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Models of Global Event Management

The Phases of the Modern Event Management Process

All successful events have critical stages in common to ensure their consistent effectiveness. These five (5)
phases of a successful event management are the following: (Goldblatt, 2002)

1. Research
Excellent event research reduces risk. The better research was conducted prior to the event, the more
likely it produces an event that matches the planned outcomes of the organizers or stakeholders.
Research is used to pinpoint the needs, wants, desires, and expectations of prospective customers. An
event is a product that is placed before the public with the reasonable expectation that they will
attend/join. Thus, it is imperative to conduct a careful and accurate consumer research to reduce the
risk of non-attendance.
Some leading event management professionals stated that, it is suitable to devote more time for
research and evaluation of events. If more time were devoted to these phases of the event
management production process, ultimately, less time and expenses would be needed to complete the
intervening steps.
There are three (3) types of research that are used for pre-event research, which include quantitative,
qualitative, and/or a combination of both. Matching the research type to the event is important and
is determined by the goals of the research, the time allowed for conducting the research, and the funds
available. For a research to be more effective, it is important to know first the five (5) W’s that
collectively answer how the event will done successfully. These are the following:

THE FIVE (5) W’S IN PRODUCING EFFECTIVE EVENTS

These five (5) W’s questions are necessary to turn the deliberations as to HOW an organization
allocate resources to produce a maximum benefit for the stakeholders. The following
are the steps that must be followed during the pre-event activity:

Step 1: WHY – Why must the event be held? There must be a series of compelling reasons that
confirm the importance and viability of holding the event.

Step 2: WHO – Who will be the stakeholders of the event? Both internal and external
stakeholders must be carefully identified so as to know who will be investing in the
event. Conducting solid research will help determine the level of commitment of the
parties involved and will define to whom the event is being produced for.

Step 3: WHEN – When will the event be held? During the research phase, it should be
determined if the preparation time for the event to be conducted is appropriate to its
classification. If the said time period is not appropriate, rethinking of plans and/or
either shifting the dates must be considered to streamline the operations. When may
also determine where the event may be held.

Step 4: WHERE – Where the event will be held? Selecting the proper site ahead of time makes
work become easier or otherwise more challenging. Therefore, this decision must be
made as early as possible, as it affects many other decisions.

Step 5: WHAT – What is the event product to be developed and presented? Matching the
event product to the needs, wants, desires, and expectations of the clients while
satisfying the internal requirements of the organization is no simple task. “What”
must be analyzed carefully and critically to make certain that the why, who, when,
and where are synergized in this answer.
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SWOT ANALYSIS: Finding the STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, and THREATS

Prior to planning an event, SWOT analysis must be implemented first to underpin the decision
making. It assists in identifying the internal and external variables that may prevent the event
from achieving its maximum success.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The strengths and weaknesses of an event are primarily considerations that can be spotted
before the event actually takes place. These may be uncovered through a focus group or
individual interviews with the major stakeholders. If the weaknesses outnumber the strengths
and there is no reasonable way to eliminate these and increase strengths within the event
planning period, the organizer may wish to postpone or cancel the event.

Examples of Event Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths Weaknesses
Strong funding Weak funding
Good potential for sponsors No potential for sponsors
Well-trained staff Poorly trained staff
Many volunteers Few volunteers
Good media relations Poor media relations
Excellent site Weak site

OPPORTUNITES AND THREATS

Opportunities and threats are two (2) key factors that generally present themselves either
during an event or after it has occurred. However, during the research process they should be
considered seriously, as they may spell potential disaster for the event. Opportunities are
activities that may be of benefit to an event without significant investment made by the
organization. Taking for instance, selecting a year in which to hold an event that coincides with
the community’s or industry’s 100th anniversary. Thus the event may benefit from additional
funding, publicity, and other important resources simply by aligning it with this hallmark event.
Other possible beneficial outcomes, sometimes indirect, such as the potential of contributing
to the event host’s political image, are considered opportunities.

Threats are activities that prevent from maximizing the potential of an event. The most obvious
threat is weather; however, political threats may be just as devastating. Political infighting may
quickly destroy planning. A modern threat is that of terrorism. The threat of violence erupting
at an event may keep people from attending. A celebrity cancelling or not attending can also
create a significant threat to the success of an event.

