BEM 13/02 – Event Management

Lim Sei Kee @ cK

What is an "Event"? •Events are large-scale activities put on by an

Committee, Volunteers or Contracted professional which require much larger-than-usual amounts of planning and money.

•EVENTS may include:

•(a) Fundraiser for a specific reason (i.e.: fundraising to purchase new equipment or for a special project)

•(b) Conference

•(c) Festival or special presentation over a series of days

Event Management•When events are major pieces of work undertaken

over an extended period of time, it is important to manage them carefully.

• In many cases, managing a event means co-ordinating a number of different resources, including people from different departments or even from outside of the business.

•Event Management is all about managing these resources in order that the project is delivered

•To specification •On time, and •Within budget

A failed event management will lead to:•Damaged reputation which may hamper the ability to

gain further work

•Dissatisfied customers

•Cost over-runs that lead to loss of profit

•Financial penalties paid to the customer

•Damaged relationships with sub-contractors and

other business partners

PLANNING IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!

•Good event management starts with good planning - the objectives of a project should be clear and would conform to the SMART model:

•Specific •Measurable •Agreed •Realistic, and •Time-based

MONITORING•Events do not always go according to plan and it is

generally the case that when this happens, work takes more, rather than less time, than expected.

•Good event management recognizes the internal and external factors that might throw a event off schedule.

•Monitoring progress carefully will help identify the likely impact of any delays so that action can be taken to get the project back on track.

Characteristics of successful events

•Uniqueness

•Perishability

•Ambience and service

•Labour-intensive

•Fixed timescale

• Intangible

•Personal interactions

Uniqueness•Each one will be different.

•All are different because different people are involved, the choice of location, the invited guests, the timing, and so on.

•The format or structure may be same, but the participants and the subject will be different.

Perishability of events• It cannot be repeatedly in exactly the same way.

•Even where a reasonable level of standardization is possible, each will be different and will be very time dependent.

Ambience and service•An event with the right ambience can be a huge

success.

•There can be a wonderful environment, expensive themed décor, large amounts of excellent food and drink and the event can still be a flop.

Labour-intensiveness

•The more complex and the more unique an event is, the more likely it is to be more labour-intensive, both in terms of organization and of operation.

•No two events are likely to require the same number of staff, except in so far as events that have an element of routine, such as banquets and conferences, will require a known number of staff.

Fixed timescale•Events, rather like building projects, run to a fixed

timescale, unlike routine activities which can carry on indefinitely.

•The timescale could be very short, or very long.

•Many events are composed of a sequence of short bursts of activity, with pauses or breaks in between.

Intangibility

•With events, the activity is more or less intangible.

• If you attend an event, you will experience the activities, join in, enjoy and remember it, but there are only a few tangible things that you might have got from it.

Personal contact and interaction•People attending events are frequently themselves

part of the process.

•A room decorated for a party may look nice, but will not come to life until it is full of guests.

Discussion Qs•1. Define the term, ‘event’.

•2. Have you organized an event before? If yes, was it a successful one? If no, what do you think makes an event successful?

•3. Do you think planning is important for event management? Why or why not?