online event management training
EVENT PLANNER
What is Event Management/ Types of Events/ Working with Client/ Steps for planning an event/ Invitations, Greetings and Dresscode/ Table Manners and Table Settings/ The Event/What is Event Management/ Types of Events/ Working with Client/ Steps for planning an event/ Invitations, Greetings and Dresscode/ Table Manners and Table Settings/ The Event/What is Event Management/ Types of Events/ Working with Client/ Steps for planning an event/ Invitations, Greetings and Dresscode/ Table Manners and Table Settings/ The Event/What is Event Management/ Types of Events/ Working with Client/ Steps for planning an event/ Invitations, Greetings and Dresscode/ Table Manners and Table Settings/ The Event/What is Event Management/ Types of Events/ Working with Client/ Steps for planning an event/ Invitations, Greetings and Dresscode/ Table Manners and Table Settings/ The Event/What is Event Management/ Types of Events/ Working with Client/ Steps for planning an event/ Invitations, Greetings and Dresscode/ Table Manners and Table Settings/ The Event/What is Event Management/ Types of Events/ Working
INDEX Module 1: What is Event Management? Module 2: Types of Events Module 3: Working with Client Module 4: Steps for planning an event Module 5: Invitations, Greetings and Dresscode Module 6: Table Manners and Table Settings Module 7: The Event
MODULE
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What is Event Management? 1.1. What is Event Management? 2 1.2. Role of the Event Manager 12 1.3. Project Management 15 1.4. Strength & Weaknesses of the event management profession (elements of SWOT)
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1.5. Crisis Management in Event Management 24 1.6. Planning Your Career 29
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1.1.
What is Event Management?
What is Event Management?
Introduction Event management is the process by which an event is planned, prepared and produced. The event manager’s job is to oversee every aspect of the event from planning to execution. This includes finance and sponsorship, marketing, health & safety, organising and controlling all elements. Along with implementing and evaluating design, staging and all other associated activities. The events industry is a young and modern industry. It has grown enormously over the last 10 years. Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this unit you will have a clear understanding of what event management is. You will understand how diverse it is a profession. You will also be given a brief introduction to project management and how it intertwines with event management. The unit also takes a look at event management as a profession and some of the advantages there is in working in the event industry. The Growth of Events Industrialisation had a large part to play in the growth of events. It meant that people became clustered together in cities. They had disposable income. Now they had time for leisure whereas before the majority of their time had to go towards farming and working. The upper-class (which were owners of factories etc) retained control, dominance and power. This led to control and regulation of leisure activities for example cock fighting was banned and fox hunting was allowed.
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What is Event Management?
People were taught to consume their leisure time. After war and after industrialisation events were used as public celebrations. The benefits of events were emphasised however they increasingly became about consumption. First there were bank holidays which then lead to package holidays and the idea that people must spend money and travel away. It’s been only in the last 40 years that they have become known as an industry in their own right. As they were previously part of the leisure industry. Nowadays while some people have lost touch with their religious beliefs they still need social occasions or events to mark domestic details of lives. Some events have grown so big they are hard to ignore. Events such as the Olympics and the World Cup have received a level of media coverage it is very difficult to ignore. So while events are still concerned with celebration, it is now the associated wider economic and social benefits that are lauded.
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What is Event Management?
Defining Events
Some define events as an occasion when: • An organised activity takes place outdoors. • An organised activity is considered by the licensing authority and/or police to impact on the normal operation of the city and its residents. They can also be: • • • • •
A one off occurrence / annual Last a few hours/weeks Be open to public or restricted participation Be ticketed of free Be subsidised or commercial
Events are often now categorised by their size. The 4 main categories are: • • • •
Mega Events Hallmark Events Major Events Special Events
You will explore these categories in ‘Unit 2 – Types of Events.’ We will look at examples under each of these categories and some samples of every day events.
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What is Event Management?
