Chapter 1

UK Exhibitions (Pg. 26)

Exhibitions can be defined as: '... a presentation of products or services to an invited audience with the
object of inducing a sale or informing the visitor. It is a form of three-dimensional advertising where, in
many instances, the product can be seen, handled, assessed by demonstration and in some cases even
smelt and tasted. ' (Exhibition Liaison Council, 1995)

Exhibitions were more recently and succinctly defined as' an event that enables buyers and sellers to
meet together in a market situation (Exhibition Audience Audits Ltd, 2005).

Internationally, the terms exposition, expo, (trade / consumer) show, trade fair are sometimes used
interchangeably, though the term 'exhibition' has been adopted in the UK as the overarching term.
Research undertaken in 2005 by KPMG on behalf of the Events Industry Alliance (EIA, 2007) suggests that
the exhibitions sector was worth around £ 9.3 billion and attracted 17 million people to the UK.
Exhibitions bring suppliers of goods and services together with buyers, usually in a particular industry
sector.

The British International Motor Show, the Ideal Home Show and the International Boat Show have been
three of the largest exhibitions in the UK over the past ten years, each generating tens of thousands of
visitors. The Exhibition Liaison Committee (1995, p. 8) identified that there are four main categories of
exhibitions in the UK:

● Agricultural shows: held in the countryside on open sites (including purpose-built show
grounds). They normally occur once a year, with attendance ranging from 5000 to 200,000 at
the largest events within a period of one to five days. Examples include the Balmoral Show and
The Royal County of Berkshire Show.
● Consumer shows: aimed mainly at the general public, although may have a trade element. They
include subjects such as gardening, home interiors, motoring and fashion. These are extensively
promoted by the media, for example, the Ideal Home Show (established in 1908) or Clothes
Show Live.
● Specialized trade shows and exhibitions: the product emphasis and target buying audience are
generally defined and controlled by the organizer. These are sometimes referred to as
business-to-business (B2B) events. For example, International Confex and PLASA (Production
Light and Sound) held at Earls Court, EventUK at NEC, the Event Production Show at Olympia,
and The Showman's Show at Newbury Showground all focus on various aspects of the
developing events industry.
● Private exhibitions: include product launches and in-store and concourse displays, which are
exclusive to one or a defined group of manufacturers. The audience is normally informed by
direct invitation.
British standard of outdoor events (Pg. 39)

Standards

Combined with the advanced of the EMBOK is the development of competency standards for events
management. For ex. In the UK, competency standards were developed for the National Vocational
Qualifications, while comparable standards have also been developed in Australia, South Africa and
Canada. A competency standard for events management gives the industry a benchmark to measure
excellence in management. Previously this benchmark was the success of the event; however,
stakeholders cannot wait until the event is over to find out whether the event management was
competent – by then it is too late.

Linked to the development of standards is the interest in ethical standards for events. Many associations
have codes of conduct, ethics, or standards to which their members agree to abide by. These standards
are designed to ensure best and honest practice and are in place throughout the industry. Although
there are many professional organizations operating within the events industry, there are still some
examples of poor practices; for example, theft of ideas and poaching from clients/ business or the ethics
of (hidden) commission. Allen (2003), Goldblatt (2008) and Sorin (2003) provide a detailed discussion of
this important issue

The search for standards has led to the development of guidelines including for outdoor events (BSI,
2004), sustainable events (BSI, 2009b) and stewarding (BSI, 2009c). With a constantly changing business
environment, risk management is perceived as the way to handle uncertainty. The requirement for
accountability is behind the adoption of International Standards Organization (ISO) standards
implemented in the UK through British standards. Many government departments and large companies
are investigating their events to see whether they comply with ISO certification standards.

