Lecture Note on Event Management ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2022/23

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION TO EVENT MANAGEMENT

1.1. Event: Definition, Need and Importance

Event: can refer to a phenomenon, any observable occurrence, or an extraordinary occurrence.
Marketing Guru, Philip Kotler, defines events as occurrences designed to communicate particular
messages to target audiences.
Suresh Pillai, Managing Director, Eventus Management, considers events as an additional media
whereby two-way or active communication is possible.

The purpose (need and importance) of the event should drive all the planning.
Example: if you were running a conference for financial planners there could be two quite different
purposes:
o To facilitate an exchange of information, bringing participants up-to-date with the latest
changes in financial planning software products, and
o To achieve a memorable out-of-body experience for financial planners in order to develop
a positive association with a new software product.
To achieve the first purpose would be quite straight forward as this would require a fairly standard
meeting or convention. Fulfilling the second purpose however would be more difficult. For this
unforgettable experience you would need a unique venue and carefully planned activities that the
participants would enjoy. At the same time the product would need to be reinforced constantly so
that attendees would leave with an inescapable association with it. To have fun without the positive
association would defeat the purpose. The focus of the first of these purposes is information,
whereas that of the second is entertainment. Although of any events the main purpose is making
a profit, for many it is not. This festival is an example of an event with a community purpose.
o Staging an event should be clear and articulate up front.
There may be a number of reasons for conducting an event such as:
• To inform and educate the community about a cause
• To obtain media coverage for an activity or organization
• To raise funds
• To celebrate a community’s strength and cohesiveness
• An awards or presentation ceremony

1.2. Event Management and its Concept

Management of events has traditionally been alluded to as a post marketing activity and assigned
the classic production responsibility as in any manufacturing firm. The term management of events
therefore carries a totally different connotation when used in the context of events. Management
theory would suggest that marketing is also a part of management.

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Instructor: Reta M. Rift Valley University, Gullale Campus
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Management of an event encompasses all activities involved in planning, organizing, staffing,

leading and evaluation of an event.
All operational task for an event such as the ground work, viz., venue selection and stage design,
arranging the infrastructural facilities required, liaison with artists/ performers and networking
with other activities such as advertising, PR, ticket sales, etc., fall under the purview of event
management.
1.2.1. Event Management Procedures

Event managers must ensure that event management procedures cover a full range of emergencies
including major injury or illness of players or spectators, fire, bomb threat, crowd disturbances and
climatic conditions such as lightning, torrential rain, flooding, etc.
Event manage procedures should also assist event personnel to effectively do their job. Although
the most important procedures will be about safety, there should be other procedures that lessen
risks to the event profitability and the organization’s reputation. These procedures might include:

• Cash management
• Food serving and hygiene
• Waste collection
• Marshaling of competitors
• Restriction of access to certain areas
• Arrival and greeting of visiting dignitaries
• Loudspeaker announcements during the event
• Giveaways of merchandising or free food and drink
• Raffles and fundraising
• Interviewing event staff

The provision of training to event staff (and volunteers) is a critical element in risk management.
It is a dangerous situation to presume that procedures have been read and that people will know
what to do in an emergency. Ultimately the buck stops with the Event Manager and therefore it is
a reasonable use of the Event Manager’s time to have meetings with Event Staff, either individually
or in groups, to determine their knowledge of procedure.
Event management is the planning and management of an event, project or activity. It is important
when staging an event to be clear about WHY the event is being held:
▪ To inform and educate the community about a cause;
▪ To obtain media coverage for an activity;
▪ To raise funds; and
▪ To celebrate a community’s strength and cohesiveness.

