HRMEVNT – Events Management

MIDTERM

LECTURE 1
ANALYSIS OF CLIENTS AND COMPETITORS

The Key Players in Events Management

In order to be an effective events manager, one must first identify the players in events management.
The following figure shows the industry players that are significant in events management:

However, there are also key players for a specific event. They should be dealt properly in order to achieve
the success of the event. These are shown in the following figure:

• The client – This pertains to a group of people or an individual who needs service for event
management. They may also be called as hosts who hold responsibility on a specific event.

• Event management team/planner – The role of the event management team/planner is to meet the
expectations of the client. Their core task is to manage the overall aspects of the event.

• Guests – These refer to the attendees of the event. In managing an event, the team should take into
consideration the needs and wants of the guests.
• Event committee – This group is involved not only in the planning of the event but in the execution
as well. The event management team can also act as the event committee.

• Financer – From the name itself, this refers to the person who is financing for the event. In case that
the event team has the financial capacity to run the event, financer may not be needed.

• Suppliers – The role of this key player is to provide for the functional requirements of the event
team. This may include food service providers, audio- visual equipment suppliers, etc.
• Other entities – ͞This ŵ aLJ ƌefeƌ to the otheƌ people or group of people who are external to the host
and the event manager who has/have the personal, financial, political, or social interest on that event.
Examples of these are the media, community government, and corporate shareholders to ŵ eŶ tioŶ a
feǁ.͟ ;Rodolfa, ϮϬϭϮͿ

Some of these players may not be present in all events. It is necessary that we know as event managers
how to communicate with them effectively and efficiently. There is one thing in common among them;
they want an event to be successful and memorable.

Knowing the Event Industry and Competitors

Clients and guests are always looking for fresh experiences from events. Being part of the events team
requires one to be updated with the trends and the latest news in the industry. One should also be
knowledgeable with legislative changes that will contribute to decision-making as well as consumer
trends. Moreover, one needs to analyze and evaluate the strategies of the competitors, which can be used
as reference in the future.

These are some ways to keep abreast of the industry and the competitors:

• Widen network of friends and possible partners for events

• Observe and participate on events
• Attend seminars and workshops
• Upgrade qualifications
• Participate on events management-related seminars
• Join industry-related organizations
• Read magazines, books, and newspapers
• Surf the net for event-related articles

Reviewing Ethical Concerns and Issues

It is important for the events team to understand the code of ethics in doing such event. The presence of
ethics is vital to enhance the reputation of the management and those who are involved.
The following are the simple issues in events management that we have to look into and worth thinking
of:

• Requesting for gifts or kickbacks

• Revealing confidential information of clients
• Overbooking
• Overpricing
• Subcontracting

The following principles of professional conduct and ethics of the International Special Events Society
(ISES) would help in the execution of your services as a manager of an event. (Rodolfa, 2012)
 •Promote and encourage the highest level of ethics within the profession of the special events
industry while maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct.
•Strive for excellence in all aspects of our profession by performing consistently at or above
acceptable industry standards.
•Use only legal and ethical means in all industry negotiations and activities.
•Protect the public against fraud and unfair practices, and promote all practices that bring respect
and credit to the profession.
•Provide truthful and accurate information with respect to the performance of duties. Use a written
contract clearly stating all charges, services, products, performance expectations and other
essential information.
•Maintain industry accepted standards of safety and sanitation.
•Maintain adequate and appropriate insurance coverage for all business activities.
•Commit to increase professional growth and knowledge, to attend educational programs and
contribute expertise to meetings and journals.
•Strive to cooperate with colleagues, suppliers, employees, employers, and all persons supervised, in
order to provide the highest quality service at every level.
•Subscribe to the ISES Principles of Professional Conduct and Ethics, and abide by the ISES By-laws
and policies.

There may be other roles of a manager that were not included. Remember that everybody wants to have
a successful event. If we keep this in mind, everything will follow and we will be able to ŵ eet oƌ eǀeŶ
edžĐeed ĐlieŶ t’s expectation.

Understanding Client Requirements

After recognizing the fundamental concepts of events management, one must focus on the core task of the
event team, and that is to understand the requirements of the clients.

The following are guidelines on what information should be sought from the prospect clients. These can
be easily ƌeĐalled ďLJ usiŶ g the ϱW’s and H questions:

•The WHY question – Why does the client wants to hold a particular event? Determine the purpose
and objective of conducting the event. This would be an effective basis of arriving to a good
event concept.
•The WHO question – Who are the invited guests? Search on the demographic, socio-cultural, and
economic profiles of the attendees. On some events, definite number of attendees cannot easily
identified, however, this should not impede the process of event conceptualization.