Training Delivery

As training has become needed, it has been delivered in a range of formats by a variety of institutions.
Industry skills development within the UK falls within the remit of a range of Sector Skills Councils (SSCS),
which are state-sponsored, employer-led organizations, set up with the aim of reducing skills gap,
improving productivity , boosting skills and improving learning supply (People 1st, 2010). Peoplelst, the
Sector Skills Council covering hospitality, tourism, leisure, events and related industries, was established
in 2004 to replace the Travel, Tourism Services and Events National Training Organisation (TTENTO) and
the Hospitality Training Foundation (HTF), and support the industry in furthering the agenda toward a
fully trained workforce. Their remit includes developing occupational standards, producing industry
research and labour market data (e.g. Bowdin, McPherson, and Flinn, 2006 and People 1st, 2010) and
encouraging communication between education providers, employers and industry associations. The
events industry, depending on the sub-sector, is also served by other SSCs including Creative and Cultural
Skills (live music), SkillsActive (sports), Skillset (creative media) and Skills for Security (security) (People
1st, 2010).
Chapter 2

Corporate Events (Pg 61)

Corporate use of events

Silvers (2010) describes corporate and business events as ‘Any event that supports business objectives,
including management functions, corporate communications, training, marketing, incentives, employee
relations, and customer relations, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.’

The use of events by companies and businesses may be focused internally and aimed at their own
business practices and staff, or it may be focused externally and aimed at their customers and clients
(see Table 2.1) The common thread is the demonstrated ability of events to deliver results in terms of
business objectives and therefore to provide a return on investment.

Table 2.1 Corporate use of events

Internal External
Annual General Meetings Grand openings
(AGMs)
Corporate retreats Product launches
Board meetings Sales promotions
Management meetings Media conferences
Staff training Publicity Events
Team building Photo opportunities
Staff social events Exhibitions
Incentive events Trade missions
Award nights Trade shows
Sales conferences Client hospitality
Dealer network seminars Event sponsorship

Internal events

Internally, companies make significant use of events such as management meetings and staff training in
the day-to-day conduct of their business. Given the modern corporate environment, major internal
company events such as Annual General Meetings (AGMS), corporate retreats and board meetings are
often treated as significant occasions deserving of dedicated organisation and meticulous attention to
detail.
Other internal events such as staff social events, team building, incentives and award nights are seen as
valuable tools to inspire and motivate staff and as contributing to the development of a successful
corporate culture.

Sales conferences and product seminars are used to extend this culture further to company represen-
tatives and dealer networks. Many companies contribute considerable resources towards ensuring that
such events are perceived as part of their corporate identity and style and they are conducted with high
standards of professionalism and presentation skills

A prime example of the internal use of events is that of satellite broadcaster Sky, who held Skyfest for
20,000 of their employees, friends and families. Their two-day event in London in July 2009, was
repeated for their Scottish staff in September 2009 and took on different formats in London and Scotland

Chapter 3 - Event impacts (pg 81)

Table 3.1 The impacts of events

Impacts of Events Positive Impacts Negative Impacts
Social and cultural ● Shared experience ● Community alienation
● Revitalisation of ● Manipulation of
traditions community
● Building of community ● Negative community
pride image
● Validation of community ● Bad behaviour
groups ● Substance abuse
● Increased community ● Social dislocation
participation ● Loss of amenity
● Introducing new and
challenging ideas
● Expansion of cultural
perspectives

Physical and environmental ● Showcasing the ● Environmental damage

environment ● Pollution
● Providing models for ● Destruction of heritage
best practice ● Noise Disturbance
● Increasing ● Traffic congestion
environmental
awareness
● Infrastructural legacy
● Improved transport and
communications
 ● Urban transformation
and renewal

Political ● International prestige ● Risk of event failure

● Improved profile
● Promotion of
investment
● Social cohesion
● Development of
administrative skills
● Mis-allocation of funds
● Lack of accountability
● Propagandising
● Loss of community
ownership and control
● Legitimation of ideology

Tourism and economic ● Destinational promotion ● Community resistance

and increased tourist to tourism
visits ● Loss of authenticity
● Extended length of stay ● Damage to reputation
● Higher yield ● Exploitation
● Increased tax revenue ● Inflated prices
● Business opportunities ● Opportunity costs
● Commercial activity ● Financial
● Job creation mismanagement
● Financial loss

