When I think about productivity, GTD, being organized and blogging, I think about Zen Habits. It is the best written blog about all of the above (and more) topics. No surprises it won the award as Best Overall Blog in 2007.

I am one of the thousands fan of Leo Babauta, its editor, who has accomplished a lot in life and shares daily tips on how to tackle stress and life.

I decided to interview Leo and ask him how we could become ‘Zen Event Managers’. He demonstrated to be a great individual and with amazing kindness replied to my questions.

- Multitasking is said to be one of the most critical quality of an event manager. Do you agree?

While it is useful to be able to multitask when necessary, I don’t think it should be your main mode of working. For me, at least, learning to single-task — to focus on one task at a time and block out all distractions — has been the key to being more productive, to getting important things done (as opposed to a lot of unimportant things), to reducing stress, to simplifying my work life. It’s a more important skill in the long run.

- Managing events raises stress levels to rooftop. What would you suggest to deal with this daily nightmare.

Simplify things as much as possible. Take a look at everything you do (make a long list) and decide which ones are most crucial. Then streamline things so that you get rid of the unessential. You might not get everything done, but you’ll be less stressed and you’ll get the essential things done.

- Our desks are full of projects, programs and PC monitors, how should we cope with this clutter?

Declutter. Get rid of everything you don’t absolutely need. Then set up a system where you keep things in one place instead of all over the place, and stick to the system. See my Zen To Done (ZTD) system for more info.

- We are often convinced that working more actually delivers better results, do you agree?

No, not at all. What is important is doing the essential tasks that get you to the accomplishments you want, not doing a lot of busywork. If you can do 3 important things in 4 hours, rather than 20 non-important things in 10 hours, you’re more productive and more efficient. And less stressed. Learn to eliminate the non-essential.

- To become ‘Zen Event Managers’, the first thing we should change is…

Learn to focus on the important, and to eliminate distractions.

Let’s see what she told us:

Three qualities of the successful wedding planner:

I think all the following are the essential qualities required to be a successful wedding planner: organizational skills, the ability to manage and work to a budget, creativity and an eye for detail, managerial and ‘people’ skills and finally the ability to think on your feet and be flexible.

I also think you need to be a good listener as you are essentially a ‘wedding buddy’ and ‘wedding PA’ as well as event coordinator, manager and stylist. So you need to ensure that the day to you help create is one that is appropriate to your clients and says something about who they are as individuals and as a couple, their sense of style (and you might have to work with them to find out what that is) and their values. You have to create their perfect day not Posh Spice’s!

How do you manage trust from your clients? After all it is the most important day of their life.

I think that is something quite difficult to define. It comes from a shared sense of personal and professional respect. You must like one another and that first consultation (which I think should be a free consultation following a phone call where you both ascertain that the service you are offering is along the lines they are looking for and at a price that is acceptable them) is as much about getting sense of whether you can work together as it is about what you are offering. I do think it imperative that at the outset a client or clients are clear about the service you offer, how you work and how you charge so they can decide if you are right for them. It might just be that one planner is better suited because of something outside their area of expertise - it could be something you have in common with them and therefore they like you a bit more!

What is the most special location that hosted one of your weddings?

I have no one special location. Every wedding is special be it beach, boutique hotel, loch-side inn, grand stately home or castle or a marquee in the garden. I believe weddings are about people - it’s they that make the celebration special not the location or how much money was spent on them. All a wedding planner is doing is creating as perfect a backdrop as they can. It is the things that are not planned for that often are the special and heartwarming features of a wedding day and that are remembered for years to come. Of course fabulous flowers, great food and drink and a big band are memorable, but it’s the atmosphere that really makes it along wit the spontaneous gestures - and that is as much about the people as it is a grand location. I always try to plan and encourage inclusive celebrations where the focus is on an event that builds momentum and is meaningful to everyone present as well as fun. I remind brides and grooms on the morning of the wedding that the planning is done, everything is in place and now it is up to them to make sure from the very outset they do their bit to ensure a happy day.