Organizers should also clarify WHO the event is for. Most events will cater for a variety of interest
groups:
• The local community;
• Members;

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• Sponsors;
• Media; and
• Potential members.
Regardless of the nature of the event, your target audience or the event’s objectives, some key
steps should be followed to help ensure a successful event.
Today, there a number of people, who have entered the field because they realize the potential of
the market where demand and supply are concerned. In fact, the most profitable aspect of this field
is the need for creativity. And that is how and where one earns.
Event management: generally, means conceptualizing, meticulous planning, organizing and
finally executing an event. It is a set plan involving networking of a multimedia package, thereby
achieving the client’s objectives and justifying their needs for associating with events.
1.2.2. Concept of Event Management
The concept of event management is all about applying project management to the creation and
development of festivals, events and conferences. It focuses on studying the intricacies of the
brand, recognizing the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and
coordinating the technical aspects prior to actually executing the modalities of the proposed event.
Post-event analysis and ensuring a return on investment have become chief drivers for the event
industry.
1.2.2.1. Activities in Event Management
In event, activities usually vary with the category of event being organized. Therefore, the
following listing is generic in nature. Once marketing has managed to convert an enquiry into a
firm order, the hands-on work of event management begins. The following is a sequential flow of
how management actually happens, i.e. How planning, organizing, staffing, etc., get together for
an event. The flow is divided into three sections:
the first deals with the pre-event activities,
the second with the during-event activities and
the last details the post-event activities involved.
This theory states that the functions of management can be classified into planning, organizing,
staffing, leading and controlling.
1. Planning: The planning function is involved in micro-level event coordination activities such
as liaison with the creative team discussing, facilitating and arranging for the technical
specifications viz., sound, light, stages and sets.
2. Organizing: Organizing in the context of event management essentially involves the
description of the activities required for an event, identifying individual and team tasks and
distribution of responsibilities to coordinators. Such as exercises helps in creating an intentional
structure for clarity or roles and positions.

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Instructor: Reta M. Rift Valley University, Gullale Campus
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3. Staffing: Functional responsibilities in a project type organization structure define event

management staffing requirements. The importance of team structure, experience, background
and expertise of team members plays a crucial role in event management.
4. Leading and coordination: The sum and substance of events as a whole revolves around
interpersonal skills. The need for achieving synergy among individual efforts so that the team
goal is reached is the main aim of coordination. The overall coordinators need to be leaders with
fantastic people skills. The leadership qualities desired of an event manager include the ability
to spot a deal and think on one’s feet.
5. Controlling: Evaluation and correction of deviations in the event plans to ensure conformity
with original plans is the gist of controlling. Evaluation is an activity that seeks to understand
and measure the extent to which an event has succeeded in achieving its purpose. The purpose
of an event will differ with respect to the category and variation of event. However, to provide
reach and interaction would be a generic purpose that events satisfy.
The basic evaluation process in events involves three steps viz.,
o establishing tangible objectives
o incorporating sensitivity in evaluation; measuring the performance before, during and after
the event a lastly correcting deviations from plans.

1.2.2.2. Sustainable-event Management

Environmental sensitivity is important for two major reasons. First, it is the right thing to do.
When allocating scarce resources for an event, remember that no resource is as scarce as the
environment in which we live, work, and play. Second, clients are increasingly requesting that
every event meet or exceed certain environmental standards. Major corporations have been
criticized by their customers for not demonstrating enough sensitivity to the environment.
Therefore, when these corporations retain you to manage an event, they want you to reflect their
renewed commitment to environmental concerns. The best way to accomplish this is to clearly
define the organization’s environmental policy and then incorporate these policies into your event
environment design and operations. Event sponsors who practice recycling in all likelihood will
want recycling bins at an event they sponsor. Event sponsors who do not use foam products for
disposable serving utensils will not want you to specify these items in your catering orders. Meet
with the key environmental policy person for the organization sponsoring your event and
determine with his or her help how to incorporate such policies within the event environment.
Recycle your Success
In the exposition event field, a growing trend is the recycling to local schools of leftover materials
such as paper, pens, pencils, and other reusable supplies. Usually, these items end up in the
dumpster when only a few blocks from the venue there may be a school with children who cannot
afford these basic supplies. You may wish to incorporate this program in your agreements to inform
your sponsor of your policy of recycling your success to help others. Many event sponsors recycle
leftover food products to local homeless shelters or food distribution agencies. This assures your

