I may be new to the meetings & events industry (read about my first couple of weeks as an Intern at SoolNua) but, I’ve been involved in the world of speech & drama for over ten years. The deeper I delve into the world of #eventprofs and #meetingprofs, the more similarities I am seeing between the preparation you go through before going on stage as an actor and the preparation involved in organising an event.

I won’t be delving into the stanislavski method or the alexander technique in this blogpost but, here are a few tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way from my time on the stage (and screen!) that I have found to be helpful for me when performing.

Know your lines (or your venue!)

The preparation and planning for a theatre performance is similar to that of planning an event. You need to know what props you will use, decide who the characters or stars of the team are, what venue suits the type of event and what the script (or key messages) will be. Event professionals have to make similar decisions about schedule, purpose, where and when the event will be taking place and contacting the relevant people who will be attending the event. It’s a good idea to be familiar with your setting, so familiarise yourself with the venue. The more you know about your role beforehand the smoother and more enjoyable the event will be.

React! Cold readings

In the same way that an #eventprof must react to unforeseen changes to schedule or event location, an actor too must adapt to many unexpected changes and circumstances. Someone might forget their lines or a prop might even be moved to a different place than it was during rehearsals! As we know sometimes no matter how much we are prepared for an event, things don’t always go to plan and sometimes, well we just have to improvise! You have to trust that it will work out on the night. Afterall the show must go on!

Breathe

Sometimes planning and running an event can be stressful just as it can be for an actor who is preparing for a performance. Sometimes simply by focusing on the breath we can settle those nerves as well as give the voice enough space to properly project and come across as less nervous! Afterall an #eventprof and an actor both use their voice as their main tool of communication and breath control has an impact on this.

We’re rolling!

Once the show begins you just have to let things go, forget about the planning and the rehearsals, clear your head and completely focus on the task at hand. When the cameras are rolling, an actor must simply be in character and I think this also applies to event professionals. One must remain professional and focused at all times!

Event Action!

I mentioned careful planning and hard work at the beginning for the success of both the actor and an #eventprof but there’s another ingredient to success that I didn’t mention and that – Passion! I see many opportunities where an event professional must push him/herself out of their comfort zone whether that be through travelling to new places or meeting new people and an actor does this too when performing onstage. It is the thrill of the dance that makes an actor want to act in the same way that an eventer wants to create meaningful events for people.

To conclude

“All the world’s a stage. And all the men and women merely players”.

Events are also staged scenarios much like it is in the theatre so I think that it is clear to see that the work of an #eventprof can be similar to the work of an actor in theatre.

How do you prepare for an event? If you want to share some tips that you have, send me an email at mary@soolnua.com. I’d love to hear from you.

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For all things meetings and events related, Padraicino is the man to talk to.