There are a couple of really simple things to do at the start of the proceedings that will hit just the right note and ensure an inclusive, meaningful celebration The groom greeting each guest and saying a few words of appreciation for them coming is a great start! I tell the bride and her father (or whoever is giving her away) to pause when they enter before the assembled guests and take a few seconds to just drink it in (that way the bride will be calmer as she can see this is not a room full of strangers, but a room full of people who know her, who have got her and her fiancé to this point in their lives and are here to support them) and for them to smile and make eye contact with as many people as they can as they process up the aisle. If the bride then squeezes her father’s arm before releasing it and meets her groom with a huge smile she will have won everyone over at the very start!

Tell us a difficult situation you have faced and how you got out of it.

I was faced with a tricky situation of not being able to get guests either to church or then on to a reception because a transport company ignored my instructions. I booked 6 minibuses and five times in writing told the company that they were the largest vehicles allowed through Holyrood Park in Edinburgh that was bride’s prescribed route to the church for her guests. Furthermore they are the largest vehicles allowed down the Royal Mile in the city to the reception venue we had booked. The Best Man called me on the day to advise 4 huge luxury coaches had turned up instead! After loosing my temper in a quite spectacular manner with the poor girl on Saturday duty at the transport company, I knew I somehow had to fix it with the vehicles we’d got and quickly (as the service was due to start in less than half an hour). I used every ounce of charm to first plead with the Park Rangers to allow the coaches through the Park. Luckily, because I had established a relationship with them beforehand in that I thought it courtesy to advise them of the planned 6 minibuses, they kindly made an exception and let us through. I am sure if I have never contacted them about the minibuses they would have taken a tougher line. Then, when the service was safely underway I got on the phone to the police and blagged my way through to the city’s Duty Inspector and talked to him as though he should know who I am and should assist me (remember I was desperate - letting a bride down on her wedding day is not an option)! Somehow I convinced him that this was a very special event with 200 VIPS and that their being dropped off close by and not outside the reception venues was not an option open to me. He very kindly had bollards removed and allowed the said luxury coaches to the door of the venue. I am sure if I called the Police today they’d tell me it was impossible - I must have just sounded convincing (or desperate!). I remember the bride’s brother looking on in disbelief and then saying “My God - this is why you need a wedding planner!”

But this kind of story really makes me mad: what about couples who have not got someone like me on the day to bat for them? Who would have sorted it out and how stressful would it have been? They would have had guests unable to get to church and then on to the reception. The transport company in question - who are a large national organization - could not care less (although I am about to expose them on a consumer TV show - they might care then). It is outrageous and my understanding is that this kind of occurrence is not unusual. I am often called to account by the media for the large cost of weddings. The question they should really be asking is: “Why, when couples are increasingly spending such large amounts of money on their weddings are they all too often being given poor service?” The problem lies in the fact that when the wedding is over a couple do not want to focus on the element of the day that did not go well or according to plan. They do not want the memory to be about that. But if it is a wedding I have organized I pursue it. I believe I am good at what I do and have spent many, many years grafting hard to be in the position where brides buy my books and very kindly the media want to talk to me. So if despite my reputation within the industry, my meticulous organization of every event I do, I am let down - then anyone can be and it is simply not acceptable. And it is always companies and individuals on the fringes of the industry who think it’s easy money and want a slice of it. It is a £4.5 billion industry, but I know no bridal millionaires (apart from the odd venue owner). Everyone I know and respect - be they cake makers, dress designers or retailers, florists or caterers - work long and unsociable hours and they do it because they love it and rewards are huge in terms of job satisfaction. I think we need to stick together to ensure standards are met and maintained and speak out or do something about it when they are not. Two out of three couples will not be marrying again!
The wedding day survival kit should include…

Water
Soda Water (to remove spills)
Spare shoes (I broke my heel once and so always carry a spare pair now)
Masking tape
Mini- stationery kit (including scissors and sticky stuff)
E-cloth and glass cleaner
Sprit level (for the cake table)
Basic cosmetics for bride and perfume
Labels (the brown kind with string fixings to attach to the bags that bridesmaids and the like inevitably want you to take care of somewhere or have sent to their hotel rooms)
And I have six other things in my kit that I never tell about as I do not want my competitors to include them in theirs!.

Do you adopt any practice to make your weddings environmentally friendly?