Popular Events (Pg 91)

Political Impacts

Politics and politicians are an important part of the equation that is contemporary events management.
Ever since the Roman emperors discovered the power of the circus to deflect criticism and shore up
popularity, shrewd politicians have had an eye for events that will keep the populace happy and
themselves in power. No less an authority than Count Nicolo Machiavelli, adviser to the Medicis in the
sixteenth century, had this to say on the subject:

'A prince must also show himself a lover of merit, give preferment to the able and honour those who
excel in every art...Besides this, he ought, at convenient seasons of the year, to keep the people occupied
with festivals and shows; and as every city is divided into guilds or into classes, he ought to pay attention
to all these groups, mingle with them from time to time, and give them an example of his humanity and
munificence, always upholding, however, the majesty of his dignity, which must never be allowed to fail
in anything whatever.' (Machiavelli, 1962, Pp. 112-13)

The Royal Family took this advice to heart, providing some of the most popular events of the last century
with the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the fairytale-like wedding of Prince Charles and Lady
Diana Spencer. Following the tragic, untimely death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, more recent
royal events have attempted to reflect the modernisation of the monarchy and the mood of the people,
with the wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, the one-hundredth birthday of the
Queen Mother in 2000 and the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. An
extensive programme of events was organised for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 (BBC News,
2002a) Manchester – which coincided with the Commonwealth Games in Manchester -- with a year of
events planned around six themes: celebration, community, service, past and future, giving thanks and
Commonwealth, with an extra bank holiday to mark the occasion. The celebrations culminated in a
concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace for 12,000 people who had won a ticket by national ballot,
while over one million people congregated on The Mall and in various London parks to watch the concert
on giant screens and hundreds of street parties took place across the UK (BBC News, 2002b). Queen
Elizabeth The Queen Mother's funeral in April 2002 marked a return to tradition, with over 200,000
people walking past her coffin during a period of lying in state and over one million people lining the
streets of London around Westminster Abbey for her funeral. Successive British politicians have
continued to use the spotlight of events to build their personal profile and gain political advantage.
Commenting on the Great Exhibition of 1851, Asa Briggs noted how criticism of the project disappeared
as the crowds flocked to see the event - crowds that were encouraged to attend through the equivalent
of a Travelcard (Carling and Seeley, 1998). In 1951, Foreign Secretary Herbert Morrison received
significant criticism due to his enthusiasm for the Festival of Britain project, leading an opposition MP to
label him 'Lord Festival', a title that stuck (Carling and Seeley, 1998). Former Prime Minister John Major
was frequently seen at major cricket matches during his term in office, In 1997 his first year in office, the
Prime Minister, Tony Blair, continued with the Conservative government planned Millennium Dome
project, attempting to use the Dome as a symbol of 'New Labour, New Britain', and of himself as a
visionary and enlightened leader.

Chapter 4

Situational Analysis (pg 122)

Situational Analysis

A detailed situational analysis should underpin the decisions made on the event tourism goals to be set
for a destination. This analysis should reflect the various perspective of key stakeholders in the event
area, such as tourism bodies, the destination’s community, government agencies associated with areas
such as the arts and sport and major event organisers. In preparing the major events strategy for
Scotland, for example, the consultancy company charged with this task (Objective Performance Limited)
spent 18 months engaged in research, including interviewing more than 80 individuals and organizations
involved in major events in Scotland and overseas (Scottish Executive , 2002). In the case of Victoria in
Australia, the Victorian Government's event tourism strategy, more than 70 formal submissions were
received in response to an initial discussion paper and a further 50 interviews were undertaken with
industry and government organizations (Victorian Government 2006, p. 43).

A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis (see Chapter 6) is a useful way of
assessing the situation that a destination faces in its efforts to develop event tourism. Figure 4.2 lists a
range of factors that might feature in such an analysis, undertaken as a precursor to developing a
destination's event tourism strategy.

