EVENT MANAGEMENT BRE209

Become an Event Manager

TURN YOUR SOCIALIZING and ORGANIZING SKILLS INTO A CAREER! 

Develop knowledge and skills in the planning and management of special events including gallery openings, festivals, weddings, exhibitions and sporting events.  Event management can be a fun and rewarding career.  You can start up your own business or work for someone else. 

ARE YOU A SOCIAL BUTTERFLY? 

DO YOU LOVE MEETING PEOPLE AND ORGANISING ?


 Consider putting your skills to work and turning your organization skills into a great and enjoyable business!  This course will assist in developing your skills in event planning, staging, marketing, crowd control and much more, as well as teaching you what you need to do 'after the event'. It is a fantastic guide for anyone who wants to begin a business or career in event management.

 

 

Course Structure
There are 9 lessons as follows:

  1. Scope and Nature of Event Management
  2. Developing the Concept
  3. Physical an Human Resources
  4. Project Logistics
  5. Marketing an Event
  6. Financial Management
  7. Risk Management
  8. Staging the Event
  9. After the Event

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Course Aims

  • Identify the various tasks which are involved in the management of a variety of different types of events.
  • Explain how a range of different types of events are initiated and planned.
  • Determine the human and physical resources required to deliver different types of events.
  • Determine how physical and human resources will be organised in preparation for staging an event, in order that needs are appropriately catered for.
  • Develop a marketing plan for an event.
  • Develop a Financial Management Plan for an Event.
  • Develop a series of Risk management procedures to minimize the impact of different types of problems including financial, legal, marketing, crowd control, food services, and hygiene.
  • Describe the way in which facilities and services are managed during the actual delivery of an event.
  • Review an event after it’s delivery.

WHAT THE COURSE COVERS
Here are just some of the things you willbe doing:

  • Research to find out what events are taking place in your locality.
  • Study and compare different events.
  • Review marketing of various real life events.
  • List sources of potential financial support for an event.
  • Interview someone who has managed an event.
  • Explain the different legal and ethical responsibilities with respect to risk management of an event.
  • Explain two methods of reducing liability, which could be used by the organisers of any event.
  • Compile a stage plan, contact responsibility list, & production scheduler, with relevant run sheets for a one day seminar.
  • Write a procedure (step by step) for choosing a venue for staging an event.
  • List reasons why an evaluation would be undertaken after an event.
  • Prepare a report to evaluate the event you attended


WHY DO EVENTS NEED MANAGEMENT?

Some events succeed and some fail, others may not fail, but may fall short of set objectives, others may exceed expectations. No matter how a project proceeds and concludes - all will present with some form of risk (large or small) throughout the life of the project.

The probability of success is always going to be greater if you take time to consider the potential risks to a project, before you begin.

Project risk management is all encompassing: every part of a project is subject to risk - budgets, schedules, scope, quality, communications, stakeholder interaction and project implementation. Consider the following:

  • Risks may be both positive and negative.
  • Risk identification starts before the project commences.
  • Risk management starts at the project’s commencement.
  • Risk management is about awareness, through the life of a project, about what possibilities of risk exist, how to take action to minimize or prevent risk, or how to capitalise on positive risks (opportunities).
  • Risk should be communicated to stakeholders – some forms may be acceptable to stakeholders. Some projects are high risk by nature.
  • Identified risks require management strategies (agreeable to all appropriate parties involved in the project).
  • Risks should be tracked, analysed and communicated appropriately from the start to end of a project.

Risk Identification
There are several steps in the risk identification process:

  • Identify the risks.
  • Consider the nature and scope of any potential risk – who will it affect and why.
  • Consider the probability.
  • Consider the implications if this happens (i.e. costs, time delays, safety etc.)

From all such considerations, you can start to develop an appreciation for the relative importance of different risks. You can then plan to avoid them or use them to advantage. You can record your findings for future use; learn from the past and adjust your future responses.

Forms of Risk
There are two forms of risk in business – internal risk and external risk. Internal risk is associated with the project inside the business for example:

  • Cash flow – lack of or erratic.
  • Breakdown of equipment or machinery.
  • Employees leaving – loss of key personnel.
  • Safety compromises.
  • Incorrect scheduling – resulting in product delay and missed deadlines.
  • Cost risk – blowouts.
  • Technology risk – out-dated technology; inefficient technology; wrong technology; using new unproven technology.
  • Bad marketing; no marketing or weak marketing.
  • Sales e.g. weak distribution networks; inefficient sales team; inexperienced sales team; unmotivated sales team.
  • Management – poor decision-making processes; procrastination; lack of expertise and experience; poorly defined project aims and objectives; lack of support from higher management; internal politics (e.g. not everyone supports the project). Ad hoc management, laissez faire leadership; lack of well-defined and/or firm management structure;
  • Poor staff management - poorly defined work roles and responsibilities. Poor selection of staff - not getting the right person for the job. Poor coordination/communication. Bad human relations - unresolved conflict, poor motivation of staff.
  • Lack of resources (both human and physical); lack of employee expertise, lack of motivation, not enough staff. Erratic availability of resources from suppliers e.g. late supply, non-supply, oversupply; collapse of continuity of supply due to length of project or supplier going out of business. Under funding.
  • Poor research methods and poor data quality.
  • Poor project sponsorship and/or lack of sponsor support
  • Unrealistic plans.
  • Setting unachievable goals or time frames
  • Lack of response by the public (empty seats, low attendee rates)
  • Key stakeholders pull out at the last minute
  • Key people become ill
  • Celebrities don’t turn up
  • Power failures
  • Transport disruption

External risk is how the project impacts on the world outside of the business for example:

  • Acts of God (drought, flood, storm, fire, excessive heat, death or injury).
  • Third party impacts e.g. government changing law, permits delayed, suppliers not delivering on time, change of project ownership or contractors, change of consultant.
  • Market risks – change in demand.
  • Economic risk; inflation; recession; change in cost of finance.
  • Potential company mergers.
    Anticipating the unexpected is an important aspect in any business (and in daily life). In event management it is important (for the success of the event) to consider a range of possibilities and formulate plans to deal with these, in the event that they arise.

How can we identify risk? As we discussed earlier all projects attract risk – it is the magnitude of the risk and how it is dealt with that will determine the success of a project.
The first things to ask when considering risk is:

  • What types of things could happen during the life of this project?
  • What would the result of these events be?
  • What can be done about this?  

Risk identification and management therefore involves four progressive steps:

1. Identifying risks.

2. Assessing and analysing the risks you identify (determine their significance and quantify them – how large or small are they?) To help determine the probability of risk, and the extent to which realised risk may impact on the business, the following three questions are helpful:

  • What is the best case scenario?
  • What is the worst case scenario?
  • What is the most likely scenario?

3. Responding to the risk i.e. finding ways to manage it.

4. Controlling the risk - monitoring, controlling, eliminating/minimising risks and reviewing the risks. Regular reviews are useful tools to ensure currency of your risk analysis. For example, systems may change slowly over time and new risk may be introduced.

 

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