S Unit-1

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Module/ Unit 1
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 Event
 *Something that takes place; an occurrence.
*A significant occurrence or happening.
S *A social gathering or activity.
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M  This is the meaning of events as given in a dictionary…..lets explore this further.

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 *In today’s scenario, events are an organized business.
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O *It means putting all three points from the meaning of an event together i.e. an
occurrence that is significant that creates a social gathering and/or an activity.
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 Marketing guru, Philip Kotler, defines event as occurrences
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designed to Communicate particular messages to target audiences.
  An event can be described as a public assembly for the purpose of
S celebration, education, marketing or reunion.
O  An event can be a social / lifecycle event like a birthday party,
H engagement, wedding, funeral etc.
 Or an education and career event like an education fair, job fair,
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workshop, seminar, debate, contest, competition etc.
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 Events can be classified on the basis of their size, type and
context.
 Event Management
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  It’s a process of analysing, planning, marketing, producing and evaluating an
S event.
 A different way of promoting a products, service or idea.
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 Used as a powerful promotional tool.
H  Requires certain core values i.e. every decision should justify professional approach.
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 Event management involves studying the intricacies of the brand, identifying
S the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and
O coordinating the technical aspects before actually executing the modalities of
the proposed event. Post-event analysis and ensuring a return on investment
H have become significant drivers for the event industry.
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S Who are the people that are involved?
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 The number of people involved in organizing an event depends upon
S the size and scale of the event. While organizing a small party may
require only one or two people, organizing a very large event like the
O Olympics may require several thousand people.
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M  A typical trade show has following event professionals:
T Event Manager, Event Planner, Event Coordinators, Information
manager, Logistic manager.
S Who sponsor an event?
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  Organizers
S  Sponsors
O  Partners
H  Clients and Supporting Agencies.
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T These people can either be an individual or a company. They either
finance the whole event or some of its part or provide some service
either at subsidized rate or for free. An Organizer finances maximum
amount of money in an event. Therefore he has maximum control over
the event.
 Features of an Event
S Uniqueness
O Intangibility
H Ambience and service

M Labor-intensiveness

T Perishability
Rituals and ceremony
Personal interactions
Time scale
 Uniqueness
The event has to be unique and different in order to be remembered. Recall
S and remembering of an event are the signs of a good event.
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H Intangibility
M Events in general are as intangible as any other service, which means that you
T can see the event, and even experience it, but you can’t touch it.
 Perishability
 Perishability is used in marketing to describe the way in which service capacity
S cannot be stored for sale in the future. It is a key concept of services marketing.
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H Rituals
M  Oscars, a tradition started to award the best in a particular genre. The tradition has
remained and become a ritual and the largest event in Hollywood.
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 Personal Interactions

S It is necessary to create the event based on the kind of people who are going to be a
O part of it, if the people who will be a part of an event or are spectators do not enjoy
the event, the event is considered a flop or a failure.
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M Imagine a situation where you create a party for people in the age group of 18-25 and have a
performance by a kathak dancer. The target audience least expected to enjoy the
T performance!!
 Ambience and Services
 Of all the characteristics of events, ambience is one of the most important to the
S outcome. An event with the right ambience can be a huge success. An event with
the wrong ambience can be a huge failure.
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 At a personal event,(eg: birthday party) good company amongst friends can make
H an excellent event.
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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 organisation and of operation.
 This is being the reason why some events may be outsourced to event management
companies, caterers or other types of event suppliers.
 Time Scale
Events do not go on forever, they do have a lifespan. Although, events could go
S on for some days or an evening, an hour or even a yearly event. The timing of
O the event determines the kind of event that will be held. Timing is also kept in
mind when planning an event, because preparation for the event, pre, post and
H wrap up etc decide the magnitude and size of the event.
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Weird and Wonderful
Unusual venues are more suited to certain types of events. Clients pick an
unusual venue to create curiosity and momentum for an event.
 The Wow Factor
• A great advantage with unusual venues is that you can customise and create a
S memorable experience that emphasizes the wow factor.
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H • The venue can also reflect the message or culture of the company- a more
futuristic building for a younger, trendy company and a more historic
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building for a traditional firm, for instance would bring the wow factor and
T ensure the success of the event.
  The population of the target audience that the event is exposed to
S is called the reach for the event.
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H Event is all about generating excitement. Excitement that fires the
M mind and the imagination. Excitement that lasts longer than the
T event itself. Excitement that generates interest and fires the need to
“be there” and be a part of something large or small but something
exciting nonetheless.
 Importance
 The entire concept of event management is regarded as one of the most intense or
S significant form of advertising or marketing.
 The whole process of event management necessarily involves the organization
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process.
H  the event management involves the whole steps of conducting an event right from
M the planning, financing, conceptualizing etc.
T  Event management is an important area which has been evolving over the years
along with the increasing opportunities.
S • Once in a lifetime experience for participants
O • Generally expensive to stage
H • Usually take place over a short time span
M • Require long and careful planning
T • Carry high level of risk
• There is a lot at stake
 Scope of Events
 Commercial marketing and Promotional events
S  Exhibitions and Fairs
O  Festivals

