Event Management For Dummies E-Book

Laura Capell

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 482

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Your straightforward guide for planning and running an event

Whether you want to break into this burgeoning industry, or you simply need to plan an event and don’t know where to start, there’s something for all would-be event planners in Event Management For Dummies. Packed with tips, hints and checklists, it covers all aspects of planning and running an event – from budgeting, scheduling and promotion, to finding the location, sorting security, health and safety, and much more.

Open the book and find:

• Planning, budgeting and strategy
• Guests and target audience
• Promoting and marketing events
• Location, venue and travel logistics
• Food, drink, entertainment and themes
• Security, health and safety, permissions, insurance and the like
• Tips for building a career in event management

Leseprobe

Event Management For Dummies®

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, www.wiley.com

This edition first published 2013

© 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex.

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-118-59112-3 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-59109-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-59110-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-59111-6 (ebk)

Printed in Great Britain by TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall.

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Event Management For Dummies®

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/eventmanagementuk to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Chapter 1: Why Put on An Event?

Introducing Events

Event Management As an Industry

Essential Skills for Would-be Event Managers

Getting Started: Figuring Out Your Event’s Objectives

Chapter 2: Knowing Your Audience

Zeroing In On Your Target Market

Alphabet soup: B2B, B2C and B2E

Delving into demographics

Conducting Research

Working with focus groups

Looking at competing events

Use the information you have

Starting With Who You Know

Mandatory attendance

Customer relationship marketing

Loyal fans of brands

Chapter 3: Deciding on the Type of Event To Put On

Challenging the Brief

Managing Meetings

Crafting a Conference

Planning the Plenary

Organising breakout sessions

Seminars

Team-building

Networking Knowledgably

Putting Together Great Exhibitions

Self selecting

Using an application process

Paid-for exhibitions

Exhibiting at an exhibition

Perfecting Product Launches

Appreciating Award Ceremonies

Sizing Up Sporting Events

Festival Fun

Music festivals

Comedy festivals

Literature festivals

Food festivals

Experiential Field Marketing

Field Marketing

Experiential Marketing

The Pop-Up Phenomenon

Giveaways

Goody bags

Sampling

Guerrilla Marketing

Flash Mobs

Chapter 4: Managing Your Team to Manage Your Event

Key Roles and Responsibilities

The client

The procurement pros

The event (or account/project) manager

The perfect production team

The dream design team

Deciding the Scale of the Planning Team

The Power of an Organisation Chart

Deciding the Decision-making Chain

Communicating During the Planning Process

Human contact

Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork

Drawing Up a Clear Scope of Work

Chapter 5: Budget Planning and Management

Being Realistic: Are You After Champagne on a Beer Budget?

Building up Your Budget

What should you include in your budget?

What your budget should look like

Pennies Add Up to Pounds

Understanding the power of three quotes

Negotiating like a pro

Work with your suppliers

Sorting out Contracts

Confirming a quote

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)

Reading the small print

Payment Schedules

What to Do When You’re Going Over Budget

Finding Partnerships that Help Bring Your Event to Fruition

Understanding the benefits of sponsorship

Securing sponsorship

Other Revenue Opportunities

Ticket sales

Bar sales

Merchandise

Live streaming

Economic Factors to Consider

Looking at Return on Investment

Part II: Planning Your Event’s Look and Feel

Chapter 6: Crafting the Message

Building the Creative Brief

What does the audience know already?

What do we want to tell the audience?

Supporting messages

How should we talk to them?

The Event Brand

The branding hierarchy

Working within brand guidelines

What is Content?

Deciding who produces the content

Achieving a consistent look and message

Common Types of Content

Slides

Video content

Hand-outs and other printed material

Interactive experiences

More Than Just a Presentation Slide

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

Projections

Pyrotechnics

Chapter 7: Designing the Experience

Understanding the Visitor Journey

Guest registration and accreditation

Wherever I hang my hat . . .

Lost property

Signage

Making use of event apps

Home time

The Best Environment for Your Content

How to visualise your event space

Room layouts and seating plans

Setting the stage

Dressing a venue

Sweet Music and Other Entertainment

Host or master of ceremonies (MC)

Famous talent

Musical entertainment

Catering that’s Worth Remembering

Theming your food

Catering for dietary requirements

Types of service

Responsible drinking

For the show of it – catering additions

Documenting the Event

Photography

Video recording

Social networking

Live streaming

Guest video and photo content

Live voting

Chapter 8: Making Sure People Know about Your Event

Why Market Your Event?

Developing Your Communication Plan

Who? Identifying your audience

What and why? Developing your marketing messages

Where? Deciding a media strategy

When? So many jobs, so little time . . .

Part III: When, Where and Who: The Devil’s in the Detail

Chapter 9: Timings, Timings, Timings

Deciding the Date of Your Event

Objectives analysis

Competitor activity

External influences

The financial situation

What day and what time of day?