•The WHAT question – What are the preferences of the guests? Identify the needs, wants, and
expectations of the guests.

•The WHEN question – When will the event be conducted? The date and time are the information that
should never be missed. These details are important in evaluating the feasibility of length of
preparation for the event. Different events vary on the timeframe of preparation. Be honest and
realistic with the clients. Request for the rescheduling of the event, if time allotted for the
preparation would not suffice.

•The WHERE question – Where will the event be conducted? From the information gathered, one can
identify where the event is best to be conducted. However, there would be times that the clients
have other preferences for the venue. Make sure to have these details noted down.
 •The HOW question – How much is the budget for the event? and How will the event be financed? Be
polite yet assertive on asking this. This is an important consideration in conducting an event.
Determine their sources on financing the event. Consider all the possible income and expenses of
the event.

Aside from these questions, it is also helpful to ask for the history (should there be) of the event to be
executed. You can ensure that the negative comments from the previous events will not happen again by
benchmarking it. Always remember that what you are going to execute should satisfy the expectations of
the people involved in the event.

SMARTER: The Event Objectives

Now that we have the information we need to conceptualize an event, we need to deal with the
objectives of having this event incorporating the expectations of the client.

An event objective should be SMARTER (Salvador, 2009)

Specific – the event objectives must be clear, concrete and well defined with an obvious outcome and
its effect. It should be able to answer the questions such as how the people involved would feel or
react after the event and how this feeling and reaction would effect to them as a result of their
attendance to that event.
•Measurable – the event objectives must be measurable as it is on a way that it can be evaluated.
Parameters can be used to measure performance in concrete terms, which will be best for it.
Examples of this are attendance, sales volume, ticket, sales, recorded feedbacks, and audience
size among others.
•Attainable – the event objectives must be attainable, which means whatever you want to achieved in
this event should be possible to be achieved so that stakeholders will be motivated on it. As a
manager, be sure that everything is attainable because there is no use of objectives that are
impossible to be attained.
•Realistic – event objectives must be realistic. Realistic in same way that it is attainable using the
resources available such as: labor, time, and money.
•Time-Bound – there should be a specific time as to how long should the objectives be attained. This
can also measure performance that may happen either during the event, immediately after the
event, or even after how many days the event was executed.
•Exciting – there should be an indicator that the difficulty in putting all elements of the event plan is
overcome by the excitement of the team.
•Responsible – this objective must not be centered on earning profits only, they should be responsible
also to the environment or to the community. Some companies as part of their corporate social
responsibility, they satisfy the needs of their people, their planet or environment and the profit
became the last priority (through to some, this may be impossible).

SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis refers to the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats on conducting
the event.
• Strengths – These pertains to the internal factors of the event team that can contribute on the
success of the event. These include the commitment of the team, the skills, knowledge, and even attitude
of its members.
• Weaknesses – These are the shortcomings of the event team which can hinder in ensuring a
successful event. These are internal to the team. Inability to understand instructions is an example of a
weakness. Lack of event experience can also be considered as a weakness of the team.
• Opportunities – These refer to the favorable time, situations or occasions that may provide the team
with event projects. Unlike strengths and weaknesses, these are external to the event team.
• Threats – In common usage, this term refers to possible dangers, troubles or ruin. In events
management, these are the external factors can cause problems to the events execution. Included heƌe
ĐaŶ ďe safetLJ ƌisks, Đoŵ petitoƌ’s eǀeŶ ts, etĐ.

LESSON 2
THE EVENT CONCEPT

Developing an Event Concept

There are various factors to be considered in developing the event concept. Event concept should satisfy
the requirements of clients and of the team as well. To ensure the success of the event, it should be
conceptualized and materialized. The event team should be detail-oriented. All the information gathered
from the clients can be the bases for the event concept development.

The following are the factors to be considered in developing an event concept:

•The format of the event – The format of the event should match the objectives set prior to
conceptualization of the event concept. Identify the tone of the event, whether it is formal or
informal.
•The purpose of the event – The format of the event should coincide with the purpose of the event. If
the events objective is to facilitate entrepreneurial information among businessmen, then the
event should be conceptualized as formal and convention- type.
•The theme of the event – This should be connected to the purpose of the event. The theme should be
compatible with the needs of the attendees. Event theme can be categorized as historical,
cultural, geographical, or artistic.
•The venue of the event – Identify the venue that will best fit the objectives of the event. Recognize
also the preference of the client. These are the considerations in selecting an event venue:
o accessibility
o location
o ambience
o seating capacity
o safety of guests
o food and beverages facilities
o availability of other important supplies
o features like stage
o others that are necessary

