CHAPTER ONE

AN INTRODUCTION TO EVENT MANAGEMENT

Events create opportunities for people to connect with an area, spend time together, celebrate and
experience the diversity of cultures and foster creativity and innovation. They allow a community
to come alive and provide an opportunity for a destination to showcase its tourism experience and
increase economic activity. Events contribute significantly to community building, lifestyle and
leisure enhancement, cultural development, tourism promotion and increased visitation, volunteer
participation, fundraising and economic development. Most importantly, events create a sense of
fun and vibrancy, resulting in a strong sense of community connectivity, pride and a sense of place.
1.1. Concept of Event
There is no single universally accepted definition of event. Many authors have discussed the
definition of events and the various terms used to describe them. However, there is only limited
agreement on standardized terms across the various researches.
Philip Kotler, defines events as occurrences designed to communicate particular messages to target
audiences.
The Accepted Practices Exchange Industry Glossary of TERMS (APEX, 2005) defines an event
as, an organized occasion such as a meeting, convention, exhibition, special event, etc. An event
is often composed of several different yet related functions.
Goldblatt (2005) focuses on special events as ―a unique moment in time, celebrated with
ceremony and ritual to satisfy specific needs. Getz (2008) notes that events are spatial - temporal
phenomena and that each is unique because of interactions among the setting, people, and
management systems, including design elements and the program. He highlights the fact that
the biggest appeal of events is that they are never the same, and that the guest has to be there in
order to enjoy the experience fully. He suggests two definitions, from the perspective of the event
organizers, as well as the guests:
- A special event is a one-time or infrequently occurring event outside normal programs or
activities of the sponsoring or organizing body.
- To the customer or guest, a special event is an opportunity for leisure, social or cultural
experience outside the normal range of choices or beyond everyday experience.
Bowdin (2006) notes that the term event has been used to describe specific ceremonies,
presentations, performances or celebrations that are consciously planned and created to mark
special occasions and/or to achieve particular social, cultural or corporate goals and objectives.
Jago and Shaw (1998) suggest six features of special events. According to them, special events
should: attract tourists or tourism development, be of limited duration, be one-off or
infrequent occurrence, raise the awareness, image, or profile of a region, offer a social
experience, and be out of the ordinary.
Summarizing the definition of a special event, they note it as: A one-time or infrequently occurring
event of limited duration that provides the consumer with a leisure and social opportunity beyond
everyday experience. Such events, which attract or have the potential to attract tourists, are often
held to raise the profile, image or awareness of a region.

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Need and Importance of event
Marketing professionals plan events as part of their marketing plans for a wide range of reasons.
Whether it is to promote an existing or new product or service, to encourage communication and
engagement between staff and clients, or even to bring teams together for team-building or a big
celebration, events can really help a company to engage with its audiences.
a) Position yourself as a leader in your field
For businesses who want to position themselves as thought leaders or a major player in their
market, holding and running events that talk about new products and services, newsworthy topics
or new areas of innovation, this will help to propel you to a new level of leadership in your field.
Be sure to research your competitor events to understand what the key talking points are for your
area. Identify what specifically you want to be known as a leader for. Invite key experts and
journalists along to speak at your event. Make sure clients are told well in advance so they plan to
attend.
b) Connecting people
One of the main reasons for running events is to build communication and earn trust. Whether it
be a customer-focused event where you invite all your existing clients along to show them a new
service area, or a staff event to thank them for their hard work, or a media event to launch an
innovation in your business, events allow people to connected to others in a similar group or
position, and to connect with new or existing contacts and develop relationships.
c) Getting your name out there
When running an event, this is a perfect opportunity to talk to prospective and existing clients,
staff, partners, the media and other stakeholders. It supports brand awareness and can really ensure
that your business and your brand name is front and centre in your audience’s mind.
d) The personal touch
As the saying goes “people buy from people”. Enabling face to face contact with your customers
and developing a good relationship with them can only come from face to face communication
over time. Events can really enable and support this. There is a lot to be said in this digital age for
meeting people ‘in the flesh’. We all communicate extensively online. Whether it be text, email,
skype, etc. But sometimes only face to face will do.
e) Brand recognition
If you create an event which has a lasting impression and leaves a strong message with your
audience, they will associate that with your brand and your brand recognition will improve.
f) Immediate feedback
Events are the perfect way to generate immediate feedback from your audience. If you are running
a conference, you can use breakout sessions for smaller group discussions, workshops and team
activities. You can ask questions and delve more deeply into queries when at an event. Lastly you
can earn the trust that is so vital to the feedback loop when you hold inclusive, well-planned and
participative events. If you are planning a conference, a training session, or business meetings for
your organization and you want to work with a team of event specialists, get in touch.
1.1.2. Conceptualizing, Creating and Developing Events

