Event Evaluation

Learning Objectives
• At the end of this session you should be able to:
• Articulate the nature and importance of evaluation to the
events management function
• Describe what event evaluation should focus on
• Explain the purpose of event evaluation, including the
needs and expectations of stakeholders
• Describe the cyclical, holistic nature of event
evaluation using the three critical Ss of events
• Assess the different forms of evaluation models and
methods
• Formulate and prepare an event evaluation report
 Event Evaluation

Is concerned with assessment, which usually

involves measuring a set of key variables, as
well as monitoring those variables to
determine positive and negative outcomes. It is
a subjective determination that can utilize
objective quantitative measures
(Getz, 1997)
Event Evaluation Data

Descriptive
Numerical

Numerical
and
Descriptive
 Event Types & Evaluation Tools

Image Maker • Content Analysis

Tourism Product • Visitor Exit Survey

Economic Development • Economic Impact Assessment

Catalyst

Transformer of Socio- • Social Impact Scale Analysis

cultural Landscape

Sustainable Development • Environmental Impact Analysis

Model
 Conducting Event Evaluation (1)
• Determine the purpose of the event evaluation
exercise, including whether the evaluation is
Step 1 necessary.

• Identify what should be the focus of evaluation.

Step 2

• Select the most suitable approach for conducting the

Step 3 evaluation exercise.

• Select model(s) for evaluation as a framework for data

collection based on suitability, practicality and
Step 4 relevance.
 Conducting Event Evaluation (2)
• Develop appropriate instruments and data
collection strategies based on the methods
Step 5 selected.

• Collect and analyse data and findings.

Step 6

Step 7 • Prepare and disseminate event evaluation report.

• Formulate and implement decisions for
improvement based on findings of event evaluation
Step 8 report.
 REASONS FOR ALL EVENT EVALUATION
Allows for more informed decisions towards greater
efficiency and more positive results to be made
To measure success or failure

INTERNALLY-DRIVEN REASONS EXTERNALLY-DRIVEN REASONS

To determine whether goals and
objectives have been met
To engender accountability
To identify and address problems
and challenges
To determine whether event
management functions have
achieved expected outcomes
To understand who attends the
event to determine who else can
be targeted
To determine worth of the event
to its workers and volunteers
To determine whether and how
the event can remain viable and
become sustainable
To determine level of awareness
of sponsors’ products/services
To satisfy accountability
requirements
To determine level of media
interest and coverage
To determine event’s level of
impact on tourist arrivals
To determine event’s level of
impact on business and other
related industries
To determine whether event
satisfies the expectations of
community stakeholders
To determine worth of the event
to its patrons
 Evaluation Considerations
• Does the event organization/event host have, or have access to
the requisite resources to conduct an event evaluation exercise?

• Have event evaluations been conducted on the event in the

past? And if so, how often and what kind of evaluation?

• What use was made of the evaluation report?

• What is the nature of the environment in which the event

operates?

• Can it facilitate the execution of an event evaluation?

• Does the event have access to a wide range of information it

can use to conduct the evaluation exercise?
 What to Evaluate?
1. Event Elements – number of patrons; size of group; demographics
of patrons; attendees' address; source of information on the event;
number of times attending; patron satisfaction; quality and impact
of event programme; quality of merchandise; food and beverage,
etc.

2. Event Organization Elements – nature and quantum of

resources; human resources; volunteers' perceptions working on
the event; income and expenditure; cash flow; level of investment;
sponsorship dollar, etc.

3. Event Context Elements – nature and amount of local suppliers

used; impacts on event; impacts of event; community perceptions;
level of media coverage; media value; interest and presence
 Event Evaluation Perspectives
• Event evaluations are focused on measuring and
monitoring the implementation of an event (Allen et
al., 2008; Bowdin et al., 2006)

• Every aspect of the event must be evaluated (Tum et

al., 2006), including factors such as human resource
management and volunteerism, facilities and access and
hospitality (Wendroff, 2004)

• Event evaluation is mostly conducted after the event

(Tum et al., 2006)
 Problems with Event Evaluation

• Missed opportunities to correct detected

problems
• Minimal focus on evaluation at the
planning phases, which is vital to
understanding many decisions taken at
the implementation stage
• Key elements of the evaluations may not
be deployed effectively, if at all
 Event Evaluation Approaches (1)

• Quantitative – primarily concerned with

counting complex data sets such as attendance
levels, information sources and event activities.
• Challenges and limitations of using quantitative
approaches exclusively:
 Low response rates to surveys

 Inconsistencies arising out of varied interpretations

of terminology used in surveys leading to over-
calculation and possible misrepresentation of data
 Event Evaluation Approaches (2)

• Qualitative – utilizes open-ended to allow for in depth

responses and focuses on capturing opinion and
attitudes on matters such as reasons for attending the
event; benefits sought; level of satisfaction; stakeholder
attitudes, etc.

• Can complement quantitative approaches because

useful details can emerge that may not be derived or
represented numerically

• Challenges and limitations of using qualitative

approaches exclusively:
 Cannot reach the numbers of quantitative approaches
 Event Evaluation Approaches (3)

• Financial approaches – are concerned with collecting,

assessing and monitoring numerical data on the fiscal
elements of the event such as cash flow, gate receipts,
patron expenditure, profit, loss and debt

• Economic approaches – examine numerical data

related to employment, tax, visitor expenditure and
triggered economic activity in other businesses and
related industries

• Challenge with both approaches can be address through

the use of non-financial and non-economic
approaches
 Event Evaluation Approaches (4)

• Non-financial and non-economic approaches – utilize

qualitative approaches to monitor and assess fiscal and
economic matters that cannot be easily quantified but
which are relevant such as:
 Assessment of intangible costs and benefits

 Assessment of net value

 Assessment of stakeholder perceptions

 Assessment of economic and market factors that can influence

the event
 Event Evaluation Approaches (4)

• Critical three Ss
Event Significance – assessing, measuring and monitoring the
nature, purpose and intent of the event and feasibility to realize the
expected outcome

Event Success – determining whether the event execution and

contributing elements have achieved the expected outcome

Event Sustainability – measuring, assessing and monitoring the

event's impact on the environment and community and; the
potential for the event to be continued in future
 Models Used in Event Evaluation
• Impact Assessment – focuses on measuring economic, social,
environmental and cultural impact of events, particularly in instances where
significant justification for the event may be required

• Cost-benefit Analysis – identifies and measures the costs and benefits of

an event and takes into account 'externalities' or spill-over benefits for the
host community (Burgen and Mules, 2000)

• Triple-bottom Line Evaluation – a systematic framework for measuring

and reporting the event's performance against economic, social and
environmental parameters, to determine negative or positive impacts on the
host community (Fredline et al., 2005)

• Ethnographic Profile - Typically used in the evaluation of cultural

festivals/special events, ethnography provides an assessment of these
experience-related events through a process of analysis which
encompasses participant observation, interviewing and documentary
resources
 Summary
• Evaluating events provides a measure for performance and
delivery for event organizers, stakeholders and event
consumers
• An event evaluation should focus on, among several other
factors, the three Critical Ss – Event Significance, Event
Success, and Event Sustainability
• Impact Assessment , Cost-benefit Analysis, Triple-bottom Line
Evaluation and Ethnographic Profile are the four models that
can be utilized to evaluate events

• Evaluation methods depend on the nature of the event and

the requirements of stakeholders