WHY USE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESSES FOR CORPORATE EVENTS?

The rapidly changing world of business is producing economies that must respond quickly to
change. The traditional company model, with its pyramid structure of responsibilities and
authority and functional departments, cannot change quickly enough. There is an abundance of
current literature on this subject. A prime example of this development is the effect of constant
increases in computer processing speed, which make it a competitive disadvantage for
companies to stick with their existing software and hardware. Companies must constantly be
aware of new software and hardware. Of interest is the recent development of object-oriented
technology. The complexity of traditional structured programming has created a need to break
the overall tasks done by software into smaller units. The units, or objects, are then recombined
in various configurations to produce the desired results. This pattern of breaking up the work into
manageable tasks is the basis for project management. The increased use of project management
is a response to the inability of traditional organizational structure and methods to deal with the
new economic fluidity. Companies are now rightsizing and reorganizing into a work group
structure that is more nimble and better able to respond to change.

The event industry is not immune to this situation. In part, it is fueling it. Special events are used
to bring about change within a corporation, a region, or a country. The merger of two major
companies is made known to all the suppliers and the press and is celebrated by an event. The
event helps the employees and, in some cases, the general public to accept the change in
corporate culture brought about by the merger. Acceptance of new products and new ways of
doing business is strengthened through the use of special events. Conferences and exhibitions are
ways to create a change in attitudes, strategies, and business methods. Factors that create the
need for a systematic and accountable approach to the actual management of events include the
increasing size, number, and economic importance of events; the requirement for thorough
accountability to stakeholders; the complexity of events and the risks associated with them; the
rules and regulations affecting events; and the cross-border status of many events. The event
management process also includes the associated documentation that will facilitate
communication with all parties involved in the event, including progress and justification reports
to the stakeholders.

Project management offers the corporate event manager a number of advantages, which include:

 Establishing a systematic approach to all events: Today, the corporate event can no
longer be regarded as a one-time proposition, with the techniques and skills being
reinvented for the next event. Events have become an integral part of business for both
corporations and governments. Having a consistent method means that the corporate
event management, clients, and sponsors can learn from each event and identify areas
that need improvement, thus developing better events. All the stakeholders will know
what is happening and how they fit into the event as a whole. Establishing schedules,
tasks, and responsibilities that fit into an overall system lets all parties involved in the
event know what they have to do and when they have to do it.

 Depersonalizing the event: Knowledge about the event resides in the company as a
whole rather than in a select few individuals. In the past, most corporate events required
 the full force of one personality or a small core group to make them work. The methods,
deals, and skills resided in that person or those persons, and the event was a reflection of
their style. This was fine when the corporate event industry was in its infancy, but the
growth in the number and economic importance of events no longer allows this luxury.
The planning and implementation system must be independent of any one person. This is
why some event managers are reluctant to implement a systemic approach. It detracts
from their power and mystique.

 Facilitating clear communication: Using a common terminology throughout the event

and with the stakeholders enables effective decision making. Project management terms
are ideally suited to communication among teams from different fields. The corporate
event management team will have to communicate with the finance and marketing
departments, for example, and project management terminology is becoming part of the
language of those departments as well. Project management offers a transparent system
for communicating tasks and responsibilities through meetings and documents.

 Conforming to the methodology used by other departments: Many corporations, both

public and private, are undergoing some kind of restructuring, which generally is being
project-managed. This means that the methodology of project management will have
infiltrated most of the event’s stakeholders. It will already have some presence in the
company’s functional departments, such as information technology, product
development, and human resources.

 Ensuring accountability: The document outputs of the project management process

mean that the corporate event will be fully accountable to the stakeholders. Event
management can track a complex event, and clients/sponsors can obtain a progress report
at any time.

 Increasing the visibility of event planning: Too often, the corporate event management
team is not seen to be working. The most visible result of the planning process is the
event itself. All the work that went into the event is often hidden from senior
management or the stakeholders. No matter how much work was involved, if an event is
successful, it may be regarded as easy to put together. A project management approach
with the right reporting and documentation makes the entire process visible to the client.

 Facilitating training: Having a methodology means that staff and volunteers can be
expeditiously trained. One output of the project management process is the corporate
event manual, which can be used for training. When a system is in place, new staff
members can more easily understand their responsibilities and see how their work fits
into the whole picture.

 Developing transferable skills: Working in a systematic project management

environment means that the skills learned are not only relevant to the event industry but
may be adapted to other project management areas as well. When prospective staff
members know they will come out of the experience with transferable skills, the event
manager will have much greater success in attracting good people.
 Establishing a diverse body of knowledge: Project management involves the
accumulation and refinement of the experience, skills, and knowledge of innumerable
projects around the world, ranging from NASA’s moon-landing missions to the
implementation of a new software system for a local firm. Event management can learn
from the mistakes and successes of all these projects.