Strategic and impactful events management

STRATEGIC AND IMPACTFUL EVENTS MANAGEMENT

CHARLES COTTER

16 JULY 2014

HOLIDAY INN SANDTON, RIVONIA ROAD

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW• INTRODUCTION

• DEFINING THE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS

• DIAGNOSIS AND EVALUATION OF CURRENT EVENTS MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND PRACTICES

• THE 4-PHASE EVENTS MANAGEMENT PROCESS/CYCLE

Conceptualization Strategic Planning Implementation Evaluation

• CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

Event management is considered to be one of the most effective marketing communication tools that an

organization can employ to create awareness of the organization, its products and services and its brand.

DEFINING THE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS

• Events Planning

• Events Management

• Project Management

DEFINING EVENTS PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

• Event planning is the process of planning a festival, ceremony, competition, party, concert, or convention.

• Event planning can include budgeting, establishing dates and alternate dates, selecting and reserving the event site, acquiring permits, coordinating transportation and parking, developing a theme or motif for the event, arranging for speakers and alternate speakers, coordinating location support and arranging decor, event support and security, catering, emergency plans, aid stations and clean-up.

• Event management is the process by which an event is planned, prepared, and produced. As with any other form of management, it encompasses the assessment, definition, acquisition, allocation, direction, control, and analysis of time, finances, people, products, services and other resources to achieve objectives.

• Essentially, event management is the application of project management to the events planning process.

DEFINING PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of the particular project.

• Project management is concerned with the overall planning and co-ordination of a project from inception to completion aimed at meeting the client's requirements and ensuring completion on time, within cost and to the required quality standards.

• These three (3) project management variables as often referred to as the eternal triangle of project management.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ETERNAL TRIANGLE

10 BEST PRACTICE EVENTS MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES/CRITERIA

• #1 Prior to the event marketing, a proper business case (based on viability and feasibility) is built for the proposed event

• #2 Application of sustainable (green) events management practices aligned with Triple Bottom Line e.g. Profit, People and Planet

• #3 A purposeful and systematic planning methodology and approach is followed

• #4 Application of effective project management principles and processes throughout the event life-cycle/value-chain

• #5 Development of a focused and purpose-directed events strategy and mind-set

10 BEST PRACTICE EVENTS MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES/CRITERIA

• #6 Implementation of preventative and concurrent (during-event) logistics and operations managemet control measures, tools and processes

• #7 Application of a holistic, Integrated Marketing Communication strategy, using a variety of promotional, PR, marketing and advertising media e.g. social media

• #8 The competency, work ethic and cohesion of the events management team are exemplary

• #9 Application of effective and proactive event Risk Management and Mitigation strategies

• #10 Proper evaluation of the impact of events and use of performance

metrics e.g. ROI, ROO, ROL and/or ROE

ILLUSTRATION: EVENTS MANAGEMENT PROCESS/CYCLE

EVENTS MANAGEMENT PROCESS/CYCLE

• Phase 1: Conceptualization (and Market Research)

• Phase 2: Strategic Planning (and Marketing)

• Phase 3: Event Implementation (Organizing and Logistics Management)

• Phase 4: Event Evaluation (and Performance Feedback)

PHASE 1: CONCEPTUALIZATION

• Conducting Market Research

• Building a business case for the event

• Writing an Event Proposal

• Pitching the Event Proposal

CONDUCTING STRATEGIC MARKET RESEARCH

• The first step of this process is to identify a prospective event, based on an opportunity, occasion and/or market-driven need.

• Conduct a SWOT Analysis:

MicroMarket Stakeholder AnalysisMacro

STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT

PESTEL ANALYSIS

BUILDING A BUSINESS CASE FOR THE EVENT

• Cost-benefit Analysis

Viability

Feasibility

• Triple –P Sustainable events management (green events)

People

Profit

Planet

COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS

SUSTAINABILITY (TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE)

WRITING AN EVENT PROPOSAL - PROCESS

WRITING AN EVENT PROPOSAL - CONTENT

• Description of the Event

• Experience of the Event Bidder

• Venue and facilities offered

• The event programme

• The (estimated) proposed event budget

PITCHING THE EVENT PROPOSAL

• Persuasive, compelling and captivating sales pitch

• Focus on differentiation

• Tenders

• Contracting

• Terms of Reference (event scope)

