CHAPTER SIX

PROTOCOL AND STAGING

6.1 Protocol and Event Management
According to the Royal Academy of Spanish Language (RAE) the protocol is a set of rules
established by standard or custom for official or solemn ceremonies and acts. It is a set of
rules or a series of instructions that are established by tradition or by agreement.
The protocol tells us how to act in certain procedures. In this way, it gathers a series of
behaviors, actions and techniques that are considered suitable for certain situations. It is also
known as protocol the rules that define the proper behaviour in a social event of a certain
formality. In this way, the protocol is associated with what is known as etiquette: uses and
customs that must be kept in public acts. For example: ways of dressing, good manners,
greeting with reverence to an authority, respecting punctuality, etc…
In the organization of events, the protocol is a fundamental communication tool to achieve
the success of the event itself. Since taking care of the image and the values to be transmitted
is essential to differentiate itself from the competition and acquire the desired commercial
value in the realization of the event.
Any event is divided into three phases: the previous organization, the event itself, and the
post-event. Each of these parts has its own particularities.
Pre-organization protocol for an event
When organizing an event, the first basic rule is to decide the reason of the event we want
organize. Once we have defined the meaning and objective of the event and for what we want
to carry out, in this first phase we must take into account the following actions:
Place and time:
The events in outdoor spaces have a more informal air than any other event that takes place in
an interior space (room, in a congress center, theater, etc…) The protocol applied to each
event will be different. On the other hand, as far as the schedule is concerned, it is important
to maintain the initial punctuality and closing of the event, as well as, during the day
throughout the program of the event.
Infrastructure:
It is important not to neglect all the detail, as such we should not forget to make a list of all
the necessary material (audio, sound, video, lecterns, brochures, presentations, etc…) to carry
out the event and prevent us from forgetting something on the day of the event. We must
have everything requested and ready before the big day.

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Program:
Before the event takes place, it’s important to design and plan the event schedule. Make a
program with all the people who will talk and the intervention time of each. It is
recommended that the speech of each speaker should not exceed one hour so as not to lose
the public interest. On the other hand, and in order to avoid conflict between speakers, it is
important that everyone has the same duration for their interventions.
Guests:
It is important to know the audience that will attend the event and the number of guests. If it
is a particular event with few guests, about 20 people or less, it is not necessary to make the
invitation long in advance or send a formal invitation. For more formal, professional events
with more than 20 guests, it is important to formulate an official paper invitation and send it
well in advance.
Protocol during the event
The day of the event is the most important day. How this day will take place will mark the
event’s success or not. As such, to ensure that everything goes well during the event day it is
important not to neglect the following details:
Host:
The person responsible for the realization and organization of the event will be the main
figure during the event. As such, the protocol dictates that the host must receive each of the
guests upon arrival as well as say goodbye to each one when the event ends.
Reception of guests:
Guests must arrive around 30min to 1 hour before the start of the event/ceremony. This
allows you to welcome them and lead them to their place where the necessary material will
be delivered to accompany the development of the event.
Meals:
If the event includes a meal or dinner, there are two ways to distribute the tables according to
protocol. On one hand, the host sits at the head of the table (English method) or, on the other
hand, the host sits in the center of the table (French method). The other guests will sit
according to their rank or position. If you want to know more about the distribution of the
tables, I advise reading this article.
Post-event protocol
The work of an event organizer does not end with the end of the event. In the days following
the end of the event it is important to take care of the following functions:
Survey:

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Conduct a survey with the guests to find out if the event has been satisfactory or to the liking
of the attendees / guests or not and to understand if the objectives set were achieved.
Conclusions:
Make a dossier with the conclusions of the event and send it to all attendees.
Gratitude:
Send a thank you note to each guest for their attendance and participation in the event. As we
can understand, the protocol is always present in the planning and organization of an event
whether it’s an informal, personal event or a more professional formal event.
6.3 Event Management Automation Protocol (EMAP)
The Event Management Automation Protocol (EMAP) is a suite of interoperable
specifications designed to standardize the communication of event management data. EMAP
is an emerging protocol within the NIST Security Automation Program, and is a peer to
similar automation protocols such as the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP).
Where SCAP standardizes the data models of configuration and vulnerability management
domains, EMAP will focus on standardizing the data models relating to event and audit
management. At a high-level, the goal of EMAP is to enable standardized content,
representation, exchange, correlation, searching, storing, prioritization, and auditing of event
records within an organizational IT environment.
Community involvement is critical to the success of the EMAP initiative, because input from
the security automation community will ensure the broadest possible range of use cases is
reflected in EMAP functionality. This Web site is provided to support continued community
involvement. This site will be updated regularly and will serve as the primary resource for
finding EMAP related materials. You are invited to participate, whether monitoring
community dialog or leading more substantive activities like specification authorship.
6.4 Event Venue Selection
There are plenty of factors to consider when choosing a venue for an event. You need to
determine which of them will be given the utmost priority and which will be considered less
important. By doing so, you are guaranteed to obtain the most suitable venue for the
particular event you are planning. Here are some factors to consider in choose an event
venue.
- Location and Accessibility
- Parking
- Capacity of Space
- Services and Amenities

