About events

Ross Woods, 2nd ed., 2013

 

Overarching goals of events

Events always aim to generate a feel-good factor that translates into positive public relationships. Always is a very strong word, but I have never found an exception. It follows that:

  1. To achieve positive public relationships, events must run smoothly. (Glitches give a bad impression.)
  2. To run smoothly, they must be well organized.
  3. To be well organized, they must be well planned.

A financial surplus is almost always a goal of commercial event, although intended benefits might only be evaluated in the long term. (E.g. good-will, strategic relationships, customer loyalty, etc.)

It should be noted that events always have more specific goals, which are related to each particular event.

The event cycle

All events tend to follow a standard kind of cycle. Here it is in a diagram; you work from left to right.

Proposal and budget Off-site preparation On-site preparation (set-up, rehearsals) Run event Closure
Train team

Some core principles of project management

Event management incorporates some core principles of project management, such as simultaneous activities, dependencies, step transitions, delegation, scheduling, and critical paths.

 

Simultaneous activities

During most projects, the person in charge has a number of things going on at once. These activities might be quite separate from each other, even if they are all essential to achieving the same event outcome. In other words, you'll needs to keep track of various different activities running in parallel.

Here's a diagram (called a Gantt chart) of a 9-week project, with a row for each activity. You'll notice that:

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9
 
   
   
       
       
       
   

 

Dependencies

Any kind of project management also involves dependencies. That means that doing Task B depends on Task A being already finished. It is quite the opposite of parallel activities. Buiding a house is a good example:

  1. Trees on the vacant block need to be cleared of trees before he can start siteworks.
  2. Siteworks need to be done before the plumber can put in underground pipes.
  3. When the underground pipes are in, the builder can put in the footings or slab.
  4. When the footings or slab are in, the builder can put up walls.
  5. When the walls are up, the builder can put on a roof.

Clearing the block   >   Siteworks   >   Underground pipes   >   Footings or slab   >   Walls   >   Roof

Many events are also the same. Here's a simplified series of event steps, each of which depends on the previous step to be completed:

Interview prospective client   >   Inspect venue   >   Plan & estimate costs   >
Client approves   >   Sign contract   >   Send publicity   >   etc.

 

From one step to the next

Finishing one step is not necessarily the same as being ready for the next. Let's go back to the example of building a house. The builders have finished building. The landscaper comes to do the garden, but notices that the builders have left the yard full of rubbish. The landscaper drives away without doing anything, because the yard is not yet ready for the landscaper even though the building is finished.

In other words, you need to define the completion of each step in terms that specify readiness for the next step. In this example, the builder's contract should have included the disposal of all rubbish from the yard.

 

Delegation

Delegate everything. Everything. You must expect to have enough to do during the event with anything that might go wrong. During the event, your job will be to:

 

Schedule

Plan a quiet period between the end of preparation and the time when guests start arriving. If something has gone wrong, you still have some leeway to fix it. How long it will be will depend on the event and on any extra costs incurred. For example, you might find that thirty minutes is quite enough if you don't have much onsite work but are paying a large group of waitstaff on weekend overtime rates. If you are planning the Olympic Games, you should give yourself much longer.

 

Critical path

The "critical path" is a way of calculating the minimum time the whole project will take. First, put tasks in a line where each is dependent on the one before it, covering the whole time of the project. Second, calculate the minimum time that each task will take. Third, add up these times to get the minimum time that the whole project will take. The only way to reduce the total time (called "crash the project") is to cut corners in specifications or quality.

The complicated part is that many tasks are running in parallel, so you need to choose only those that determine the critical path.

This also creates an opportunity. When two tasks run in parallel, one taking longer than the other and both must be done before the next can be started, you have some spare time for the shorter task. You can choose to start it later if you wish.

 

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Simple and complex events

Simple and complex events tend to have quite different characteristics:

Simple events

Complex events

The whole event is on one venue.

The whole event might be spread over several venues.

The event is likely to be finished in a day.

The event is likely to take more than a day.

Accommodation is not usually provided. If it is, it is already set up (e.g. at a hotel) and is not the Event Manager's responsibility.

Accommodation might be provided, and the the Event Manager is responsibile to oversee it.

The event has a defined constituency, such as the members of a club or association. This can make the number of attenders more predictable and simplify publicity.

The event does not have a defined constituency, such as the members of a club or association. This can make the number of attenders more unpredictable and make publicity more complex.

The format and procedures* are already in place, for example, if the meeting is recurring or if you use an established venue such as a hotel or restaurant.

