Event Life - Taking care of yourself

Now anyone who has ever worked on an event will know that the lead up to the event is the busiest, most stressful and most physically demanding part of the job.

There will be long hours, sleepless nights and non stop running around to get the event ready.

Whilst working hard and putting every effort into getting the event ready is very important you also have to remember to take care of yourself. Tiredness causes quick tempers, mistakes and sometimes health problems such as anxiety and stress. I have often seen people's personalities completely change during event time and it's simply due to the pressure of getting the event ready on time. 

With this in mind here are a few things that should help make you the best you can be during event time.

Sleep - where possible try to get a good nights sleep. You will be no use to anyone on 2 hours sleep and it's important to rest your brain and your body - even if there is a quieter period during the day that you can have a quick nap it will do wonders for you if you have to work through the night!

Eat properly - whilst it's tempting to eat junk food, or simply miss meals because you don't have enough time to eat (which you can often do without even realising) this is not healthy when working on events. You need energy to keep going all day and to get this you need to be eating healthy food throughout the day! Carrying a snack bar in your pocket or even a piece of fruit is a good way to make sure you can have something to eat during busy times and it's important to get a good meal inside you to keep your brain working.


Drink properly - it's important to stay hydrated, especially during outdoor events. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, which although sounds easy enough, is something you often forget to do when in event mode. You'll be amazed at what a lack of water can do to a persons body and brain!




Stay fit - event mode requires hours of running around venues doing checks and meeting people. It will be beneficial to start preparing for this prior to your event by maybe walking to work every day, or going to the gym. It will just give you that extra bit of stamina required when working 17 hours a day covering miles at a time. I like to wear a pedometer during events just to calculate on average how many steps I take - it's usually a lot! 

Time off - now it's not usually possible to take time off during the event so it's important to have at least have some time off before it starts just to give yourself time to relax before the madness begins! I know it's easier said than done and it's very hard to switch off in the lead up to an event, but it's important to have a day or even half a day of total rest just so you don't end up running yourself into the ground during the busiest times. 

Prepare - The most important one. Event time is hectic, some events for example the Olympics can last for weeks, leaving you no time for your personal life outside of the event bubble! To reduce stress I therefore recommend planning early - get all your birthday cards, shopping, clothes, dentist appointments in before the event starts so you don't have to worry about anything else. A venue manager once told me to email my family and friends and let them know not to expect to hear from me until the event is over. Initially I was horrified but turns out she was right - hopefully like me you have understanding friends and relatives who won't be offended when you don't reply to their texts until 3 weeks later! Another tip is make sure you have broken in your shoes and have plenty of extra socks.. for some reason I never have enough socks at event time.


Hopefully this will help you in the lead up to your event because ultimately your health is the most important thing and this should all help make your experience more enjoyable! Let me know in the comments if there is anything else you do to prepare yourself for an event.