Event Management
Event management is the application of project management to the creation and development of festivals, events and conferences. It involves studying a brand, identifying the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and coordinating the technical aspects before actually launching the event. Post-event analysis and in some cases insuring a return on investment, have become significant drivers for the event industry. Events can be seen across many industries as well as charitable organisations and interest groups. There are many reasons for an industry to host events. These range from raising money or to market themselves and build relationships. Event Management is considered to be one of the strategic marketing and communications tools used by companies - from product launches to press conferences. There are many elements of event management. All elements must be considered and executed successfully in order for an event to run smoothly: • • • • • • • •
Planning Stakeholders Timelines Schedules Insurance Programme Production Venue Selection/Hire.
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MODULE
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What is Event Management?
Planning
Planning is a scheme, programme or method that’s distinguished before an event for the accomplishment of the objective. When planning an event it is important to understand the possible impact delays can have on an event. Predicting delays can be a very vital part in the execution of an event. Implementing strategies and fail safe options in advance of an incident is crucial to avoiding delays. It is crucial to your event that you plan for every eventuality. For example, • • • •
If the event manager has an accident and is unable to continue in their position what would yo do? Is there anyone else capable of taking over? Who will brief them? Where are the files they are working on?
One way to overcome this issue would be for all staff members, including managers, to save work in the one place, whether it is a cloud storage space or on a network drive. This is also why communication is important. Weekly meetings between different departments are very important. They ensure that all staff are fully aware of the overall plan for the event.
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What is Event Management?
Stakeholders
Stakeholders are people or organisations who have a vested interest in an event for example, the stakeholders of a festival may include the board of directors, the political, officials, the municipal staff, the participants, the utility companies and others. The event manager must scan the event environment to identify both internal as well as external stakeholders. An internal stakeholder maybe a member of the board, the professional staff working for the organisation, a guests or other closely related person. External stakeholders may include media municipal officials, city agencies or others. A stake holder does not have to invest money in an event to be considered for this role. Emotional, political or personal inertest in a case is evidence of investment in an event. Other examples of stakeholders in events are: • • • • •
Statutory Agencies Management / Committees Sponsors & Investors Working Groups Suppliers
In some cases stakeholders are involved in some of the crucial parts or planning an event i.e. the event management plan. They may also be the ones responsible for granting permission in some cases, the event license application.
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MODULE
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What is Event Management?
Timelines/ Schedules
The timeline for each tasks needs to be estimated. How long will each task take given the right resources and pre conditions? Often called the Estimated Completion Time (ECT) or Work breakdown schedule project plan. These often have to be estimated by expert guesswork! In engineering project management there are four estimated values: • • • •
Earliest Start (ES) - the earliest date/time a task can start after its immediate predecessor task has finished Earliest Finish (EF) - the earliest date/time it is finished thus EF = ES + ECT Latest Start (LS) - the latest date/time it can start without affecting the date of the event Latest Finish (LF) - the latest date/time it can finish without affecting the date of the event
The LF and LS are critical to event planning as it is rare that the event date will change. “When will it be completed?” is a common saying by every event manager and the answer becomes more critical the closer to the day of the event. It is important to have clearly defined deadlines when planning an event especially when dealing with multiple departments. You may have a programming department and a production department. It is vital for these two departments to communicate with each other and supply information for example, print deadlines to ensure that all information going to print is correct and accurate. The development of staff, contractor and/or crew schedules and plans ensure that you do not have to lose valuable time on micro-managing these people.
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What is Event Management?
During the life cycle of your event you will have many different types of timelines and schedules.
1.
In the initial stages of the event and in the weeks/ months coming up to your event you will have an Advance event Timeline.
2.
In the week before your event you will have a Production Week timeline.
When developing the above timelines there are a few things you need to consider. • • • •
Arrival & removal of equipment & supplies Tasks for completion Amount of resources required for each task Assigning / Utilising resources in the most economical fashion
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What is Event Management?