The Event Manager needs to design the format and develop procedures from scratch.

You don't need to train staff. Staff are either already trained, or can do their roles with only a simple briefing.

You need to train staff.

You already have a network of suppliers and purchasing arrangements.

You need to research new suppliers and negotiate new purchasing arrangements.

* In a simple event, you probably already have most or all the procedures below. Some are implied in a computer program or a booking form.

  • registrations
  • organizing committee
  • OHS and emergency
  • finances
  • authorization
  • record-keeping and reporting
  • special needs
  • risk management
  • parking
  • crowd control
  • contractor communication
  • client feedback

 

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What kinds of events?

Various. Look at this list:

Academic
  • Graduations
  • Alumni meetings
  • Receive a delegation for a formal meeting (e.g. from another university or another organization)

Business & Corporate Events

Management functions, corporate communications, training, marketing, incentives, employee relations, and customer relations, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Cause-Related & Fundraising Events

An event created by or for a charitable or cause-related group for the purpose of attracting revenue, support, and/or awareness, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Community and cultural events

A cultural celebration created by and/or for the public, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events. Many festivals bring buyers and sellers together in a festive atmosphere.

Fairs, trade fairs & and bazaars

Fairs, trade fairs and bazaars are much the same. The venue is divided to booths, each of which is run separately by an exhibitor or vendor. The event manager has a set of rules in place, with which booth-holders must agree as a condition for getting a booth.

They bring buyers, sellers and interested persons together to view and/or sell products, services, and other resources. A trade fair almost always relates to a specific industry or profession.

Exhibitions

Exhibitions are now an event specialization in themselves. They have changed to become less static, by including more interactive and audiovisual exhibits. In a permanent exhibition venue, exhibitors have various strategies to keep exibitions fresh so that they attract new and repeat viewers. Often, only signature exhibits are kept on permanent display.

Government & civic events

An event for political parties, communities, or municipal or national government entities, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

  • Receiving delegations for a formal meeting from another country, a consulate or embassy, or an organization
  • Commemorating ANZAC day
  • Opening new facilities
  • Citizenship ceremonies
  • Major public announcements

Hallmark Events

An event of such significance and/or scope that its image or stature assures national and international recognition and interest:

  • Opening of buildings of national significance
  • Olympic and Commonwealth games
  • Meetings of heads of government

Hospitality events
  • Breakfasts
  • Banquets (lunch or dinner)

Marketing Events

A commerce-oriented event to bring buyers and sellers together or to create awareness of a commercial product or service, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events. Its purpose is usually to generate income. Some of these are:

  • product launch
  • promotion
  • fashion parades

Music concerts and dances
  • Open air free community concerts
  • Open air or stadium concerts
  • Music concerts inside a venue
  • Dances
  • Large church meetings (Contemporary worship is closely related to the skills for managing music events, but normally involves different networks of people.)

Plays and theatre performances
  • Open air theatre
  • Street theatre
  • Plays inside an equipped theatre

Seminars, conferences & conventions

The assembly of people for the purpose of exchanging information, debate or discussion, consensus or decisions, education, and relationship building, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events. These include seminars and symposia, presentations and information sessions

Conventions and conferences may have hundreds or thousands of people meeting over a period of days with accommodation provided. Conferences have different kinds of purposes:

  • professional development
  • professional networking
  • inform people about the organisation
  • train staff
  • planning and making decisions
  • research

They can have different kinds of activities:

  • Plenary sessions
  • Small groups or workshops
  • Banquets
  • Time for rest, recreation or site-seeing

Social/Life-Cycle Events

A private event, by invitation only, celebrating or commemorating a cultural, religious, communal, societal, or life-cycle occasion, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

  • Christenings
  • Bar-mitzvahs
  • Birthday parties (especially 18 and 21)
  • Wedding receptions
  • Wedding anniversaries
  • Funerals and wakes

Sports Events

Sporting events vary greatly:

  • They may be held either for spectators or mainly for participants.
  • Some are recreational while others are competitive.
  • They may be held all on one day, while others take several days.
  • Some have one venue, while other have several venues.
  • Some are scheduled alone while other are held in conjunction with other events.
  • Some are individual sorts, while other are team sports.
  • They also vary in terms of participants such as juniors, mass participation, elite athletes, masters, disabled, animals/equestrian.

