Delivering Successful Events

2nd March 2010

Chris PowellDirector The Event Expertwww.theeventexpert.co.uk

Liverpool JMU in partnership with Leonardo Da Vinci, Transfer of Innovation and The Event Expert

LEONARDO DA VINCITransfer of Innovation

The world of events

• A one take wonder – it’s show time!• Ultimate live marketing experience• Buyers and visitors choose to attend events• Engage, participate, talk to, sense reactions • It’s alive! saw it, touched it, heard it, smelt it,

discovered it, tried it, liked it…..bought it!• Huge variety of events covering every interest and

passion• It’s all about high quality event experiences• Audiences want outstanding events not good events!

Course objective

• By the end of this session you will be able to list and briefly explain each stage of the 10 point event planning guide.

The Event Expert event management process

1. Process2. Purpose 3. Presentation 4. Planning5. Place 6. Programme7. Participation8. Promotion9. Production 10. People – your team, your audience, YOU!© 10 stage event management process 2008

Process

Successful event management requires:• Events require order • Idea / brief…really know what you are doing first, then

plan to make it happen• Listen well / ask good questions • Requires strong ‘stay on task’ leadership • Great time management, negotiation, planning and

diplomacy skills required• A clear understanding of how things / people work

Purpose

Research: identify a need / desire / market / trend • Qualitative - formal / informal • Qualitative - focus group

Find evidence to:• Suggest it’s a smart idea• Ensure you provide an event the market wants• Reduce the risk of failure • Establish audience profile – whose going to be there? • Find out why its got to be face-to-face? • To establish why you must hold / to set direction / aims

Purpose: Why an event?

• Bring people together: staff, suppliers, clients,

• Exchange information, ideas

• Solve problems• Provide training• Launch new products• Thank employees,

clients, suppliers• Award high achievers• Support company

sponsored activity

• Public awareness• Milestones• Develop mailing list• Public consultation• Enhance visitor

experience / encourage repeat visitors

• For fun / entertainment • Raise money for a

good cause• Send a message• Brand awareness

Presentation

Creating that ‘wow’ event• Create a blue print / visual image: the look, feel,

programme, activities, promotion, theme• Think light, colours, entertainment, presentation style,

speakers, structures, games, decoration, gifts, story• Event brief: Complete description of task, background

information about client, target audience, principal purpose, timelines, must happens, budget, position

• Take away memories: what will be saying about you?• Brainstorming / Mind mapping – no boundaries

Presentation

• Themed event• Light• Music• Backdrops, sets, drapes• Venues

• Presentations• Games• Entertainment• Decoration, table, venue• Food

• Stages, marquee• Projection, video walls• Seating • Tours and visits• Speakers

• Dress, uniforms • Smell• Transport • Gifts• Art

Presentation

Evaluating your event ideas• One single fantastic idea that matches the needs of

the event – it’s possible!• More likely a range of differing concepts• Requiring evaluation and combining into a single

concept• Event evaluation screening process

- matches the events’ goals- audience acceptance ( marketing ) - can you afford it (financial) - can you deliver it successfully (operational)

Event Planning • What do you need to do to deliver your event?• Project plan / key milestones• Identify and recruit key people and expertise • Agree organisational structures: simple /

function • Draft budgets with outline responsibilities • Set venue criteria – what are you looking for in

a venue? • Draft programme, speakers, entertainment,

times• Draft promotional plans • Establish outline technical, infrastructure and

production requirements• Agreements and contracts

Event Plans• Set clear objectives • Set clear start and end dates, milestones• Constantly check how you are doing• Break down work into bite size chunks• Involve / delegate to others • Go public – tell others what you are doing• Budgets • Degrees of important – not everything is vital• Gantt chart / MS Project• Issues: inflexibility, lack of continuous urgency, lack

sufficient detail, poor questioning / failure to listen

Planning: Event budgeting

Budget process – costing, estimating income, allocating financial resources

• Budgets: master budget / function budget• Determine breakeven point: Fixed costs (constant) v

variable costs v income levels• Maximise revenue possibilities and control costs

Event budgetary control• Walk about: talk to team members, contractors, • Outline responsibilities, standards of performance• Report; action points, milestones, dates, meetings