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The basic steps of creating and developing event go something like this:
i) Set the event goal or vision
Setting the end goal is the pinnacle of all the strategizing you will do. What does the event need to
achieve? What is it you want to do with this event? Some events will have very defined goals such
as increased awareness of a brand or charity, an album or product launch, a birthday party or
wedding or something else entirely.
This vision needs to always be in the minds of your people. Everything you do in planning the
event should be directed entirely towards achieving that goal.
ii) Set a timeline
Whether you work chronologically or backwards, you will need to set a schedule that includes all
the steps necessary to plan your event. That should include the planning stages, attracting sponsors,
preparation, talent scheduling to feedback and wrap up. Scheduling is a key component of project
management and provides the backbone of your event strategy. Without it you won’t know when
tasks need to be complete, how far ahead or behind you are, or be able to manage the multitude of
tasks necessary for planning an event.
iii) Set the budget
Budgeting is perhaps the worst part of event strategy. It’s one of the few times you’re going to
have to play devil’s advocate or shoot down amazing ideas. It’s when you will have to say no most
often which can be disheartening. Many people in the industry don’t enjoy the budgeting side of
event planning at all for these reasons.
Yet budgeting is an essential part of strategy. Without budgeting you don’t know whether an idea
is feasible. Whether you can hire the talent you want to hire or splash out on those pyrotechnics or
have a sponsor app created. Budgeting is also where you set a contingency. That contingency is
often set at 10% of the overall budget but in our experience it should be set closer to 15%!
iv) Decide the target audience
You won’t get to set the target market in many events but it may sometimes be necessary. Once
you have set the vision and the budget, you now need to decide who you’re pitching the event to.
The target audience will also influence the type of sponsor you go for, the talent you feature, the
style and substance of the event and the venue at which you will host it.
v) Concept and brainstorming
By now your event strategy should be taking shape. You know the what, the when the how much
and have an idea of who you’re pitching this event to. Now is a good time to include the event
concept in the strategy. Coming up with an original concept is one of the more significant
challenges you will come up against as an event planner but also one of the most important.
Some concepts will be limited by the type of event, some by the sponsor. Either way, you have to
work within the constraints of your strategy so far to come up with an original idea that will attract
a sponsor and deliver the overall vision of the event.
vi) Set your measures
All elements of event planning need to be measurable. How far under or over budget are you? Are
you on schedule? Will you achieve the required attendance or ticket sales? Did you attract the