Insurance
Insurance is probably the most important thing you can have for your event. It is vital to have the correct level of insurance and indemnity. As well as having insurance for the actual event you should also have insurance for your supplies and staff. Insurance for events can be expensive and only specialist insurance companies/ brokers usually provide event specific insurance. There are numerous types of events you may want to consider insuring. If you are planning a single-occurrence event of a short duration (e.g. a wedding, family reunions, bar, non-commercial sporting events, neighbourhood association street parties, fundraisers, markets, etc.), you will need to consider the types and extent of potential liability which you may be exposed to. Event insurance typically provides coverage for event cancellation, public liability, personal injury, property damage, professional indemnification (indemnity).
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What is Event Management?
The two most common types of event insurance are public & employer’s liability insurance and cancellation insurance.
1. Liability insurance provides coverage for injury or property damage to others as a result of your event. This is the most common type of event insurance. In fact, some venues require their clients to have a minimum amount of event liability insurance. Venues that require this type of insurance may even request that the venue itself or its owner be added as an additional insured (indemnified) on their client’s event liability insurance coverage. You may also need your own liability coverage to protect yourself from gaps in the venue’s liability coverage. Check with your insurance agent to see if your policy extends to cover your event.
2. Cancellation insurance provides coverage for expenses arising from delays, rescheduling, or cancellations due to unforeseen covered events. Typically, cancellation insurance can protect you from:
• Weather - If your event is postponed because of inclement weather, insurance coverage is available that can reimburse you for the costs of rescheduling/ cancellation. • Illness or Injury / non appearance - If members of the wedding party or event talent become ill or injured, resulting in the event being postponed, rescheduling costs may be covered by such a policy. • Vendor - If a deposit has been paid to a vendor (e.g. caterer, florist, photographer or other vendor) who fails to deliver service, cancellation insurance may cover the loss of the deposit as well as any additional expenses incurred due to last-minute replacement vendors.
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1.2.
What is Event Management?
Role of the Event Manager
Event Management is the application of project management skills & processes, to the creation and development of festivals, events and conferences. Event Management involves the studying and intricacies of the brand and identifying the target audience; devising the event concept; planning the logistics and coordinating the technical aspects before actually creating the event.
Event Management is considered a strategic marketing and communication tools by companies of all sizes. From product launches to press conferences, companies create promotional events to help them communicate with clients. An Event Manager must have the ability to supervise diverse corporate events, such as product launches; meetings; conferences and marketing events, such as road shows and grand opening events. Event Managers can also coordinate corporate hospitality events such as concerts, award ceremonies, film premiers and parties to launch new products or services, fashion shows, commercial events and even private events such as weddings.
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What is Event Management?
The Event Manager is a person who plans and executes the event. Event Managers are often behind the scenes running the event. In some cases they are also involved in more than just the planning of the event. They can also be involved in the brand building, marketing and communication strategy. An Event Manager would have knowledge of the creative side of events along with technical and logistical elements that help an event succeed. This includes event design, audio visual production, scriptwriting, budgeting and client service. If the Event Manager has budget responsibilities at the early stages of event initiation they may be termed an event or production executive. In the early stages of an event the Event Manager’s responsibilities would include: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Site Surveying Client Service Brief Clarification Budget Drafting Cash Flow Management Supply Chain Identification Procurement Scheduling Site Design Technical Design Health & Safety First Aid Services Environmental and Ecological Management Risk Management
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What is Event Management?
For Event Managers that become involved closer to the event, their roles and responsibilities are often more limited and not as varied. The key roles and responsibilities closer to the event are: • • • • • • • •
Health & Safety including crowd management Logistics and vehicle selection Rigging Sound Light Video Detailed scheduling and agenda planning Security
Some key characteristics a successful Event Manager would have are: • • • • • • • •
Integrity Confidence and Persistence Collaborative Decision Making Problem Solving Communication Skills Vision Time Management Staff Management
In summary, the event manager works out what has to be done, breaks it into manageable units, assigns resources and schedules the units efficiently. This process is dynamic and continually under review as conditions change.
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