How to Use the Event Coordinator One-to-One Template

Why structured event coordinator one-to-ones matter

Your event coordinator sits between clients, operations, kitchen, and service — translating what someone wants into what your venue delivers. When they're thriving, events run seamlessly, clients rebook, and your venue builds a reputation for reliability. When they're struggling, client expectations go unmet, operational teams feel blindsided, and you lose revenue to competitors who execute better.

The challenge is that event coordinators work in cycles of intense pressure. They juggle multiple events at different planning stages, manage demanding clients, and absorb the blame when anything goes wrong on the night. Without intentional one-to-ones, you'll only hear about problems when a client complains — or when your coordinator burns out and leaves.

This template structures your conversations around the areas that matter most for event coordinator performance and retention. Each section builds on the last: preparation gives you context, their agenda shows you what's on their mind, the discussion sections cover role performance, team dynamics, growth, and wellbeing, and the engagement indicators give you an early-warning system for disengagement.

Preparation

Complete these steps before each meeting to ensure a focused and productive conversation. Arriving prepared shows your event coordinator that you take this time seriously.

Review notes from previous one-to-one — Pull up the notes from your last session. What actions did you commit to? What did they commit to? If you promised to address a recurring operational issue or speak to sales about unrealistic bookings, check whether you followed through. Walking in without knowing what was agreed last time undermines the entire process.

Check recent performance data or feedback — Review client feedback from recent events. Check any post-event surveys, complaint logs, or rebooking data. Has the sales team mentioned anything about client satisfaction? Have operational teams raised concerns about briefings or communication? This takes two minutes and gives you specific talking points instead of vague impressions.

Note any observations from the past week — Think about what you've noticed. Did they handle a difficult client situation well? Were they calm during a last-minute change? Did they seem stressed about an upcoming event or disengaged during planning meetings? Write down two or three specific observations before the meeting.

Send agenda prompt to employee ahead of time — Message them the day before: "Hey — we're catching up tomorrow at 3. Anything from the last few days I should know about?" This gives them time to think. Event coordinators spend their days managing other people's problems; asking them to suddenly reflect on their own needs requires mental preparation. If they reply "all good," try: "What's the event you're most worried about right now?" Everyone has one.

Customisation tips:

• Schedule at the same time fortnightly — Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons work well, away from weekend event delivery
• 20-30 minutes is appropriate for event coordinators, given the complexity of their workload
• Meet in a private space where they can speak candidly about clients and operational challenges without being overheard
• For the first 90 days, keep these weekly without exception. After that, fortnightly works well unless they're managing a particularly heavy event period

Their Agenda

Start every one-to-one by asking: "What's been on your mind?" Record whatever they raise before covering your own items.

If they say "nothing really," don't fill the silence immediately. Count to five. Silence is uncomfortable and they'll often fill it with something real. If they still don't, offer a specific opener: "Talk me through the event you're most worried about — what's keeping you up at night about it?" The specific framing works because "How was your week?" is too vague for someone managing five concurrent events at different stages.

Once they're talking, ask "What else?" until they run out. Don't jump to solutions or share your perspective yet. This section is about understanding their world, not managing it.

If you have items to cover — new booking enquiries, venue changes, feedback from clients — mention them at the start so they know it's coming, then let them go first: "I want to talk about the new corporate account before we finish, but first — what's been on your mind since last time?"

What to record: Their exact concerns in their own words. Don't paraphrase into management language — "the kitchen ignored half my briefing for Saturday and the client noticed" captures reality better than "discussed operational coordination."

Role Performance

These four questions are designed to uncover how event coordination actually feels from their position. Work through each one during the conversation and tick it off as you cover it.

"Which upcoming event are you most worried about? What's concerning you?"

This reveals where their anxiety sits and what they see as the biggest risk in their current workload. An event coordinator who can articulate their concerns is managing risk actively. One who says "everything's fine" either has exceptional confidence or isn't looking closely enough. The specific concern — client expectations, operational capacity, timing, budget — tells you where they need support.

What good answers sound like:

• Names a specific event with a clear articulation of what could go wrong
• Shows they've been thinking about risk rather than just hoping for the best
• Identifies what would mitigate the concern (resources, information, backup plan)

What to do with the answer: Address the concern directly. If it's operational capacity, check staffing. If it's client expectations, offer to join a call. If it's budget, review the numbers together. An event coordinator who feels heard and supported before an event performs better during it.

"How's the client relationship on [specific booking]? Any concerns about expectations vs what we can deliver?"

The gap between what a client expects and what a venue can deliver is where event failures originate. This question surfaces whether the coordinator feels confident that expectations are aligned — or whether they're heading toward a difficult conversation on the night.