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guests that you are committed to sharing the success of your banquet with those less fortunate.
Some venues require the recipients to sign a hold-harmless form; however, regardless of the legal
technicality, this opportunity to feed others should be seized for every event.
Still another way to recycle your success is to build into your event a project to benefit a local
organization. Some event organizers provide a day before or after the event to clean up a local
playground, paint a school, or perform some other community service using the skills of the
attendees at the event. To arrange this activity, contact the volunteer center in the local community.
The office of the mayor is a good place to start to locate the local volunteer coordinating
organization. Tell the office what resources you are bringing to their destination and then apply
your success to help others.
Inspiration and Perspiration
Although the design phase provides inspiration, it also expands and tests the limits of research. At
the conclusion of the design phase the event manager should have a clear idea of the needs and
desires of event stakeholders. The goals and objectives that were identified in the research phase
represent the skeletal structure in the anatomy of an event, and the flexible elements identified in
the design phase represent the musculature needed to move event research forward. Now it is time
to add the cardiovascular system to give and sustain life for the event. This is the beginning of the
event’s life, and the primary organ that will sustain this life is the event strategic plan.

1.3. Conceptualizing Events: Creating and Developing Events

While creating and developing events, one should always consider the five basic promotion
techniques. There are five typical or traditional techniques used to promote events. These
techniques include advertising, public relations, cross promotions, street promotions, and stunts.
Some events use only one of these techniques; others may use all of them to ensure that their
message is received and acted upon by their target market.
1. Advertising
Advertising includes print and electronic media, transportation media (such as bus and rail),
advertising specialties (calendars, key rings, coffee mugs, and other products), and outdoor media
(billboards). Larger events may use many of these media resources, while smaller events may
carefully target their message to one or two media. Print advertising is not limited to magazines
and newspapers. It may also include membership directories, inserts in local newspapers, flyers
(sometimes called one sheets), posters, church and synagogue newsletters, brochures, and
virtually any printed media. When analyzing your print advertising needs, make certain that you
test your advertising product in advance with a small distribution to test its effectiveness.
Specialists in direct mail recommend that you use a split test approach. This requires that you mail
one type of advertising printed matter to one group and a different type to another to test the best
response from both types. Varying items such as the colour of the ink, copy, type and weight of the
paper, or other decisions may produce different results.

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Test your print advertising using focus groups to make certain that your event product is well
positioned for success. Do research very carefully to ensure that the recipient values the item and
will use it.
2. Public Relations
Public relations involve informing the media and your target market about your event and
persuading them to support your programs. Public relations activities for your event may
include designing, printing, and distributing media kits, producing public service announcements
for radio and television, producing and distributing audio and video news releases, or even
producing events. In fact, according to many public relations professions, events are the fastest
growing segment of the public relations strategy.
The media kit is typically a presentation-type folder that contains a fact sheet, request for coverage
notice, media releases, and even a public service announcement (either written or recorded). This
kit is distributed well in advance of the event to the print and electronic media to inform them of
opportunities for coverage. In smaller markets, some media outlets may print your media releases
word for word, whereas in larger, more sophisticated markets, members of the media may use the
kit for background information alone. A Public Service Announcement (PSA) is a written or
prerecorded audio or video announcement about your event. Broadcasters in the United States are
required by federal law to provide a certain allotment of time for public service announcements.
In some cases, the broadcaster may provide help, as a further public service, in producing these
announcements. Often, a local celebrity or nationally prominent person will participate at no
charge, to add credibility to your announcement.
Remember that the two chief goals of public relations are to inform and persuade. Therefore,
using collateral materials, public service announcements, and audio and video news releases as
well as smaller events are excellent ways to accomplish these two important goals of an overall
marketing campaign.
3. Stunts
During the early 1950s in the United States, advertising agencies used stunts as an important
method of breaking through the clutter of traditional print and electronic advertising. Today, stunts
continue to be effective but must be crafted carefully to ensure that the integrity of the event is
preserved. A stunt involves an activity designed to generate media coverage and attendance by
spectators to promote a specific event or series of events. Radio stations continue to rely heavily
on stunts and will often provide remote broadcasts to cover stunts involving their on-air
personalities. Stunts can be tied to charitable endeavors such as locking up prominent officials
until enough donations are raised to cover their release.
Other stunts may involve creating the world’s largest pizza, cake, sandwich, or other product.
Before you incorporate a stunt in an event marketing program, it is important to analyze how the
stunt will further your marketing objectives and to determine all associated costs. Finally, make

