Every time I hear the word pivot, I can't help but think of the "Friends" episode where they are moving the couch upstairs. The couch is struggling to make the turn, and Ross starts annoyingly yelling, "PIVOT! PIVOT!" Check it out here!
In events there often is not a person who is yelling PIVOT when we get stuck. And pivot is not our only option. When we get stuck, we have two main options: Do we pivot, or do we persevere?
The "Lean Startup" defines pivot as "a structured course correction designed to test a new fundamental hypothesis about the product, business model and engine of growth."
Pain, friction, and the feeling that you are spinning your wheels are all signs that you need to have a "Pivot or Persevere" meeting. Come to that meeting with data and bring your hypotheses and assumptions to the table, and be willing to challenge and question them.
There can be several points where an event planning team will decide if there's a need to pivot or persevere. A sign of maturity in the planning process is the ability to have these kinds of meetings and ask these questions. The more you have these meetings, the easier they become.
Events or organizations that refuse to pivot find themselves with slowly dwindling attendance, unmet goals, and an event planning process that is slow and stressful. These events often use phrases like:
We always hold the event at the Palmer House
We never have a band
We could never charge for this event
We always give these tickets away
Our people would never do online registration
When you experience pain in the planning process and you find yourself not getting the results you desire or thought you would, have a pivot or persevere meeting. Bring data and challenge your assumptions and hypotheses. Decide as a team if the right action is to persevere or pivot.
If you choose to persevere, you can move forward with the team knowing this is hard but we know it is right. It is always good to revisit the plan in the next couple weeks to make sure everything is going according to plan.
All right, now go persevere...or pivot!