I organize weddings all over Europe and I always try and source locally and encourage brides let me do that. You do not need a London florist in Edinburgh for example, neither do you need a cake from Paris in London! I always encourage fresh locally produced produce. However, I do not put an emphasis on ‘green weddings’ per se. I think it is a bit of myth that they are the new big thing. They are not in my experience because people are travelling from all over the country (and often the world) so that already has an impact on the celebration’s carbon footprint! But if it was suitable to a client and truly were a reflection of the lifestyle they already lead then it would be important to put emphasis on it… so we are back to creating a celebration that is suitable to and reflects the values of the couple…

A bit of Background

Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, Carl George moved to New York City in 1980 where he soon became actively involved in the city’s art and nascent underground club scenes. During this time, Carl produced several experimental films that are exhibited internationally and are now part of the permanent collections at the Whitney, the Guggenheim, the New York Public Library and the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).

While still actively involved in the East Village avant-garde art scene, Carl became involved in the fashion and home furnishings industry, ultimately working as an event and fashion show producer. His first fashion show was for the launch of Fendi, North America. He then acquired luxury brand clients Yves St. Laurent, Courreges, Charles Jourdan and Armani - solidly establishing himself as one of the premier event producers in New York, specializing in fashion, beauty, culture and the arts.

For more than fifteen years, Carl George traveled nationally and internationally, designing and producing launch parties, events, and public relations tours for some of the world’s best known corporations and brands including Germaine Monteil, Estee Lauder, Prescriptives, Origins, Joop!, Cool Water, Jil Sander, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Vogue, Vanity Fair and the Museum of Modern Art.

In 1998, Carl relocated to Los Angeles and once established, rapidly acquired such clients as The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Sony, Disney, Warner Brothers, Courvoisier, Jeremy Scott, Guess?, Valentino Rome, AT&T Wireless, Lexus, the Pacific Design Center, Platinum Guild International and numerous private clients.

Carl George’s work is marked by its inventiveness, whimsy and an impeccable attention to detail. Offering an unsurpassed level of service, Carl provides high-touch, “turn-key” service - whether designing unique and functional retail spaces, producing stunning large-scale events, or designing intimate social gatherings for a select, private clientele. You can find him at www.luxevents.com

Let’s see what he told us

- Three attributes the fashion show producer should have.

• strong organizational skills

• excellent communications skills (written and verbal)

• a thorough knowledge of art and fashion history, current, global art and fashion trends and movements, and a strong vision for production and set design that refers to all of the above.

- What would you recognize as the most important stakeholders when running a show?

I would answer that it is always the client and your ability, as a professional event producer, to listen and collaborate closely with the client to insure that you help them to obtain their vision, goals and objectives by enhancing the overall effect.

- The day of the show your survival kit will definitely include…

• A very smart and enthusiastic assistant who listens well and exceeds all of my expectations.

• A “right hand man / woman” to work the front of house and call the show. Someone, like myself, who has years of experience in live show production.

• An on site laptop with a printer to constantly update the show run and production schedule - up to the very last minute.

• A professional lighting / sound crew who want to please the fashion designer, and who understand my event design and the mood of the room, and who work to exceed all of my expectations.

• A professional public relations firm who will check in guests, handle celebrities, greet everyone warmly and seat all guests quickly. Manage all print and electronic media by positioning them advantageously and according to importance.

• Assign one of my best staff members to “shadow” the fashion designer / client and tend to his / her every need for the duration of the event.

• Excellent hair / makeup teams under the direction of positive and highly artistic lead designers who know how to collaborate creatively with me and the fashion designer (no bitchy ego please) and who also possess great time management skills (very important). I always use and recommend David Michaud of www.michaudbeauty.com Quite simply the best in the biz.

• Good digital cameras and super fast printers to record any and all last minute changes to the looks or models wearing them.

• Professional dressers who come to the job prepared with kits for instant repairs, last minute pinning, sewing, fixing of broken earrings or heels. I always assign team captains and work with dressing “teams” this way.

• Professional models who arrive on time and in shape and who listen well. Models who “feel” the clothing and who feel beautiful wearing them. No actresses or actors please! I try to always give models some good runway prints after the show for their portfolios. They really appreciate it.

• Chilled pink champagne popped the minute after the designer takes his / her bows.

