Wellbeing and the Events Industry

Question: How many of us associated in or with the Events industry truly love ourselves? Do we even know what loving ourselves is?

At the beginning of 2017 a survey was undertaken to find the top 10 most stressful jobs and to much astonishment the role of an Event Coordinator was listed as number five! The only jobs listed as more stressful were the roles of military personnel, fire fighters, airline pilots and police officers.

As an experienced event coordinator myself I found it unbelievably baffling to even put my career in the same stress levels as those jobs listed above…..can my job really be more stressful than a doctor or a paramedic?

Without wishing to take anything away from the amazing jobs that those listed above do, when I actually sat back, thought about it and looked at my own personal self, I had to agree, a career in the Events industry is stressful and if that’s the case why isn’t more being done to recognise this?

Wellbeing appears to be a ‘buzz’ word of the moment. More than ever we are surrounded in a society obsessed with the way we look and where we are in our careers but do we ever stop for just a moment to ask ourselves ‘how am I feeling?’

Using myself as an example I can proudly say that I love my job. Having worked in the events industry for almost 13 years, I have loved every moment of it.  Every day is different and I have been incredibly lucky to have seen amazing destinations and venues as well as meeting like-minded industry individuals and above all meeting and creating events for clients, turning their vision into reality. Job satisfaction is definitely achieved in this role.

However it does come at a price and I myself fell into the trap of neglecting the one person that really needed my attention….me.

Long hours, non-stop meetings, not taking lunch breaks, saying yes to every networking event, drinking and eating delicious items….sounds glamourous and sociable, it is to an extent but it took its toll. Both my physical and mental health took a dramatic downfall. I went from someone who exercised almost every day, a keen runner and someone who watched what they ate to none of that. Late nights in the office and out and about in industry circles….I just forgot about taking care of myself and slowly fell into a trap of depression and anxiety.

One day I woke up, realised what was happening and through the introduction of mindfulness, yoga and meditation, I am now stronger, happier than ever before and I am on the path to fully being in love with myself. As a result my career and job are reaping the benefits also and this I want to share with others as I know I am not alone.

As event industry professionals we now need the support of our employers and each other more than ever before because if we don’t then we will all burn ourselves out at a rapid pace.

As Richard Branson once said “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”

I look forward to the journey of spreading positive wellbeing vibes and look forward to hearing others stories. There is no shame in admitting that you feel down or even if you are experiencing or have suffered a mental breakdown….it happens but the point is as individuals, our industry should not have led us to feeling like that in the first place.

Welcome to your wellbeing and fall in love with yourself again!

About the Author

Louise Warren has 13 years experience in Sales, Marketing, PR and Event Management working within both agencies and high profile UK venues. An advocate of wellbeing for the events industry she is also co-founder of #EventWell17.