What good answers sound like:

• Honest about whether client expectations are realistic
• Identifies specific areas where expectations and delivery might diverge
• Shows proactive communication with the client rather than hoping problems won't materialise

What to do with the answer: If there's a gap, help close it now — not on the night. Offer to join a client meeting, suggest compromise options, or authorise additional resources if the budget allows. Expectation management is easier two weeks out than two hours out.

"Are you getting the information you need from clients on time? Or are you constantly chasing?"

Late information from clients cascades through the entire operation — late menus affect the kitchen, late guest counts affect service staffing, late AV requirements affect setup. This question reveals whether the coordinator has the tools and authority to get what they need or whether they're constantly chasing.

What good answers sound like:

• Specific about which clients or information types are problematic
• Identifies patterns rather than isolated complaints
• Suggests what would help (stricter deadlines, automated reminders, earlier client meetings)

What to do with the answer: If chasing is a systemic problem, improve the process — tighter contract terms, automated deadline reminders, earlier information milestones. If specific clients are problematic, offer to escalate. The coordinator shouldn't spend their time chasing basics.

"What's your current event load like? Is it manageable, or are you stretched?"

Workload is the single biggest factor in event coordinator burnout. Too many concurrent events means corners get cut, client relationships suffer, and operational briefings become rushed. This question checks whether the load is sustainable.

What good answers sound like:

• Honest about capacity rather than performing capability
• Identifies which events are consuming disproportionate time and why
• Distinguishes between "busy but manageable" and "stretched beyond quality"

What to do with the answer: If they're stretched, look at the load. Can anything be redistributed? Can an upcoming booking be delayed? Can they get administrative support for routine tasks? Protect their capacity for the high-value work — client relationships and event execution.

Record the key points from your discussion, focusing on event risks, client relationship health, and workload sustainability. Note specific events they're worried about — these are valuable for your own planning and for performance review evidence.

Team and Relationships

These questions surface the dynamics that affect event delivery — coordination with operational teams, briefing effectiveness, recurring issues, and support culture.

"How's the coordination with kitchen and service teams? Are briefings landing?"

Event success depends on operational teams executing the plan. If the kitchen doesn't understand the menu brief or the service team doesn't know the running order, the event fails regardless of how good the planning was. This question reveals whether the coordinator's work is translating into execution.

What good answers sound like:

• Specific about which teams are responsive and which are problematic
• Identifies whether briefings are understood or just heard
• Shows awareness of operational constraints alongside their own planning needs

What to do with the answer: If briefings aren't landing, investigate why. Is it timing, format, content, or attitude? Work with operational managers to improve the handover. A coordinator who feels the kitchen respects their briefings will invest more in making them thorough.

"When you brief teams before events, are they getting what they need? What's missing?"

This flips the perspective — instead of whether briefings are landing, it asks whether they contain the right information. The coordinator may be briefing well but missing details that the operational team actually needs.

What good answers sound like:

• Honest about gaps in their own briefing process
• Shows they've sought feedback from operational teams about what they need
• Identifies specific improvements rather than general statements

What to do with the answer: Facilitate a conversation between the coordinator and operational leads about briefing format and content. Standardise what needs to be included. Good briefing templates prevent both over-communication and under-communication.

"Any recurring operational issues across events? Things that keep going wrong?"

Recurring problems are systemic, not individual. If the same issue appears across multiple events — late food, AV failures, staffing gaps — it's a process or resource problem, not the coordinator's fault. This question identifies patterns that need structural solutions.

What good answers sound like:

• Names specific recurring issues with examples from multiple events
• Identifies the root cause rather than just describing the symptom
• Shows frustration at repetition, indicating they care about quality

What to do with the answer: Fix the system. If AV always fails, invest in equipment or training. If food is always late, address kitchen-events coordination at management level. Recurring problems that aren't fixed signal to the coordinator that quality doesn't matter to management.

"When events go wrong, do you feel supported? Or does it feel like you're blamed?"

Event coordinators absorb enormous pressure when things go wrong — from clients, from guests, and often from their own management. This question reveals whether the blame culture is healthy or toxic. A coordinator who feels blamed will become risk-averse, defensive, and eventually will leave.

What good answers sound like:

• Honest about how failure is handled rather than saying "it's fine"
• Distinguishes between fair accountability and unfair blame
• Identifies specific situations where they felt supported or unsupported

What to do with the answer: If they feel blamed, change the culture. Conduct post-event reviews that focus on systems and processes, not individuals. When things go wrong, ask "what do we fix?" not "whose fault was this?" A supported coordinator takes risks, innovates, and stays.

