There’s something about that moment right after an event ends… the adrenaline fades, and what’s left is a mix all at once of exhaustion, relief, joy, and sadness. Everyone will pack up and move on to the next thing. But we should take a minute. This is the golden opportunity for reflection and development. Stop letting it be treated as the opportunity for everyone to disconnect, disappear, and move on.
Evaluations are often mandated. How often have you had to sign in, input details into required fields, and have your reviews read ‘anonymously’.
Does that lead to you actually wanting to genuinely share your experiences? How many times have you shied away from being vulnerable because it could mean you jeopardise your future roles or involvement with the company? While few individuals take the risk to complain, most do not. And so, everything from the macro perspective is exceeding expectations as there aren’t any complaints.
Rather than a link to ‘click here and share your experience!’, what if we received an invite to have a constructive chat, mediated by a serious professional from HR, and we could all share in a safe space? What if you knew your feedback would actually be listened to, reviewed, and would be considered regarding how it can be applied?
Would that be possible in the events industry? In any industry?
If we don’t share our struggles, learnings, and areas for improvement. How can we expect anything to change for the next event? And the event after that?
We spend so much time planning and executing events that it is surprising (if not shocking) that the most valuable stage, the evaluation, is often just swept under the carpet.
So what can we actually do? We propose that, as event professionals, we shouldn’t hide from the scrutiny and the hurtful experience that may occur when we hear some negative feedback. How can we expect to improve and improve the quality of our performance, our team’s performance, the event or even our event industry without listening and applying?
We’ve all just lived through a unique experience. Our colleagues, even in the same department, may not have known our struggles, the gaps, or how much easier everything could’ve been if… Maybe your experience was perfect or maybe it was a total disaster. If you take some time to analyse your experience, you’ll soon find lessons that can and will empower you! As an industry leader, as a manager, or as a friend, you just have to take the step and lead by example. Have that meeting and conversation that are perceived to be ‘difficult’.
Evaluations are a key moment for growth. They are the potential for disruption. If your event team doesn’t engage in this moment of reflection, we encourage you to do it for yourself or even to pull a few peers together and do it informally.
Step 1: Start with The Right Space and the Right People to support
You can’t have an honest debriefing or conversation with defensiveness, in a space of total authority, and without some sort of mediation for everyone to feel heard. Why would someone feel comfortable to share their thoughts if you’re glaring them down and shouting all over them in YOUR office? These are simple steps but they’re often overlooked. Find a neutral space with a neutral staff member who will lead the discussion. How you behave (whether emotionally and physically) will influence how everyone will contribute. Be present, be empathetic, and listen.
Just listen.
Step 2: Honest Debriefing
The first step to reflection is having an honest conversation with yourself and your team. Don’t sugarcoat things, and don’t shy away from discussing the mistakes. Did the event run as smoothly as you had hoped? Did last-minute changes throw you off course?
Or maybe there were logistical issues you hadn’t foreseen. Without honesty, you will repeat the same mistakes.
Identify what went wrong so you can learn, adjust, and improve next time – as an individual, team, or organisation.
Step 3: Celebrate What Went Right
We’re often so focused on fixing problems that we forget to celebrate successes. What went well during the event? Were there moments when your team came together, overcame obstacles, or pulled off something unexpected?
Celebrating these wins not only boosts morale but also reinforces good practices that you can carry into the future. Reflection doesn’t have to be all about fixing.
Evaluating is about recognizing what works and doing more of it.
Step 4: Gather Feedback from All Perspectives
The best insights don’t just come from you. This may be difficult to accept for some. Insights are best when they come from everyone involved. Your team, the attendees, the vendors, and even the clients all have different experiences of the same event. Gathering feedback can offer perspectives you might have missed. Maybe your team struggled with communication, or attendees felt disconnected at certain points. Use that feedback to get a holistic view of the event’s strengths and weaknesses.
Step 5: Identify Patterns and Themes Once you have all the feedback, it’s time to start identifying the patterns. Is there something that consistently came up as a problem? Maybe communication breakdowns happened more than once, or certain logistical issues popped up in several places.
These are the areas where reflection becomes your compass for improvement. By recognizing recurring themes, you can tackle the root cause rather than just treating the symptoms. Imagine how much better events would be if we focused on solving the core cause.
Step 6: Apply the Lessons to Your Next Event Finally, the most important part of reflection: taking action. Reflection is useless if you don’t apply what you’ve learned. Use the insights you gained to make concrete changes in your planning process. Maybe you need better contingency plans, clearer communication channels, or more delegation. Whatever it is, reflection is about progress, not perfection.
When we talk about growth, we shouldn’t be so focused on producing more events. We should be focused on producing more events better. With less friction,
With more empowerment, enjoyment, and not just about doing more events—it’s about doing better events. And that starts with reflecting on what you’ve done, learning from it, and constantly improving.
So, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from an event? How do you use reflection to grow in your work? Share your experiences with us.
By Laura from TEC