MICE TOURISM 2018

CHAPTER FOUR
MICE PROFESSIONALS
Professional Event Organizer (PEO): any person, natural or juridical, who manages conventions
and events, either as an official of an organization, consultant, volunteer or as a retained
professional (sometimes called as professional congress organizers-PCO) in some countries.

An event management company can have the following event professionals:

1) Event Manager/Event Planner: He has the following responsibilities:
 He is responsible for planning and producing the whole event.
 He formulates, prepares and implements risk management plan (risks related to event
planning and production).

2) Event Coordinator
 He is responsible for coordinating with all event professionals and ensures that business
operations are efficient and effective.

3) Information Manager: He has the following responsibilities:

 He manages the information acquired through different sources.
 He is responsible for the documentation of all business operations carried out pre-event,
at-event and post-event.
 He maintains database of service providers, delegates, guests, organizers, sponsors,
partners, clients, target audience, media people and various government department
officials.
 He formulates, prepares and implements the risk management plan (risks related to
information management like loss of data).

4) Logistics Manager: He has the following responsibilities:

 Responsible for warehousing of cargo
 He is expected to move equipments and other necessary resources from one destination to
the other in the most efficient manner.
 He is responsible for procurement and resource management.

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 He formulates, prepares and implements the risk management plan (risks related to
logistic management like cargo theft, etc).
5) Security Manager- He has the following responsibilities:
 He is responsible for formulating, preparing and implementing the security plan and
strategies. i.e. how to protect delegates, guests, service providers, organizers, sponsors,
partners, clients, target audience, goods and merchandise, etc.
 He formulates, prepares and implements the risk management plan (risks related to
security like stampede, brawl, etc).
6) Infrastructure Manager- He has the following responsibilities:
 He is responsible for setting up and dismantling the infrastructure for the whole event
like:
 Construction of boundary walls, entrance and exit gates, driveways, walkways and
parking lots
 Construction of AC/Non AC hangers/ halls, seating arrangement, stage design/set up.
 Construction of green rooms, staff rooms, storage rooms, power rooms, toilets, sewage
systems, stalls, counters, booths and kiosks.
 He is responsible for setting up electricity, water and phone connections.
 He is responsible for conservancy (i.e. cleanliness).
 He formulates, prepares and implements the risk management plan (risks related to
infrastructure management like sudden shortage of workers, materials, power failure,
etc).

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 One of the main types of intermediaries used specially for national and international
events and governmental conferences is Professional Conference Organizer (PCO),
sometimes known as Professional Congress Organizer. The PCO acts as the project
manager for the whole event, as well as, from time to time, a consultant advising on
aspects such as communication techniques, marketing and PR. The range of service that
PCOs can offer can extend to as little or as much as the client requires.
Employed to assist in the organization of a conference, the PCO’s role can include researching
and recommending a suitable venue, helping to plan the conference programme including the
social programme, marketing the conference and handling delegate registrations, booking
accommodation/housing for delegates, planning an exhibition to run concurrently with the
conference, producing a budget and handling all of the conference finances. The PCO is
normally paid a management fee by the client organization, calculated on the basis of a
registration fee per delegate (with a guaranteed minimum number of delegates) or on the
estimated staff costs required to manage the event (number of staff needed number of days
amount per day). PCOs may also charge a commission to the conference venue (usually 8–10 per
cent of the value of the conference to the venue itself), as well as a commission on
accommodation bookings and on other services provided, although the trend is for greater use of
a management fee and less reliance on commissions. The table below shows a typical portfolio
of services offered by a professional conference organizer.

Typical set of services offered by a Professional Conference Organizer (PCO)

 Venue selection, booking and liaison
 Reservation and management of delegate accommodation
 Event marketing, including the design of conference programmes and promotional
materials, PR and media co-ordination, presentations to committees and boards
 Program planning, speaker selection and briefing
 Provision of an administrative secretariat, handling delegate registrations, recruitment
and briefing of conference staff, coordinating delegates’ travel arrangements
 Organization of exhibitions/expositions, including sales and marketing functions
 Advising on and coordinating audio-visual services and the production of the event,
including the provision of multilingual interpretation and translation services

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 Planning the catering for an event, liaising with chefs, conference and banqueting staff,
and independent catering companies
 Arranging social events, tour programmes and technical visits
 Arranging security cover and advising on health and safety issues
 Recording, transcribing and producing the proceedings of meetings for publication,
arranging poster sessions, processing of abstracts
 Preparation of budgets, managing event income and expenditure, generating revenue
through sponsorship, exhibitions/expositions and satellite meetings, handling VAT and
insurance issues
 Preparation of contracts with venues and other suppliers.

Why it’s a good idea to use a PCO

PCOs, besides providing the services outlined above, can also offer guidance on local etiquette,
customs and business protocols. They have contractors experienced in providing the services
necessary for large groups of people. They can provide the most cost-effective resources for a
conference and advice clients on any necessary safety or security measures that should be
implemented. They have human resources, technical resources and contacts built up over many
years. They have the experience and skills to produce professional results even on a shoestring
budget. Undertaking your project from scratch would demand a great deal of your staff’s
valuable time. A PCO will save them the headache. The PCO can also suggest sources of finance
or pre-finance and, given sufficient lead time, assist in identifying potential sponsors.

Assume an organization wants a PCO to organize a conference. Would the PCO take over
completely? No! The organization and its colleagues retain complete control of the conference,
with none of the day-to-day logistical hassle. At the outset of a conference, the PCO sits down
with the client/organization to discuss the aims and objectives. Many decisions need to be made
and the PCO can help identify those critical for success and offer advice on how to achieve them.
The client/organization is still responsible for the content of the program, but the PCO can give
full administrative and technical support in managing it.
Generally, a PCO is a consultant, an administrator, a creator, an extension of your organization!

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