Capture the operational dynamics discussed, any briefing improvements needed, and recurring issues that need systemic solutions. Note support culture concerns carefully — these directly affect retention.

Growth and Development

These questions explore career aspirations and development needs. The answers shape how you invest in this event coordinator's growth.

"Do you see yourself moving toward event management, venue management, or a different path?"

There's no wrong answer, but the answer changes everything about how you develop them. A coordinator aiming for event management needs exposure to budgeting, team leadership, and strategic planning. One wanting venue management needs broader operational understanding. Understanding their direction helps you invest wisely.

What good answers sound like:

• Honest about their trajectory without feeling they need to perform loyalty
• Specific about what interests them, even if it's outside your venue
• Shows they've thought about it rather than just shrugging

What to do with the answer: If they want event management, involve them in budgeting and vendor negotiations. If they want venue management, give them operational exposure. If they're uncertain, help them explore options. Either way, invest in their growth now.

"What would you need to learn to feel confident handling any event, any client?"

This surfaces their honest self-assessment. If they name something specific — large-scale production management, difficult client negotiations, budget forecasting — you've found a concrete development opportunity. If they say "nothing" or "I don't know," they may be overconfident or disengaged, both worth exploring.

What good answers sound like:

• Names specific skills or knowledge gaps
• Shows ambition to improve rather than defensiveness about weaknesses
• Connects learning to better client outcomes or event quality

What to do with the answer: Create a plan to build the skill they name. If it's budget management, involve them in financial reviews. If it's difficult clients, role-play scenarios. If it's production management, pair them with someone experienced for a large event.

"What would make this the best events role you've ever had? What's missing?"

This reveals what they need from you and the venue to do exceptional work. The answer surfaces resource gaps, autonomy frustrations, and unrealised potential. It also shows whether they still have ambition for the role or have settled into routine.

What good answers sound like:

• Names specific improvements with clear reasoning
• Shows vision for what the events function could be
• Connects improvements to client outcomes and venue reputation

What to do with the answer: Take it seriously. If they need better systems, investigate options. If they need more authority, extend it. If they need a better relationship with sales, broker it. Their vision for the role is valuable intelligence.

"If you were going to leave, what would be the reason?"

The most direct question in the template. The honest answer tells you exactly what threatens retention. Whether it's workload, money, recognition, lack of authority, or better opportunities elsewhere, this is the thing you need to address.

What good answers sound like:

• Genuine honesty rather than what they think you want to hear
• Specific enough to be actionable
• Willing to have the conversation rather than deflecting

What to do with the answer: Don't react emotionally. If it's workload, fix it. If it's money, discuss what's possible. If it's authority, extend it. Whatever they say, respond within a week with a concrete action or explanation.

Record their career direction, development interests, and any specific aspirations. This feeds directly into performance review objectives and helps you plan training investment.

Wellbeing and Support

These questions catch frustration, authority constraints, and unmet needs before they cause resignations. Ask them genuinely, not as a box-ticking exercise.

"What's the most frustrating thing about your job right now? If you could fix one thing, what would it be?"

This cuts through politeness to their top priority. Whatever they name is the thing most likely to make them leave if it's not addressed. For event coordinators, it's often undeliverable bookings from sales, insufficient authority to make decisions, or lack of operational support.

What good answers sound like:

• Names something specific and fixable rather than vague dissatisfaction
• Trusts you enough to be honest about genuine frustrations
• Differentiates between temporary annoyances and persistent problems

What to do with the answer: Fix it if you can. If you can't, explain why and offer alternatives. Either way, respond within 48 hours — speed of response matters more than the outcome.

"Do you have enough authority to make decisions during events? Or do you have to escalate too much?"

An event coordinator who can't make real-time decisions during events can't protect the client experience. If they need to find a manager every time something changes — a guest count adjustment, a timing shift, a menu substitution — the event suffers and their confidence erodes.

What good answers sound like:

• Clear about where they feel empowered and where they feel restricted
• Gives examples of situations where they wished they could act independently
• Shows good judgement about when to act and when to escalate

What to do with the answer: Clarify their authority explicitly. "You can authorise changes up to [amount] or [scope] during an event without checking with me. Anything beyond that, call me." Clear boundaries are better than vague expectations.

"How's the relationship with sales? Are you getting bookings that are actually deliverable?"

The sales-operations gap is one of the most common sources of event coordinator frustration. If sales promises things the venue can't deliver — unrealistic timelines, impossible menus, capacity beyond what's safe — the coordinator absorbs the fallout. This question surfaces whether that gap exists.

