Care Homes Activities Coordinators voted Top Event Planners in the UK
By
Stacey Selway

It’s never been more important as it is now for Activities Coordinators in Care Homes to keep spirits high among their residence, which is no easy task especially in the current circumstances. 

Their target isn’t revenue or sales based, it’s based on joy, laughter and happiness levels. Sounds like a great reason to host an event doesn’t it! 

So how are Activities Coordinators beating the event planning professionals to the mark, what’s their secret and how can you be just as good as they are?

Follow these 5 secret steps to event planning success;

  • Have joy at the heart of what you do
  • Think of the outcome at all times
  • Work to the residents/guests strengths
  • Have a supportive team
  • Don’t over do it!

Colten Care Homes are excellent at planning their activities, check out their latest news here. 

Have Joy at the Heart

Keep in mind that not everyone will enjoy all aspects of what you plan, but work to the majority. Will your event make people smile? If people need to do too much work they won’t enjoy themselves – keep things simple and keep joy at the heart of the event. 

What’s the Outcome?

Without the pressure of revenue generating events, Activities Coordinators can be as creative as they like – which becomes much more fun! This is one of the reasons that they do such a great job, their outcome is… joy, happiness and laughter. Starting to see the patterns here?

Work to your Guests Strengths

Activities Coordinators within care homes are responsible for the standard health and safety regulations etc as with any event. However, they have the added pressure of the residence individual needs which is a very broad array. Always keep this in mind when you plan your events and activities, are you pushing people too far out of their comfort zone / capabilities? Don’t take away the joy and happiness with your event by pushing people too far. Again, as before, go with the majority but you must keep everyone safe. 

Have a Supportive Team

Now it’s time to think about you, yes that’s right Activities Coordinators need to be selfish at times. Can you strategically execute this event without causing yourself stress, which of course will show in the event itself. You need support around you from start to finish, this isn’t a big ask, you’ll be surprised how many people are willing to help. Keep this in mind and always reach out to others for support. It’s the key to a smooth running and successful event. You guessed it, more commonly known as team work. 

Don’t Go Over the Top

We’re all guilty of getting over excited when it comes to event planning but always keep the aim in mind. If you don’t, you risk losing your guests attention which after all the hard work and planning with your team, you want everyone to be engaged in your event. Keep things simple, less is always more. 

In a nutshell, event planning is hard work but extremely rewarding if… you follow the steps above. Now you should feel confident when planning your events, even in those stressful moments your mind wanders back to the heart of the event. Looking for a career in health care? Look out for our next blog on How to Start a Career in Health Care or check out our current job roles here.