CAI-NJ June 2018 (w)

LOOKING AHEAD LARRY THOMAS, PCAM | CAI-NJ CHAPTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“P lan for the Worst and Hope for the Best” are words that every board member and manager should memorize and live by every day. With so many moving parts of managing and overseeing a commu- nity’s operation, there are always things that are not going to go according to plan. I remember my days as a community manager, we would have several meetings to discuss and plan our events and work tasks and often, something or someone would disrupt the plan and an “on the spot” decision would have to be made to have the event or task be a success. I always found it important when planning an event to discuss the “what if” factor. Usually, there is one person at every meeting who assumes this role. Sometimes their concerns are legitimate and sometimes they are far reaching and the possibility of their suggestion is minimal. Probably, the weather is the most unpredictable element of any event. As we all know, our communities all plan outdoor events in the summer and careful consideration must be given to the “what if.” Do we have a rain date, can we move indoors, can we cancel the caterer or entertainer if the event is cancelled? It never hurts to have a “Plan B” in place prior to the event. I remem- ber one of the owners of a management company that I worked for was always known for calling “an audible.” So, if he was in the middle of a function or task and something gets derailed, he would call “an audible” and immediate- ly change direction. Don’t be afraid to change course if things are not going well and you need to change things up. Use your best judgement and move the function along. Also, if you plan a new event and it doesn’t go as well as you thought it would have, sit down with your team and discuss why the event didn’t meet your expectations. It may

“I remember my days as a community manager, we would have several meetings to discuss and plan our events and work tasks and often, something be that it wasn’t marketed properly or the theme needed to be altered a little to make it more attractive. I never used the “one and done” philosophy. The reason most events don’t go as planned is due to poor planning and execu- tion. It is very important to fully discuss your idea with your team. Consider all the comments, and if needed, make some changes. Before, we host or sponsor an event at CAI-NJ, the entire team (along with the appropriate committee, if it is to be a committee event) thoroughly discuss the concept of the event to make sure it is relevant and we have a viable audience to attend. Once we determine to hold the event, we constantly go over the specifics to ensure we cover all our bases. We also discuss the idea with the involved committees to make sure we are not duplicating or if we can “partner up” with another CAI-NJ committee. So, I started with a quote and I will end this article with a quote “Fail to Plan, then Plan to Fail.” We can never over plan or over discuss an event or task. Consider bringing in your associates and colleagues that have run a similar event to get their input and never be afraid to call “an audible” if things are not going well. n or someone would disrupt the plan...”

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