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social shares or attention required? All these things need to be measured in order to provide
reporting to stakeholders and to refine the strategy as you go.
1.1.3. Types of event
Depend up on size event categorized in the following categories:-
a) Mega Events: Mega-events are the enormous events that affect whole economies and
echo in the global media. Example of mega-events can be FIFA World cup.
b) Major Events: Major events are events which are large in scale and attract significant
media interest and are capable of attracting notable visitor numbers, media coverage
and economic benefits. Example of major events can be IIFA awards.
c) Hallmark Events: Ritchie (1984) defines Hallmark events as: ‘Major single-time or
repeating events of limited duration, initiated mainly to enhance awareness, appeal, and
profitability of a tourism destination in a short or long time span. Example of the
Hallmark event can be the Carnival in Rio.
d) Local/ Community Events: These are small events happening at a local and regional
level. Example of such events can be local concerts, food festival, etc.
 Types of events based on their content
Some are for public celebration (this category includes so-called community festivals which
typically contain a large variety in their programming and aim to foster civic pride and cohesion),
while others are planned for purposes of competition, fun, entertainment, business or socializing.
Often, they require special-purpose facilities, and the managers of those facilities (like convention
centre’s and sport arenas) target specific types of events:
Cultural Celebrations: Festivals, Carnivals, Commemorations, Religious events,
Political and State: Summits, Royal occasions, Political events, VIP visits
Arts and Entertainment: Concerts, Award ceremonies
Business and Trade: Meetings, conventions, Consumer and trade shows, Fairs, markets
Educational and Scientific: Conferences, Seminars, and Clinics
Sport Competition: Amateur/professional, Spectator/participant
Recreational: Sport or games for fun
Private Events: Weddings, Parties,
Finally, all events can be categorized as profitable and non-profit events. Non-profit events are
characterized by special programs mainly devised to enhance the image of the organizers,
participants or some organizations. Another type of non-profit events is charity events, devised to
collect funds, not for the organizers or participants, but for charity purposes. Nevertheless, the
majority of events are profitable. Their economic goal is the profit, and social objectives are related
to implementation of various types of programs - sports, cultural, artistic, business, educational,
political or scientific.
1.2 Event management
Event management is the process of planning, organizing, and coordinating events. These
include conferences, trade shows, university exams, and corporate gatherings. It involves

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 handling logistics, selecting venues, arranging entertainment, coordinating vendors, and
ensuring the event runs smoothly.
Event management includes a variety of functions for executing small/large -scale events,
which might include conferences, conventions, concerts, trade shows, festivals, and
ceremonies. It involves handling the overall logistics of the event, working with staff, and
conducting project management of the event as a whole. Additional duties might include
managing the budget and the teams of people responsible for each function, as well as
overseeing the execution of the event. Event managers also supervise the services of all
outside vendors and professionals,
In short, Event management is the process by which events are conceived, planned, created
and assessed.
[Link] in Event Management
In event, activities usually vary with the category of event being organized. Therefore, the
following listing is generic in nature. Once marketing has managed to convert an enquiry into
a firm order, the hands-on work of event management begins. The following is a sequential
flow of how management actually happens, i.e. how planning, organizing, staffing, leading and
controlling get together for an event. The flow is divided into three sections:
• The first deals with the pre-event activities,
• The second with the during-event activities and
• The last details the post-event activities involved.

This theory states that the functions of management can be classified into:-
 Planning: it deals with chalking out a future course of action and deciding in advance the most
appropriate course of actions for the achievement of predetermined goals. The planning function
is involved in micro-level event coordination activities such as liaison with the creative team
discussing, facilitating and arranging for the technical specifications viz., sound, light stages and
sets.
 Organizing: is the process of bringing together physical, financial and human resources and
developing productive relationship amongst them for achievement of organizational goal.
Organizing in the context of event management essentially involves the description of the
activities required for an event, identifying individual and team tasks and distribution of
responsibilities to coordinators such as exercises helps in creating an intentional structure for
clarity or roles and positions.
 Staffing: is finding the right worker with appropriate qualifications or experience and recruiting
them to fill a position or role. Functional responsibilities in a project type organization structure
define event management staffing requirements. The importance of team structure, experience,
background and expertise of team members plays a crucial role in event management.
 Leading and coordination: The sum and substance of events as a whole revolves around
interpersonal skills. The need for achieving synergy among individual efforts so that the team goal
is reached is the main aim of coordination. The overall coordinators need to be leaders with

