Six Effective Ways to Deal With Unexpected Problems at Your Events

Have things ever been so good for you? 

Balancing your life is a walk in the park The grass is green and the sun is on your back. 

You feel like you’re in control of everything.

All of a sudden, something goes sideways. It can be a trick that flops or an unexpected event that endangers your show or even your career.

Sad to say, the world is not as perfect as you thought.

An occurrence like that can take you way out of your comfort zone. And before you know it, the walk in the park is over.

The life you’ve achieved is gone.

During my 20 years as a fire entertainer, it’s always been possible to get into trouble. I mean, being the FireGuy is equivalent to telling everyone that I’m an accident magnet! 

But hey, I’m still alive and kicking, entertaining for more than 20 years at different occasions and locations.

Getting comfortable and relaxed is great. But occurrences like what happened in 2000, when I had the opportunity to perform for the Toronto Raptors’ home court playoffs game, are a downer.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane.

It was my second year performing for the Toronto Raptors. I had established a good relationship with them. Sometimes I was given a chance to perform in half-time shows.

Besides the events with the Toronto Raptors, I’d been doing shows at nightclubs because they’re fast cash. Juggling and breathing fire at nightclubs was fun!

Everything was going my way.

For the first time in the Toronto Raptors’ history, they made it to the playoffs! And it was the first NBA game outside the USA, and I was to be a part of it.

It was an event to look forward to.

Even with that in mind, I had a nightclub booking the day before it.

It felt like everything was going my way.

When I arrived at the club, I was flabbergasted. It was full of people! I wasn’t expecting that!

They were having so much fun.

Thinking like a professional, I planned to just go and perform for a few minutes and rest afterward because of the big event the next day. But I got infected with the uplifting mood of the party 

I drank and had fun, not thinking that I still had to catch a flight to Toronto the next day.

Shortly after the party (and having fewer hours of sleep than usual),  I woke up early and caught the plane.

I arrived on time to prepare for the fire show.

It was a big break for me as an entertainer; little did I know that it would greatly affect my reputation as the FireGuy.

And I was so excited because my job was so easy – that is, to breathe the biggest fire that I could make to hype the crowd!

After a few minutes of waiting, it was FireGuy’s time to shine.

Breathing a monster-sized fire, I brightened the mood of 20,000 people inside the stadium!

It felt so great. I felt like it was a door opener that would bring opportunities for me to become a celebrity!

When I returned to the dressing room, the staff suddenly rushed in and summoned me. 

I thought I was about to be praised. But I wasn’t.

The oil that I used for fire breathing UNEXPECTEDLY spilled droplets on the floor.

Maybe because I was in fatigue after the nightclub booking?

Of course, as a professional fire entertainer, I had a tarp ready for droplets. But the organizers had folded it in quarters, and that made a mess.

The staff asked me how to remove the spilled oil!

And that was the moment that I thought, “Oh Brant. You’ve just blown it…”

I went from hero to zero at that moment.

Did I do my job as a fire entertainer? Yes. But did it go according to my expectation? No.

“Burning a bridge on an easy street leaves the new path on the rocky road of regret.”

The event coordinator kept looking at me with disappointment. I tried avoiding his eyes.

Scotiabank Arena’s floor is expensive. Plus, it’s dangerous to play if the floor is slippery.

I cleaned up within a short time after they called me. But still, it wasn’t enough to make up for what I had done.

Because the game was delayed for five minutes, the Toronto Raptors were fined $50,000 by the National Broadcasting Company.

After I was ushered out of the building, I never saw the event coordinator again. They never gave me another opportunity to perform for the Toronto Raptors.

One mishap, leading to a cascade of misfortune almost derailed my career.

But did it stop me from performing and entertaining? No.

And misfortune can happen to you too as an event planner. Especially when you invite an entertainer to draw a crowd to your event and entertain your audience.

After that experience with the Toronto Raptors, I have pulled together six ways to deal with unexpected problems at your event.

By using these tips,  you can be sure that your events, even with unexpected problems, will still be as enjoyable as if nothing had happened.

Dealing effectively with an unexpected mess

As an event organizer, chances are you’re in control of every event put on for your company.

That’s a great thing!

But when an unexpected event occurs, how do you keep your cool?

Here are the six tips to help you effectively deal with unexpected events.