CHAPTER 6

EVENT CONCEPT
 Establish event concept, theme and
format
 Concept development are imposed by: the purpose, the objectives
and scope of the event, available and potential resources, and
timing
 A wide range of implementation factors need to be considered
when choosing the event concept . Those factors are ; theme,
venue, event audience, financial considerations, timing of
the event & event team, contractors and stakeholders
Theme
 The theme of event should be linked with the purpose.

 It should be completely compatible with guest/audience needs

and consistent in all respects.

 Most events adapt a colour scheme that is repeated on all items

produced for the event such as tickets, programs , uniforms,
décor and merchandise. This helps attendees to identify with the
theme
 Examples of themes:
 Historical - Musical
 Geographical - Sporting
 Cultural - Entertainment
 Food and wine - Objects ( e.g CDs, Boats)
 When coming up with ideas for a theme, it is most important
to consider the range of suitable venues available, keeping in
mind the constraints of budget and other considerations
Venue
 Event manager needs to carefully consider the planning implications
of choosing an unusual venue in preference to a standard venue
requiring decoration only to match the theme.
 Lighting, sound, catering also provide challenges in unusual settings.
Venue
 Examples of unusual venues
 Demolition site
 Parking lot
 Tunnel
 Museum
 Research facility
 Amusement park
 Orchard
 Vineyard
 Aquarium
Venue
 When considering the choice of venue, the event organizer needs to
look at a number of factors, including;
 Potential to fulfil the purpose of the event
 Ambiance
 Location
 Access by parking transport
Venue
 When considering the choice of venue, the event organizer needs to
look at a number of factors, including;
 Parking
 Seating capacity
 Built features
 Cost of decoration, sound and lighting
Venue
 When considering the choice of venue, the event organizer needs to
look at a number of factors, including;
 Cost of labor
 Logistics of setting up
 Food and beverages facilities
 Safety
Event audience
 Important to consider the need of all participants before finalizing
the concept.
 Every audience is different, and the event manager needs to go with
the flow and direct the event to meet audience response.
 Audience’s response can involve sudden changes in plan.
Financial Consideration
 Financial situation is important to be considered at the early stage of
concept design.
 Initial financial estimates can get out of control very easy
 The choice of event concept can certainly contribute to the financial
condition.
Timing of the event
 Timing often linked to the season or weather.
 Example; Food and wine festival would be better programmed for
early autumn than for mid-summer when the heat would be
intolerable for both audience and the stall holders.
 Evaluation of an event concept must take into account the following
four time-related factors
- Season
- Day of the week
- Time of day
- Duration
 Closely linked to this concept of timing (in the sense of scheduling on
the event calendar) is the topic of lead time. This is the time
available for planning and implementations.
Timing of the event
 Last minutes requests are very difficult to manage. For the event
manager, long lead time is preferable, allowing adequate time to
develop the event specifications and commence contract negotiation
with suppliers and other contractors.
 The duration of the event is another consideration, with multiple –
day events providing the biggest challenges as the venue has to be
cleared , cleaned and restocked between sessions.
Event team, contractors and other
stakeholders
 The skills of the event team and just as importantly , the
contractors such as lighting technicians and catering staff
are an important consideration in terms of concept
development.
Event team, contractors and other
stakeholders
 Staff working at most events have very limited opportunity for
training , making job breakdowns and tasks sheets essentials
aspects of planning.
 In addition, stakeholders such as the waterways police, the
environmental Protection Authority and the transport authority
have all sorts of requirements that could challenge the
feasibility of an event and these must be investigated.
Event team, contractors and other
stakeholders

 List of people involved in staging an event :

 Talent/performer/team and manager

 Cast crew
 Contractors (service providers)
 Suppliers
 Employees
 Volunteers
 Emergency services
 EVALUATE THE
FEASIBILITY OF THE
CONCEPT
 Evaluate the feasibility of the
concept
 It is important to evaluate the feasibility of the concept.
 WHY? :
 to raise awareness of the problems and pitfall as that
can occur if they are not considered at the early stage of
concept development
 they can give negative impact on the event planner’s
creativity
 Evaluate the feasibility of the
concept
 How to evaluate the feasibility of the event concept?
i. Competition
ii. Regulations
iii. Marketing
iv. Community Impact
v. Risk
vi. Revenue And Expenditure
 Evaluate the feasibility of the
concept
Competition
 When involved in any event, it is essential to conduct
competitor’s analysis such as;
 looking at the timing and duration of other events, even if they are
unrelated
 people have limited disposable income and festivals and events tend to
be non-essential items in most family and tourist budgets, thus people
will choose the best events rather than attend all events organised in
their area

 A wider study should include an analysis on political,

environmental, social and technological impacts, known as
environmental scanning.
 Evaluate the feasibility of the
concept
Regulation
 A wide range of laws and regulations have an impact on
the staging and these can severely limit creativity
 E.g; Releasing balloons into the atmosphere is considered
environmental unfriendly .
 E.g; Parking, traffic and neighbourhood impact, especially in
terms of timing and noise are all aspects that require the
event manager’s liaison with local or state government
 Evaluate the feasibility of the
concept

Marketing
 How to sell an event is a very important part of the initial
planning, the timing of your marketing efforts being crucial.
 Evaluate the feasibility of the
concept
Marketing
 Do you advertise months beforehand or the day or week
before? Will the audience turn up on the day? How can you
arrange them to do so? Should you sell tickets in advance?
(many events actually have no advance ticket sales).
 Evaluate the feasibility of the
concept

Marketing
 All these questions require the decision-making skills of
the event manager or the event management team
 Evaluate the feasibility of the
concept
Community impact
 The impact of an event on the local or wider community and
others is a major consideration of the planning stage.
 Local traders and other lobby groups can raise hell for the
unprepared event organiser, so it is absolutely essential
that community benefits are explained and other impacts
considered as part of the event proposal.
 Evaluate the feasibility of the
concept
Risk
 The weather for instance, Is the greater risk to
attendance, enjoyment and success for most events
 Organiser also must aware that insurance premiums will
be linked to the perceived risk to the safety of participants
 Risk may include:
- cancellation by a key performer
- non arrival of equipment
- transportation crisis
- technical failure
- accidents
DESIGN THE EVENT
 Elements in event design
There are nine element in designing an event:
 Catering
 Theme
 Layout
 Elements in event design
There are nine element in designing an event:
 Décor
 Suppliers
 Technical requirements
 Elements in event design
There are nine element in designing an event:
 Staging
 Entertainment
 Talent