Corporate meeting and event planning comes with built-in pressure, and fatigue can creep in from all directions. Sometimes, it’s the company setting the stage, and other times it’s the planner who pushes themselves too hard.

Kara Olsen, manager of shows and events at SalonCentric, relates event planning to being a professional high stakes juggler.

“As with juggling, the adrenaline is real. The stakes are high; the audience is watching, the pins are likely on fire, and someone is doubting that you can actually juggle. I believe the biggest reason for fatigue is the adrenaline rush — saying ‘yes’ to everything and everyone to make “it happen” over time runs its course on planners,” Olsen says. She has found that people often see planners as walking checklists, often not considering that the tasks associated with planning any level of event come with personalities of stakeholders, emotions of vendors and coworkers, and physical labor.

“The biggest telltale sign of planner fatigue is when we stop celebrating the little wins and moments,” Olsen says. “When outcomes lose their magic and turn into constant fire-drill trainings, planners who once used to lean into the magic, roll their eyes and say ‘great … next.’”

Prior to the pandemic, Jessica Cutler, owner of ENVENTS, was entering year five of owning her corporate event planning business. Before starting her company, she had spent an additional seven years planning events for corporations.

“My mantra had always been, ‘Never ‘no’ — just a different level of ‘yes.’ But, as you can imagine, never saying ‘no’ took a serious toll on my life. I reached a point where, when new projects came in, I felt exasperated and angry. I’d think, ‘Don’t they know how much I’m already doing for everyone else?’ Everything became ‘woe is me,’ and my sarcasm was biting: ‘Oh, you work 40 hours a week? I remember my first part-time job.’ My heart had grown so bitter that it seeped into every part of my life —  my business, my marriage, my friendships — turning me into someone I didn’t even want to be around,” Olsen says. “Then, the pandemic hit, and it was like a slap in my bitter, event-planning face. I always say 2020 was the year of clear vision. Losing all the business I had been so ungrateful to receive forced me to confront something I had been avoiding for years: myself. I worked on healing my heart, flushing out the bitterness and learning to embrace gratefulness while accepting, understanding and loving my limits.”

When ENVENTS came back, Cutler came back with it — this time with clear boundaries and a new vocabulary that included the word “no.”

“‘No’ to anything that didn’t bring me joy. ‘No’ to never providing less than my best. And sometimes, ‘no’ to good things, so I could make space for the great ones,” Cutler says. “That shift changed everything.”

“On the company side, one of the biggest culprits of fatigue is unrealistic expectations — thinking one person can pull off an entire event without the support of marketing, registration staff, speaker managers or onsite help for check-in, banquets and logistics,” says Shana Davison, CMP, founder and managing director at ASPIRE Event Management. “When those resources aren’t in place, the planner quickly becomes a ‘team of one,’ and that’s a fast track to burnout.”

On the planner’s side, the long, irregular hours and constant stress of juggling every moving part take their toll. According to Davison, when communication breaks down or the planning process itself isn’t clear, it often feels like the meeting planner is firefighting instead of actually working toward the “big picture” goals. That constant reactive mode is exhausting.

“The signs of fatigue don’t always show up right away, but they’re pretty familiar once you’ve lived through it,” Davison says. “Sleep gets disrupted, stress headaches become the norm, strategic thinking gets clouded, and even your body feels it through weight fluctuations or low energy. But maybe the clearest red flag is when the passion fades. When the work that once felt creative and energizing starts to feel like a grind, that’s when you know event fatigue has set in.”

For Davison, one instance comes to mind in which fatigue showed up less in the work itself and more in the environment around it. When she was offered a new opportunity as a meeting planner at a company, she was excited to bring her expertise and passion to shape the outcome of an annual event.

“Unfortunately, the existing team dynamics just weren’t healthy — people weren’t collaborating, and the culture didn’t allow us to thrive together. While I hadn’t lost my passion for planning, I could feel the toll it was taking on me personally,” Davison says. “It was a reminder that sometimes overcoming fatigue isn’t about changing the work you love — it’s about changing the environment around you so you can do that work at your best.”

“The Greatest Show” themed event, produced by ENVENTS, engaged attendees.

Andrew Roby, event producer at Andrew Roby Events, says that event planners are constantly faced with internal and external demands that lead to fatigue. Unrealistic workloads and timelines are at the top of the list due to short notice requests, as well as the consistent reduction in event budgets despite an increase in demands.

Due to high demands from corporations and the pressure to execute perfect events, some event planners find themselves needing to always be “on,” which places them in an environment where phone calls are answered at any time of the day and emails are checked over the weekend.

“Depending on the size and scale of events, event planners are also dealing with large vendor teams who are in need of equal if not more attention than the corporate group or department,” Roby says. “There are dozens of moving parts for events so when one is hinge fails and creates a domino effect, it is up to the planner to seamlessly fix it before the issue requires attention from others.”

Many events also require both emotional tax and physical labor from event planners that vary from event to event. An event can last 12 to 16 hours for one day, and for multi-day events, you can quickly hit 40 hours of work within three days, with more work to be done.

“That, plus the expectation that you are the calm in the storm even when things around you are going wrong, is the emotional masking that leads to fatigue,” Roby says.

What has saved Roby from fatigue is setting boundaries and building that into the weekly rhythm with his team.

“We put on ‘out of offices’ each day at 2 p.m. — our signature block states our office hours, and we ensure corporate clients know our office hours are not a limiting thing, because when we are not in the office, we are doing production work for their events,” Roby says.

Roby is also a big proponent of technology and relies on it to streamline corporate event planning processes to simplify the process and lessen fatigue and stress.

