How to become an Entrepreneur

 My Life in Events World and What Changed Me

Life in events is like a roller coaster ride with some ups and downs, bad and good events, and happy and sad episodes. However, everything that happens brings some lessons and guidance for me. It's the moments when I challenge myself about my assumptions about my capabilities that truly change me. 

Being an event executive is one of the most stressful jobs in the world. But you have to consider the stakes—we're not soldiers, first responders, doctors, or case workers. Those people are truly everyday heroes.

However, it is not easy. If you just follow social media, it might seem like it's all champagne toast and glamorous travel. Honestly, most days on site are long, hard, and difficult in sometimes unexpected ways.

But with that said, I love my job and my colleagues. There's nothing like kicking your feet up in your hotel bed at the end of the day, enjoying a hard-earned refreshment, and knowing you've got something you couldn't have. Having the drive and determination to organize the seemingly impossible, multiple events as they happen in real-time with resilience and efficiency is a trait you cannot be proud of.

It requires strategy and strength—we are forward thinkers and behind-the-line warriors. We do it before our clients ask, and fix it before it breaks. It's our job to manage ourselves while managing other people, which requires using your head and heart at the same time. It might seem easy, but it's not. But we love it.

Being in events means being a juggler, driver, negotiator, and artist. You know that friend you go to when you need help because you just need someone to read your mind and do it? That's who we are, and that's how we treat each other—with trust. Opus event managers aren't hired for our mad Excel skills or willingness to work double duty when needed (but, yeah, that too). We are hired because our clients trust us, and trust that it will all be done, on time, polished, and wrapped in a bow.

An event will happen, whether you like it or not. Event executives cannot request extensions or ask the venue to build a new ballroom because they do not have one available on the date your client requested. What we can do is accept our challenges and turn them into ideas that are better than the original.

A life-changing event experience taught me that learning from bad experiences and showing gratitude for good times is important, especially when these experiences teach us about empathy and understanding. Certainly, it depends on how we take each situation and overcome difficulties and hardships. Every event associate goes through such situations that either break them or make them a better and stronger version of themselves - my journey from privilege to understanding taught me one of the most important life lessons.