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 fantastic people skills. The leadership qualities desired of an event manager include the ability to
spot a deal and think on one’s feet.
 Controlling: Evaluation and correction of deviations in the event plans to ensure conformity with
original plans is the gist of controlling. Evaluation is an activity that seeks to understand and
measure the extent to which an event has succeeded in achieving its purpose. The purpose of an
event will differ with respect to the category and variation of event.
Event management generally means conceptualizing, meticulous planning, organizing and finally
executing an event. It is a set of plan involving networking of a multimedia package, thereby
achieving the client’s objectives and justifying their needs for associating with events.
1.2.2. Objectives of Event Management
Every event must have a clearly stated overall aim otherwise the event should not happen. You
should also be able to define and communicate your events objectives. Your objectives should
help deliver your vision and mission. As well as an overall purpose any specific event must
have its own set of objectives, these must be clear and be set down in a way which will allow
you to judge the success of the event after completion. Objectives should always be SMART.
 Specific: to the particular event and particular aspects of it. Be specific about what is to
be achieved. For instance, if an objective is to attract tourists to the event, be specific
about where they will be coming from, how many you hope to attract, etc.
 Measurable: express the objectives in numbers and quantities. A system, method or
procedure is required to allow the tracking and recording of the action upon which the
objective is focused. For instance, a monitoring system should be put in place to record
how many tourists came to the event, where they came from, etc. This could be done
through visitor research and/or ticket data capture.
 Achievable: The objectives that are set need to be capable of being reached, never
overstate your objectives. Set objectives the organizing team can realistically achieve. If
targets are unrealistic, all you will be doing is setting yourself up for a fall. For instance,
don’t set the target of attracting 1,000 tourists from North America when you only
have a short period of time to market an event that, realistically, will only achieve 500
day-trippers from neighboring regions.
 Relevant: make sure all team members know the objectives. Is the objective important
to the event? For instance, if the main driver for the event is to encourage community
activity – do you really need to attract tourists as a priority?
 Time-Based: set a timescale for achievement of the objectives. There must be a clearly
stated start and completion date for each objective.
1.3. Event Team
Event Team is a group of people responsible for planning, organizing, and executing an event.
The Events Team created with the purpose to plan, develop and administer community,
recreational, and cultural events within budgetary guidelines approved annually by council and to
provide advice to Council on short term issues and long term planning related to these events.

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 The Events Team strives to stimulate and encourage events that meet the needs of the community
and offer the best opportunity to provide economic benefits and potential to market prominent
places.
Common roles in an event team include:
 Event Manager/Coordinator: Leads the event team and oversees all aspects of the event. They
are responsible for planning, budget management, vendor coordination, and making sure the event
meets objectives.
 Logistics Coordinator: Handles the practical aspects of the event, such as venue setup,
transportation, equipment, and ensuring everything is in place before the event begins.
 Marketing and Promotion Team: Focuses on promoting the event through various channels,
like social media, email campaigns, and traditional advertising. They may also be involved in
branding and creating promotional materials
 Sponsorship/Partnership Manager: Works on securing sponsors, partners, and other
stakeholders to support the event financially or with other resources.
 Guest Relations: Manages guest lists, RSVPs, and customer service, ensuring that attendees have
a positive experience before, during, and after the event.
 Technical Support: Ensures that all technology needs for the event (such as audio-visual
equipment, lighting, and digital tools) are met.
 Catering/Food & Beverage Team: If the event includes food, this team handles menu planning,
ordering, food preparation, and ensuring that food is served in line with the event's schedule.
 Event Design/Decor Team: Responsible for creating the aesthetic of the event, including the
theme, decor, and overall ambiance of the venue.
 Security Team: Ensures the safety and security of the event, attendees, and staff. They may
handle crowd control, emergency procedures, and venue security.
 Volunteers: Sometimes, volunteers help with various tasks during the event, including
registration, guest assistance, and general support.

