When the Client Changes the Plan at the Last Minute

If you work in events, you probably know this situation very well.

Everything is ready.

The stage is done. The lights are working. The LED is ready. The sound team is in place. Guests are about to come.

And then your phone rings.

The client says,

“Can we change one thing?”

And you just look at your team.

Because you know that one change can sometimes turn into ten more things.

This happens quite often in event management.

We plan everything beforehand. We discuss the setup, timings, entries, branding, food, hospitality and production with the client.

But when the client comes to the venue and sees everything in front of them, they may think of something new.

And that’s completely normal.

Maybe they want to change the entry.

Maybe they want the stage to look a little different.

Maybe they want to add something to the branding.

Maybe the guest list has changed.

Sometimes even the whole sequence of the event gets changed.

The problem is not always the change.

The problem is the timing of the change.

If you tell us two days before the event, we have time to work on it.

If you tell us two hours before the event, things become very different.

Now we have to call the production team, speak to the vendor, check what material is available and see whether we can actually make the change in the time we have.

And while all this is happening, the rest of the event cannot stop.

Guests are coming.

The host has to be ready.

The artist has to be coordinated.

Hospitality has to continue.

The technical team has to stay on schedule.

So what do we do?

We divide the work.

One person handles the client.

Someone speaks to the vendor.

Someone checks production.

Someone stays with the event flow.

And we just keep moving.

There have been many times when I have been standing at a venue thinking, “Okay, this was definitely not in the plan.”

But that’s also a part of this job.

You cannot expect every event to go exactly the way you imagined it.

Sometimes you have to change things.

Sometimes you have to find another option.

And sometimes you simply have to say, “This much we can do, but this part will not be possible right now.”

I think being honest with the client is important too.

We should not promise something just because they asked for it.

If it can be done, we will try to do it.

If it cannot be done in that time, we should say so clearly.

There is another thing that I have learned over the years.

Don’t get irritated in front of the client.

Yes, inside your head you might be thinking,

“Why didn’t we discuss this earlier?”

But saying that at the venue is not going to solve anything.

The event is already happening.

So instead of thinking about whose mistake it was, we need to think about what we can do now.

That’s where having a good team makes a huge difference.

When everyone knows their work, even a last-minute change becomes easier to handle.

Someone takes care of production.

Someone stays with the client.

Someone manages the vendors.

Someone keeps an eye on the event.

And somehow, the event keeps going.

The guests don’t know about all of this.

They are enjoying the evening.

They are taking pictures.

They are meeting people.

They are watching the performances.

And that’s actually what we want.

They don’t need to know how many calls happened five minutes before their entry.

They don’t need to know that something had to be changed at the last moment.

They just need to have a good experience.

As Himani Sharma, CEO of Baba Saab Events, I feel this is one of the biggest parts of being an event manager.

Planning is important.

But knowing what to do when the plan changes is equally important.

So the next time a client says,

“It’s just one small change.”

we may take a deep breath first.

And then we get back to work.

Because that’s event management.

Plans change.

Things happen.

And we still have to make the event happen.

— Himani Sharma CEO, Baba Saab Events

Why Baba Saab Events is Trusted Across Every Celebration

• Event Planning & Strategy

*Creative Experience Design

*Venue & Vendor Management

*Hospitality Excellence

*Production & Technical Management

*Entertainment Solutions

*Seamless Event Execution

*Guest Journey Management

*Brand & Celebration Experiences

*End-to-End Event Solutions

Get in Touch with Baba Saab Events

📞 Phone: +91 94123 90557

📧 Email: himanisharma116@gmail.com

🌐 Website: www.babasaab.com