Technology Will Not Save You

What I'm about to say is unlikely to win me many allies in modern event production circles. In fact, it may seem downright hypocritical given my last post extolling the benefits of Twitter as an operations tool. However, I feel it must be said, if only for the benefit of those newly-minted event producers who've come up in the age of having the world at their fingertips.

Technology cannot make you a better event manager.

If you've spent any time trolling the plethora of event marketing and technology websites out there, you've undoubtedly come across a number of programs and services claiming to be the pinnacle of event management technology. They promise you instant access to your contacts, unbelievable scheduling capabilities, and countless other features unheard of just a few years ago. Without question, such services can be extremely beneficial to event managers of all stripes and sizes (my current favorite being ZeristaPro, a mind-boggling software suite that simply blows away most competitors I've researched).

For all the hype, however, it's important to remember that although software and other technologies can make your communications easier, it cannot make you a better communicator. It may make scheduling a breeze, but if you don't understand scheduling methodology and how the pieces of your event fit together, it's worthless. If your marketing plan is ill-defined, if your operations plan is under-developed, or if you're simply unorganized by nature, no smart phone application or social media wizardry is going to save you. Quite the contrary, a focus on tools at the expense of the fundamental skill-sets can prove deadly to your growth as an event manager. Many times, casting aside these trappings (distractions?) and focusing on the core of your business (in this case, event production) may be exactly what is needed to become a successful manager, in any industry.

Richard Branson, billionaire founder of Virgin Companies, has built an empire with the help of two simple things – a legal pad and an innate ability to listen to people. Branson, a self-described “computer illiterate”, famously carries around a yellow legal pad to take notes on virtually all aspects of his company's operation, from customer comments to the condition of the seats on Virgin Airlines flights. Also, unlike many other CEO's, Branson doesn't isolate himself from the “rank and file” of his company, preferring instead to remain open and available to all employees. This attention placed upon the company's most important assets (their employees and customers) has helped Virgin become a customer service leader, with a value of over 8 billion dollars.

Kevin Lyman, founder of the hugely successful Warped Tour, still personally talks to guests at each event and asks them what acts they'd like to see on the next year's lineup. This not only ensures that the festival is current with the musical taste of the audience, but makes that audience feel as though they have a real stake in the process. This has allowed Warped Tour to remain consistently popular AND profitable for over 15 years, regardless of the current economic environment. Although both Branson and Lyman could easily utilize technology to achieve the same results (and do in many circumstances), it's their focus on the fundamentals of their business that's important, not their specific “tools”.

Having a hammer doesn't make you a carpenter...it simply makes you someone with a hammer. Likewise, having access to the latest in event management technology will not make you an effective event manager. That takes time, experience, and a healthy foundation in the core people and management skills not found on a touch screen. For those just starting out in the industry (and those of us bringing on new graduates and interns), make sure you're not placing too much focus on the newest tools of the trade at the expense of fundamental business, management, and communication skills.