What kinds of events? Various. Look at this list:

  • carnivals/sports tournament/matches/races
  • swimming in a pool or open water
  • marathon
  • fun runs
  • triathlons
  • competitions
  • round robins
  • knockout contests
  • single or multiple event

Consider the following combinations:

  • single sport / single facility
  • single sport / multiple facility
  • single sport / instadia and exstadia
  • multiple sport / single multi-purpose facility
  • multiple sport / multiple facilities
  • public purpose facilities, e,g., roads, lakes, bushland

And others ...
  • festivals
  • parades
  • fashion shows or parades
  • holiday programs
  • celebrations
  • arts events
  • workshops

Major sources:
"Event Management Qualifications & Competency Standards Consultation Paper" Service Industries Skills Council, Sydney, [2005].
Sports Training Package

 

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Bibliography

If you're new to to the study of event management, can I recommend the following textbook:
Making it Happen: A Non-Technical Guide to Project Management by Mackenzie Kyle (John Wiley and Sons Canada (Etobicoke, Canada, 1998)

Other texts:

Allen J., O'Toole W., MacDonnell I. and Harris R. Festival and Special Event Management J Wiley Brisbane 2002
Ball B., Sponsorship and You, Kenhurst N.S.W. Kangaroo Press, 1993
Bowdin, G., McDonnell, I., Allen, J., & O’Toole,W. (2001). Events Management. Great Britain: Butterworth-Heinemann
Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute Capability Maturity Model
Catherwood, D. (1993). The Complete Guide to Special Event Management. New York: Wiley
Chapman C., Project Risk Management -Processes, Techniques and Insights, Ward S., J Wiley 1997
Corporate Event Project Management, W. O’Toole & Phyllis Mikolatis, 2003. John Wiley
Dollars and Events, How to Succeed in the Special Events Business, J.J. Goldblatt and F. Supovitz.
Electronic Journals: Festival Management and Event Tourism, various volumes
Event Management in Leisure and Tourism, Watt D.C., Addison, Wesley & Longman, New York, 1998
Event Project Management module : Master of Project Management at the University of Sydney.
Event Risk Management and Safety, Peter E. Turlow, 2002. John Wiley
Events 2000 : Conference Proceedings of the 'Events Beyond 2000:Setting the Agenda' Conference
Festival Management and Event Tourism, [Electronic Journal]
Frame, J D Project Management Competence Jossey Bass San Francisco 1999
Goldblatt, J. (1997). Special Events: Best Practice in Modern Event Management. New York: Van Norstand
Goldblatt J.J. and F. Supovitz, Dollars and Events, How to Succeed in the Special Events Business.
Hole, M., & Mackinnon, A. (1998). A 13-step Guide to Event Management in Sports Management: An Australian Perspective. Sydney: Bookpress
How to Organise Special Events and Festivals, Tonge R., Tourism Management Series, Gull Publishing P/L, Australia, 2000
Kerzner H Strategic Planning for Project Management using a Project Management Maturity Model J Wiley and Sons NY 2001
McConnell, I., Allen, J., O’Toole, W., & Harris,R. (2002). Festival and Special Event Management (2nd ed). Sydney: Wiley & Sons
Managing Innovative Projects, Web A., Chapman & Hall London, 1994
O’Toole W. & Phyllis Mikolatis, Corporate Event Project Management, 2003. John Wiley. (referenced elsewhere as 2002)
Project Management Institute : Organizational Project Management Maturity Model
Project Risk Management -Processes, Techniques and Insights, Chapman C., Ward S., J Wiley 1997
Sponsorship and You, Ball B., Kenhurst N.S.W. Kangaroo Press, 1993
Sponsorship in the Management of Sport: Its foundation and application. (2nd ed.), Stotlar D.K., 1996
Sport Event and Facility Management, Parks, Janet B., Zanger, Beverly R. K. & Quarterman, Jerome (eds.) 1998.
Standeven, J., & De Knop, P. (1998). Sport Tourism. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics
Steadman, G., & Goldblatt, J.(1995). The Ultimate Guide to Sport Event Management and Marketing. Chicago: Irwin Publications
Stotlar D.K., Sponsorship in the Management of Sport: Its foundation and application. (2nd ed.),  1996.
Tonge R., How to Organise Special Events and Festivals, Tourism Management Series, Gull Publishing P/L, Australia, 2000
Turlow, Peter E. Event Risk Management and Safety, 2002. John Wiley.
Watt D.C., Addison, Event Management in Leisure and Tourism, Wesley & Longman, New York, 1998.
Web A., Managing Innovative Projects, Chapman & Hall London, 1994.

 

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