Deciding the Duration of Your Event

Considering your audience

Understanding how type dictates time

Scheduling Your Event

Creating critical time paths

Preparing production schedules

Technical Running Orders

Sticking to the Plan

Chapter 10: Deciding Where to Hold Your Event

Establishing Your Criteria and Getting Started

Creating a Shortlist of Venues

Permanent venue options

Temporary venues

Using outdoor sites

More-unusual venues

Looking abroad

When Not Just One Event or Venue Will Do

Asking the Venue the Right Questions

The importance of site visits

Selecting and Contracting the Venue

Chapter 11: Who Does What: Front and Back of House

Back of House

Lighting and sound designers

Graphics operators

Set carpenters and riggers

Event control

Show caller

Runner

Venue staff

Front of House

Brand ambassadors/hosts

‘Voice of God’

Waiters

Security staff

Working with Your Team On Site

Ensuring clear team communication on the day

Looking after your team

Part IV: Considering Potential Problems

Chapter 12: Keeping Healthy, Safe and Secure

Your Health and Safety Responsibilities

Complying with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)

Responsible drinking into the night

Protecting children from harm

Fire safety

Assessing your security requirements

Complying with the Equality Act 2010

Catering safely for your team and guests

The Working At Height regulations (2005)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Making Sure All the Paperwork is in Place

Creating an Event Safety Plan

Having emergency procedures in place

Manage your wider team’s health and safety too

Negotiating the First Aid Minefield

Managing Crowds

Occupancy capacities

Assessing the situation

Simple methods of crowd management

Accidents Do Happen

What to do in the event of an accident?

How serious is the accident?

Documenting any accidents

Not just broken bones

Chapter 13: Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail! Contingency Planning

Four Steps to Being in Control

Identifying the risk

Assessing the impact that these risks may have on your event

Making a plan

Reviewing the risks

Contingency Planning

Potential Problems

I don’t care what the weatherman says . . .

Dealing with no-shows

Running out of food

Coping with structural collapses

Managing delayed deliveries

Handling show day over-runs

When darkness falls: Power supply failure

Insuring Success: Getting the Right Cover

Public liability

Specialist insurance

Keeping Your Sanity in Check

Part V: On the Day and Beyond

Chapter 14: Measuring the Success of Your Event

The Importance of Meeting Objectives

Reviewing the brief and budget

Accounting for external influences

Making a Measurement Plan

Methodology options

Standard metrics for measuring brand experience events

Standard metrics for measuring employee-focused events

Putting your results into context

Measurement beyond attendees

Who can evaluate?

What Your Analysis Should Look Like

De-brief meeting

Calculating your return on investment

Considering industry awards

Chapter 15: Building on the Event

Learning from Your Mistakes

Making Good Use of Your Supplies

Dealing with leftovers

Making things to last

Post-event Marketing

Don’t let the story stop at home-time!

A basic CRM process

Feedback on feedback

Using photos and video content

Planning follow-up events

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 16: Ten Types of Suppliers You Need in Your Address Book

Amazing with AV

Catering with Class

Sourcing Stunning Props

Providing Print

Getting it There: Couriers to Trust

Blooming Great: Finding a Florist

Entertain Me: Sourcing Talent

Manning All Posts: Working with a Staffing Agency

Addressing the Chair (and Table)

Seeking Fulfilment

Chapter 17: Ten Online Resources For Event Planners

Keeping Safe with the HSE Purple Guide

Staying In Touch with the News

Always Take the Weather with You

Google.co.uk

Planning Your Route

Checking Out The Competition

Finding the Perfect Venue

Staying Up to Date with the Trade

Minding Your Business

Sustaining an Interest in Event Sustainability

Chapter 18: Ten Things to Have in Your Event Kit during the Build and Show Day

USB Sticks

A Printer and Paper

General Stationery

Cable Ties

Lotions for the Great Outdoors

Snacks

A Basic First Aid Kit

Bin Bags

Safety Pins

Staple Gun and Staples

Chapter 19: About Ten Tips for Building a Career in Event Management

Show Initiative at Getting Relevant Experience

Volunteer Your Way into Events

Do You Qualify for a Career in Event Management?

It’s All About Who You Know

Targeted Marketing

Be Open to Other Entry Points

You Don’t Need to Always Go It Alone

Don’t Give Up!

About the Author

Cheat Sheet

Connect with Dummies

Introduction

Event management used to be a career that people fell into. Few people had any kind of qualification or degree that was related to the industry, and most people found that they ended up in it when they thought they were on a different career path.

I started off working at Toyota (GB) plc in their ‘New Media’ team – as it was called at the time – back in the days when having a website was considered essential, but also the work of wizards; this was back when ad banners at the top of a page were as exciting as the industry appeared to be. I was challenged with monitoring the online forums (of which Yahoo was by far the main one) that discussed Toyota’s products. I remember thinking at the time that the people who used these forums felt like they were trend-setters, but I never appreciated how big communities would be one day be on-line – probably just as well I didn’t continue my career in that new-fangled technology!

At the time, Toyota were launching the second version of an electric car and from watching the owners of the first version in the forums, I could see how passionate they were about their cars and how sharing information amongst themselves to help each other was really important. I suggested to the press team that when the new car was to be photographed in the UK, we invite some of these first version owners as advocates, knowing that they’d write about their experience across the forums. I then had the task of working out who to invite and organising them to be in the right place at the right time for the photo shoot. Fifteen or so owners turned up, excited about seeing face to face the people they had been talking to for months online, but also with the anticipation of seeing something to which they knew they had exclusive access, and about which they’d each have opinions they could pass on to everyone else.

