Event burnout: half of all event managers experience structural overload

More than half of Dutch event managers experience structural overload. That is the finding of a survey among 600 professionals. Evening and weekend work, excessive workloads and unclear boundaries are the most frequently cited causes.

Context

The survey was conducted by an industry working group researching job satisfaction in the events market. 54% of respondents describe their workload as unsustainable; 28% are considering leaving the sector.

Industry response

Agency directors acknowledge the problem but struggle to find solutions. Events simply take place outside office hours — that is inherent to the profession. Yet how to organise that in a humane way is a question the sector has yet to answer satisfactorily.

Broader perspective

54% structural overload is not merely a human issue — it is a quality risk. Exhausted event managers make more mistakes, are less creative and leave sooner. The business case for better workload management is there.

The events industry cannot keep recruiting on passion if it burns out the very people who work from that passion. Passion is fuel — but not an inexhaustible one.