Examples of Event Opportunities and Threats

Opportunities Threats
Civic anniversary Hurricanes and tornadoes
Chamber of Commerce promotion Political infighting
Celebrity appearance Violence from terrorism
Align with environmental cause Alcoholic consumption
Tie-in with media Site in bad neighbourhood
Winning elections Celebrity cancelling or not attending
Developing more loyal employees

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2. Design
After a thorough research on the event and determining its feasibility, designing the event through a
blueprint (a structure, or draft of activities), will be the next move. Creating a blueprint of all ideas will
determine the creative capacity of the event organizer. There are numerous ways to begin this process,
but it is important to remember that the very best event designers are constantly visiting the library,
attending movies and plays, visiting art galleries, and reviewing periodicals, to maintain their
inspiration and to further strengthen the activities proposed for an event. The following are the step-
by-step process in preparing a blueprint:

PREPARING A BLUEPRINT
 Brainstorming
Creativity is an essential ingredient in every event management process. Creativity must
be encouraged and supported by event managers because ultimately, the end product is a
creative art. Thus, to be able to achieve the best creative design, valid opinions of many are
consolidated following the process of shooting down ideas into a final design of the event.
Therefore, to begin the design phase, a meeting should be conducted where creative people
are encouraged to brainstorm the various elements of the event. The brainstorming part can
be participated by the event manager, various creative stakeholders, and other creative people
from the worlds of theatre, dance, musical, arts, literature, and other fields.
 Mind Mapping
This allows the event manager to begin to pull together the random ideas and establish
linkages that will later lead to logical decision making. Establishing linkages involves connecting
their ideas to the five (5) W’s to see how the event should be developed in order to meet the
goal with a creative method. By giving the answers to the W’s, then follows, the techniques on
how effective the research, design, plan, coordination, and evaluation of the event are.
Mind mapping is an effective way to synthesize various ideas suggested by the group of
members and begin to construct an event philosophy to determine the financial, cultural,
social, and other important aspects of the event. It also allows to carefully sift through the
ideas and shows how the goals are supported.
 The Creative Process in Event Management
Special events require people with driving ability to be creative, and spontaneous in
thinking, at the same time logical, and possess effective reasoning. Since developing creativity
is a continuous process, event managers must strive for constant review of their creative
powers to make certain that they are in high gear. Some tips to continuously developing the
creativity are visiting an art gallery, attending live performance of opera/theatre, and read
great works of literature. Perhaps, the best way to stretch creativity continually is to be
surrounded with highly creative and innovative people.
 Making the Perfect Match through Needs Assessment and Analysis
Once brainstorming and mind mapping were completed satisfactorily, it is time to make
certain that these creative ideas perfectly match the goals and objectives of the event. This can
be accomplished by undertaking the needs assessment and analysis. This tool enables to
create an event that closely satisfies the needs of the stakeholders. The process begins by
asking “Why?” and “Who?” and a survey will be conducted to determine if creative solutions
will satisfy the needs of the stakeholders. The ideas developed will be converted into a series
of questions or a query to the key constituents for the event to determine if various elements
created—from advertising to decor, from catering to entertainment, and everything in
between—meet their expectations. Once the needs of the stakeholders were adequately
assessed and confirmed, the final feasibility of the event design can then be prepared.

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3. Planning
The planning period is typically the longest period of time in the event management process. Ideally,
the better the research and design, the simpler and briefer the planning period will be. Since events
are planned by human beings for other human beings, this theory is fraught with exceptions. However,
the goal should be to develop a smooth planning process based on careful research and design
procedures.
The planning phase involves using the time/space/tempo laws to determine how immediate resources
are used best. These three (3) basic laws will affect every decision made and will govern the final
outcome of an event.

