“I encounter innovations, people, and creative concepts that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience in other fields.” –
Interview with Eszti Lasancz, Event Manager.
In this interview, we learn about a day in the life of an event manager, what makes ConceptFlow special, and what Eszti has learned about herself and the valuable advice she has gained since working in the industry.
Why do you work in the field of event management?
It was literally life that led me here, and I am very grateful for that because my encounter with this profession was love at first sight. Even during university projects, the organizing tasks somehow always landed on me, and in my previous non-event-related jobs, I still had to organize events to some extent. I love that my work is diverse; no two projects are the same, and we can’t and don’t want to work in a template-like manner. I learn something new with every event, I encounter innovations, people, and creative concepts that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience in other fields, and I find that very inspiring.
How did you join ConceptFlow?
In a rather traditional way, I applied for a job posting. Based on the information I found about them online, they seemed like a good fit. The rest followed naturally, and I am still glad I sent that email back then. I feel that I have found my place here, not just professionally, but I have fantastic colleagues who are a pleasure to work with every day.
How is ConceptFlow different from other companies?
Generally, every company advertises how fantastic their team cohesion is and how important team spirit is to them. It’s a buzzword in almost every job listing, honestly quite clichéd, and most of the time, community building fizzles out at something like a “Tuesday company fruit day” initiative. At ConceptFlow, we don’t have such things, but we do team building, play board games, have picnics in the Tabán, participate in surprise company Christmas mystery games, and attend office costume parties. Here, being a team is not just a slogan, but a real, cherished value. We truly care for each other, help one another selflessly and unconditionally, and approach each other with genuine curiosity. It’s good to come to work here, we can discuss everything, and there’s no unnecessary tension.
What have you learned about yourself since working here?
Perhaps to follow on from the previous thought, that there is strength in unity. In the past, I often felt that if I couldn’t solve something on my own, execute it perfectly, or come up with the right idea, I had failed, and that was it, game over. However, at ConceptFlow, I realized how untrue this is and that there’s nothing wrong with asking for help with a project, and that it is important to surround yourself with people you can count on in such cases.
As an event manager, we are faced with tasks and requests every day that we have never encountered before and it is unrealistic to expect ourselves to have all the answers. Once you learn to let go of this ingrained mindset, everything flows much more smoothly. But this requires a team with the right attitude, like the one at ConceptFlow.
As an event manager, we are faced with tasks and requests every day that we have never encountered before and it is unrealistic to expect ourselves to have all the answers. Once you learn to let go of this ingrained mindset, everything flows much more smoothly. But this requires a team with the right attitude, like the one at ConceptFlow.
What does an event manager’s day look like?
It’s literally always different; this is truly not a typical nine-to-five job, but that’s one of the things I love most about it. Sometimes we’re working full throttle on a presentation, then meeting with clients, or touring venues. Other times we’re painting decor elements, waking up at dawn to travel to the other side of the country, folding menu cards, untangling string lights, and it’s entirely possible (and it does happen) that a few hours later, we’re coordinating a 300-person gala dinner into the night. Then, at dawn, we close the event and have a carpool karaoke session on the way home, because why not? And we start all over again the next day, just in a slightly different order.
Do you have any personal practices or workflows? How do you go about coordinating several projects at once?
I like to always be up-to-date with all my projects and have a clear overview of where I am with each of them. It’s a bit old-school, but I usually make a list of tasks for my events, organize them by theme, and then prioritize them to see what I need to get started on first so that everything comes together smoothly by the deadline. I check off tasks as I complete them and move on. For me, it’s reassuring to know that I have a list with everything on it, so I don’t have to worry afterwards about what if I’ve forgotten something. Since event planning in real life isn’t linear, as new tasks can come up at any moment, systematic thinking is essential to keep things under control. For me, this takes the form of a neatly structured Excel spreadsheet.
What makes an event successful?
Success is a subjective concept, I think it means something different for everyone. I consider an event a success when I see that the guests are having a good time and everything turned out as planned or even better. In my opinion, the event itself has to be so well-prepared and coordinated by us that it naturally leads to success.
How do you deal with potential problems and stress in the company?
We work in an environment where if a problem arises, we can discuss it immediately and help each other out. Sometimes we need to vent, and as a creative agency, we often turn potential incidents into funny stories and have a good laugh in the end. It’s important to approach these situations positively, but I think there’s no shortage of that here.
If you had an unlimited budget, what special element would you definitely include in an event?
Hmm, that’s a good question. It obviously depends on the event, but I would definitely incorporate something visual —a specially composed, incredibly detailed decoration built from visuals unique to the event, or a light show that the guests have never seen before. Usually, the decor has to be scaled back due to budget constraints, but it’s the custom graphic elements and visual effects that make events truly impressive. As a guest, the first impression of an event is important and it’s our eyes that first sense where we are entering. This sets the atmosphere. It’s not specific objects that stay with participants as memories of the event, but emotions, and I believe the visuals play a big role in that.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Professionally, I think it’s the one I got from Évi, which is about the fact that an event manager has two personas: themselves and their event manager self. We work with people, and there are situations that we shouldn’t take personally, even though it’s often not that easy, because we work with heart and soul.
Sometimes, however, we need to bring out the event manager persona and get professionally involved in certain situations to keep things moving forward. And most importantly, that’s totally fine.
Sometimes, however, we need to bring out the event manager persona and get professionally involved in certain situations to keep things moving forward. And most importantly, that’s totally fine.
