10 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Organizing In-Person Events
"What's one common mistake companies make when organizing in-person events, and how can they avoid it?"
Here is what 10 thought leaders had to say.
Accessibility Planning: Key to Inclusive Event Success
A common mistake companies make when hosting in-person events is neglecting to ask about individual accessibility needs beyond dietary restrictions. It's important to understand if attendees will need live captioning, sign language, audio enhancement, alternate parking and transportation options, Mother's (lactation) rooms, and much more.
As a best practice, the planning team should design the budget to include the costs of providing accommodations and have a preferred vendor list. After proactively planning for accommodations, the team should confirm attendee needs during the registration process --which should occur no less than six weeks from the event date.
If you do not ask about specific needs, you should use the demographic information you know about your registrants to help you prepare and provide according to the requests as you get them in real-time.
Finally, communicate the accommodation options that are available to your attendees in the "Know Before You Go" emails, distributed no less than 24 hours before your event, and designate one individual to handle any on-demand requests during the event.
LaMecia Butler, Master Event & Culture Curator
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Create Authentic Connections, Not Just Flashy Presentations
One common mistake companies make when organizing in-person events is failing to create authentic connections with attendees. After speaking at numerous legal conferences including NELA and ABA gatherings, I've noticed many events prioritize flashy presentations over meaningful engagement.
During the pandemic, I helped law firms transition their client development events to hybrid formats. The firms that thrived didn't just focus on logistics - they emphasized creating memorable moments that reflected their core values. One firm increased client retention by 22% after implementing storytelling sessions where attorneys shared their "why" behind their practice areas.
Having recently spoken at Merakey's Leadership Conference on "Leading from Within," I've learned that successful events need emotional resonance. The most impactful sessions aren't necessarily the most expensive or technically impressive - they're the ones where people feel genuinely seen and understood.
My approach with ENX2 Legal Marketing client events is to first establish clear objectives beyond just attendance numbers. What change do you want attendees to experience? What specific action should they take afterward? Build your event backward from these answers, and you'll avoid the common trap of creating forgettable experiences that don't drive business results.
Nicole Farber, CEO, Nicole Farber
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Design Experiences, Not Meetings, for Memorable Events
One common (and surprisingly costly) mistake companies make when organizing in-person events is treating the event like a meeting instead of an experience.
Too often, teams focus only on logistics—book the room, schedule the speakers, order the lunch—and forget that attendees are expecting more than a checklist. They want energy, connection, and a reason to remember your event after it's over. If it feels like just another day at the office... you've missed the mark.
How to avoid it? Start by thinking like an experience designer, not just an event planner. Ask: What will attendees feel when they walk in? What story are we telling? Where are the moments of surprise and delight?
Bring in music, lighting, engaging hosts, immersive content, unexpected networking formats—anything that turns passive attendees into active participants. Treat your event like a branded experience, and your audience won't just show up—they'll talk about it long after it ends.
Taylor Bartlett, Director of Marketing, Executivevents
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Sound Management: The Overlooked Event Success Factor
As a podcast host and digital marketing business owner, I've seen companies repeatedly overlook attendee comfort at in-person events. After organizing numerous podcasting sessions across multiple continents and working with businesses in 145+ countries, I've learned that uncomfortable attendees simply don't engage.
The biggest mistake is poor room acoustics and sound management. People forget that human ears get physically fatigued in echoey venues with competing conversations. At my "Work & PLAY Entertainment" events, we now bring portable sound absorption panels and strategically place them around networking areas.
When we hosted our podcast marketing workshop last year, we split one large room into three acoustic zones using sound barriers. This simple change increased attendee satisfaction scores by 22% and extended average stay time by nearly an hour. People who can hear each other clearly stay longer and make more meaningful connections.
The fix is straightforward: visit your venue during a similar-sized event before booking, bring a sound meter app, and test conversation clarity from different positions. Invest in portable sound solutions if needed - they're surprisingly affordable and reusable across all future events.
Favour Obasi-ike, Project Scheduler, Work & PLAY Entertainment
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Detailed Logistics Planning Prevents Common Event Failures
One common mistake that companies often make when organising in-person events is underestimating the importance of detailed logistical planning. This oversight can lead to problems such as inadequate space for guests, insufficient supplies or amenities, and technical difficulties, all of which can detract from the overall experience. To avoid these issues, companies should create a comprehensive planning checklist that addresses all aspects of the event, from venue selection and layout to technology requirements and guest accommodations. It's essential to conduct a thorough site visit in advance to understand the space and identify potential challenges. Additionally, having contingency plans for unexpected issues, such as changes in weather or equipment malfunctions, can help ensure a smooth experience. Engaging with experienced vendors and maintaining clear communication with everyone involved can also further reduce risks.