H  Fund raising and Charitable events (voluntary sector)

 Government and civic
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 Business events (MICE)
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 Entertainment, art and cultural
 Sporting
 Marketing
 Meetings and conventions
 Types
S Events are classified into:
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H  PRIVATE
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 CORPORATE
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 CHARITY
 LIVE
 PRIVATE EVENTS

S  Private event means a private gathering

O limited to members and guests of members of
a family, organization, or club, where
H the event is not open to the general public,
M and where FOOD is provided without
T compensation.

Eg: Weddings, Birthdays, Themed Parties, Wedding Anniversaries, Family

Events, VIP Events
 CORPORATE EVENTS
 Simply put, a corporate event is any form of event,
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hospitality or social activity which is organized or
O funded by a business entity.
H  Corporate entertainment describes private events
M held by corporations or businesses for their staff,
T clients or stakeholders.

Eg: Conferences, Seminars, Team Building Events, Trade Shows / Expos,

Executive Retreats, Business / Corporate Dinners.
 Charity
S  A charity event (also called a fundraiser) is
an event or campaign whose primary purpose
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is to raise money for a cause, charity or non-
H profit organization.
M  Events are used to increase visibility and
T support for an organization as well as raising
funds.

Eg: Charity Fitness Events, charity auctions, Charity Banquet

 CULTURAL EVENTS

S  The events that are related to a specific

culture or art forms are usually termed as
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cultural events.
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 Such events are usually social events which
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gather a huge population and can be
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specific to certain destination.

Eg: Fairs, festivals, music festivals etc.

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O Key steps to a successful event
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  There is a lot that goes into planning, coordinating and executing an event, and the
S hardest work goes on behind the scenes.
 Whatever the occasion, industry, guest list or size, there are 5 steps you must
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always follow to make your event successful.
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 1) Research
 Define your goals and objectives
S  Outline what your event will entail, and check it is feasible
O  Determine your audience

H  Create a timeline
 Develop a budget
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By having clarity on these objectives before you begin planning, you won’t waste any
time, money, resources or energy, and your event will run smoothly.
 2. Planning
 In the planning stage of putting on an event, you must consider everything: event
S schedule, venue location and capacity, guest list, catering, entertainment, space,
and bump in and bump out times (the time you have to install the event and when
O you have to leave it).
H  Because there is so much to consider, the best way to plan is to break it all down
M into manageable parts that you can delegate to your production team.
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 3. Promote your event
 The next thing to do is to generate an awareness and buzz around the event.
S  Remember to outline the event in the most engaging way and offer attendees
O incentives to come (e.g. a talk from an industry expert, an appearance from a
celebrity or influences, free food/drink, a goodie bag, etc.).
H  If your business has a strong social media presence you should leverage that to
M promote your event. Or, you may choose to harness email marketing or even
T printed marketing materials like flyers and posters. A mixture of both traditional
and online marketing will be effective in garnering a wider interest.
 4. Event coordination
 When you have done all the preparation, planned the event and made guests
S excited, it’s now time to execute the event itself.
 This is where the hard work comes in, as you must pull all of the elements together
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and oversee the entire production.
H  You must call suppliers, source props, organised catering, book entertainment,
M sort out transfers, lighting, music, installations, etc. If you’re putting on a large
T scale event, this list can seem never-ending, but you must work through it with a
fine-tooth comb.
 5. Evaluation
 Once the event is over you should always conduct a thorough evaluation to access
S the running of the event — what went well and what didn’t, whether you achieved
your goals and whether the attendees were satisfied. With this information, you can
O also alert the press to further enhance your brand awareness.
H  Post-production evaluations are crucial for business reflection and to inform future
M strategy. And, if the event was a success, you can start planning your next one!
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H Practices in Event Management
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 1) Event Goals
 Before diving into the dark, complicated world of planning an event, you need to
S define your event goals.
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 Why are you holding an event? To gain new customers? Conduct training
H workshops for existing clients? Increase the membership of your association or
M boost employee morale?
T  Only when the event’s goals have been established can you effectively plan what
type of event you need.

