What is Event management
Event Management (aside from being one of my favourite topics and, of course, what we do), what is it really? Event management is defined as the art and science of planning, organising and executing events. Whether this be small intimate evening dinners, large gala dinners, conferences or even music festivals, and of course, everything in between.
It involves incredible attention to detail from the team planning the event, meticulous checking and then rechecking of elements, and, of course, a crazy amount of organisation skills. Then throw in a little bit of passion and love for events, and that’s what event planning is all about.
Event management involves all sorts of facets of an event, from logistics, budgeting, marketing, attendee tracking and management through to styling and the look and design of the event, all the way to the execution of the event and final wrap-up and debriefs.
The goal of a good event manager is to ensure we are focusing on the logistics in the back end but ultimately create an incredible out-of-this-world experience for the guests that leaves them talking about it for days, resonates with those who attended and fulfils the objectives of the host who put on the event.
The Key Elements of Event Planning
The very first step in every single event should always be establishing a clear understanding of the goal of the event and what you are trying to achieve by having your event. If you’re not sure on what this looks like, check out our strategy blueprint to help you create your own event strategy here.
1. Budgeting
The golden question to any project is, what is the budget for the event, and how are we going to distribute and manage the budget? The budget will help to outline what is approved to spend, what you anticipate spending and what you will spend it on.
This helps to determine the financial viability of the event and to understand if the event is worth putting on.
2. Planning and Logistics
Planning is the absolute basis of event management. Without the planning element, there is no event management. The planning side of things is responsible for the flow of the event, timings, what the event will be and how it will all run.
A clear well thought out plan is essential to ensuring that the event runs to plan and achieves the initial goals that are sent.
3. Execution and Coordination
This is all about the actual day of the event and ensuring that the execution is seamless and any issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently. The coordination on the day includes various elements, but the successful coordination of a day starts well before the day with the development of a run sheet.
The run sheet breaks down the day, timings of the day, elements involved in the day, floor plans and contact details for the necessary suppliers.
The actual execution on the day will include everything from coordinating the vendor’s arrival and setup to handling the registration of attendees and check-in, ensuring the event gets underway on time, and ensuring everything happens as it should.
4. Post Event Evaluation
One thing I feel is just as important as the event itself is the post-event debrief and assessing how the event went against the initial objectives and goals of the event. What can be improved upon, and what should remain the same for next time?
This process can include gathering direct feedback from attendees and suppliers, assessing the return on investment of the project (ROI), and developing a list of elements that should be changed to improve upon these metrics for the next event.
Event management is everything when it comes to the successful execution of an event and involves so much more than just making the event look great on the day.
Whether the event is a small board meeting for 10, up to a festival for 10,000 and everything in between, it involves incredible organisational and problem-solving skills.
One thing you can be guaranteed of in an event, is that you never know what is right around the corner, so the ability to adapt, pivot and change depending on what gets sent your way is imperative to ensuring the success of your next event.
How we can help?
We know not everyone has the time or resources to commit to this process though and that’s where FAME comes in. We can offer a one off strategy session to help you nail down your goals, or help take care of the entire process. You can get in touch here.
