Feedback is not only a growth strategy but also an essential tool for the event planner who wants to be better at their game by evaluating the success of their event objectives. It is important to note that several activities go into designing and creating an experience for the event guests. However for this experience to be memorable, it needs to be tailor-made for the guest and this can be made possible through its mechanism.
Ignoring feedback, however, can be dangerous and detrimental for the 21st-century event manager. This is because, in the event industry of the twenty-first century, data is king, and almost every decision you make will be based on information you get from your guests. For instance, event apps are now becoming an integral component of the event planning process. It is an effective engagement tool and a data collection tool for the event planner.
This article will not only help expose the peril the event manager can fall into for ignoring feedback, but it will also reveal the areas of response that the event planners should pay attention to. Let’s begin by understanding what feedback the event planner needs.
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What is feedback for an event planner?
It can refer to the views, remarks, and assessments given by individuals and organizations participating in or impacted by an event. It also involves the process of analyzing the information gathered from the views, remarks, and assessments and using it to make informed decisions.
The five dangers are now enumerated as follows:
Limited creativity and innovation
Ignoring feedback may result in losing the chance to explore fresh event concepts, unique event designs, and strategies for the event planner. Society trends are rapidly changing and if your event concept does not sync with trends in society and industry, you will lose your audience, which may be expensive to remarket. it simply allows you to feel the heartbeat of your event attendees and understand what and how they want it.
Your innovative sense becomes limited and stunted because you are running on your concept, which may be good and result-oriented but does not just flow favourably with the nature of the audience that you have.
Missed opportunity to work on your weaknesses and grow your strength
Disregarding an important source of learning about your weaknesses and strengths will cost you the opportunity to not discover how you could channel your strengths appropriately and hide your weaknesses from getting in the way
The feedback may reveal such aspects as the need to work on your communication strategies, logistics and transportation management, venue arrangement and management, app management, and overall guest experience.
Ineffective risk management
One skill that an event professional must have is the ability to manage risk. By description, events are unpredictable and packed with risk. The goal of risk management, on the other hand, is to identify potential hazards and determine the least amount of mitigation necessary.
Ignoring feedback, then, may close up the chances of getting quality intelligence from reliable sources to forestall coming dangers.
For instance, during an event in the past, there was an issue of copyright that was immediately brought to the attention of the event organizers. After the first day of a three-day event during feedback time, it was immediately dealt with before it went viral, saving the organisers their reputation and thousands of monies that would have been spent redeeming their image in court and for compensation.
Creation of relationship gaps
Relationships are greased through effective communication, and communication is said to be incomplete without feedback from the receiver. Ignoring responses may put a strain on the relationship you are trying to nurture and create a large gap between you and the audience. Consequently, they will feel unimportant and irrelevant to the course of your objectives.
Engaging with feedback regularly shows that you are open to working together and are willing to change to meet their needs, especially if they are important partners. By taking the initiative, relationships are strengthened, and the possibility of long-term collaborations is increased.
It is a sign you are not interested in customer satisfaction and trust
Finally, another danger of ignoring feedback is that it shows a very bad sign that you are not interested in customer satisfaction and trust. An event is a game of satisfaction and experience to gain trust and be perceived as someone who wants the best for their audiences.
With social media and other online platforms, negative experiences can be instantly shared with a large audience in this day and age where word-of-mouth travels quickly. However, prompt responses could resolve what could cause a reputation issue. It also demonstrated your commitment to quality, customer satisfaction, and sustaining your image in the industry.
In conclusion, feedback is a vital tool for all event managers and planners. It should not be ignored for anything because it is priceless to provide those insights for improvement, growth, innovation, and maintenance of a favourable relationship with your audiences.