“If someone wants a recap of meetings, my AI automatically sends them a recap after our meeting. We have email templates and delegate time-consuming tasks to our admin team or contractors,” Roby says.

An Ounce of Prevention

Preventing fatigue really comes down to two things: how you take care of yourself and how you set yourself up at work. On the personal side, Davison says the basics matter more than we give them credit for — staying hydrated, moving your body, eating well and actually giving yourself permission to rest. Even small daily habits can make a big difference in keeping your energy steady.

“On the work side, it’s about creating systems that support you instead of drain you,” Davison says. Find a process that works for you — whether it’s project management software, detailed checklists or a simple calendar with reminders — and stick to it. Build in checkpoints, like regular morning stand-ups with your team, so everyone stays on the same page and you’re not carrying the full mental load alone.

Olsen adds that it’s easy to suggest ‘boundaries’ as a buzzword — but the hard part is truly understanding what boundaries even mean to you. “Understanding that an empty cup cannot be poured from is essential,” Olsen says. “Everyone fills their cups differently and there is no one way to pour. Building rituals to serve yourself, your energy and your peace is the goal and should come first. It could be a walk, a Netflix binge, a good book … something that involves your full attention. Say ‘yes’ to filling your own cup — the outcome shows up when you are with a client onsite, saying ‘yes’ to their requests calm, cool and collected.”

Attendees dressed the part at this speakeasy event.

Another big step for preventing fatigue is advocating for yourself and for the profession. “Event planners need a seat at the table where decisions are made,” Davison says. “Too often, we’re expected to execute without being involved in the strategic conversations, and that’s where misalignment — and extra stress — comes from. Being part of those conversations not only helps protect your sanity, but it also ensures the event actually supports the company’s goals. And finally, remember you don’t have to be a ‘team of one.’ Speak up about the resources you need — registration support, marketing help, onsite staff — because having the right team around you is just as much a part of preventing burnout as drinking water or getting to the gym.”

For Roby, one of the most important steps a corporate meeting planner should take is to admit that you are fatigued. As Roby explains, there’s no way to address it if you don’t know how fatigue shows up in your body and your meeting planning. The other is to stop using social media as a benchmark for success.

“What you see on social media is half the truth. You never know how good or bad a meeting planner is doing away from social media,” Roby says. “The other advice is to master your power to say ‘no.’ You can’t say ‘yes’ to every request. Every task and every request is not urgent nor requires your direct attention. Delegate.”

Indeed, Cutler has established clear steps she uses to prevent fatigue:

Boundaries matter. You don’t have to be available 24/7, and you shouldn’t be. Setting clear communication windows not only protects your focus and sanity, but also sets the tone for mutual respect. By establishing expectations upfront, you create a framework that honors both your client’s needs and your own, allowing you to deliver excellence within your loving limits.

Systems save energy. Templates, checklists and project management tools free up mental space so we can focus on what really needs our attention.

Delegation is strength, not weakness. A reliable team or vendors turns the impossible into the achievable — and keeps planners from carrying it all alone.

Recovery is non-negotiable. Rest, movement and intentional downtime aren’t luxuries — they’re what keep you energized and creative. After large events, schedule dedicated recovery days to reset. This might mean saying no to another piece of business, but protecting your time allows you to show up stronger for the next opportunity.

Most importantly, meeting planners have to stay connected to the why — the reason you do this work in the first place.

“When fatigue threatens to dull the spark, remembering that we’re creating moments, memories and meaning helps us push through with purpose,” Cutler says.

Roby also recommends asking for help. The corporate meeting and event planning industry talks a great deal about collaboration, so start by leaning on other event planners for big projects, for advice and other resources to help you fight fatigue. Also, ensure you dedicate more time to your health. Exercise, proper healthy meals and enough sleep are not luxuries, they are your right.

“The more we get comfortable with these things and express their importance, the easier it becomes to fight fatigue and how it shows up in your personal and professional life,” Roby says.

Dealing with Existing Fatigue

And if you’re already feeling fatigue, Davison says the first step is giving yourself permission to pause and really reflect. Ask yourself: Does the joy and fulfillment this career brings still outweigh the challenges it’s putting on me personally? That clarity can be grounding.

“From there, it doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. Sometimes, it’s about shifting, not quitting. If you’re in a lead planner role and the weight of “owning everything” is what’s wearing you down, consider — moving into a more focused role like speaker management, registration, sourcing or hotel logistics,” Davison says. “Narrowing your scope can help you rediscover the parts of event planning that you love without carrying the entire load.”

Olsen always says to teams she works with — “If you need a minute, take a minute.” Tag-team someone else in.

“I can’t stress this enough. Giving yourself permission to step away and think for a minute can be the small reset that saves the event. Fatigue does not mean you are a bad planner or that your failing — it means you have given your all, for an extended time,” Olsen says. “Consider it a sign to serve yourself with a new perspective and fresh eyes. Don’t be afraid to connect with other planners. Community is magic — sharing and hearing stories often reminds me that I am not alone — and that there are people just like me — chaos-loving coordinators who thrive in planning just like you.”

Indeed, it’s also important to lean on your network. Other planners get it, and talking openly about the fatigue can remind you that you’re not alone. And finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help — whether that’s advocating for more team support, seeking mentorship or even talking with company leadership about workload and resources.

“Sometimes, the best way through fatigue isn’t about ‘toughing it out,’” Davison says, “but about reshaping the role so it’s sustainable and brings you back to why you started in the first place. At the end of the day, this career is demanding — but it’s also deeply rewarding. My encouragement to fellow event professionals is to keep following the parts of this work that light you up. Lean into your passion, because that’s what keeps the long days’ worth it and turns fatigue into fulfillment.” C&IT