- The most memorable location that has hosted one of your events

It would have to the the “Platinum Rocks” show at the Couture Jewelry Conference at the Phoenician Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona sponsored by Vogue Magazine and the Platinum Guild International. I used gorgeous Ford models, set up the industrial, black rubber runway outside under the full moon and stars, had two $125,000 custom designed Harley Davidson motorcycles at the ends of the “T” shaped runway.

The models were outfitted in hard core punk rock fashions from a variety of sources including Gaultier, vintage Mugler, Vivienne Westwood, Frederick’s of Hollywood, thrift shop leather biker pants and chaps, and “barely legal” mini skirts… and to top it off, each of the girls was wearing $1,000,000 worth of platinum jewelry accented with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires.

Music by Heart, Pat Benetar, Courtney Love and Blondie. At the end of the show, two big fat biker Daddies mounted the Harley’s, revved up the engines and drove off of the runway with a beautiful biker chick /model on back. The audience of 1000 spectators went wild.

- Tell us a difficult situation you have faced and how you got out of it

Every event has hair raising complications that arise. A professional event producer handles them quickly, efficiently and intelligently and moves on.

- What would you suggest to those that want to be involved into the business?

Have a well rounded knowledge of:

• Art history
• Marketing
• Public relations
• Geography
• Cultural anthropology
• Graphic design
• Product design
• Architecture
• Design history
• Fashion history
• Develop your communication skills (written and verbal)
• Learn to write an effective, award winning creative proposal (practice, practice, practice)
• Learn how to write an accurate “estimated” budget on an excel spreadsheet
• Become an effective networker
• Learn how to promote yourself confidently without fabricating or being overbearing
• Practice proper business protocol.
• Work for the best. Listen closely. Say less. Learn. Learn. Learn.
• Dress fashionably - however that best describes you.
• Take care of your money and it will take care of you.
• Always pay your vendors, in full and on time and they will never let you down. You will also gain respect and a great reputation generally.
• Keep your clients and contacts close. Treat them carefully, judiciously, and with respect.
• Read newspapers, periodicals and newsletters every day (most for free online)
• Keep your finger on the pulse - better yet, become the pulse!
• Stay ahead of the curve
• Never be afraid of competition. It’s healthy.

Thanks to Carl for sharing such great advice and experience. I invite you to read more about Carl at www.luxevents.com

Harrison has worked on virtually every continent with organizations ranging from small villages to large corporations and NGOs. His major concern has been to assist organizations as they negotiate a transforming world. In some cases his role has been little more than holding the hands of the anxious. In other situations his function was more overt, assisting organizations in the sometimes painful process of self-understanding and renewal. In all situations the organizational mythology and culture was the focal point, and the power of self-organization the ultimate driver.

For what concerns events Harrison Owen is the voice of Open Space Technology which he has theorized and discussed in his masterpiece Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide which I invite you to read if you approaching the world of Barcamps, Unconferences or simply if you want to add a flare of Open Source concepts to your event.

Let’s see what Harrison has told us.

- What is the role (if there is one) of event coordinators in Open Space Technology (OST) events?

Pretty much the same as in all other events - taking care of space, logistics, and meals. But it is a lot simpler because the meeting basically runs itself (self-organization) and the participants take responsibility for their needs and actions. Even with very large gatherings (1000-2000+) this is true. In a curious way, the real trick is NOT to do stuff.

- What are the first steps we should take to integrate OST practices in our next event?

The very first step is to really make sure that you actually want to use Open Space. Open Space is marvelous when you have highly complex issues and a great diversity of participants. It is absolutely the wrong thing if the sponsor wants to remain in control of what is going on, both in terms of the happenings during the gathering and the final results. Control resides with the participants who will decide what they want to talk about, how they want to do that - and the conclusions that result will be theirs. This may sound like total chaos and pandemonium but the experience is that the people will take charge of what they care about and the results can be almost mind-blowing. For example a group of engineers at Boeing re-designed the manufacturing process for making doors on their airplanes. They did this in two days when everybody “knew” that doing something like this could take several years. Not every Open Space produces results like that, but after 20 years and several 100,000 iterations in 134 countries it has become quite clear that the Boeing experience is not unique.

