Adapting to Thrive: Embracing Change in Event Management
“My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon”
Big life changes, such as starting university, moving to a new area or leaving a long-term relationship or job, can be scary. While change can often be a good thing, signalling fresh opportunities, that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s also challenging. This is because change often goes hand in hand with uncertainty, which by its very nature makes us feel anxious. Change is hard because our brains like familiarity.
Change is cleansing - it’s like breathing after yoga: you’re getting the negative energy out, and letting the positive in. There’s power in action and feeling okay with discomfort. We might try something and if it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else. Taking that risk of action is what builds the mental toughness that allows us to persevere through change.
Events often have a long lifespan, sometimes stretching up to ten years. Over such an extended period, technology, methods, budgets, venues, and even the people involved will change significantly. I realised that really what we’re doing in life is just adapting, we never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next or one moment to the next. Enhancing our skills in adaptability is really critical.
For your wellbeing, this means building resilience – not just bouncing back, but bouncing forward. Take conscious steps to protect your energy: learn to delegate effectively, set realistic boundaries (even when things are chaotic), and schedule in moments for mindfulness or movement. Remember, you can't pour from an empty cup, especially when dealing with constant shifts.
From a positive perspective, each change, even the messy ones, offers an opportunity. It's a chance to innovate, to learn new skills, and to strengthen your problem-solving skills. Instead of viewing unexpected hurdles as personal failures, see them as puzzles to be solved collaboratively. Support open communication with your team and stakeholders, share challenges, and come up with solutions together. When things go off-script, pivot with purpose. This way of working makes the process less stressful and helps create a more flexible and strong event plan for the future.
So, by seeing change as a natural part of the job, rather than something to fight, we can turn stressful situations into opportunities for growth. It helps us take chaotic moments and use them to find clever, new ways of doing things.
Mental Health Tip
When emotions start to spiral, come back to your breath. Gently shift your focus and say to yourself:
“I'm breathing in.”
“I'm breathing out.”
“This is my anchor.”
Your breath is always with you - steady, grounding, and present. Focusing on it sends calming signals to your nervous system and helps bring you back to center.
It's a small pause with a big impact - a way to ground yourself so you can move forward with more clarity and calm.
If you’re going through a hard time because of an upheaval right now and you are experiencing nerves, worry or even fear - take a deep breath and recognise those feelings are normal. Shit, maybe, but normal. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, ‘The only constant in life is change.’ We may as well get good at it.”
