Mistakes I made organising events — and what I learned from them

When I look back today, I can honestly say that I learned the most from my mistakes — and there were many of them.

In the beginning I believed it was enough to have a quality programme. A good play, famous actors, or a popular performer — and I thought the audience would come on its own. Very quickly I realised it is not that simple.

Today people have a lot of choice, and the audience's attention has become one of the most valuable things.

I learned that an event does not begin when the doors of the hall open — it begins much earlier: in the communication, in the way you present the story, in the trust you build, in years of nurturing your audience.

One of my biggest mistakes was that, in certain periods, I underestimated marketing. I thought: if the programme is good — people will hear about it.

However, today it is not enough to be good — you always have to be present, you have to remind people several times, you have to create an emotion and a reason for someone to set aside that particular evening for your event.

Another important thing I learned is that you should not organise events just because they are "popular". There were projects I thought would be a sure hit, and the audience simply did not respond. And the other way around — there were smaller events that created an incredible atmosphere and stayed in people's memory far longer.

That is why today I trust my instinct and my experience much more. And I choose more carefully.

Of course, there are still stressful moments — that is part of this job. But over time you learn not to chase only the numbers, but the quality of the audience, the atmosphere, and long-term trust.

In the end, people may forget the details of the organising, but they never forget how they felt at an event.

And that is exactly what I want to remain behind everything we do through the HELSE organisation.

— Evica