 It could, for example, be a webinar, fundraiser, roadshow, executive dinner, large-

scale conference or exhibition stand at a trade-show.
 In order to define the event’s goals, there’s a simple four-point strategy
to follow:
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O  Identify the audience- new customers /engage existing clients or qualified
H prospects? how many attendees are expected?
M  What’s your content? what are the intended takeaways? Does the event content
need to drive people to sign-up to something? Or should it inspire, motivate or
T educate delegates about specific products and services?
 Why are you organising the event? Do you need to generate leads? Establish
industry credibility? Reward employees or forge new business partnerships?
 Are your goals measurable?- Unless you can measure your goals, you won’t be able
to determine the impact of your event.
 2) Event Budget
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H  Budgeting is viewed by organisers as the most challenging part of planning and
M executing events.
 it is important to produce a detailed, well-thought-out budget plan that will help
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you track costs, save time, demonstrate ROI, and make better business decisions.
 your event should be planned around your financial resources, and not vice-versa.
 The first step is to make a comprehensive list of all the budget line items in the
S event lifecycle, such as:
 venue hire • speaker fees
O • marketing and promotion
 audio-visual (AV)
H  food and beverage
• service fees and other cost
M components
 accommodation and travel
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 The next step is to research the event budget costs to get an estimate pricing as
close as possible to the actual cost.
 This can either be done by checking historical pricing data from previous events
and taking inflation into account, or by checking with suppliers and requesting
several quotes to get a clearer pricing picture.
 3) Event Marketing
 To drive the right attendees to the right events, you need to cut through the noise
S and execute a winning event marketing strategy.

O Before planning an event marketing strategy, you need to understand your target
H audience.
M  What is the audience demographic?
 What problem is the event solving for attendees?
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 What social media channels do attendees use?
 What time of day are the attendees online?
 Why is the event important?
Conclusions drawn from these questions will form the basis of your event marketing
strategy.
 Key channels include:
S  The event website
O  Email marketing

H  Content marketing
 Social media
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 Mobile event apps
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 4) Online Event Registration
 Event strategies are all about increasing attendee registrations.
S  Whether the end-goal is driving sales, generating leads, or building business
O relationships, you need people to attend the event in large numbers.
 If your attendee is mostly online, it is recommended to use the best online event
H registration software to get more sign-ups up for your event.
M  Few innovative event marketing tips and tricks you can employ to increase your
T registrations are early bird discounts, sponsor involvement & social
influencer engagement.
 5) Onsite Event Check-in Solution
 To create a great first impression, the
S event check-in process should be as
quick and smooth as possible, so that the
O attendees can spend more time exploring
H the event.
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T  By using event management
software that offers onsite check-in and
registration facilities, you can reduce this
major pain point with ease.
 With self-servicing kiosks, wireless, on-demand badge printing, and card-swiping
S services for payments, onsite event check-in solutions provide a plethora of benefits
such as:
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H  Accelerated check-ins
M  Paperless forms
T  Managing large crowds with ease
 Multiple branding opportunities
 Secure payment system for donations, raffle tickets and merchandise
 Less manual load for your team
 Onsite reporting and analytics for data analysis
 6) Improving Attendee Experience
 Creating unforgettable engaging experiences is not an easy task. As the world
S continues to change, so do attendee expectations.
 As an event organiser, you can leverage the power of mobile event apps to create
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engaging and personalised experiences for attendees.
H  By eliminating the need for paper-based brochures and schedules, these apps allow
M attendees to be more involved in the event through interactive maps, quizzes,
T gamification, polls, feedback surveys and more.
 Mobile apps allow you to send notifications such as last-minute changes to the
event programme, speaker requests or special discounts for those who have signed
up and downloaded the app early. es.
 7) Event ROI

S  Once the actual event concludes, the all-

O important question arises – was your event
successful? Did it drive sales? Were you able to
H reduce costs?
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T  You need to provide solid proof of the impact of
your event so that the stakeholders can assess
whether their investment was a good one or not.
 Here are just a few questions to ask yourself for better event ROI:
S  What were the highest-rated content and topics?
O  Which sessions saw the highest attendance?

H  Which speaker received the most social media mentions and engagement?
 Was the networking time enough for attendees?
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Such data can help you improve your events in several aspects, such as estimating
food and beverage (F&B) costs, selecting venue and layouts, and utilising the feedback
to create more relevant content.
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H Event Planning and Organizing
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  Failure to plan is planning to fail.
S  Planning is determining what has to be done and how.
O  Planning is the process which identifies aims and objectives and establishes the
methods of achieving them.
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Remember: Proper Planning Promotes Perfect Performance.
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 Event Planning and Organizing

