In This Article:
- The most common on-site “Murphy’s Law” moments that disrupt even well-planned events
- Why flexibility, clear communication, and backup plans matter more than perfect schedules
- How smart onsite workflows, like check-in to badge printing, help keep events running smoothly
Expect the Unexpected: On-Site Moments Every Event Planner Should Plan For
Murphy’s Law says anything that can go wrong will go wrong… and as event planners we know just how much our in-person events like to test this theory.
Even the most airtight plans can suddenly change the moment our doors open. And while we can’t prevent every surprise, we can be ready when one inevitably appears.
Here are just a few of those Eek-moments, and how experienced planners handle them without breaking a sweat.
✈️ The Travel Day Delay
Weather, canceled flights, missed connections. Sometimes the disruption has nothing to do with your event and everything to do with getting people there. When speakers, staff, or attendees arrive late, the real challenge isn’t the delay itself, but the ripple effect.
What can you do? Assume there will always be someone impacted by travel (sometimes even someone very important) and plan accordingly. Backup session plans, flexible agendas, and a clear way to communicate updates quickly via your event’s website, email, social channels, or mobile app. People will be understanding when the issues are out of your control, but they’re far more receptive when communication is timely, clear, and confident.
🌊 The Welcome Wave
You scheduled an hour for check-in. Everyone arrives in the final 15 minutes.
We’ve all been there. Lines build up, chaos and frustration ensue. So how do you handle the rush and get people to their first session smoothly and on time?
Flexible check-in flows, clear signage, and enough lanes and staff to handle the surge and keep things moving. If manual check-ins and pre-printed badge sorting is slowing you down too much, opt for a tech-enabled onsite badge printing solution, which allows attendees to quickly check in at kiosks and instantly print their badges, lessening the demand on your staff and speeding up the entire process.
☕ The Coffee’s Out (Gasp!) Emergency
Few things derail a morning faster than empty coffee urns. Whether it’s a catering delay or a surprise crowd spike, caffeine shortages are an instant recipe for grumpiness.
Planners who’ve been burned before know to pad beverage orders. And it’s never a bad idea to make note of the nearest coffee shop in case you need to make a quick run for a traveler box (or two… or three). It may seem small, but managing energy early in the day sets the tone for everything that follows.
🎤 The Dreaded No-Show
Sometimes the unthinkable happens: a speaker runs late, misses a connection, doesn’t show, or has to cancel at the last minute. From panelists to keynotes, someone missing can cause a major disruption.
Having a plan doesn’t mean expecting failure, it just means being ready to pivot. Run through everything from minor no-shows to “worst-case” scenarios in your head. Flexible session formats, prepared moderators, and fast agenda updates allow you to adjust without scrambling. And always remember, clear communication to attendees is key for avoiding confusion.
🛜 The Wi-Fi “Says It’s Working” Moment
The venue swears the internet is up. Nobody with a phone seems to agree. This can be a major inconvenience to your attendees, but worse, it can also cripple your onsite operations if your event tech relies on being connected.
The easiest solution is to opt for technology that has backup redundancy or doesn’t rely on wifi, such as on-site check-in and badge printing solutions with wireless backups, and session tracking and lead capture tools that work offline and can sync later once connected. If not, be sure to think through the easiest, most efficient way to keep track of everything offline, to sync with your records once you’re somewhere that the wifi is actually working.
📝 The Registration Revisionists
There’s always something: misspelled names, updated titles, incorrect registration levels, or the person registered multiple times as themselves for the whole team.
Onsite changes are normal. What matters is whether they slow everything down or can’t be resolved.
One way seasoned planners plan for onsite updates is by separating the no-issue check-in folks from the problem-solving crowd. A dedicated help desk allows for changes to happen without clogging lines, keeping the experience smooth for those that don’t need changes.
💡Pro tip: Having flexible registration software and an on-demand badge printing system onsite that’s designed for seamless info changes can make dealing with everything from last-minute registrations to info revisions a breeze, and keep all those changes synced with your event software.
⏱️ The Session Stretch
The speaker is engaging and the audience is locked in… then suddenly you realize you’re already twenty minutes over and they haven’t even started wrapping up. (That’s the good version, sometimes it’s just that the PowerPoint slides drag on and on…)
When a session goes over… way over… it affects everything from room turnover, to AV schedules, to attendees trying to get to their next session on time.
Communicate clearly about durations with your speakers ahead of time, and plan enough buffers that if presentations don’t stay strictly on schedule, it doesn’t throw off your entire event. Knowing which sessions can flex and which can’t, gives you options when things run long or fall behind.
Final Takeaway: Flexibility Is Part of the Plan
You can’t prevent every onsite surprise, but you can decide how prepared you’ll be when one shows up. From common moments to horror stories, the more you prepare ahead of time, the more calm and professional you’ll be when adapting in real time.
And when your tools, teams, and workflows are built with flexibility in mind, you’ll be ready to tackle the unexpected come event day!