Planning your event budget

Income• Grants• Sponsorship• Ticket sales• Fees• Programmes

sales/adverts• Concessions fees• Merchandise• Donations

Expenditure• Administration• Publicity• Venue costs• Equipment• Salaries• Insurance• Permits / licenses• Cleaning• Travel• Accommodation• Documentation• Hospitality• Contingency

Planning: Estimating your budget

Assumptions:• Number of people who might attend• Delegates fees or the price of tickets• Other sources of income• Cost of activities occurring at the end• Staffing costs• Venue costs: Deposits and payment terms

• Accurately as possible, overestimated, continually monitored and revised

The Event Expert 10 point event planning process

1. Process2. Purpose 3. Presentation 4. Planning – we are here!5. Place 6. Programme7. Participation8. Promotion9. Production 10. People – your team, your audience, YOU!© 10 stage event management process 2008

Place: event venues

• Event first – venue second • Consider event style, format / position• Speaker / artiste / entertainment profile• Agree venue criteria / engage in venue search • Right for your organisation, your audience and the

event• Best compromise between needs of the event,

audience comfort, accessibility and cost• Seek out experienced, helpful, flexible venue staff• Venue contracts and service level agreements • Thorough venue evaluation

Place: evaluating your venue

• Occupant capacity • Venue facilities available to you, • Access for unloading, sufficient time to set up • Experience of staff, event coordinator, helpfulness,

flexibility• Quality of food and service, experience of serving

and catering staff, range of options, flexibility• Room layout, a no. of possibilities? limiting factors • Other events happening at the venue? can they

successfully manage two events? Activity clashes

Place: evaluating your venue

• Detailed plan of every room• Establish day rate, to include room hire?• Supply of brochures and maps to send to participants• Car parking: location, access, charges, availability,

reservations• Easy to find, nearest station, public transport• local transport details, cost of taxi to nearest station • Copy of emergency procedure• Any refurbishment planned?• AV services / support / Preferred suppliers, parking,

tables, chairs, AV equipment, drapes, table cloths..

Choosing your event venue

• best compromise between needs of the event, audience comfort, accessibility and cost

Place: Designing your event site

General principle:Design an arena in which the audience can enjoythe entertainment in a safe and comfortableatmosphere with minimal impact on the generalenvironment.

Plan your site so the layout allows your room / marquee / space to feel comfortably full, with room to circulate / move / be served, that feels vibrant and alive: and your guests will enjoy themselves!

Place: Site plans

• Emergency exits, • Staffing positions /

roles / no’s• First Aid position• Waste management• Access routes to toilets• Catering• Hospitality area• Entry / exit points• Speaker position• Themed props

• Production / organisers HQ

• Stage• Sight lines i.e. pillars etc• Signage• Noise considerations• AV Technical position• Reception area /

registration• Information area• Room layout• Table format

The Event Programme

• The reason why they are there!• Aim: create an emotionally engaged and receptive

audience who have great take-away memories• A roller coaster ride, a journey, elements of control,

elements of challenge, highs and lows• Create a varied programme, think: themes, story,

food, presentation styles, mix of media, speaker value, activity levels, tempo, people stories and entertainment…

Event programmes

Key points to consider:• What do you want to achieve• What is in it for the audience • What do you want them to think, feel, learn and or say• Venue constraints, culture of client / will it work /

change over times

Designing your event programme

• Research: worked well last year? didn’t! interested parties views, what do they already know, test panel

• Re-think agenda based on value / presence / interest not seniority

• Avoid use of them and us, create a fictional competitor• Thread: a theme, question, argument to run through whole

programme• Tell a story: beginning, middle and end, seek stories from

within your organisation• Food: fits occasion, theme, time, location, no.of guests• Presentations; only a ¼ of us think words, use pictures,

videos

Designing your event programme contd.