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S
O Managing people and Time
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 People Management
 People management is one of the most significant challenges for the event manager.
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O  Because of the short-term nature of events, the frontline staff does not have the
commitment of employees who started careers with traditional organizations.
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 The ability to keep people informed, to inspire and motivate them through positive
T leadership, and to reinforce the attainment of specific results, is the key to
successful people management in this fast-paced environment
  Information- Briefings before and after shifts provide the opportunity to advise
S staff on the order of proceedings as well as to clarify issues of concern.
O  Lead- As role models, event leaders demonstrate to their staff how to provide
quality service to customer. Include motivational strategies such as job rotation,
H viewing the performance, meeting the stars and athletes, or assisting the public.
M  Reinforce- Positive reinforcement of key messages can enhance safety and
T service
Recognition strategies for individuals and groups, including parties and prizes, are
essential in this industry in which people work under tremendous pressure to pull off
an event.
 The work of the event leader may extend to some or all of the following challenging
S contexts that are quite unlike those of the traditional business environment:
O ➢ One shift for one day
➢ Single or multiple venues
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➢ Single or multiple session times
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➢ A team separated by physical distance
T ➢ Routine and dull jobs away from the action
➢ Busy, pressured, and high-stress roles in the midst of the action
 When group members exhibit a wide range of individual differences, particularly in
S language or culture, the following strategies can help to develop effective
communication between them:
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H  1. Identify specific information needs of group members.
M  2. Use plain English.
T  3. Allocate buddies or develop sub teams.
 4. Use graphics to impart information
 5. Rotate roles.
 6. Provide all members with opportunities to participate in the group,
 7. Develop group rituals and a group identity.
 The main cross-cultural skills involve the capacity to do the following:
S  1. Communicate respect
O  2. Be non-judgmental

H  3. Accept the relativity of one’s own knowledge and perceptions

 4. Display empathy
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 5. Be flexible
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 6. Take turns (allow everyone to take turns in a discussion)
 Time Management
To work effectively with event teams, which may be together for a very short period
S of time, an event manager needs to do the following:
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 Plan effectively  Remove barriers
H  Simplify processes
 Identify critical issues and tasks
M  Solve problems immediately
 Analyze and allocate tasks
T  Manage work priorities  Manage stress for self and others

 Make quick but informed decisions  Develop creative and flexible solutions

 Build relationships quickly  Constantly monitor performance

 Provide timely information  Reward the achievement of outcomes

  From this list, it is clear that outstanding time management skills (on a personal
S and a group level) are required in order to gain maximum benefit from the
planning phases.
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 An ability to develop instant rapport with new people is also essential when time is
H limited.
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H Site and Infrastructure Management
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 Choosing the Event Site
 Selection of an event venue must take the needs of all stakeholders into account.
S Stakeholders include emergency service, catering staff, entertainers, participants,
and clients.
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 Frequently, the client has an unusual idea for a venue, but how ever imaginative this
H may be, selection of the site must be tempered with rational decision making.
M  Choose a venue that is consistent with the event purpose and theme is essential. It
T can also lead to cost savings, since there is far less expense in transforming it into
what the client wants.
 The major considerations for selecting an event venue include the following:
S  Size of the event (including the size of the audience)
O  Layout of the site and its suitability for the event

H  Stage, field of play, or performance area

 Transport and parking
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 Proximity to accommodation and attractions
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 Supply issues for goods and service providers, such as caterers
 Technical support
 Venue management
 Physical inspection of the site is required to check for the following:
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O ➢ Source
➢ Stage area (Where relevant)
H ➢ Compatibility with the event theme ➢ Equipment
➢ Audience comfort ➢ Cover in case of poor weather
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➢Visibility for the audience (line of sight) ➢ Safety and security
T ➢ Access for emergency vehicles
➢ Storage areas
➢ Evacuation routes
➢ Entrances and exits
 In viewing a potential event site, there are three major stakeholders who need to be
S considered and whose perspectives could be quite different:
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H  The performers- Performers have specific need that are fundamental to
their success, such as the level of intimacy with the audience (often the result of the
M distance from the audience) or the volume of the sound.
T  The audience- the primary need is to see what level of lighting and sound, as
well as access. Catering and facilities are generally secondary.
 The organizers- From a management perspective, the venue must help to
minimize risks, such as an adverse weather, power failure, accidents, and
emergencies.
 Infrastructure in the Community
 For an organization’s information technology, infrastructure management (IM) is
S the management of essential operation components, such as policies, processes,
equipment, data, human resources, and external contacts, for overall effectiveness.
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 Infrastructure management is sometimes divided into categories of systems
H management, network management, and storage management. Infrastructure
M management products are available from a number of vendors including Hewlett-
T Packard, IBM, and Microsoft.
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 Among other purposes, infrastructure management seeks to:
S  ➢ Reduce duplication of effort ➢ Ensure adherence to standards ➢ Enhance
O the flow of information throughout an information system ➢ Promote
adaptability necessary for a changeable environment ➢
H Ensure interoperability among organizational and external entities ➢ Maintain
M effective ➢ Change management policies and practices
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