Event tourism
Roles of an Event Manager
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An Event Manager has a lot of responsibilities. The event itself depends on the event manager, starting from the planning stage until the reporting of the evaluation to the stakeholders. When planning an event, the first step is to identify the needs of the organizers and stakeholders. The planning and the actions depend on the purpose of the event itself. The manager has to know whether this is a celebratory event such as wedding, birthdays, award party, or what it needs to promote? Will it be a sports event? Will it be a team building? Will it be for promotion of a product? The event manager also needs to define the objectives of an event. With proper research, there can be facts / conclusions which can be used for planning. For example, if the event is to promote a mini-van car model, there must be a research on who usually buy this type of car. The research will then dictate on who will be the possible customers, thus the ones who should be invited to the said event.
There are 5Ws that must be answered: Why, Who, Where, When & What. These are the questions to find out about the objective of the event. Why should we have this event? Is it for brand awareness? To promote a specific brand? Who are the target customers? Who should attend the ceremony? Who are the stakeholders? Who are the important people who should not be missed? Which media should we invite to cover the event? Where should the event take place? When will the event be held? What is the period? Will it be a whole day or a half day event? What are the products to be displayed? What should be the center of attention during the event? What can't be missed? Aside from the 5Ws, we also ask the 2Hs which are equally important. How can we execute the plan? This question must be responded with a well designed and defined action plan and task force. It will include a rundown of the activities. How much is the budget? The organizer must meet the budget. Both sides must be clear of the objectives of whether they should earn a revenue for the event? How much is the targetted goal? How much is the breakeven point? A PEST analysis may be conducted as well for mega, hallmark or major events affecting a larger community. P - Political has something to do with the legislation, business permits, government support or relationship with different countries. E - Economical pertains to the economic growth, employment and demand in the industry. S - Social factors includes health and welfare or lifestyle. For example, years ago SARS has affected Hong Kong's tourism because people would prefer not to travel in an unsafe place. This has to be taken carefully into consideration. T - Technology is the information technology available and how it will affect the event. For example, if there is a convention in China, the manager has to inform the clients that Gmail and a lot of other websites are not accessible.
Research for concepts, venues, vendors, and ideas, must also be carried out by the event manager. A concept is the theme of the event. This will affect the overall ambiance, which the participants will experience. Events must focus on the participant's needs to make it effective. For example, if the theme is the British Food Festival, then there must be booths serving British food during the event, that includes fish and chips and British beer. The organizer may think of a blue and red colour theme which is similar to the British flag. It must affect the senses of the participants: sight, smell, hear, taste.
Planning is one of the crucial steps in planning an event. That includes developing and managing a comprehensive plan with budget, timeline, and logistics. Organize and execute each phase of the plan in details. They must also implement unique and creative solution to achieve goals. Also, event managers will need to be present at the event to provide complete on-site management.
Coordination with people is also an important stage. The event manager has to negotiate services and arrangement with vendors. This includes getting a quotation, negotiation of the price and payment of the services. Event managers need to run promotional campaigns to promote an event. Marketing an event is to make sure that there will be participants or customer in the event. An example is announcing the event in different media channel such as television, radio, newspaper or magazines. They need to analyze which will best work to make the promotion effective. Event managers must also be in touch with the stakeholders during the planning process. They must present regular status reports on the progress of an event. After the event, they must provide an evaluation of the result of event and develop a post-event report. The report will include the revenue report to check if it matches the target. Feedback also helps in planning the future events. They must see where and how else to improve.
Note: The above document is for my revision purposes for an exam in Events, Entertainment and Conventions module.
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