• Limit the use of numbers, a few clear examples

• Workshops, breakout sessions: high energy, training, problem solving

• Create a pull for leadership: CEO to present towards the end - discuss issues raised, be interviewed, question and answer session

• Build a varied programme, change, tempo, style, format, video, workshops, entertainment, motivational speakers

• Plan programmes in line with audieneces’ natural energy lows

• Entertainement: fit the space, occasion, time, leave audience wanting more not, wishing for less!

• Conference MC / Moderator - to keep it to time, keep it real

Audience participation

How are you going to involve your audience?• Audiences like to feel part of an event • What are they going to take part in, learn about,

experience, try out, solve, decide, play?• Encourage involvement; workshops, rhetorical

questions, voting systems, decision making, problem solving, games, quizzes, Question and Answer sessions, debates…

• We own what we help create

Promotion

Marketing your event requires you to:• understand who you supply to and deliver them events

they actually want.• predict visitor numbers, arrivals times, most

appropriate form of promotion and ticket / invite distribution channels

• Events often used to achieve company marketing plans and objectives

Event Promotion

• How are going to tell everyone about your event?• Great event: poorly promoted = certain failure• Agree audience profile / market accordingly• Provide a compelling reason to attend, promising a

rewarding, entertaining, informative, keynotes, free stuff!• Be regular, consistent and above all be determined• Accurate representation• Use a mix of media

• NB: A description of your event is not a reason for attending – it’s just a list

Production

What needs to happen on the ground to ensure a smooth running, not too stressful event ?

• Constantly seek to understand how things work• Assume nothing / double check everything! • Communicate, cooperate and keep control• Arrival times: sequence, contractors, staff, speakers,

acts • Staffing roles, organisation / numbers • Operational plans and function sheets • Continuous event clean-up operations, including

the toilets

Event Production

• All other infrastructure / services / products in place • Opening times; ticketing, registration, admissions• Lists of event guests / VIP’s (protocols)• Transport / Traffic management / Parking Plans • Site safety Plans, Risk Assessment • On site event day catering schedules • Implementing site plan• Contingency planning…

Production: Health and Safety

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 • Central principal – those responsible for creating the

risk therefore have certain duties to “discharge”• Event organisers have a legal duty to protect the

health, safety and welfare of their staff, volunteers and those attending events as well as providing services

• Service providers have similar duties• 1992 Management of Health and Safety at Work Act:

Legal duty to undertake risk assessed work

Production: Operational plans

• A full chronological running order of everything that will be happening: time, location, person responsible

• Team rotas / numbers / roles• Programme of events with timetable• Schedule of estimated time of arrivals and

departures• Useful names and telephone numbers e.g.

speakers, Hotel, production company, major contractors...etc

• Menus• Site plan • Contingency • List of VIP’s

PeopleYour people:• Committed team• Consider your external team members• Match people to talents• Great staff attitude leads high quality experiences You:• The inspirational leader: that’s you! • Bags of energy, enthusiasm: spread infectious

enthusiasm• Belief / determination to succeed

People: What did they think?

• Feedback• Comparison with last year• Finance / budget• Cost effectiveness• Quality• Attendance• Customer satisfaction• Use of resources• Deadlines• Social inclusion• Staff morale

Wow – what an event! 1. Process: logic, order, vision, belief 2. Purpose: everybody knows why they are there, research 3. Presentation: look, feel, colour, theme, coherent, relevant 4. Planning: infrastructure, project plans, budgets, critical time5. Place: venue facilities, easy to find, car parking, signage, food 6. Programme: learnt something, useful, entertaining7. Participation: took part, felt involved, interaction8. Promotion: compelling messages, interesting content, accurate

representation, pre-event information, moments of truth 9. Production: order, operation plan, on site service / welcome 10. People: your team, your audience, YOU! And above all did our

audience have an enjoyable high quality event experience © 10 stage event management process 2008

Course objective review

• By the end of this session you will be able to list and briefly explain each stage of the 10 point event planning guide.

Events are ….• Important• Live!• Unique• Complex• Planned• Possible• What will they be saying about your event? –

take-away memories?

Thank you for listening Good Luck!

Chris PowellDirector The Event Expert

www.theeventexpert.co.uk

Liverpool JMU in partnership with Leonardo Da Vinci, Transfer of Innovation and The Event Expert