When Plans Go Up in Smoke: Finding Renewal in Unexpected Changes

As event planners, we pride ourselves on anticipating every scenario, having backup plans for our backup plans. But sometimes, life throws us curveballs that no amount of planning could prepare us for.

Recently, watching many of my friends, family, and clients city of Los Angeles face devastating wildfires, I've been reflecting on how we handle those moments when our carefully crafted plans go up in smoke – literally and figuratively, and how we can try to look forward with an optimistic perspective.

The Event That Never Was

It's so easy to get caught up in what's missing in our professional lives—that dream job that fell through, the perfect speaker who had to cancel, or the signature event series or title you imagined would define your career by now. I've been there, circling the same mental track of "what-ifs" and "should-haves," and it's exhausting. But watching Los Angeles burn was a jolting reminder to pause and really see what I do have, which, as it turns out, is a lot. I wouldn’t have my career path any other way than it has unfolded, even though I couldn’t have predicted some of the twists and turns I have taken along the way.

I’ll never forget one year I was managing a global conference for 20,000 internal attendees and it was canceled a mere 6 weeks before the event! At first, I thought I was dreaming because of fatigue (I was definitely burned out at that point in my career), and then… as I saw literally every meeting on my calendar evaporate…I was left NOT with relief, but of fear and emptiness. I didn’t have any other modus operandi other than adrenaline-fueled pedal-to-the-metal and suddenly having that much open time freaked me out and made me question my worth and usefulness to the company. 

My team had recently hired about a dozen new event team members to support this major event and they found themselves feeling even more aimless than I did while also trying to acclimate to a new team. As one of the Event team OG’s, I came up with the idea to create an “Event Marketing Academy” for our team and the broader company. Luckily, our CMO approved!

I surveyed my internal team about what skills they wanted to develop and what they could teach everyone else. I then put together a 3 month curriculum where twice a week, a team member would present to the team on something: topics like contract negotiation, how to lead a creative brainstorm, how to lead a product launch, retail store marketing, and more. I recorded all of them and pulled them all together on a Google Site which became an online “course” for all marketing team members to resource moving forward.

It was a project that brought me so much joy to coordinate, brought our team together during a hard period, and allowed people to find meaning and purpose during a down-time plus made our team leaders at the company. I’ll never forget how great it felt to actually have the space to think up and orchestrate a project like that, which I never could have done while Exec producing a 20,000 person event.

Side note…I also booked a trip to Sydney Australia over the week that 20,000 person event was originally planned to take place in Las Vegas. That Sydney trip was one of my most memorable trips ever - I even considered moving there! I’m so grateful I was able to go, enjoy friends there, without even a thought about my inbox!

Life is ultimately a series of decisions from moment to moment, day to day, that color the shape of your life. Every decision you make, every change in situation that forces a change in your life, closes one door, but makes room for another to open. I have always embraced change and used it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Muscles need tears to grow stronger - with pain comes strength when given time to heal.

When Your Timeline Goes Up in Flames

In our industry, we know that disruption is inevitable. Just as fire tears through landscapes, unexpected challenges can tear through our most meticulously planned events and marketing campaigns. But here's what two decades in event planning has taught me: these moments of disruption, while initially devastating, often clear the way for innovation and renewal.

Any unexpected professional setback—a canceled conference, a slashed budget, the loss of a key team member—can feel like a wildfire sweeping through your career. It scorches everything familiar, leaving behind an uncertain landscape where your carefully constructed plans once stood. But the hardest part is recognizing that, somewhere in the ashes of what could have been, there's potential for something even better.

Finding Your Footing in Shifted Ground

It's impossible to recognize the opportunity in the moment, of course. When you're standing in the wreckage of a derailed event or a failed campaign, it's all too raw, too overwhelming. That perspective only comes later, when you're looking back from the successful launch of your pivot or the unexpected success of your last-minute Plan C.

As event professionals, we understand better than most that setbacks are universal. Maybe that's why our industry is so collaborative, so willing to share resources and insights. In moments of crisis, we can lean into that shared experience to find strength, hope, or at least some valuable connections. On that note - please reach out if I can help you make any connections! 

Auditing Your Event Portfolio

I'm still grappling with the unexpected twists of 2025, and I'm sure there will be many more challenging moments ahead. But for now, I'm helping my clients focus on what I call an "Event Portfolio Audit"—taking stock of what's working, what isn't, and being grateful for the opportunities that setbacks create for innovation and growth.

For those looking to support those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, I've contributed to the GoFundMe Wildfire Relief Fund 2025. As someone who has planned countless events in this resilient city, I'm rooting for the people of Los Angeles, for the venues that will rebuild, the landscapes that will regrow, and for all of us in the events industry to find creative solutions in what's been a challenging start to the year.

Remember: sometimes the most memorable events are born from the ashes of original plans gone awry. It's not about the perfection of the initial vision—it's about the creativity and resilience we bring to the pivot.

What I’m loving this week:

Speaking of reinvention, I have officially announced my favorite caterer to the world by adding them to my Gianna Recommends page. Componere is an amazing company that has their own farm and sources all local and sustainable meat/fish while elevating the dining experience with chefs who have reinvented themselves coming from Michelin star restaurants like French Laundry. 

Componere has been my top catering partner for over 12 years and I'm thrilled to share their incredible story. Their mission is to elevate the catering experience and create truly special, world-class dining experiences. Componere is Latin for "to bring all the pieces together" and I've seen them do this at every touchpoint. They always come to the table (literally) with innovative ideas, are always willing to work with me to incorporate my creative requests, and have been an invaluable logistics partner on executing seamlessly for top brands I've worked for like Google and SoftBank. Learn more about them here and reach out to me for a personal introduction.

XX,

Gianna

P. S. Need event advice?  

Book a 15 - 60 min 1:1 using my link for Expert advice on intro: intro.co/GiannaGaudini