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L04 Assignment: Timeline Summary (Event Planning)

Brooklyn McCready

Penn State University

RPTM 101: Introduction to Recreation Services

Professor Patricia Kleban

September 24, 2023

Timeline Summary 2

Event planning plays a key role in many aspects of our world today. From concerts and

festivals to office meetings, planning events is crucial. Without event planning, we would not be

able to collaborate well or enjoy gatherings. Learning where event planning originated is

important to understand how the field is succeeding today.

To start with, the first known event planner was Cleopatra (A Brief History of Event

Management, 2020). She was born in either late 70 BCE or early 69 BCE and lived until 30 BCE

(Tyldesley, 2023). There could have been people planning events before her, but she is the first

person documented. Cleopatra would hold meetings to meet prospective partners. The events she

held were made possible by servants and free labor (A Brief History of Event Management,

2020). During this time, communication was slim. Information and invitations were usually

delivered by hand, which could take weeks to months for delivery (A Brief History of Event

Management, 2020).

After Cleopatra, came the Medieval French Royalty period. This era lasted from 500 –

1400/1500 (Barzun et al., 2023). During this time, wealthy Aristocratic women would plan

events with costumes and music (A Brief History of Event Management, 2020). The most well-

known being Madame Pompadour and Marie Antoinette (Shemke, 2021). Both women were part

of royalty and held events that displayed a wealthy quality (Shemke, 2021). The Recreation and

Leisure in Modern Society book states, “No longer as active in sport as they once had been, the

men now sought to be amused and to entertain their guests with paid acrobats, musicians,

dancers, and other artists” (McClean et al., 2019, p. 70). Madame Pompadour and Marie

Antoinnette were able to do this with their events.

Succeeding the Medieval French Royalty was the Industrial Revolution. Between 1760

and 1840, businesses were booming, which meant they needed collaboration (Wilkinson, 2022).
Timeline Summary 3

Planning events became necessary, and because businesses were making more money, they were

able to spend more on events (A Brief History of Event Management, 2020).

Next came the expansion of transportation in the 1800s (Union Pacific, n.d.). During this

time, trains made an impact on event planning. People could travel to and from events in a

reasonable amount of time (Prince, 2021). Trains also allowed for food and goods to be

transported faster, and for communication to be less complicated (Prince, 2021).

In the 1900s, the telephone was patented, invented, and sold (Ali, 2023). The invention of

the telephone was crucial for event planning. Now instead of waiting weeks or months for a

message to be received, it could be done within the same day.

Shortly after came the internet in the 1990s (Ring, 2023). With the invention of the

internet came the ability for a quicker RSVP process, as people could do it online, instead of in

the mail. People were also able to start hosting virtual events, which limited the need for travel.

Lastly, in 1997 came the start of social media, which is extremely important for event

planning today (Samur, A. & Christison, C., 2023). In the early 2000s, Myspace, Facebook,

LinkedIn, Twitter, hashtags, etc. were created (Samur, A. & Christison, C., 2023). With the use

of social media, people can create, plan, host, RSVP, and document events. Social media is a

terrific way to “measure success and acceptance for events and ideas” (Time.ly, 2023). Although

it is useful, the main struggle with social media is the distraction it creates. It is a great tool to use

for getting people to come to your events, but it might interfere with their interaction at an event

(Shemke, 2021).

Overall, the event planning industry will continue to evolve. From Cleopatra’s meetings

to social media, events are always changing with society’s growth. There is always a need for

event planning, no matter how small.

Timeline Summary 4

References

A Brief History of Event Management: Event Planning Then and Now. (2020, October 8). Get

Local Hop. https://getlocalhop.com/a-brief-history-of-event-management-event-planning-

then-and-now/.

Ali, R. (2023, April 11). History of Mobile Phones and the First Mobile Phone. U Switch.

https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/guides/history-of-mobile-phones/.

Barzun et al. (2023, August 9). History of Europe. Encyclopedia Brittanica.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Europe.

McClean et al. (2019). Kraus’ Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society. (Chapter 4,

p.70). Jones and Bartlett Learning.

McCready, B (2023, September 24). Event Planning Timeline. Unpublished manuscript,

Pennsylvania State University.

Prince, H. (2021, June 23). Then and Now: A History of the Event Planning Industry. Event

Planner Spain https://www.eventplannerspain.com/en/blog/then-and-now-history-event-

planning-industry.

Ring, J. (2023, April 30). 30 Years Ago, One Decision Altered the Course of Our Connected

World. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/04/30/1172276538/world-wide-web-internet-

anniversary#:~:text=Fresh%20Air-,The%20World%20Wide%20Web%20became%20av
Timeline Summary 5

ailable%20to%20the%20broader%20public,with%20graphics%2C%20audio%20and%20

hyperlinks.

Samur, A. & Christison, C. (2023, April 6). The History of Social Media in 33 Key Moments.

https://blog.hootsuite.com/history-social-media/.

Shemke, H. (2021, September 21). The History of Event Management: Past, Present, and

Future. Get Local Hop. https://getlocalhop.com/the-history-of-event-management-past-

presentand-future/.

Time.ly. (2023, January 18). New Trends in the Events Industry You Must Follow. Time.ly.

https://time.ly/blog/new-trends-in-the-events-industry-you-must-follow/.

Tyldesley, J. (2023, September 4). Cleopatra. Encyclopedia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cleopatra-queen-of-Egypt.

Union Pacific. (n.d.). From Steam to Green: The History and Evolution of Locomotives. Union

Pacific. https://www.up.com/customers/track-record/tr041823-steam-to-green-evolution-

of-the-

locomotive.htm#:~:text=On%20February%2021%2C%201804%2C%20British,including

%20wood%2C%20coal%20and%20oil.

Wilkinson, F. (2022, June 2). Industrialization, Labor, and Life. National Geographic Education.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/industrialization-labor-and-life/.