The Art of Troubleshooting

Whether you’re a photographer, caterer, wedding planner, or any other kind of event professional, chances are you’ve run into your share of issues. Even the best make mistakes; it’s bound to happen. And sometimes, problems occur through no fault of your own -- but you’re still responsible for fixing them.

From minor missteps to unmitigated disasters, trouble happens -- and when it does, you’ve got to be a pro at the art of troubleshooting.

As an event professional, you are probably already a troubleshooting maestro, but it never hurts to have some reminders on how best to solve issues when they arise.

Here are some useful tips on how to conduct yourself when things go awry:

Use the process of elimination. Seems like a no-brainer, but when you’re stressed out you may not be thinking clearly. Don’t try to identify issues willy-nilly. Don’t jump from one guess to another -- start from the top and work your way down to the bottom.

Start easy. When an issue arises, we sometimes have the tendency to panic and to assume that the problem is a very intricate and complicated one to resolve, one that threatens to throw the entire event into chaos thereby ruining you forever! Okay, exaggeration- but sometimes we do let our minds jump to extremes too quickly.

Always begin with the easiest-to-identify tasks, even if you think you’re too good to forget them. There’s nothing more aggravating than rushing around in a sweat looking for all kinds of issues when it’s something very, very simple.

More often than not, the problem is an easy one to resolve. For instance: your speakers won’t play, and you assume the wiring has gone haywire -- and then you find that the power cord isn’t plugged in. Simple. Don't jump to the worst case scenario too soon.

Take a deep breath, and think of the potential issues that you could easily solve. If it’s not one of those, work your way down, getting more and more specific until you identify the issue.

Go through your routine. Another good way to work out issues is to think back to your routine, from the very start. Try to remember if there were any tasks you missed or any steps you skipped.

Routines can be great, but sometimes you get so used to them that you don’t think about what you’re doing -- they become automatic, which means it's easier to fail to notice when you've missed something. So think back and try to remember if you didn’t do something you should have. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’ve exhausted all of your options and you’re still lost, it’s okay to ask for help! One of your co-workers or employees may be able to help you, even if it's not their specific area of expertise. It never hurts to have an extra perspective around.

If you fly solo, call a friend or family member who might be able to help. (It is advisable to have somebody around who knows how to fix things!) Even if the person you call can't help, explaining the situation aloud may reveal solutions you couldn't find by thinking silently to yourself.

Now that you’ve freshened up on your troubleshooting skills, take a look at Inspherio, the all-in-one event professional program. Try out our free 30-day trial and see why we will drastically reduce your need for troubleshooting!