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certain that you chronicle all media coverage that results from the stunt, distribute bounce back
coupons to attendees, and track all responses resulting from the stunt.
4. Invitation
Whether your invitation is a print or electronic advertisement, a flyer, or a formal engraved
document, the copy that is composed, art that is created or selected, and paper that is chosen will
greatly influence the response. The central components of all effective invitations are:
o Name of host or event organizer
o Date, time, and location
o Dress requirements
o Parking
o RSVP
Additional components may include:
▪ Purpose of the event
▪ Names of honorary board or committee
▪ Names of prominent speakers
Frequency or historic nature of the event (first annual, 100th anniversary celebration, or biannual
event)

• Limited supply of tickets

• VIP status
Remember that an invitation is an official offer to the consumer or guest to participate in your
event. Therefore, from a legal perspective it is important that you choose your words carefully
to reflect the actual event you are promoting.
5. Marketing Thrust
The purpose of your event marketing campaign is to ensure that every decision you make provides
greater value for the overall event outcome. To do this you must carefully match the objectives
to the strategies, test all ideas using feedback from actual event consumers, and perhaps most
important, use creativity and innovation to differentiate your event product as a unique and
valuable investment.
By integrating marketing activities such as advertising, public relations, cross promotions, street
promotions, and stunts you will be able to build a strong campaign that will effectively promote
your event to your target audience.
Miscellaneous
Include:
o Order of proceedings/schedule of events/timeline
o Speakers
o IT Services, etc.

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Instructor: Reta M. Rift Valley University, Gullale Campus
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1.4. Size and Types of Events

1.4.1. Size of Events

1.4.1.1. Stretching the Limits of the Event

Whenever research is either inductive or deductive in form and often proceeds in a linear fashion,
the design phase is web-like and often kaleidoscopic. Just as the Internet provides you with literally
millions of resources for event design, your own mental process must mirror this technology.
During the design process the professional event manager considers every possibility and
challenges every assumption determined during the research phase. This pushing of the research
envelope is essential if you are to produce innovative, highly creative, unique special events that
will exceed the expectations of guests.
If you are to steadily increase the value of your work as an event researcher, designer, planner,
coordinator, and evaluator, you must strive continually to collect the best information and
resources to produce a solid plan that satisfies the needs, wants, desires, and ultimately,
expectations of event guests.

1.4.1.2. How to Determine the Size of Your Event?

After deciding to host a live event to build your business, now you must decide on the size of your
event:
o Will it be large or small?
o Should you have several small events throughout the year, or one large event?
o The scale of your seminar will depend on several factors. What type of event are you
planning?
o For more hands-on workshops, there may be a higher cost per person and therefore you
may need to have less people at a single event.
o In order to create a more intimate learning environment, you will need to have a smaller
scale event. If the topic of your event lends itself to a larger crowd, then by all means
fill as many seats as possible. The more eyes and ears in that room, the more exposure
and the more profits your event will generate.
o However, consider the purpose of your event. If one goal of your event is to get to know
your clients on a more personal level then having a smaller group may be the best option.
It will allow you to spend individual time with more people.
o You do not want to have such a large event that your clients do not get that personal
experience they expect.
o Some promoters choose to hold several small events throughout the year along with one
or two larger events.
o The large events cover broad, more widespread topics that apply to most everyone while
the smaller events will be designated for more niche-specific topics and hands-on
training.
o If you are just starting out with events, try to have a couple events in a year.
o You will come to find out what works best for you and your business

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Instructor: Reta M. Rift Valley University, Gullale Campus
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o Hiring a skilled event coordinator who specializes in information marketing will make
your experience much easier.