What good answers sound like:

• Honest about whether bookings from sales are realistic
• Names specific examples rather than general complaints
• Suggests how to improve the handover process

What to do with the answer: If sales is making undeliverable promises, address it at management level. Create a handover process that gives the coordinator input before a booking is confirmed. The coordinator shouldn't be discovering impossible commitments after the contract is signed.

"What do you need from me that you're not getting?"

This directly asks whether you're doing your job as their manager. Whatever they say, write it down. Then do it or explain why you can't — within 48 hours, not at the next one-to-one.

What good answers sound like:

• Specific and actionable ("I need you to back me up when the kitchen pushes back on event menus" rather than "more support")
• Trusts you enough to ask for something
• Acknowledges what you're already doing well alongside the gap

What to do with the answer: Deliver on it. Fast. If you make commitments and don't follow through, trust disappears and future one-to-ones become surface-level exercises.

Record frustrations, authority constraints, and support requests. Flag anything that suggests burnout or flight risk — these notes are critical early-warning signs that need action, not just documentation.

Engagement Indicators

These are observational indicators you assess based on what you've seen during the week, not questions you ask directly. Tick each indicator that's genuinely present. Anything you can't tick is worth exploring — either in this meeting or through closer observation before the next one.

Taking on challenging and complex client bookings — Are they still embracing difficult events — large-scale, high-stakes, demanding clients — or are they gravitating toward easier bookings? An event coordinator who avoids complexity is either losing confidence or losing interest. Both need attention.

Showing enthusiasm and energy for major events — Do they light up when talking about an upcoming event, or has it become routine? Event coordination is an energy-intensive role. When enthusiasm fades, execution quality follows. Pay attention to how they talk about their work, not just how they do it.

Providing detailed and thorough briefings — Are their briefings still comprehensive, or have they become rushed and incomplete? Briefing quality is a direct measure of engagement. A coordinator who cuts corners on briefings has either too much on their plate or has stopped caring about detail.

Handling problems directly without excessive escalation — Do they solve problems on the night, or do they escalate everything to you? A confident, engaged coordinator handles most issues independently. One who escalates constantly may be losing confidence or covering themselves against blame.

Actively engaging with clients throughout the process — Are they maintaining strong client relationships from booking to post-event, or has communication become transactional? Client engagement is where rebooking happens. If they've stopped investing in relationships, revenue is at risk.

Expressing interest in industry trends and opportunities — Do they talk about other venues, industry events, or new ideas? An engaged coordinator thinks about the events industry outside work hours. If that curiosity has disappeared, their engagement may be fading.

Note which indicators you couldn't tick and what you've observed. If multiple indicators are absent, this coordinator needs urgent attention — increase meeting frequency and focus on understanding what's changed.

Actions and Follow-Up

At the end of every one-to-one, summarise what you've both agreed to do. Say it out loud before you finish:

"So by next time I'm going to: [your actions]. And you're going to: [their actions]. Is that right?"

Then send a brief message confirming: "From today: I'm sorting [X] + [Y]. You're working on [Z]. Chat next [day] at [time]."

What to record:

• Your commitments with deadlines (e.g., "Speak to sales about realistic timelines by Friday")
• Their commitments with deadlines (e.g., "Revise the briefing template for Saturday's event by Thursday")
• Any items to escalate to senior management
• Topics to revisit next time

Follow-through matters more than anything else in this template. If you promise something, tell them when you've done it — don't wait for the next meeting. Message: "Spoke to sales — all future bookings over 100 covers will go through you before confirmation." Event coordinators are used to promises that don't materialise. Being reliable sets you apart. If you can't do something you promised, tell them immediately and offer an alternative.

Session Notes

Record your overall impressions from the conversation: patterns you're noticing, changes in their engagement or mood, anything you want to revisit in future sessions.

This is also where you note how your approach should adapt:

• First 90 days: 80% listening, 20% guiding. Focus on understanding their approach, their challenges, and what they need from you.
• Established relationship: Push into strategic territory. Client management skills, budget ownership, operational leadership.
• When things are going well: Share business context, involve them in strategic event planning, acknowledge their contribution to revenue publicly.
• When things are struggling: Increase frequency, ask diagnostic questions, focus on support rather than criticism. Remove obstacles faster.

Over time, these session notes create a narrative of your working relationship — invaluable for performance reviews and progression decisions.

What's next

Once you've established regular one-to-ones, the conversations you have will feed directly into formal performance reviews. See our guide on Event Coordinator performance reviews for how to use the evidence you gather in these sessions to write a thorough, fair assessment.

• Read our Event Coordinator job description for the full scope of responsibilities
• Check out our Event Coordinator onboarding guide if you're supporting someone in their first 90 days
• See our Event Coordinator interview questions for hiring the right person in the first place