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Book
Event Planning and
Management To produce successful events, take
one practical step at a time.
A Practical Handbook for PR and
Events Professionals
Ruth Dowson and David Bassett
Kogan Page, 2015
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Rating Recommendation
8
9 Applicability With more than 30 years of experience in event-management, Ruth Dowson and David
8 Innovation Bassett explain the challenges of successful events, including smooth organization.
Their manual speaks to students, but it will also appeal to working professionals. The
8 Style
authors divide their information into chapters that provide an overview of each step in
putting an event together. Multiple case studies and templates support each section’s
practical lessons, along with charts, diagrams, checklists, examples, case studies,
photos, and much more. Subsections within the chapters guide more knowledgeable
readers to the in-depth advice they seek. Boxes labeled “top tip” offer suggestions for
experienced planners. The clear language and blunt presentation reinforce the authors’
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Take-Aways
• Organization, the first phase of event planning, is crucial to success.
• The location sets the tone of the event and emphasizes the client’s image.
• Accurately mapping the location ensures safety and access throughout the event.
• The event program must match the client’s objectives.
• Communicate crucial elements of the event’s message to speakers and performers
so they can deliver appropriate presentations.
• Use social media for promotion.
• Create a plan and timeline to ensure that the target audience receives the
intended message.
• An inadequate number of public restrooms can ruin an event.
• Some industries have strict rules about event expenditures and may have ethical
or other restrictions.
• Conduct a final event evaluation to establish a basis for future recommendations.
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Summary
“An event is a planned
gathering of a
temporary nature,
which is often a Event Organization
memorable or special An event – as opposed to a regular occurrence – is “planned, memorable” and
occasion for the “temporary.” It fulfills a purpose. Classify your event based on its frequency, location,
attendees.” size and industry.
Researcher Donald Getz outlined a typology of events in his 2007 book Event Studies.
He lists eight event categories: “cultural celebrations, business and trade, arts and
“Without a full apprecia- entertainment, educational and scientific, political and state, private events,
tion of the potential costs recreational, and sport competitions.” Determine if your event focuses on your
of an event, organizers company’s staff as an “internal” activity or builds relationships with external groups.
risk, not only the failure Event planners often reach out to tourist attractions, sport activities and hotels. Such
of the event, but also of participants can be an inviting component of your event.
the company, whether in
terms of finances or During development, list the event’s priorities and objectives with your client. The
reputation.” event concept requires client input, summarized in the “Five W’s”: “who, what, when,
where” and “why.” Hold budget conversations in the planning stage. Event managers
produce the best results when their client values their expertise during the
organizational process. Show your client summaries and templates that demonstrate
“The event program is your specialized knowledge. Understand the emotional experience your client hopes to
likely to include a create. Use the “Five E’s” – “educate, enlighten, engage, energize” and “entertain” – to
combination of both
‘formal’ and ‘informal’ choose and prioritize an event’s activities in light of its overall goal. Compile this
activities” information for your event proposal.
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matter how popular the events, evaluating the event and listing future recommendations. Many planners avoid
event!” this time-consuming step, but surveying attendees and debriefing the client, suppliers
and organizers provides information for the future.
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indoors or outdoors but, requiring organization across multiple sites. Outsourcing may not simplify the process.
wherever the event is Maintaining the chain of command, incorporating client requests, finding suppliers
taking place, a proper whom the outsourced location accepts and managing hidden costs often turn out to be
plan of the layout of the
time-consuming. Handling them poorly creates even more difficulties. Despite the
event site needs to be
prepared.” challenges, a customized event provides your client with a unique, valuable experience
and generates demand for your talents.
Food and beverage are two major factors in guest satisfaction. As you prepare to
“Because events use so accommodate dietary restrictions based on individual choice, medical or religious
many resources, reasons, make sure the food delivery method allows guests to enjoy their meals. For
whether financial,
example, if a server removes the protective wrap on a glatt (strict) kosher meal before
people or other physical
resources, being able to serving it, the guest cannot be sure it remains kosher and can’t eat it. Oblige the needs
measure their effective of diners who require halal, vegan, gluten-free or sugar-free food. Beware that the
use and make improve- quantities of alcohol you offer can have major ramifications.
ments is important.”