Jason Cotton, Director, Deluxe Open Booths
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Technical Contingency Plans Prevent Event Day Chaos
One common mistake companies make when organizing in-person events is failing to thoroughly plan for contingencies and potential technical difficulties. This often leads to last-minute chaos, frustrated attendees, and a diminished brand image when a projector malfunctions or Wi-Fi unexpectedly drops.
To avoid this, companies should create a comprehensive risk assessment and backup plan for every critical element, from AV equipment and power sources to speaker availability and registration processes. Thoroughly test all technology beforehand, have trained staff on hand for troubleshooting, and consider having alternative solutions ready to deploy at a moment's notice.
David Pagotto, Founder & Managing Director, SIXGUN
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Emotional Design Drives Higher Event ROI
Having launched products for brands like Robosen (Transformers), XFX and HTC Vive, I've seen companies repeatedly underinvest in the experiential design of their events.
The biggest mistake is creating generic, forgettable environments that fail to trigger emotional responses. When we launched the Elite Optimus Prime robot at CES, we designed an immersive environment that transformed the standard product showcase into a narrative experience. This approach generated over 300 million impressions because it activated what we call the DOSE response (dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins).
Technology demos particularly suffer from this problem. At UC Irvine where I advise the Emerging Media program, I've witnessed countless technical presentations that fail to connect emotionally. Event success correlates directly with emotional engagement, not just information delivery.
My advice: allocate at least 25% of your event budget to experiential design elements that create shareable moments. Build your event backward from the emotions you want attendees to feel, not just the information you want to convey. This approach consistently drives higher engagement, social sharing, and ultimately better ROI.
Tony Crisp, CEO & Co-Founder, CRISPx
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Transportation Logistics: The Overlooked Event Essential
Underestimating the logistics of transportation is a mistake that a lot of companies make when planning in-person events. Another area that people underestimate as critical is the smooth and timely transportation of attendees, which may result in delays, misunderstandings, and a poor overall impression. For corporate events, it's essential to have dependable and comfortable transportation to keep your event running smoothly and your attendees arriving on time without added stress.
To avoid this mistake, companies need to make sure to plan their transportation in advance, working with a reliable provider to ensure vehicles, drivers, and routes are tailored to meet the event's schedule. It is essential to consider delays that may happen, such as traffic or weather, and to have an alternative plan.
Companies can ensure a guest's arrival and departure flow smoothly by designing and implementing transportation that is well thought out. At Angel City Limo, we excel in handling those logistics, allowing those who are best at delivering what they've planned and coordinated (such as the content of an event, or the experience promised at a promotional event, for example) to focus on the content and the experience, knowing that the first and last mile is taken care of.
Arsen Misakyan, CEO and Founder, Angel City Limo
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Streamline Registration to Enhance Event Experience
Many events I've attended treat registration like a bureaucratic task instead of recognizing it as the actual starting point of the event experience. I have literally stood in lines where people had to manually fill out forms, flash IDs more than once, and wait while staff sifted through paper lists. It drains energy from the room before anyone even steps inside. That's the moment people should be getting excited, not irritated.
This is the reason that whenever I run an event, I keep check-ins fast and simple. I use QR code scanning from mobile tickets through self-service kiosks. It lets people walk in, scan, and go. No waiting, no confusion, no unnecessary interaction. The whole point is to let the tech do the heavy lifting so the human side of the event can actually shine.
When people walk through the doors and everything just works, they're more open and present. They engage quicker and stay in a better mood throughout. And the staff can focus on welcoming guests instead of fixing registration headaches. First impressions carry through. If check-in is smooth, people expect the rest of the event to match that standard. I've seen that work again and again.
Adam Yong, SEO Consultant & Founder, Agility Writer
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Post-Event Data Analysis Unlocks Future Success
Many companies make the mistake of ignoring post-event data after an in-person gathering. They invest so much into the planning and execution, but then they simply move on without tracking and analyzing key metrics. This means they miss out on valuable insights that could inform future events and business decisions. It's like throwing a party and never asking if anyone had a good time or what they thought of the food.
So, in order not to lose out on those valuable insights, companies should establish a plan for post-event analysis right from the start. This involves setting up mechanisms to collect attendee feedback through targeted surveys that ask about specific aspects of their experience and what resonated with them. Beyond surveys, it means tracking direct conversions, like how many people signed up for a membership or purchased a course immediately after attending our workshop. Gathering and then dissecting this information is how you truly understand the return on your investment and gather intelligence for making your next event even more impactful.
Steve Nixon, Founder, Free Jazz Lessons