Development of Event Tourism Goals

The role that event tourism is required to play in a destination's tourism development efforts will vary
according to the overall tourism strategy that is being pursued. An understanding of this strategy is
important as it provides, for example, the basis for establishing event tourism visitation targets, as well
as insights into destination branding and positioning efforts that an event strategy may be required to
support. While each destination's event tourism goals differ, common considerations in setting such
goals can be identified and these are discussed below.

Leveraging events for economic gain

A key consideration in any event tourism strategy is the potential for events to bring 'new' money into a
destination from outside visitors (see Chapter 2). For example, a single large-scale event, such as the
Manchester International Festival, has the potential to contribute significantly to a destination's
economy. When this event was proposed in 2004, research for the feasibility study suggested that it
could initially bring in 160,000 visitors, rising to 270,000 in future years, with an estimated economic
impact of £ 34 million (Davidson, 2004). A major research study of the summer and winter festivals in
Edinburgh, Scotland produced the following key findings in this regard:

● 65% of all visitors to Edinburgh, said the Festivals were their sole reason or a very important
reason for visiting Edinburgh
● 70% of people attending Edinburgh Festivals came from outside of the city, with 15% coming
from countries outside the UK

Chapter 5

PDCA principle (p. 175)

BS 8901 – first worldwide standard for planning and managing sustainable events.

BS 8901 is a full management system that can be applied at either event level or throughout the
organization. Embedded in BS 8901 is the continuous improvement principle of PDCA (Plan, Do, Check,
Act) - ‘Plan’ what you are going to do, ‘Do’ it, ‘Check that you have done it and ‘Act’ on recommendations
to implement improvements, arising from the review.

Chapter 6

Strategic event planning process (p. 190/ workshop 4 quiz)

Strategic planning

● Establishment of vision/mission/purpose
● Development of event goals and objectives
● Conduct of a situational analysis
● Identification of strategy options
● Development and implementation of operational plans
● Creation and implementation of control systems
 ● Evaluation, shutdown and reporting

The strategy process is essentially about identifying the purpose or vision/mission that an event
organization is seeking to fulfil or process through conducting a specific event and creating plans and
undertaking actions to achieve that purpose or vision/mission (Lynch, 2009, p.5). It is a staged process
during which an event organisation determines the current situation it faces (strategic
analysis/awareness), considers the strategic options available to an event manager (strategic creation
and choice and sets up the mechanisms for implementing and evaluating/monitoring the chosen
strategies (strategic implementation), (Thompson with Martin, 2005). Additionally, In the case
(particularly) of large-scale events where the creation of legacy outcomes (such as new infrastructure
developments) are an aspect of an event’s overall strategy, event organisations will need to consider how
they will drive this aspect of the overall program.

Organizational structures (p. 195 / workshop 3 quiz)

Simple Structures

● Low level of complexity

● Decision making is centralised with the event manager who has total control over all staff
activities

This is the most common structure in small event management businesses as it is

● Flexible
● Adaptable to changing circumstances
● Easy to understand
● Clear accountability - manager accountable for all the activities associated with the event

The flexibility of this structure commonly means that staff are expected to be multi-skilled and perform
various job functions. This can mean that individual jobs are more satisfying, and it can produce higher
levels of staff morale.

Limitations:

● No opportunity to specialize – not achieve high level of expertise in any one area
● Decision making very slow once an event organization grows beyond a certain size
o Single executive has to make all decisions and carry out management functions
● May also lead to staff being demoralized when their expertise is not fully utilized
● Risk in concentrating all event management info in one person – ill/sickness at an inappropriate
time – disaster

Functional structures

As the name suggests, a functional structure is based upon the main tasks or functions that an
organisation needs to perform in order to fulfil its mission. Such tasks commonly emerge from the work
breakdown structure process discussed in Chapter 8 and will vary from event to event.