Collaborative Event Planning
Larger events are more complex. Event teams are rarely made up of full-time
employees from one firm. Managers must account for the interactions of strangers
“Carrying out a risk working together. An event with multiple segments across several days or venues
assessment will enable demands a service-delivery plan. Have one team member travel to the next event
an event manager to put
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measures in place to segment’s location to communicate changes and check on readiness. Events that span
minimize the risks to only a few hours still have multiple segments, including introductory speakers, a food
public safety.” break, a midpoint performer and a new tech set-up for the final act, all of which require
collaboration and clear communication.
A small team can develop an event, but you’ll need a larger team on-site. Always have
“The new concept of someone available at a base office to handle emerging problems. The “operational
curating an event is events team” includes the core group and support service personnel. Write a
beginning to emerge description for each role, tailored to the event. Develop appropriate recruitment and
through the museum training procedures. Event planners often turn to the same suppliers to simplify the
sector.”
chaos of temporary staffing. To minimize difficulties, use team-building exercises and
personality assessments to help members recognize each person’s communication style
and personality orientation.
“Developing a collabora-
tive approach in which Promoting Your Event
team members Identifying the message and audience for your event are crucial components of your
appreciate those who promotional campaign. Demographics that affect a potential audience member’s
add value in different motivation for attending your event include gender, age, professional position,
ways is more likely to financial and marital status, relationship and family status, education, home location
lead to a successful and language. Your promotional message must reach a relevant general audience, but
event.”
target your specific core crowd with advertising, enticing promotions from sponsors,
mailings to previous attendees and personal outreach.
Social media advertising is a part of any event. The best feature of social media is that it
gives you the ability to build an audience and encourage engagement in a cost-effective
way. The content you share will influence which platforms your campaign should use.
Social media is particularly effective for spreading the word about new events without
an established audience.
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If you work with a limited advertising budget, social media provide a basic foundation.
Using social media outlets effectively requires knowing the latest platforms and being
familiar with those your target audience prefers. Competitors’ use of social media can
give you an indication of which sources and approaches garner audience interest. Learn
the frequency, style and timeline of their posts to gauge your own. You content will vary
by event, but it must be attention getting.
1. Identify goals – Tie your promotional goals to event objectives. Typical goals
include drawing attention, increasing demand and sales, building client image,
establishing a profile and competitive differentiation.
2. Determine the budget – Clients usually set a budget by picking an affordable
number, determining the percentage of sales allocated for promotion, comparing
costs for similar events, or listing desired outcomes and budgeting to meet them.
The last approach depends on identifying the work required to achieve the
wished-for results and estimating the cost of each element.
3. Choose PR elements – Every publicity tool has pros and cons. Prioritize them
with the “Four C’s” of “cost, clout, credibility” and “control.” Cost is not merely
outlay of funds; it’s the expense evaluated in terms of how far your message can
reach. Clout is a prism for discussing the reach of a PR tool and your options for
personalizing it. Credibility depends on the audience’s relationship to the tool
and the content it delivers. Control looks at how the tool focuses its message to
capture the target demographic. The elements of your PR campaign can work
together or separately to achieve exposure. Keep the message and look of your
brand consistent across platforms.
4. Design PR timeline – How you schedule your outreach calendar can
drastically affect the success of the campaign. Communicating messages too early
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means they get lost. Wait too long, and no one will be able to attend.
Coordinating the content and the message depends on the different submission
requirements of various media platforms. If your campaign includes print
advertising, social media posts and direct mail, the first deadline – likely for print
ads – determines the timeline for confirming the message.
5. Evaluate – A final evaluation of the campaign provides clear information on the
most effective promotional elements.
Financial Considerations
Companies must determine the cost efficiency of having an in-house event team versus
hiring event planners. Either way, the client must approve the budget before work
begins, so accurate estimations minimize later complaints. Budgets for individual
events often need a comments column to help explain the planner’s choices and
modifications. Outsourcing suppliers and audio-visual specialists is common practice
and requires receiving proposals that include their services and costs to determine
which suppliers offer the best package for your client. The cheapest option may look
good on a budget sheet but it may not meet your expectations. Staging an event with
collaborating organizations requires tracking individual budget constraints, which
complicates managing the finances. Use templates and spreadsheets to simplify the
budget process.
Some industries have strict rules about expenditures. For example, event planners for
the health care industry must consider the ethical stakes of many event elements, like
venues and gift bags, and must follow regulations enforced by the FDA in the US, the
Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry in the UK and the European
Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries in Europe. Charitable organizations
frequently operate events under restrictions.
“Evaluation”
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