1.4. Event Team Management

Team management refers to techniques, processes and tools for organizing and coordinating a
group of individuals working towards a common goal. Your skills in this aspect of management
will define your long-term success as a manager. If you can help team members to become better
at what they do, you will soon become known as a manager who other people want to work for
and you’ll be making a great contribution to your organization too.
Event mismanagement is mostly about team mismanagement. So to manage the firm effectively
just knowing the names, faces and job profile of your team members is not enough. You must
have good knowledge of their personality, life style, likings, disliking, family background, status,
educational qualification, knowledge level, customs, religion and especially their needs and
wants.
The most effective way of developing your people is ensuring that you give regular feedback to
members of your team on their work. Many of us are nervous of giving feedback, especially

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when it has to be negative. However, if you give and receive feedback regularly, everyone will
come to benefit from improved performance.
Here are 8 handy tips to help you manage your event team:
1. Bring together the perfect Event Team:
Bringing together an amazing event team is the first step towards planning and delivering a
successful event. A great team can make a lot many tasks much simpler. First step towards building
your dream team is to recognize the need of team members that are required.
Map out the fields where manpower is necessary and do your research accordingly. You may need
a member to handle sales, another person for marketing. It is essential to first have a clear idea of
the team that you want to build, the tasks that you need people for and then go on to research and
recruit.
Get the word out, check out the team involved in successful events around you, ask fellow
colleagues and event planners and source the best people in the market to build an amazing event
team which you then begin to manage.
2. Set goals and objectives:
Have a game plan on hand. It is imperative that you have a clear idea of what you are looking to
accomplish. Only then is it possible for you to guide your team and help them comprehend the
objective that you shall all be working towards.
For e.g. if your agenda is to maximize revenue, your entire team must be dedicated towards tasks
such as maximizing event sales. Plan out and list down every member’s contribution and create a
plan as per this event objective.
3. Task Delegation:
Once you’ve outlined the tasks that you’re supposed to accomplish, it’s time for delegation.
Delegation helps the planners in streamlining their entire event planning and management process.
This will definitely quicken the phase of execution and is especially beneficial when you have
shorter lead times.
List down every single task that is supposed to be done and assign a completion date to each of
these tasks. Know the strengths and weaknesses of every team member you’re working with and
design the task list accordingly.
For e.g. in terms of event promotions, you might have two team members, one who is well
acquainted with Social Media while another member who is great at generating targeted content.
The tasks of content creation and social media promotions should thus be assigned as per their
strengths.
4. Supervision and follow-ups:
An event planner is in charge of leading his/her entire team in executing a flawless event. Hence,
he/she is equally, yet even more responsible for every task that has been assigned to the members.
Which is why, proper supervision and follow-up is a must.
Once the tasks are assigned and the planning begins, make it a habit to check up on the proceedings
at regular intervals. You can also send out reminders to your team regarding their deadlines a few
days before. Make sure that your team is accountable for any sort of delays. Choose whatever

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approach works best for your team and for you and lead your team accordingly. In case of any
delays or mistakes, be sure to get to the bottom of the issue, find out the cause of delay and sort
things out to get the execution process back on track.
5. Turn to technology
A little help never did any harm. What if I tell you that you can easily and effectively manage your
entire team and keep a track of all their efforts through a digital system? Wouldn’t life be much
simpler?
6. Communicate clearly
This one’s a no-brainer. You cannot expect a task to be done correctly if the doer is not clear about
what exactly the task is. Communicating clearly is crucial for a smooth execution of the event plan.
Miscommunication is one of the major reasons for slip-ups. It may often so happen that your team
may be unclear on what is to be done, how it is to be done or the exact deadline for the same. Make
sure that everyone is on the same page. Counter question. Keep one fixed channel of
communication. Multiple channels equal confusion. Clear communication helps getting things
done quicker and in a much more efficient manner.
7. Provide Incentive:
A motivated team puts their best into everything they do. Any assigned task can be done in multiple
ways. Motivated team members make it sure that it is done in the best possible way.
One of the ways to keep them on track is by showing appreciation through incentives. These
incentives could be either tangible or intangible. Even a few words of appreciation go a long way
with people.
Here’s an example: Set a target for a task, it could be anything, from registrations to securing the
best venue in town. Timely completion of the task in an effective manner would lead to an
incentive.
8. Guide:
As an event planner, your job is to lead your team to executing an exceptional event. For this, you
must leave no stone unturned. Have a vision in mind and work towards that vision to make it true.
1.5. Code of ethics
Code of ethics 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 which 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.

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  Commit to increase professional growth and knowledge, to attend educational programs
and to personally 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.

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