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As event professionals it is often reported that we have one of THE most stressful jobs in the world. CareerCast who have ranked ‘Event Coordinator’ for 6 consecutive years on their list of most stressful jobs, uses an 11-point stress-factor methodology to determine the amount of stress a worker can predict to experience in any given job. When you look at the categories (amount of travel, working in the public eye, meeting the public and deadlines), it’s easy to see why we make the list!

We are seasoned professionals and can manage (almost!) any stressful situation that is thrown our way in our day-to-day work. But after the year that we have all experienced, are we going to be able to keep our famous calm, composed demeanour or, as the world resets, are the stresses and strains of the lockdown world beginning to take their toll?

We talked to the TTA team to find out what they’re most nervous about now that some normality is beginning to return and there were definitely some common themes.  Crowds and queues when we’re out and about are making some of us apprehensive, as is the prospect of our diaries filling up too much after a quiet 12 months. Our health, and concerns about an increase in COVID numbers, is also at the forefront of our minds along with the impact on our finances and how to afford “living” again.

Easing Stress the TTA way
Perhaps you don’t relate to any of these worries and are not really nervous of anything as the world reopens and we all get back on the carousel of life – well that’s great news.  However, if you are shouting at your screen, saying ‘YES, all of these are me’, then read on for some help!

We also asked the TTA team to give us their tried and tested tips for staying stress free. We’ve narrowed it down to ten valuable stress busters:

• Exercising (all types!) and practices that promote mind/body well-being
• Staying positive in thought, actions and kind deeds
• Slowing down, taking a steady pace and learning to say no sometimes
• Laughing lots!
• Positive communication through talking and writing
• Sharing with family, friends and colleagues
• Maintaining perspective and understanding there are some things we can’t control
• Embracing nature and the great outdoors (often with our pets in tow)
• Listening to our favourite music
• Cooking and creative hobbies

We’re all looking forward to ‘being together’ again post pandemic and as experience creators it’s probably more important to us than many to get the #poweroflive reignited. Hopefully, some of the top tips mentioned above can help you navigate the next few months and further into the future.

Back to Work
As every #eventprof knows, event management is not a 9 to 5 career. As the pandemic eases, we can see the flexibility that the events industry offers in terms of work/life balance has been extended to several other sectors as the world finds ways to work from home and manage time more efficiently.

One of the TTA team mentioned they were feeling excited at the prospect of being back in the office, really missing the social aspect of the workplace, after all, it’s been over a year since we had the banter sessions of a Friday afternoon, or any water cooler chats. In contrast, there are individuals for whom, the thought of leaving the comfort of their home office and venturing back into workplace is a stressful thought, let alone returning to the experience of being onsite, travelling and the general safety of face-to-face events.

There are various resources available to support the opening of events. Supportive collateral can be found from the AEO and we at TTA can offer comprehensive guidance on keeping events safe, so please do reach out.

TTA partners with Stress Matters for our well-being programme and they have huge amounts of knowledge and resources which focus on ensuring that stress doesn’t develop into mental health illness.

We’re All Different
Overall, it is important to understand that stress looks different to everyone and learning to #stressless differs from person to person.  Our aim at TTA is to build a structured and positive culture of well-being and wellness that benefits our whole team.  Remember you have a voice and if you don’t feel comfortable and are feeling stressed, speak up!  

For further information on Stress Awareness Month, please follow the link here.