It only seems natural that extroverts should be successful as event planners. The social nature of the event industry is a perfect fit, but is being outgoing a necessity? It may seem counterintuitive, but here are 5 reasons why introverts can actually make better event professionals than extroverts.
Growing up, did you always have your head in a book, binge reading through the young adult section of your local library?
Do you value ‘alone’ time?
Have people ever described you as quiet and studious?
Do you always think before you speak and carefully weigh up ALL of the options before making a decision?
If so you may be an introvert – an introspective and cautious person who draws energy from time spent alone.
Being An Introvert Is Bad, Right?
Being quiet is not always viewed favorably. Some introverts believe that if they want to be successful, they needed to be more outgoing and ‘force’ themselves to become more extrovert.
Others accept this is the way they were made and adapt accordingly, for instance allowing themselves time to recharge between situations they find taxing. They realise that they are perfectly happy with their own company and need ‘alone time’ to give them strength and calm to face the world. Spending all day every day with other people is quite possibly an introvert’s idea of hell. Being true to an introverted nature often means working carefully and methodically alone to bring out the best work and creativity that all people of this temperament are capable of.
Who Introverted Event Professionals Are (And Who They Are Not)
It turns out that being an introvert isn’t a bad thing at all; it’s just different. The introverted event professional is not socially inept; he or she just needs consistent (though not constant) time alone in order to perform optimally. Many introverts are skilled public speakers and leaders. As a matter of fact, there’s a whole subclass of outgoing introverts out there that you would probably assume are extroverts.
Introverted event professionals are likely to prefer being behind the scenes, out of the spotlight, getting the job done and may be less inclined to flit around the conference floor socializing. They may prefer the stages leading up to an event rather than the day itself, though plenty enjoy the buzz of the live event as well, seeing their hard work paying off.
Here are 5 ways why introverted event planners are better than extroverted event planners.
- Introverted Event Professionals Are Dedicated To The Industry
Becoming an event planner just makes sense for an extrovert. It’s one of those obvious career choices that is a no-brainer. The introverted event planner, however, has to have a true passion and motivation to end up in the field. An introvert would never wake up one day and haphazardly decide to become an event planner. A writer, maybe… but an event planner? Not a chance. In order to break into event planning, an introvert has to have an intense desire to be in the event industry. They love what they do, or they would never have entered the field in the first place.
Once in the field, introverted event professionals are likely to find that the job requires less face-to-face socialization than they assumed. They thrive by learning as much as they can about new trends, researching and analyzing data to make well-thought-out decisions. These event professionals become powerhouses of knowledge about the event industry and often attract loyal, lifelong customers.
- Introverted Event Professionals Don’t Follow Trends; They Make Them
An introvert’s greatest gift is his or her creativity. Solitude breeds creativity, and because introverted event professionals spend a lot of time alone, they are more likely to have creative ideas than their extroverted counterparts. The introvert will not jump to use these ideas before they are ready and do not like being put on the spot. Instead, he or she will meticulously define and redefine the idea until it is perfected and ready for implementation. These creative ideas can have the power to transform the event landscape, becoming new trends in the industry that others emulate and build upon.
- Introverted Event Professionals Make Technology Work For Them
It turns out that event planning is a lot more than attending awesome parties and talking to large groups of people all day. We all know that the event landscape is changing. Technology has changed the way we plan and execute events, and the real winners are introverts. Because they are extremely meticulous and adept at working alone, introverts are more likely to pick up on new technology quickly. This technological aptitude allows the introverted event professional to outplay the extroverted event professional while expending less energy.
New technology also means that introverted event professionals can now do the bulk of their work individually or remotely. While it is still necessary in this industry to interact regularly with vendors, speakers, and clients, much of this work can be done online in an environment less taxing to the introvert’s energy. The more group-oriented tasks involved in event planning can now be spread apart sufficiently to allow the introvert event planner time to recharge between large social encounters.
- Introverted Event Professionals Understand Their Audience
As event planners it is our job to create events that resonate, inspire and engage all of our attendees. Between a third and a half of your guests will be introverts, but all too often they are overlooked, ignored or forgotten. Networking, icebreakers and group tasks might seem like a great idea to an extrovert event planner but an introverted event planner is more sympathetic to the situations and scenarios that less outgoing individuals may not be comfortable with and will plan these situations differently. At the end of the day if you are not paying attention to the needs of introvert attendees then you may fail to engage up to half of your audience and they may never return to your event.
- Introverted Event Professionals Execute Events With Precision
During an event, introverted event professionals are more focused on making the event a success than on interacting with the people there. Because the introvert does not draw strength from interacting with a large group of people, he or she is comfortable working behind the scenes – even (perhaps especially) with the buzz of a happening event two steps away. This laser focus combines with the introvert’s methodical nature, allowing him or her to focus on the minute details of event execution while the event is happening. For an introverted eventprof they really do believe that an event planner should be seen and not heard, and this enables clients, sponsors, speakers and performers to take the limelight and shine to their full advantage.
In Conclusion
Just because extroverted event planners seemingly outnumber introverted event planners, it doesn’t mean they are the ones running the show. Introverted event planners are working hard behind the scenes, leveraging their boundless creativity and meticulous nature to transform the event landscape. Who wants their event planner to steal the show anyway?
Introverted event professionals worldwide – celebrate your traits!
Extroverted event professionals worldwide – watch out!