Chapter 7

Event creation process (p. 248 / workshop 4 quiz)

Goldblatt (2008) suggests the 'five Ws' as important questions to ask in developing

1. Why is the event being held? There must be compelling reasons that coninm importance and
viability of holding the event.
2. Who will be the stakeholders in the event? These include internal stakeholden such as the board
of directors, committee, staff and audience or guests and external stakeholders such as media
and politicians.
3. When will the event be held? Is there sufficient time to research and plan the event? Does the
timing suit the needs of the audience and, if the event is outdoors, does it take the likely climatic
conditions into account?
4. Where will the event be staged? The choice of venue must represent the best compromise
between the organisational needs of the event, audience comfort accessibility and cost.
 5. What is the event content or product? This must match the needs, wants, desires and
expectations of the audience and must synergise with the why, who, when and where of the
event.

Exploring these key questions thoughtfully and fully will go a long way identifying a strong event concept
tailored to the specific context and needs of the event, which can then be built upon to create a unique
and memorable experience, make the event special and contribute to its image and branding.

Chapter 8

Project Evaluation (Pg. 280/ workshop 4 quiz)

The evaluation of an event is generally concerned with its impact and level success. Project evaluation
concerns the evaluation of the management of the event. The term that is common in other areas of
project management is the acronym 'PIER’ (post implementation evaluation and review). This
evaluation process is performed after the project is completed.

One of the attractions of using a project management system is that it enables this type of evaluation
and subsequent improvement in management. By setting up a WBS (Work Breakdown Structure), the
management can assess the tasks, responsibilities, schedules and risk management systems and improve
upon them.

Project evaluation includes comparing the actual progress of the project against the planned project
plan. As a result, the evaluation can suggest areas for improvement in the management. This is different
to evaluating the event. It may be part of an event evaluation process; however, it is often forgotten.
Figure 8.6 illustrates the project management system used by various events. One essential part of this
system is the evaluation and archiving. Whereas PIER occurs after the project is complete, the event
plan, archive and review system is a description of the whole project management system from an
evaluation point of view. Understanding the way a management system is evaluated creates a system
that can be evaluated. The evaluation in this case is evaluating the validity of the system itself. As EPARS -
the event, plan, archive and review system – in Figure 8.6 illustrates, one event is used as the baseline
plan for the next event.
Project Management Cascade (Pg 268/workshop 4 quiz)

Project Definition:

● What is involved in the management?

● Who will do what?
● What will be the responsibilities of the client and the event company?
● Not same thing as defining the event

These are some questions that assist project definition

Scope of work:

● Refers to amount of work required to get the event up and running and then to shut it down
● To define the scope is to gain an understanding of the event and its management
● Scope definition captures the work necessary to deliver the event (not what is happening at the
event)
● Scope definition contained in the brief from the client or primary event sponsor
o Client brief may be too simple and eventually lead to misunderstandings
o Often the brief will only describe the deliverable, that is, the event; and the work
required to create it will be hidden - common problem in project management
o Clarity and detail of the brief is identified as essential in the intiation period
● Important part of defining the scope is the listing and understanding of the requirements of the
event stakeholders.
Work Breakdown Structure

● Once scope has been decided and defined, it needs to be categorized, documented and
communicated.
● Creation of WBS is a technique that focusses management on the work required to deliver the
event. Creation of a visual display of all the work that needs to be done can assist the staff in
understanding the scope of the work
● Tasks can be complex and long list of them may not be very helpful
● Task grouping – is breaking down all the work required to deliver the event into manageable
units (tasks concerning the venue for ex. Could be grouped under the heading ‘venue’ or
‘on-site’ ; concerning finding the money and working out the cost as ‘finance’)
● Often parallels the folder system used on the computer.
● Festival may have four system: committee, file folders, email folders, and paper folders

Chapter 13

Successful Proposals (p 466/workshop 5 quiz)

Sponsorship proposal should address the following questions:

● What is the organisation being asked to sponsor?

● What will the organisation receive for its sponsorship?
● What is it going to cost?

