Walk With Me (In My Shoes): The Hidden Metrics of Event Coordination
If event managers only needed clipboards, my Apple Watch wouldn’t be closing half-marathons every weekend.
Here’s what one three-day stretch showed:
Saturday (outdoor wedding):
15,211 steps, 7.1 miles, 9+ hrs onsite
Sunday (club wedding):
7,389 steps, 3.4 miles, 10+ hrs onsite
Monday (corporate golf dinner):
10,463 steps, 4.8 miles, 8+ hrs onsite
That’s over 33,000 steps and 15+ miles in three days, all in event attire and with a smile.
What the Metrics Don’t Show
The steps and miles are easy to measure. The real work hides between the data points.
15,000+ steps on Saturday = directing vendors, solving last-minute decor challenges, keeping a processional party moving in sync without a rehearsal, and smoothing over surprises before guests notice.
7,000+ steps on Sunday = leading a venue team through setup, service, and strike while balancing client expectations and behind-the-scenes challenges.
10,000+ steps on Monday = converting a ballroom space from setup to banquet service to teardown—all in one seamless sweep.
These aren’t laps around the block. They’re loops between kitchens, back doors, ballrooms, and dance floors. Every step is a decision, a pivot, or a solved problem that makes the event look effortless.
Where a Mental Checklist Matters, plus a Timeline or Run-of-Show
Anticipation: Seeing the issue before it happens by constantly scanning the room. On Saturday, a guest asked if I was Security. I laughed—because in a sense, I am. With a background in law enforcement and security, that instinct never leaves you. Whether I’m leading a banquet team as captain or running an event as owner and manager, I’m also the safety net—the person quietly ensuring peace of mind for clients and guests.
Adaptability: Making a timeline work even after it’s been blown apart by late arrivals or overlong speeches.
Composure: Smiling at guests while mentally triaging six tasks behind the scenes, while motivating staff, or handling staff issues.
Event operations is an endurance sport of logistics, leadership, and a little bit of security.
Why This Matters
Behind every seamless event, there’s someone quietly pacing miles to keep it that way. My Apple Watch helps to show the invisible effort as a metric.
The truth is, event coordination lives in the gap between what guests experience and what it took to deliver it. Guests see champagne toasts and first dances. I see the logistics that make sure champagne is poured on time and the DJ hits their transition points.
So, next time you imagine an event manager with a clipboard or just “throwing parties,” picture them instead physically and mentally running a half-marathon.
Because while the rings on my Apple Watch may close every day, the real win is closing an event without anyone noticing the miles behind it.