1.4.2. Types of Events

Events can be classified into four broad categories based on their purpose and objective:
a) Leisure events - leisure sport, music, recreation.
b) Cultural events - ceremonial, religious, art, heritage, and folklore.
c) Personal events - weddings, birthdays, anniversaries.
d) Organizational events - commercial, political, charitable, sales, product launch, expo.
Broadly speaking following are the categories of events:
1. Corporate event: is another field which includes in-house events as well as larger ones for
promotion of products or services. Such fields become meeting point of corporate people of
same field.
2. Trade fairs: are a great opportunity to present your latest products to customers and business
partners.
3. Trade shows: are exhibitions where companies can present and demonstrate their latest
products. A professional presentation is crucial.
4. Meetings: are common business events in large companies, perfect to discuss operational and
financial strategies.
5. Seminars: are educational events for the training of managers and employees. Most seminars
are not comparable with boring lectures. Interactivity is core.
6. Conferences: are popular and important business events. Everything about the event
management of academic, medical and business conferences.
7. Grand events: include prospects like weather, security, celebrities and companies etc.
Generally big budgets are involved in them.
8. Small events: like little shows for children, small office parties need to need the purpose and
target audience.
9. Sporting events: There are these sports events which may be at inter school level or intra school
level or in colleges or even at state levels. Sports events are not one day events, it needs
extensive planning right from the day it starts till the finale. On a larger level, national and
international sports events are planned by a bug group of event mangers working together.
10. Musical events: where in audience has to be taken care of along with issues like ticketing and
managing availability of seats etc. accommodation of the artist and coworkers is another deal.
11. Networking events: are personal marketing galas. Such events are great opportunities for
contact establishment and personal marketing.
12. Opening ceremonies: are held to start conventions, annual meetings and other events that last
for two or more days. Find everything about opening events.
13. Theme Parties: are events that devote to a special topic. Popular events are casino nights or
Halloween parties, ideas and planning tips.

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Instructor: Reta M. Rift Valley University, Gullale Campus
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14. Golf events: are golf tournaments or retreats. Those events aim to acquire new customers, to
increase customer loyalty or to motivate employees.
15. Award ceremonies: are great events to honor and motivate key staff or to acquire and retain
customers. Event planners are able to organize events to remember.
16. Board meetings: focus on strategic goals and visions. The event venue and the planning
process should reflect the prestigious nature of these meetings.
17. Team building events: plays a key to develop and motivate teams in companies and divisions.
18. Business dinner: is a long-standing corporate tradition to conclude fiscal years, celebrate new
milestones or to get in contact with key customers.
19. Press conference: is a perfect business events to promote new products, launch marketing
campaigns or to inform the shareholders and public about financial issues.
20. Incentive travel: is perfect to reward and to motivate employees or to increase customer loyalty
and retention.
21. Product launch: are critical for the successful market introduction of some products. A perfect
product presentation might also increase the media coverage.
22. VIP events: are used to increase customer loyalty. Professional planners organizing VIP events
that ultimately increase your revenues.
23. Shareholder’s meeting: is yearly and obligatory events to inform a corporation’s shareholders
about company issues and to elect the Board of Directors.
24. Incentive events: motivate employees or close the ties to customers. Event managers are
planning events that help to enhance customer loyalty.
25. Executive retreats: escapes from stressful work schedules and the day-to-day business. Learn
how they should stimulate free thinking and creativity.
26. Wedding: should be the most important days in the life of brides, grooms and their families.
Professional event managers help to plan the events.
27. Wedding Anniversaries: celebrate milestones in a couple’s life together. Ideas and hints that
help you to plan those events or find professional even managers.
28. Birthday: require seldom a professional event manager, but there are exceptions. Find out how
event managers can help you to make your party a success.
29. Family events: are great opportunities to assemble whole families. We offer hints and ideas to
plan perfect family events like birthdays, weddings, etc.
30. Convention: Convention is a formal meeting of members, representatives, or delegates, as of
a political party, fraternal society, profession, or industry.
31. Festivals: Festivals which are mostly arranged in open spaces are at a greater risk. There will
be huge area undertaken for this purpose. It is during this time, that people get crowded and
there are already problems around. When in such a situation, the weather goes bad, it becomes
hard for the merchants and the crowd to move themselves and their belongings to safety.
32. Family functions: for example, a wedding ceremony like a garden wedding which requires
only a small space in the garden, can be a success only when the weather is fine and clear.
33. Star events: music and dance performances given by famous celebrities and performers usually
prefer open air theatre which can again be at the risk when it comes to weather.

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Instructor: Reta M. Rift Valley University, Gullale Campus
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1.4.3. Event Organizer

Hosting a party or a conference can be pretty hard especially when you are going to be a part.
There are quite a lot of benefits when it comes to hiring an event organizer to help you with your
event. An event organizer can give you good tips on how to manage the crowd and will give you
ideas on your existing plans on how to make the event a huge success.