Length and level of detail a proposal uses to answer these questions depends on the value and cost of
the sponsor partnership

Comprehensive treatment of these areas would mean the proposal would include:
 1. An overview of the event, including (as applicable) its mission/goals, history, location, current
and past sponsors, program/duration, staff, past or anticipated level of media coverage, past or
predicted attendance levels and actual or predicted attendee profile (for ex. Age, income, sex
and occupation)
2. the sponsorship package on offer and its associated cost. In pricing the sponsorship, it should be
remembered that marketers have a range of alterative promotional media, such as advertising,
direct marketing and other tools, that could achieve similar outcomes (depending on the
sponsor's marketing objectives), so the sponsorship should not cost more than other types of
promotion. reaching a similar volume of their target market.
3. the proposed duration the sponsorship agreement.
4. The strategic fit between the proposal and the business and marketing needs of the
organisation. Discussion here will be based on research conducted using the sources noted
earlier.
5. the event's contact details for the company's response and follow-up negotiation.

Six attributes of a successful Proposal

1. Sell benefits, not features: Many proposals describe the features of the event such as the artistic
merit of the festival, rather than the event’s marketing assets and sponsor benefits. Sponsors buy
marketing communication platforms so that they can reach their stakeholders and market(s) to form
relationships or sell products/services.

2. Address the sponsor's needs, not those of the event: Many proposals emphasize the event's
need for money, rather than the sponsor's needs such as market access, corporate hospitality or a
better understanding of a new brand. Remember, event sponsorships should be seen as
partnerships, not a means to patch holes in the event budget (Harrison, 2004).

3. Tailor the proposal to the business category: As noted, each of the event's benefits will have a
different level of importance to each potential sponsor. An insurance company, for example, might
be interested in an event's database, while a soft-drink marketer is likely to be more concerned with
on-site sales opportunities. A tailored strategy should be worked out based on some research and
discussions among interested event personnel before constructing the sponsorship proposal.

(next page – less priority)

4. Include promotional extensions: The two major sources of sponsor benefits are addressed here.
First, there are the benefits being purchased; for example, identification in marketing material and
on-site signage that come with the sponsorship and only require action on the part of the event
manager. The second set of benefits emerges from the sponsor's event leveraging discussed earlier -
for ex. trade, retail and sales extensions. Particular leveraging activities might include competitions,
redemption offers (for ex. free ticket offers for the customers of a sponsor's wholesalers) and
hospitality. It is not enough to give sponsors a checklist of the direct benefits of the assets being
purchased a proposal should include the 'exploitation or leveraging menu' showing them how to
leverage their investment.

5. Minimise risk: Risk can be reduced through indicating some guaranteed marketing activities
(including media space reach and frequency) in the package, listing reputable co-sponsors and
 showing the steps that will be taken to mini- mise the risk of ambush marketing by other companies.
A clear indication of how the event/festival will service the sponsorship should also be given
prominence in the proposal.

6. Include added value: The proposal should be presented in terms of its total impact on achieving
results for the sponsor, rather than focusing on one aspect such as media. Generally, sponsors will be
looking for an array of those benefits highlighted earlier in the chapter – how the sponsorship will
build relationships internally with staff, ways in which it will facilitate networking with other sponsors
or potential business partners and how it can build sales among sponsor benefits are -uods for
consumer and business audiences.

Sponsorship screening process (p 469/ workshop 5 quiz)

Undertaking the sponsorship screening process Commonly, organisations apply a screening process to
sponsorship proposals as they seek to determine which relevant benefits are present. An understanding
of this screening process is useful to the event manager as it assists in crafting sponsorship aroposals.
The framework for understanding the screening process developed by Crompton (1993) remains one of
the most comprehensive developed to date. The framework adopts the acronym CEDAREEE to identify
the major elements of the sponsorship screening process employed by corporations. The acronym is
derived from:

● Customer audience
● Exposure potential
● Distribution channel audience
● Advantage over competitors
● Resource investment and involvement required
● Event's characteristics
● Event organisation's reputation
● Entertainment and hospitality opportunities

While not all these criteria are applicable to every sponsorship proposal, it is a most effective checklist
for the sponsorship proposer to evaluate the sponsorship offer to ensure that all aspects of sponsorship
have been thought of and that all the benefits of the sponsorship offer have been developed and
described to the potential sponsor.