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 - Layout
- Ambiance
Location and Accessibility
When looking for an event venue, make sure to consider the proximity of the attendees or
guests from the location. If you have no access to the guests’ addresses, you can opt to select
a location that is situated in easily accessible cities such as Pasay in Metro Manila. For an
event that expects guests coming from other countries, choose a venue near hotels. Before
finalizing the location, make sure it has minimal traffic and plenty of transportation options.
Take note, you must visit the venue so that you can gauge and observe the traffic situation of
the surrounding areas. With this, you can obtain insights that can help you avoid the pitfalls
of choosing a venue that is inaccessible and difficult to get to.
Parking
When you visit the venue, you should check the parking lot and inquire about its capacity.
For special events with esteemed guests, dry-clean parking might be necessary. If there is no
parking lot provided, see if there are any secure parking spaces near the venue.
Capacity of Space
Before you secure a venue, make sure to take note of the guests who have confirmed their
attendance. This way, it will be easier for you to determine the suitable room size for the
event. There are event space providers that offer 95 square meter function rooms that can
hold 70 banquet-style table arrangements. There are also those that provide spaces as large as
400 square meters that can accommodate 300 banquet-style table arrangements. It all depends
on what your event needs.
Services and Amenities
It is a huge plus if an event space provider can offer you special services and amenities. Here
are some questions you should consider:
- Are there any audio and video systems available?
- Will there be baby changing boards inside the female comfort room?
- Will there be a cleaning crew to make sure the event space is clean before and after
the occasion?
- Is there Wi-Fi at the venue?
- Is there a kitchen that can be utilized by catering services?
- Will there be adequate chairs and tables to accommodate the guests?
Learning more details about your guests can help you determine the right questions to ask
regarding the amenities and services offered by the event space provider. If there are guests
with disabilities, the venue must have a separate comfort room specifically for them.

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Layout
When planning for an event, a few of the things you first need to finalize are the activities
and the program flow. You must align the activities with the layout of the function room. As
an event coordinator or planner, you must be able to forecast the flow of foot traffic at the
registration desk, especially at a corporate event.
Conversely, if the event is a birthday celebration, it must have areas where photo booths and
other activity booths can be placed. Take note of the available sockets and their placements.
This way, you will know how to position certain equipment that requires a power outlet.
Ambiance
Whether you will have an ocular of the venue or simply scroll through pictures online, make
sure to pay attention to its decoration and theme. If you are holding a corporate meeting, the
theme of the venue should convey a professional message. Event space providers will be able
to provide you with a function room suitable for any occasion. They will most likely have a
venue that can accommodate everything you need.
6.5 Organizing and Staging a Special Event
A special event is a gathering of human beings, generally lasting from a few hours to a few
days, designed to celebrate, honor, discuss, sell, teach about, encourage, observe, or influence
human endeavours. To flesh this out a bit more, these characteristics are what turn an
ordinary event in a "special event:"
- Must be of limited and fixed duration, typically hours or days at most.
- Must be a one-off or infrequent occurrence, typically monthly or annually at most.
- If part of a regular series, they must be an unusual component of the series.
- Must be unique.
- Must require one or more organizers.
- Execution must be planned and controlled.
- Must conform to the definition of a special event.
- An audience other than the organizers present at the physical event location.
6.6 Essential Staging/Venue Presentation
An event venue can be any place your event is held. Venue Presentation is about clarifying
about the location of the venue, how appropriate it is to your audience and message, its
layout, and the facilities of the room are all elements that play a role in the successful
delivery of your presentation.