Time management is essential in the event industry and during the planning phases in particular it is important to streamline time sucking tasks to make the most of every minute. If you are finding a work/life balance difficult, this quote serves as a useful reminder that sometimes you can spend your time better elsewhere.
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“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” – Tim Ferris
We all know that one person who seems constantly on the go, and yet is always asking for everyone’s help. There is a difference between busy and productive, if you are the former you need to focus on being more organized so that you are actually getting things done. Look at creating a schedule or combining processes so that you aren’t constantly flittering around and wasting time.
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“Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.” – Thomas Edison
Planning and making use of opportunities are fundamental in the event industry, so never feel like it is good luck when your event is a success, you or your team have worked hard to achieve it and you should enjoy the glory.
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“Planning without action is futile, action without planning is fatal.” – Cornelius Fichtner
Don’t jump into an event without planning first, but also don’t be afraid to plan and then put it into action. If you have thought it through then have a little faith that it will work, it’s a balance between thinking before you leap and having the faith to leap.
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“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” – Seth Godin
Driving sales can be an integral part of events and getting attendees interested or purchasing products is important, however you need to ensure that you are presenting the right products to them. Take into account the demographic, theme and tone of the event. If you are serving the right product, sales will come naturally, rather than trying to oversell and force products they don’t want which can damage the event experience.
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“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
Large projects and events can seem daunting and overwhelming and it is natural to worry that you have taken on too much. Keep working on it and chipping away – it is amazing what you can achieve when you put your mind to it.
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“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison
Never give up! If you have an idea that you believe in then you should run with it, no matter how difficult it may seem. You could be closer than you think, just round the corner from success.
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“Confidence and enthusiasm are the greatest sales producers in any kind of economy.” – O.B Smith
Trust yourself and enjoy what you do and you will find it a lot easier to promote your event, make sales and keep clients happy because it shines through in everything you do. If this is something you are struggling with then it could be a sign that event planning is not your cup of tea.
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“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible.” – Audrey Hepburn
Don’t discount an idea immediately just because it feels impossible, play with it, adapt it and try to come up with a way to make it possible. Event planners are often miracle workers!
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“Don’t find fault. Find a remedy.” – Henry Ford
It can be frustrating when things go wrong, as an eventprof you need to be prepared, problem-solve and find a solution to deal with it so there are no causes for complaint or threats to the event.
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“Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful.” – Hazrat Inavat Khan
Remember that not everyone has what it takes to be an event professional because some can just see a space whereas eventprofs see the potential the create a great event from an empty room.
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“One of the most important tasks of a manager is to eliminate his people’s excuses for failure.” – Robert Townsend
As an event manager, it is your role to make sure that you and your team have everything they need so there are no excuses, because at the end of the day if things go wrong the buck stops with you.
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“Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” – Mattie Stepanek
Hire your event dream team because together, you can achieve anything you want and make sure you all develop together to be successful, you can’t always do it on your own.
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“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Sant-Exupery
An excellent quote to remind you that no matter how many ideas you have for your events, they are just wishes if you don’t make a plan or sit down and think about how you could achieve them in minute detail.
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“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” – Michelangelo
Don’t always stay in your comfort zone, original and innovative ideas aren’t formed that way. Never treat one event the same as another, always aim and strive for something more.
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“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vince Lambardi
You’re event will not be a success if you don’t put the effort in, because nothing comes if you don’t work hard, it’s that simple.
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“A river cuts through rick, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” – Jim Watkins
Even if it seems insurmountable, chip away at a project or event one piece and a time and your persistence will pay off.
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“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great.” – Orison Swett Marden
It is up to the event professional to take something and make it extraordinary because there isn’t always the perfect opportunity waiting, you need to create your own magic.
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“Either run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn
A great quote to look at on your desk in the morning. In this fast-paced industry, make your own decisions, stick to your schedule and do what you need to do otherwise you will quickly find your inbox or colleagues taking over your true priorities.
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“When things go wrong, don’t go with them.” – Elvis Presley
One wrong move doesn’t make a disaster, just role with the punches and make sure that if something does go wrong, fix it rather than make it worse.
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“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates
If an idea isn’t working, scrap it and opt for a new one. This is particularly true of event technology – is there a better way of doing things that could make your life easier?
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“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” – William Arthur Ward
As an eventprof you should seize opportunities and work with what you have. It is better (and part of the role) to be prepared for the environment and challenges around you, rather than wishing or complaining about something different.
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“A Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Confucius
It may seem like too much of a challenge but you won’t know until you try. Often you will find that taking the first step allows the rest of your thoughts and process to flow. Nothing will get done unless you start so stop putting it off.
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“Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.” – Peter F. Drucker
You can’t be a productive event professional without effective time management, it is essential to stay on top of the workload and deal with many projects all at once.
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“Creativity is more than just being different… Making the simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” – Charles Mingus
The most original and innovative ideas can be formed from basic principles or smaller budgets because it encourages you to expand your mind rather than relying on what you have. Stay simple and you’ll boost your creativity.
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“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton
To be successful as an event professional you need to keep producing great events but it is important to remember that mistakes shouldn’t define your success. Never give up or let it get you down, just learn and move forward.
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“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” – Dr. Seuss
This serves as a reminder that you shouldn’t feel or be too restricted. One of the benefits of event planning is that you can be creative and influence direction, vision, content, themes or décor so don’t allow others to make you feel like you don’t have choices.
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“You can be discouraged by failure, or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes, make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success – on the far side of failure.” – Thomas J. Watson
Failure can sometimes be the key to success, and making mistakes give you all the experience you need to succeed in the future.
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“Guard your time fiercely. Be generous with it, but be intentional about it.” – David Duchemin
Don’t waste time, even if you want to sit on social media during your break, make it worthwhile to your career or cause because you have less time than you think.
In Conclusion
Hopefully you will have found these quotes to be thought provoking, inspiring and motivational to achieve your goals today. Bookmark these quotes and look back on them as a reminder of what you are capable of. What are your favourite quotes that resonate with you as an event planner?