An organisation that has received a sponsorship proposal will act in several possible ways. After scanning
the proposal, its management and/or marketing personnel may:

● dispose of it,
● request further information,
● seek to negotiate in an attempt to have the sponsorship offering,
● improve to meet its needs and
● accept the proposal as presented (it is more likely though that some adaptations will occur
through negotiation).

Once sent, it is a useful practice to follow up sponsorship proposals within a reasonable period (for
example, 2 weeks afterwards) to determine their status (for example, yet to be considered, under review
or rejected). On occasions, the proposed sponsorship package may be of interest to the organisation, but
they may wish to 'customise' it further. If this is the case, both the event and potential sponsor can
negotiate to move the sponsorship towards a more mutually beneficial offer.

Chapter 15

Logistics or operations plan (p. 556)

Whether the event is a school class reunion or a multi-venue festival, a written logistics or operations
plan needs to be part of the communication within the event. It could range from a one-page contact list
with approximate arrival times, to a bound folder covering all areas. The folder for a large event would
contain:

● a general contact list,

● a site map,
● schedules, including timelines and bar charts,
● the emergency plan,
● subcontractor details, including all time constraints,
● on-site contacts, including security and volunteers, and
● evaluation sheets (sample questionnaires).

All these elements have been described and discussed in this chapter. These can make up the event
manual that is used to stage the event. The manual needs to be a concise document, as it may be used in
an emergency. An operations manual may only be used once, but it has to withstand the rigours of the
event itself. Some organisations, particularly in the exhibition industry, have a generic manual on their
intranet that can be adapted for all their events in any part of the world.

Although this text emphasises the importance of planning, overplanning can be a significant risk,
particularly with a special event, as there is often a need to respond and take opportunities when they
arise. Artistry and innovation can easily be hampered by a purely mechanistic approach to event
creation. As pointed out in the Marine Corps' publication Logistics (1997):

To deal with disorder, the logistics system must strive for balance. On the one hand, it must estimate
requirements and distribute resources based on plans and projections; otherwise the needed support will
never be available where and when it is required. On the other, a system that blindly follows schedules
and procedures rapidly loses touch with operational realities and inhibits rather than enables effective
action.

The secret is to ensure that the plan is structured sufficiently well to ensure a safe event, while allowing
creativity to shine through.
Chapter 18

Forms of evaluation (p 640)

De-brief meetings

● Valuable opportunity for feedback on event management process

● Should be held as soon as practical after the event – event memory and impressions are still
fresh
● Staff members, contractors, public authorities, such as police and ambulance, and other key
stakeholders may be invited
● For larger events, the process might even be conducted as a series of meetings devoted to
individual aspects of the event such as operations and marketing.
● Participants should be given notice of the meeting prior to the event, so that they are aware that
their observations will be welcomed and noted.
● For the best results, an agenda should be prepared and circulated and the meeting should be
carefully chaired and not allowed to ramble or descend into blame or recrimination.
● A well run de-brief meeting can make a major contribution to the understanding of what went
well and what did not, any significant risk factors that revealed and any implications for the
future improvement of the event. The topics to be addressed at the meeting will be determined
by the nature and size of the event.

Focus groups

● Good opportunity to test participant reactions to an event and to obtain in-depth perceptions of
particular stakeholder groups.
● Normally directed discussions involving a small group of 8-12 people with similar demographics,
conducted by professional interviewers in a relaxed environment.
● The event manager or his or her representative may be an observer and is sometimes hidden by
a two-way mirror so as not to intrude in the process.
● can provide a detailed, directed discussion and is a useful tool to explore participant attitudes,
opinions and motivations.

Surveys

● Ideal to seek the opinions and responses of all attendees of an event, but for most large events
this task would be too costly and impractical.
● Survey techniques involve seeking the opinions and responses of a representative sample of
total attendees in order to obtain vital and accurate data on the event.
● The better the design of the questionnaire form used and the more rigorous the survey process,
the more accurate will be the results obtained.