Dealing With Illness As An Event Planner

As an event manager, you’re generally going to be working with large groups of people on a regular basis.  What that means is that even if you take good care of yourself, you’re exponentially likelier to end up sick. That in turn means your productivity goes straight through the floor.

It goes without saying that you don’t want that to happen.

So, if you should fall ill as an event planner, what can you do about it? After all, sickness is inevitable, especially in your profession. You need to be certain that you can soldier through your illness without letting it knock you off your feet.

After all, a last-minute rescheduling generally isn’t going to be an option.

Schedule Time For Some Extra Sleep

First and foremost, get a bit of rest – even if you have to sacrifice doing a bit of work to do so. The worst thing you can do while ill is run yourself ragged. Speaking from experience, a lack of sleep is going to make your sickness exponentially worse, potentially turning a minor head cold into a devastating sinus infection. Sleep well; you’re not doing yourself any favors if you get a bit of extra work done one day only to be completely out of commission the next.

Eat Well And Hydrate

I’ve said this on multiple occasions, but it bears mentioning again – don’t ever skip meals, no matter how busy you are. It can be tempting to just snack on a bag of chips throughout the day, but I guarantee that if you’re sick, it’s one of the worst things you can do.  Keep yourself well-hydrated, and eat only nutritious stuff – take a few multivitamins every day, if need be.

This is preventative as much as anything else – the healthier you keep yourself, the less likely you are to get sick.

Try Some Medication

Cold meds are a godsend, especially if you’re in a profession where you need to spend a lot of time on the go. Pick up some of the strongest non-drowsy stuff you can find at the pharmacy, and take regular doses throughout the day.  It won’t cure you, but it’ll at least make it easier to manage your cold.

Delegate

You have an event team for a reason. If you’re feeling out of sorts, don’t be afraid to give them a bit of extra work to make up for that. That’s what they’re there for, right? With any luck, your team will be able to run the event flawlessly even without having you around.

Alternatively, you could hand the event off to a colleague. They might be able to handle things better than you can – and if you can do it seamlessly enough, you won’t even foster an ill will among your clients.

Stay Healthy

Everyone gets sick eventually – it’s inevitable. As an event manager, you need to plan for illness just as for every other crisis. Otherwise, when you do catch a cold, you’re going to be knocked clean off your feet.