This summer, I have been teaching canning classes, something I have done for many years. As I was teaching a recent class, I realized how much making jam has in common with designing and planning an event.
To make jam, you need the right tools, a proven process, time to prepare—and your full attention.
Sound familiar?
You Need the Right Tools
Before I ever arrive to teach a canning class, I have planning to do.
I purchase the fruit, sugar, and lemon juice. I make a list of everything I need to pack and bring: heavy stock pots, jars and lids, towels, measuring tools, a wide-mouth funnel, ladle, jar tightener, lid lifter, jar lifter—and more.
If I arrive without one of those essential tools, it can affect the entire process.
Designing an event is no different.
You need the right tools before you begin. Your event checklist, budget, floor plan, staffing schedule, vendor information, timeline, and all the other documents that keep the planning organized are your tools.
But perhaps the most important tool is organization itself.
Writing everything down. Creating order. Keeping information where you can find it. And using a consistent process that you can follow for every event.
The Process Is Consistent. The Ingredients Change.
The basic process for making jam is the same each time. You prepare the fruit, cook it, test it to make sure it is ready, ladle it into sterilized jars, seal the jars, and process them properly.
But not every fruit behaves the same way.
Strawberries are different from peaches. Plums are different from berries. Depending upon the fruit, I may need to adjust the amount of fruit, sugar, lemon juice, or cooking time.
The process remains consistent, but the recipe requires adjustment.
That is exactly what happens when designing events.
There is a process I follow for every event, whether it is a conference, gala, meeting, retreat, celebration, or fundraiser. But the ingredients are always different.
The number of guests changes. The venue changes. The budget changes. The timing changes.
The people involved change. And most importantly, the purpose changes.
That means you don’t reinvent your planning process every time. You use a process that works and adjust the details to fit the event you are creating.
You Can’t Rush Jam
Making jam also requires allowing enough time for the entire process.
You can’t rush it. The fruit needs time to cook. You need time to test it and determine when it is ready. The jars need to be prepared, filled, sealed, and processed. Each step takes the time it takes.
The same is true for designing an event.
One of the biggest causes of stress in event planning is not allowing enough time for the process. When planning is compressed, decisions become rushed, choices may be limited, and important details can easily be overlooked.
Planning ahead gives you time to think.
It gives you time to ask questions, consider your options, make thoughtful decisions, follow up, and adjust when something changes.
And just like making jam, you can’t skip steps simply because you’re in a hurry.
Allowing enough time is part of the process.
When you give yourself the time you need, you aren’t just making event planning easier. You are giving yourself the space to create a better event.
Know What You Are Trying to Create
When I teach a canning class, the purpose is clear. I want participants to understand the entire process so they can confidently make jam themselves.
They learn how to prepare the fruit, how to cook it until it is ready, and how to know when it has reached that point. We use a plate test to determine whether the jam has set properly.
Then they learn how to fill and process the jars safely.
There are many individual steps, but every step serves the final result.
Events work the same way.
Before you begin making decisions about food, décor, entertainment, speakers, seating, or schedules, you need to know what you are trying to create.
Why are you having this event?
What do you want your guests to experience? What do you want to accomplish? How do you want people to feel while they are there—and after they leave?
Once the purpose is clear, every planning decision can support it.
You Have to Be Present for the Process
There is another lesson from jam making that may be even more important.
Once the pots are on the stove, you need to be there.
You can’t start cooking the fruit and then wander off to do something else. Making jam requires persistent focus. You watch it. You stir it. You notice what is happening. You make adjustments.
You stay present throughout the process.
Event planning also requires persistent focus.
It doesn’t mean you have to think about your event every minute of every day. It means staying connected to the planning process from beginning to end.
What has changed? What needs follow-up? Has someone made a decision that affects something else? Is there a detail that hasn’t been addressed? Does something need to be adjusted?
Events have many moving parts, and those parts are interconnected. A change in one area can affect several others.
That is why writing everything down and consistently reviewing your plans is so important.
Order Creates Greater Calm and Peace of Mind
One of the principles in my book, Everything Is an Event, is:
Order Creates Greater Calm and Peace of Mind.
Making jam reinforces this every time I teach a class.
When my ingredients are ready, my tools are laid out, my jars are prepared, and I know the process I am going to follow, I can focus on what is happening in front of me.
I’m not scrambling to find the funnel and ladle while the jam is ready to be put into jars!
The same is true for an event.
When you have created order in advance, you have more capacity to be present. You can respond to what is happening rather than constantly reacting to what you forgot.
Organization isn’t simply about keeping things neat.
Organization gives you the freedom to pay attention.
And attention is essential when you are creating an experience for other people.
The Recipe for Success
Making jam isn’t hard. But there are many steps, and those steps need to happen in the right order, with the right tools and your attention throughout the process.
The same is true for designing successful events.
You need:
- A clear purpose
- The right tools
- A proven process
- Enough time
- Preparation and planning
- Organization and order
- Persistent focus
- The willingness to adjust when necessary
Follow the process consistently, but don’t expect every batch—or every event—to be exactly the same.
Because whether you’re making a beautiful jar of summer peach jam or designing an event for hundreds of guests, success comes from knowing what you are creating, having the right tools, allowing enough time, following the process, and staying present along the way.
And when you’ve done your preparation well, you might even have fun doing it.
After all, if you’re not having fun, you’re wasting time.
Reflection Question:
When you think about your next event, are you giving yourself the right tools, enough time, and a consistent process—or are you trying to rush the jam?