•The participants of the event – Determine the personalities of the participants to be able to match
with them the concept of the event.
•The budget for the event – The financing aspect is very important in designing the event concept.
•The timing of the event – An event planner should know exactly when to hold the event with regards
to the details provided by the client. Consider this example, a beach wedding is not advisable to
be conducted around 11 AM to 2 PM.
•The people behind the event execution – Consider the people who will execute each task involved in
the event. All aspects should be taken into consideration, from registration down to safety
management. The following are the other considerations:
o event team (e.g. crews, service ambassadors, guest relation officers, receptionists,
coordinators, etc.)
o resource speakers and performers
 o emergency service providers
o event contractors/suppliers

Analyzing the Event Concept

Arriving to an event concept requires further analysis. An alternative concept should be prepared as a
contingency in case the first concept would not materialize. Take note that the event concept should
satisfy the objectives of the event. The following are guide questions in analyzing the event concept:

• Does it satisfy the objectives you have set in accordance to the requirements of the client?
• Is it the concept that meets the kind of participants it has?
• Is the concept attainable?
• Is the concept suited for the kind of event?
• Is the concept applicable on the day, time, and season for the event?
• Are all areas covered?
• Are all areas considered when it comes to implementation of the event?
• Are there enough resources for this concept to materialize?
• Are the resource speakers (if needed) available on the day of the event?
• Can your team hold such event in terms of the teaŵ͛ s skills?
• Are there contingency plans that will avoid or solve problems that may be encountered along
the way?
• Is the venue accessible for all the participants?
• Is the concept safe and reliable for all the participants?
• Is the concept suited for the budget of the event?

Designing the Event Concept

•All details of the event should be carefully considered to avoid inconvenience during the event
execution. On designing the event concept, one should understand the following steps:
•Come up with a theme. Conceptualize a theme of the event and base all other details according to the
theme. Invitations, tarpaulins, and marketing materials should be in sync with to the theme.
•Consider the layout. Analyze the layout of the venue. Consider its entrance and exit areas of the
venue.
•Do not overlook the décor. Decorations are important in order to make the venue more attractive
and lively. Take note that they should be aligned with the theme. Although decorations are
necessary, avoid over decorating the venue as they can distract guests.
•Look for suppliers and sponsors. Source for suppliers that can provide for the event requirements
that suits the budget. Be smart in selecting suppliers. Ensure that their supplies are of high
quality. Also, source for sponsors that can give freebies for the guests.
•Create a technical support. This group is assigned to assemble technical systems and resolve
technical glitches during the event.
•Consider ͚staging͛ . Conceptualize attractive stage decorations aligned with the theme of the event.
•Add entertainment. ͞To soŵ e eǀeŶ ts, entertainment is peripheral, and to some it is ĐeŶ tral.͟ ;‘odolfa,
ϮϬϭϮͿ Just ĐoŶ sider its suitability on the event.
•Consider the talents. Talents can be the musical performers, athletes, dancers, resource speakers, or
masters of the ceremony. Make sure that they have arrived prior on time on the event.
•Source for catering service providers. Some events require catering services. Make sure that foods
are delivered on time and of good quality.

Logistical Elements on Designing an Event Concept

 •On designing the event concept, logistical elements should not be overlooked. These are the
following: (Wagen, 2009)
•Site access – Would it be easy for the attendees to park their vehicles close to the venue? Can they
load off easily? Is these enough parking spaces?
•Physical limitations – Is it easy to move around especially when carrying heavy equipment?
•Cleaning – Is it the organizer who will do the cleaning or contracted?
•Basic services – Can the event organizer provide water easily? Is there electricity?
•Site dimensions – Is the site too high? Is it too low or narrow?
•Toilet facilities – Are these available in the area? Are these portable or fixed?
•Catering – Would there be obstacles or problems when transporting, storing and serving food?
•Safety – Were the patrol, exits, fire procedures, first aid considered and in place?