1.5. Events Team and Event Team Management

1.5.1. Events Team
Teams are made up of individuals who have different outlooks and abilities, and are at different stages
of their careers. Some may find that the tasks you’ve allocated to them are challenging, and they
may need support. Others may be “old hands” at what they’re doing, and may be looking for
opportunities to stretch their skills. Either way, your responsibility as a manager is to develop all
of your people.
Your skills in this aspect of management will define your long-term success as a manager. If you
can help team members to become better at what they do, you will soon become known as a
manager who other people want to work for, and you’ll be making a great contribution to your
organization too.
The most effective way of developing your people is ensuring that you give regular feedback to
members of your team on their work. Many of us are nervous of giving feedback, especially when
it has to be negative. However, if you give and receive feedback regularly, everyone will come to
benefit from improved performance.

1.5.2. Team Management

Team management refers to techniques, processes and tools for organizing and coordinating a group
of individuals working towards a common goal i.e., a team.

Several well-known approaches to team management have come out of academic work. Examples
include the Belbin Team Inventory by Meredith Belbin, a method to identify the different types
of personalities within teams, and Ken Blanchard’s description of “High Performing Teams”.
The ‘Team Development Model’, identified by Bruce Tuckman, offers a foundational definition
of the stage’s teams go through during their lifecycle. Those stages are labeled Forming, Storming,
Norming and Performing.

While the activities of team management are not new, many of the tools used by team managers
are. The more Organizational Development-oriented practitioners often use interview-based
analysis and provide reportage and insights that team leaders and their management may use to
adapt team practices for higher performance. Teams can also be developed through team building
activities - which can also be used simply to build relationships where team members lack cohesion
due to organizational structure or physical distance. Project managers may approach team
management with a focus on structure, communications and standardized practices.

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With the growing need to integrate the efforts of teams composed of members from different
companies and geographies, organizations are increasingly turning to a new class of Internet
software for team management. These tools combine planning and collaboration with features that
provide a structure for team relationships and behaviors. In addition, there are tools that facilitate
the forming of highly productive teams through analysis of personality and skills profiles.
1.5.3. Team Management Skills
Different people have different needs when it comes to motivation. Some individuals are highly
self-motivated, while others will under-perform without managerial input.

Communicating and Working with Your Team and with Others: Communication skills are essential
for success in almost any role, but there are particular skills and techniques that you’ll use more as a
manager than you did as a regular worker. These fall under two headings: communicating with team
members, and communicating with people outside your team. We’ll look at each in turn.

1.6. Code of Ethics

Code of ethics promote and encourage the highest level of ethics within the profession of the
special events industry while maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct. Strive
for excellence in all aspects of your profession by performing consistently at or above acceptable
industry standards. Here you need to:

o Use only legal and ethical means in all industry negotiations and activities.
o Protect the public against fraud and unfair practices, and promote all practices which bring
respect and credit to the profession.
o Provide truthful and accurate information with respect to the performance of duties. Use a
written contract clearly stating all charges, services, products, performance expectations
and other essential information.
o Maintain industry-accepted standards of safety and sanitation.
o Maintain adequate and appropriate insurance coverage for all business activities.
o Commit to increase professional growth and knowledge, to attend educational programs
and to personally contribute expertise to meetings and journals.
o Strive to cooperate with colleagues, suppliers, employees, employers and all persons
supervised, in order to provide the highest quality service at every level.
Lacking ethics in business is at an all-time high. In the event planning industry, business ethics
are crossed frequently — sometimes inadvertently and other times with deliberate intent. Event
planners today are navigating a mine-field of potentially sticky situations that can easily blow up
in their face. Without a personal, professional and company code of ethics, lines of acceptable
behavior are easily crossed.
Ethical employers want to ensure that their employees are above reproach, and that their
decisions are not swayed by having received personal perks and favors. And employees want to
ensure that they are not being perceived as having allegiances that can be purchased by a lunch, a
gift or a getaway weekend. If a destination is selected, it is not payback for being invited on a farm
trip or having had a personal vacation hosted, but because it is the right destination for the client.
The same applies to the selection of a venue, hotel and airline, and the contracting of other industry
suppliers such as caterers, decor companies, entertainers, photographers and rental companies.

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Instructor: Reta M. Rift Valley University, Gullale Campus