 Time - The law of timing refers to how much time you have in which to act or react. The
length of time available for planning and for actual production will dramatically affect the
cost and sometimes the success of the event. Time, also must be governed by the
importance of each event. When budgeting time for a proposed event, some independent
event managers estimate the amount of time necessary for pre-event client meetings, site
inspections, meetings with vendors, ongoing communications and contract preparations,
actual event time from time to arrival through departure, and post-event billable time. You
may wish to allocate your billable time to follow the five (5) phases of the event process:
research, design, planning, coordination, and evaluation. The moment the client approves
the date of an event, the event manager must begin assessing how the planning period will
affect other business operations. Therefore, the law of timing sometimes requires that
when an unreasonable time frame is allotted to produce an event professionally, the event
manager must decline to accept the opportunity.
 Space - The law of space refers to both the physical space where an event will be held and
the time between critical decisions pertaining to the event. When considering the space
for an event, some event managers prepare an elaborate checklist to review each element
carefully. The checklist should reflect the goals and objectives of the event. One (1) of the
primary considerations when selecting space is the age and type of guest who will be
attending. In this manner, go back to the research and needs assessment phases and
review why this event is important and who the stakeholders are. Then select a venue
specifically to match their needs, wants, and expectations. The terms ingress and egress
are important concepts when reviewing a potential venue. Ingress defines the entrances
or access to the venue, and egress refers to the exits or evacuation routes. When
considering ingress and egress, consider not only people, including those with disabilities,
but also vehicles, props, possibly animals, and indeed any element that must enter or exit
the site. Keep in mind the time available for ingress or egress, as this will determine the
number of portals (doors) that may need to be available for this purpose. Parking, public
transportation, and other forms of transportation, including taxis, limousines, and tour
buses, must also be considered when analysing a site. These considerations should include
the number of parking spaces, including those for the disabled, the availability and
security/safety of public transportation, and the time required to dispatch a taxi.
 Tempo - The final law of event planning is concerned with the rate or tempo at which
events take place during both production planning and the event itself. From the moment
the client approves an agreement or authorizes to proceed with planning to the final
meeting, projecting the rate at which events will happen is the next step to ensure.
Therefore, as you manage the rate at which tasks will be completed and events will occur,
it is important to consider if each action is being performed at the best time. Analyzing the
event site and estimating the time required for a project, the event manager is better able
to set the tempo or schedule for the setup, production, and removal of the equipment.
Understanding the needs of guests also helps establish and adjust the tempo during an
event as this makes an event memorable.

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4. Coordination
Coordinating means executing the plan where managing the minute-by-minute activities of the event
takes place. It requires much more than a good decision-making ability but making numerous decisions
during the event. Technically, every decision made affects the outcome of the entire event. While it is
true that event managers should maintain a positive attitude and see problems as challenges in search
of the right solution, it is also important to apply critical analysis to every challenge that comes along
the way. Following is a simple but effective way to make good decisions.
 Collect all the information since most problems have many sides to review.
 Consider the pros and cons of a decision in terms of who will be affected.
 Consider the financial implications in a decision.
 Consider the moral and ethical implications of the decision.
 Make a decision and do not look back.
5. Evaluation
The event management process is a dynamic spiral that is does actually end. From first phase – research
– is connected to the last phase – evaluation. Evaluating the event may include each part of the process
or through a general comprehensive review of all phases. The purpose of this is to acquire information
on how to improve the planning and implement effective strategies for the next event.
Some Common Forms of Evaluation
 Survey – usually conducted immediately following the event to collect the satisfaction level of
the participants and spectators. As with any evaluation method, there are pros and cons to
immediate feedback. A bias is the immediate nature of the feedback, which prohibits a
respondent from digesting the total event experience before providing feedback.
 Use of monitors - a monitor is a trained person who will observe an element of the event and
provide both written and verbal feedback to the event manager. The event monitor usually has
a checklist or survey to accomplish and will then offer additional comments as required. The
benefit of this type of evaluation is that it permits a trained, experienced event staff member
or volunteer to observe the event objectively while it is taking place and providing instructive
comments.
 Telephone or mail survey – conducted after the event, where the event manager surveys the
spectators and participants after the event through either a mail or a telephone survey. By
waiting a few days after the event to collect these data, the event manager is able to glean
from the respondents how their attitudes have changed and develop after some time has
passed since participating in the event.
 Pre-event and Post-event survey – this evaluation allows an event manager to determine the
respondent’s knowledge, opinions, and other important information both before and after
their attendance at an event. This is especially helpful when trying to match expectations to
reality. Registration mail-in rebates and other incentives may be offered for filling out both
surveys.

Reference:
Dr. Joe Goldblatt, CSEP (2002). Special events: twenty-first century global event management. 3rd Edition.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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