That day was the reason I have been working in events ever since. No amount of online stats, increase in web traffic numbers or site usage info could compare to the pure joy that I saw on the faces of those guests, and I had helped make that happen. I started a career in events so I could make people smile.

Since then, not all of the events I have managed have been about making people smile. Nowadays, events are used for many different reasons and as a much more common communication tool. However I always try to remember that someone, somewhere should be smiling because of the event that I’ve organized – or why do it?

About This Book

This book is primarily about the business of working as an event manager within the event management industry. It covers the crucial areas of briefing, budgeting, scheduling and the thousand-and-one pieces of detail required to successfully meet a client’s brief. If you’re not an event manager as such, but you have been tasked with organising a particular one-off event, or if you’re a marketing professional who would like to know more about the events industry and what it entails, this book is for you, too: Organising a successful event involves the same skills and requirements whatever your job title.

Whatever the background you’re coming from, use this book as a reference. For Dummies books are designed as reference works, with a get-in, get-out philosophy reflected in the self-contained structure of the chapters. You don’t need to read this book in order from front cover to back.

Scattered liberally throughout the main text, you’ll find a number of sidebars (grey-tinted boxes) which, while not strictly essential reading, will illustrate and help you to understand further the meat of the book. Many of them are marked as Case Studies, and these involve real-life examples drawn from a career spent in event management. Read them or leave them as you see fit.

Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it’s noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this as an e-book, you’ve got it easy – just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.

Foolish Assumptions

Although I’d like to believe that the whole world would love to read my wise words on the joys, trials and tribulations of event management just for the heck of it, fact is I’ve made a few assumptions about you based on the fact that you’re reading this. I think you’ll be one or other of the following:

Someone who, whatever your current role, has been tasked with organising an event or thinks they might be about to be.

A marketing or other professional who aspires to enter the event management industry, or develop your career within it.

A student looking to start out on an event management career.

I assume that although you may have a corporate background, that’s not necessarily the case, and I make no particular assumptions about previous knowledge of this area.

I also take it as read that you want to know not only the broad outline of the industry, but also all the nitty-gritty things you need to do in order to achieve a successful outcome to your organisational efforts.

Oh, and I also assume that you have a real passion to succeed in your particular event or your longer-term career, that you thrive under pressure, that you love to deal with, influence and work collaboratively with other people, and that you’re not afraid of a lot of hard work.

Icons Used in This Book

In this book we use a few icons in the margin to mark information to which we’d particularly like to draw your attention. This is what they all mean:

This icon flags up real-life events, examples or anecdotes which can help you understand the closely-worded info in the surrounding text.

When you see this icon, make sure to take the associated information on board. It’s important.

Look out for these little gems. They’re nuggets of insider knowledge designed to help you do things more easily or more quickly

Whoa! This icon flags up stuff that can ruin your whole day if you get it wrong. From budgetary pitfalls to health and safety commandments, ignore anything marked with this icon at your peril.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the material in the print or e-book you're reading right now, this product also comes with some access-anywhere goodies on the Internet. To start with, there's the Cheat Sheet, which you can find at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/eventmanagement, which gives you a range of pithy summaries, checklists and essential info in a single, ready-reference document you can refer to time and again.

You'll also find a few handy items at www.dummies.com/extras/eventmanagement, including printable versions of some of the more useful forms provided in this book.

Where to Go from Here

Where you go from here is pretty much up to you. If you want advice on how to deal with a particular area of event management, go straight to the relevant chapter and dive in: Getting to know your market is what Chapter 2 is about; budgeting wisdom is in Chapter 5; you can find essential info on health and safety in Chapter 12. Whatever you need, go fetch.

If you’re absolutely new to the business and intricacies of event management, you’ll probably be well advised to check out Part I first, but beyond that this book – and the world of event management – is your oyster. Enjoy!

Part I

For Dummies can help you get started with a huge range of subjects. Visit www.dummies.com to learn more and do more with For Dummies.

In this part . . .

Understand why you’d put on an event in the first place, and why sometimes, face-to-face contact with customers or delegates can achieve so much more than any amount of marketing.

Meet the customers: Learn how to target your event at the right people, and how to get their input.

From conferences to festivals, formal meetings to brand experiences, the range of events is huge. Learn how to choose the right one to meet your client’s brief.

Pull together the perfect planning team. Get the low-down on all the key roles and responsibilities.

Master budgeting and come to terms with costs.

Chapter 1

Why Put on An Event?

In This Chapter

What an event is

Changes in the industry in recent years

How being organised isn’t the only skill an event manager needs

Establishing why to put on an event

Everyone has a different idea of what event management is and what an event is. There’s no real need to agree; this range of opinions makes the events industry what it is today – diverse.

Whether you’re a wedding planner, fundraiser, secretary, brand manager or even an actual event manager, you can discover a huge amount in this book and from people doing the same things you are. Look around you, see what other people do and try to do it better.