LEARNING ACTIVITY

• Complete Learning Activity 1 (page 20)

• Syndicate group discussion

• Present a summary of key discussion points

PHASE 2: STRATEGIC PLANNING

• Formulating an Event Strategy (Plan)

• Compiling a Financial Plan (Budget)

• Developing an Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) strategy

FORMULATING AN EVENT STRATEGY (PLAN)

FORMULATING AN EVENT STRATEGY (PLANNING QUESTIONS)

• Define the purpose (why?)

• Identify your Objective or Goal (what?)

• Identify your Target Market (who?)

• What would delight them and what are their expectations?

• How many participants will attend?

• Schedule a date and time (when?)

• Select a venue (where?)

• How will we create an impactful event experience?

PLAN THE EVENT EXPERIENCE

• Type of experience

• Selecting speakers, presenters and entertainment

• Presentation and production techniques

• Catering and hospitality management

COMPILING A FINANCIAL PLAN (BUDGET)

• Booking the venue

• Guest speakers

• Catering

• Furniture/material rentals

• Logistical and operational costs

• Security

INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION (IMC)

INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION (IMC)

• Event marketing

• Public relations

• Communication management

• Promotion

• Social media

LEARNING ACTIVITY

• Complete Learning Activity 2 (pages 32-33)

• Syndicate group discussion

• Present a summary of key discussion points

PHASE 3: EVENT IMPLEMENTATION

• Event Administration

• Event Risk Management

• Event Logistics and Operations Management

EVENT ADMINISTRATION

• Effective and comprehensive administration systems e.g. financial, procedural, operational, contractual and informational

• Event must be supported and complemented by documentation, systems, mechanisms and procedures

• Event administration must be organized, controlled and methodical

• Event management teams are responsible for the entire budget, and if administration falls down, so will the profits of the event

ILLUSTRATION: EVENT RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS

EVENT RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS

• Step 1: Risk Identification

• Step 2: Risk Analysis

• Step 3: Risk Prioritization

• Step 4: Risk Response

• Step 5: Risk Evaluation

RISK MATRIX

RISK RESPONSE STRATEGIES

Logistics means organizing people, products and processes in a timely way to ensure that an event runs smoothly, according to plan, with minimum hiccups

Event logistics refers to the coordination of activities, facilities and personnel required for an event to take place

Effective event management can save businesses a significant amount time and expenses

Event logistics are project-based, that is they involve a period of preparation, lead up, execution and shutdown

On-site event logistics (checklist)

ILLUSTRATION: EVENT LOGISTICS APPROACH

LEARNING ACTIVITY

• Complete Learning Activity 3 (page 43)

• Syndicate group discussion

• Present a summary of key discussion points

PHASE 4: EVENT EVALUATION

• Benefits Management

• Event measurement performance metrics

• Strategic events measurement

• Strategies (Tools) for measuring an events success

EVENT PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT METRICS

• Return on Investment (ROI) – financial metric

• Return on Expectation (ROE) – stakeholder satisfaction metric

• Return on Learning (ROL) – innovation, growth and improvement metric

• Return on Objectives (ROO) – operations, logistics and process efficiency metric

STRATEGIC EVENTS MEASUREMENT

• The organization may view ROI by aggregating all costs and comparing this to a value that is estimated by the organization – this determines the financial benefits of the event.

• ROI at the participant level may be measured at the individual level and estimates the value on a per participant basis.

BALANCED SCORECARD

STRATEGIES (TOOLS) FOR MEASURING AN EVENTS SUCCESS

• Surveys

• Web Analytics

• Qualified leads

• Post event assessment

• Reporting

LEARNING ACTIVITY

• Complete Learning Activity 4 (page 47)

• Syndicate group discussion

• Present a summary of key discussion points

SUMMARY

• Key points

• Questions

CONTACT DETAILS

• CHARLES COTTER

• 084 562 9446

• charlescot@polka.co.za

• LINKED IN

• TWITTER: Charles_Cotter