I want to start this post by answering that question – yes and no. An irritating-sit-on-the-fence kind of answer you might be thinking but hear me out. As a younger person when I started in the event industry I had boundless energy, enthusiasm and stamina. Running back-to-back events was quite an adrenalin rush and at one stage I topped out at 300 events in one year. As I am now more mature just the thought of running that volume of events makes me want to have a little lie down! And yet, while there is a lot to be said for young energy and we definitely want to attract the next generation into our amazing world, there is something to be said for the slightly older event managers. They have experience (and you do really only learn on the job in this industry), they have industry knowledge (whether that is of destinations, hotels or suppliers) and often clients like the reassurance of the older, expert guide.
However, as an older event manager I realise that nowadays I need to manage my energy and stamina in a way that I did not need to before. The two years of pandemic has meant that my event ‘fitness’ has been affected. I believe that this is one of the positives from those years though as it has forced me (and many people I talk to) to re-assess how they work and what they do to keep their energy levels up. Perhaps we will be less affected long-term by burn out or adrenalin crashes after large projects or years of work. During the pandemic I took a health and wellbeing course. My motivation was to arm my toolbox with tips and tricks that I could use when live events came back. Well, they are definitely back so here are my top 5 tips:
Drink water – I know this one is something that you here all the time but research shows that your consumption of water is directly linked to your energy levels
Limit caffeine – Pre-2020 I would not have considered running an event without a flask of coffee by my side but now I try and use it tactically during the day to give me a pep up when I need it and not to limit my sleep onsite
Get sleep – we all know that onsite getting lots of hours sleep is not always possible but if you can make sure that the quality of sleep is good then at least the little you do get will put energy in your tank for the next day. Sleep quality is influenced by many things but try and think about limiting alcohol and caffeine 5 hours before you sleep, removing screen time at least 30 minutes before you sleep and taking a eye mask, sleep spray and sleepy tea can also help.
Movement – how many steps do you do when onsite? My betting is that you hit 10,000 before lunch. But they are not always great steps – often on hard, unforgiving floors, indoors and in fits and starts. If you can get an outside 20 minute walk in during the day when you get your fresh air and heart rate up a little you will find you are less stiff after the event.
Food – it would be wrong to miss this off the list. We are far better these days at ensuring that we eat on site but sometimes the best laid plans are scuppered and you go 6 or more hours without any kind of food. Packing small bags of nuts or cereal bars means that you can always keep hunger at bay. Not only will this stop you getting hangry but it will also keep your energy levels balanced and stop the highs and lows of the blood sugar rollercoaster.
Keeping our energy levels balanced with such simple steps is something that we can all do – younger or older – and everyone benefits. Hopefully this means we can all keep doing what we love for many years to come!
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