Screening the Event Concept

Once you have the event concept, the next thing to do is to screen if it will be feasible, not only to the
clients but to all concerned. One thing that an event manager must remember is the possibility of the
event to go spectacularly wrong, than spectacularly right. (Rodolfa, 2012)

The following will enable a manager to screen if an event will be feasible or not: (Rodolfa, 2012)
•The goodness of the idea
Were all the details required by the client considered? Did you consider coming up with another
version should the first one not work?
•The skills needed to run the event
With the details given and the expectations set by the client, are the skills of the event team fitted
to successfully run the event?
•The venue for the event
Is the venue, if chosen by the client, fitted for the concept developed? If chosen by the planner, is
it suitaďle for the ĐlieŶ t͛s edžpeĐtatioŶ ? Is it aĐĐessiďle for the attendees? Are there amenities
or facilities that will support the team in providing excellent service to the attendees? Is it
affordable?
•The event͛s attractiveness
Is the event attractive for the attendees? Will it give a good impression that will stick in the
minds of the attendees? Or would it be the other way around?
•The flow of the event
Is the flow of the event acceptable according to the instructions of the client? Would the sequence
not create a boring moment or dead air? Is the host (emcee) confident to manage the flow of the
event?
•The risks that might be encountered
Most importantly, have you considered the risks that may be encountered during the event? Have
you considered the following and provided a contingency plan should they happen:
o Crowd control
o Security of attendees as well as event team
o Weather
o Water breakdown
o Power interruption
o Food poisoning
These are important keys for the success of the event, and are dependent on how the event team
managed the event. The result will always fall on the shoulders of the organization.

How to Deliberate Concept with a Team

On screening the event concept, it is necessary to deliberate it with the team to acquire opinions. The
following are guides on keeping at the right track of deliberation:

•Present the category of the project. Identify whether it is a wedding, sport event, pageant, birthday,
seminar, etc.
•Provide background of the client.
•Enumerate the expectations of the client. Include their needs, wants, and objectives.
•Present the plan. Lay down the planned actions to meet the expectations of the client.
•Encourage the team members to speak out and explain their opinions, comments, and
recommendations.
•Should the recommendations be valid and beneficial, incorporate them on the event concept.
•Summarize the discussion.
•Prepare the proposal that will be presented to the client for approval purposes.

LESSON 3
THE EVENT PROPOSAL

Definition of Event Proposal

In its fundamental sense, event proposal is the business plan for an event that begins with an executive
summary or an introduction and delves in the event details. It is the most appropriate way to present
event plans to the clients on his/her scheduled activity. A good proposal may help one to land from event
conceptualization to materialization or execution. Prior to the development of an event proposal, one
should gather all the information and details regarding the event concept and design.

Preparing the Event Proposal

An event proposal should contain a brief description on what the event will look like. Here are the
procedures developing an event proposal:

•Create a very good cover letter – This will provide an overview of the proposal to be sent to prospect
clients. Make sure that the letter is free from grammatical and typographical errors. (Use 07
Handout 1 to provide sample cover letter.)
•Prepare the introduction – Make use of this part to sell the event you are organizing. On this part,
introduce the event concept and the event title. Include the following:

o Event name and type

o Venue
o Date and time
o Duration and timing
o Overview of the event
o Purpose/objectives of the event

•Discuss event feasibility – On this section, justify the viability of the event to all the stakeholders.
Other aspects to be justified include:

o Management commitment to the event

o Marketing tactics
o Staffing
o Risk management plan
o Physical requirements
 o Financial aspect management
o Event impacts
o Timelines or flow of activities
o Agencies and major stakeholders
o Evaluation strategy

•Highlightapprovals and consultation – This involves the relevant legal

compliances and requirements on such of the following:

o Police
o Government
o Environment
o Health
o Building
o Insurances
o License on liquor
o Contracts for service
o Security
•Enumerate marketing strategies – This deals with the ways on how to market the event to be able to
explain to the target audience what to expect on the event.
•Enumerate possible ways to get sponsorship – This covers the ways of getting sponsorship.
Emphasizethe ability of your group to provide sponsors (if you can) or introduce the event to
potential sponsors who will benefit in the event.
•Discuss how the financial aspect will be managed – On this step, budget model is being presented
based on various assumptions. These include ticket pricing and projected income, difference on
costing of outdoor and indoor events, and others.
•Provide information regarding the management of risks – Consider possible risks in the event. This
will also be discussed on further lessons.
•Discuss the operations of the event – Explain the procedures from registration to the packing up. All
aspects of operations will be discussed here.
•Discuss promotional plan – Discuss the ways on how the event will be advertised to the target
participants. Details of the promotional plans should be elaborated, including the cost.
•Illustrate how the event will be staged. – The themes should be clearly communicated to the clients
and participants. These include the venue layout, seating arrangement, program flow, and others.
•Determine the persons who are assigned to various tasks in the event. – Present to the client who are
assigned to the different tasks in the event. Build credibility and integrity by assuring the client
that the event team is competent and skillful.
•Ensure the safety and security of the guests – This discussion covers the plan for ensuring the safety
and security of guests.
•Present well-planned menus for the event – Provide suggestions on the menus that will fit on the
event.