- Three attributes of the perfect OST event

I hate to say it, but every Open Space is perfect J And the common attributes are 1) High Learning - folks regularly think impossible thoughts and come up with unthinkable solutions. 2) High Play - everything takes place in a playful, albeit respectful environment. Even when the central issue is deadly serious (as with Palestinians and Israelis working on the issues of war and peace) - it is quite common to hear laughter breaking out followed by hugs. 3) Appropriate structure and control - the level of structure and control in the typical Open Space event is so complex that no planning committee would even dare suggest it, but that structure and control is all emergent. It comes from the people themselves. In a gathering of 2108 German Psychiatrists, the participants created 236 concurrent sessions which all ran over the course of a single day and each session produced a written report. That is complex structure and control! 4) Genuine Community - One of the curious things about Open Space is that even mortal enemies (literally people who have been killing each other) will treat each other with respect, and most often end up liking each other (hugs).

- Why a sponsor would like to support an OST event?

The predisposing conditions for an Open Space are as follows: 1) A real business issue, however you might define “business - that people really care about. 2) Enormous complexity in terms of that issue such that no single person or even a very smart group could possibly get their arms around it. 3) Great diversity of the participants in terms of points of view, disciplines, economic status, education etc. 4) Lot of passion and conflict. 5) A Decision time of yesterday - in short this is an issue that needs to be dealt with NOW!

- What is the role of volunteers in OST?

If by “volunteers” you mean people that help out, but don’t participate - that role is minimal to non-existent. Everybody there should care to be there - and if they don’t care about the issue, no reason for them to come. And if they are there, and do care - the will take care of just about everything. Seems to work every time.

We asked few questions to Jurgen Rollman organizer of the 2006 Soccer World Cup

1) How important is security for an event such as the World Cup? Did you take any innovative measure to ensure safety?
Rollmann: Security is important in every situation in our life. No fun can arise without security, nothing would work without security. To ensure security during the world cup in germany we made a ,,National security strategy” chaired by the Ministry of interior, which includes all our national security-structures and the experience of our international partners. It was an extremely detailed job done in close co-operation with the German Football Association (DFB) and its Organizing Committee. A great success was the integration of international policemen in their home-uniforms in germany. These policemen gave their own fans with their presence alone a good feeling of security - and they celebrated the event together. In germany we have the common saying: Die Polizei, Dein Freund und Helfer (The police - your friend and assistance). These images have been transported perfectly in reality during the world cup - and these details from the ,,National security strategie” will be copied and repeated by the organizers of the Euro 2008 in Austria/Switzerland.
2) Thousands of people mean a lot of pressure. Would you share your secret to stay calm in delicate moments?

Rollmann: During the four weeks we have had only little delicate moments. I think, there was no secret in keeping everything calm, it was just the professional work of the security-experts after a long period of preparation. And some lucky circumstances like the brilliant summer-weather. The crowd wanted to celebrate and with the public viewing-areas, in this dimension for the first time in the history of the world cup, we had a wonderful thing to cool them down.
3) The 2006 World Cup has been a great organizational success. What event management aspect has been crucial in order to deliver such results?

Rollmann: Crucial was the good communication between the important stakeholders: Host Cities, Federal government, Government of the provinces, German football Association and FIFA. We experienced a great motivation at all levels in the preparation period to make the world cup into a big success for germany. And we had Franz Beckenbauer, the ,Kaiser’, a man with an enormous charisma. He was the perfect leader in the whole process.
4) There is a lot at stake when such an event takes place. Who would you reckon has been the most crucial stakeholder for success?
Rollmann: Please look to my answer in question 3.
5) For those approaching sports event management, would you share three qualities to become successful.
Rollmann: 1) Communication - and a little bit of luck. 2) Communication - and a little bit of luck. 3) Communication - and a little bit of luck.
6) Have you implemented any practice to minimize the environmental impact of operations?

Rollmann: Yes. For the first time ever in world cup history, quantifiable environmental goals were agreed for the world cup in Germany and implemented in the Green Goal project for the fields of energy, water, waste and mobility. It was also possible to improve general environmental management competence in the stadiums. Munich and Nuremberg are the first stadiums in Europe to be accredited under the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). One of the most important goals was climate neutrality. For the first time ever it was possible to compensate for the unavoidable 10 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in Germany caused by the world cup through Gold Standard projects in India and South Africa. The € 1,2 million invested in climate protection projects was financed by the Organizing Committee, FIFA and sponsors.