EVENT MANAGEMENT Chapter Two

FUNCTIONS
Good management is the key to successful event organization. Whether the event is
local or international, the effective implementation of sound organizational and
individual management principles and practices is crucial to effectiveness.
Dictionary definitions of management include words such as: conducting, directing,
controlling, leading, handling, helping and training. Management is about getting
things done, through effective people and efficient processes.
THE MAIN FUNCTIONS OF MANAGEMENT
ARE AS FOLLOWS:

a) Creating g) communicating
b) problem solving h) decision making
i) team building
c) motivating
j) delegation
d) controlling k) leadership
e) planning

f) Organizing
CREATING (IDEA PROPOSAL)
 Creating is the first step in the event planning process. The Event Manager provides the
initiative by presenting the hypothesis which, through a feasibility study, can be put to the
test.

 Innovative thinking skills will help to create a workable concept and an interesting event
based on the client’s needs, and ways of funding the project.

 A good event manager is able to link together suitable ideas or tasks to achieve the
identified goals in an innovative and encouraging way.
PROBLEM SOLVING
(PROBLEMS FACED AND
WAYS OF SOLVING THEM)
Problem solving is an essential skill for getting action in events.
Problems will always arise and it needs a positive, innovative thinking to
solve them, especially under pressure. Imagination thinking may be very
helpful in facing up to difficulties and finding solutions.
Problem solving is closely linked to crisis management; it is the ability to
solve problems before they become crises.
PROBLEM SOLVING HAS
SEVERAL STAGES:
1. Identify the problem.
2. Formulate alternative solutions.
3. Select the best solution.
4. Put the selected solution into practice.
5. Continue making observations to ensure the chosen solution works.
6. Select a new solution or adjust any corrective action.
MOTIVATING (HOW CAN YOU
MOTIVATE YOUR STAFF?)
•Keeping staff motivated and interested is always important in any demanding work
situation, although in events there is often the benefit that many are already involved
because of their commitment. But this should never be taken for granted and a
special effort is needed to keep motivation high, especially because events invariably
demand an extraordinary dedication from everyone involved.
•The first essential is a clear understanding of the aims and objectives of the event by
all concerned; this achieves unity of purpose and keeps the end target in everyone’s
mind.
 The atmosphere of the event must be realistic, open and honest from beginning
to end , and staff must be kept informed at all times.
 It is absolutely vital for an event leader to try to understand what motivates their
staff of volunteers and do all they can to meet their individual and group needs.
 In return for the often heavy work demands put on staff involved in events,
rewards such as:
A. Job satisfaction and achievement appreciation.
B. Overtime payments.
C. Public recognition (staff uniform help to create an identity and coordinate effort).
D. Offering little perks such as free meals or event T-shirts …etc
CONTROLLING

•It is about monitoring the performance of systems and resources. Control is the
management function that checks to see if what is supposed to happen is happening,
or going to happen.
•In the planning stages of an event, control systems must be established to check that
objectives are accomplished within the prescribed timescale.
•In practical terms, control can be applied in several ways such as :
A. Financial checks ensure that expenditure is covered is essential.
B. Modern technology is applied to monitor actual achievement.
C. Comprehensive reporting and communication systems detect all unaccomplished
tasks.

•Effective control has four stages:

A. Plan what you intend to do.
B. Measure what has been done.
C. Compare achievements with event original plan.
D. Take action to correct anything that is not as it should be.
PLANNING
•Planning is the prime factor in achieving success. Careful planning is absolutely vital
to good events; things don’t just happen or appear by accident, they are produced by
effective planning.
•Planning is the process of setting goals and deciding on the best approach to achieve
them. Time spent in careful planning is time well spent; it will be repaid later on
because it will help to eliminate wasteful, misdirected effort
•Three types of plan should be produced for an event:
oStrategic plans, taking account of major influences: political, environmental, economic, etc.
oSpecific plans are designed to achieve specific objectives, e.g. budget estimates, resource production
and promotion plans.
oAdministrative, organizational and structural plans explain how the objectives will be achieved.
• Planning is so valuable because: (Why event planning is important?)
1) Reduces uncertainty
2) focuses attention on goals
3) produces unity of purpose
4) creates efficient operation
5) ensures appropriate control systems are established.
STAGES IN EVENT
PLANNING:
1) Determine the event vision and aims.
2) Carry out a feasibility study and make key decisions.
3) Set the SMART objectives. (explained in previous chapter)
4) Identify the resources and check their availability.
5) Identify the tasks to be undertaken.
6) Define the organizational structure and identify the roles.
7) Select the personnel.
8) Choose an appropriate communication structure.
9) Draw up a budget.
10) Make detailed plans and specify the timescale. (an event is totally time dependent).
11) Plan staff meetings and choose the control systems.
12) Finalize the accounts; evaluate whether the aims and objectives were achieved, and record any
modifications to consider when organizing future events.
DECISION MAKING
 Decision making is an integral part of management in any kind of organization. Decision making in events takes place
at several levels: individual, group and organizational.

 In an event, as the end result will affect everyone, it is normally better to use ‘democratic’ decision making to try to
involve as many people as possible.

 It is also sensible to use the ‘collective knowledge of the group’ to help reach the correct decision, and to help generate
unity of purpose so that agreed decisions contribute to the joint ownership of the project.
 Advantages of democratic decision making
1. Reach the correct decision.
2. Help generate unity of purpose.
3. Used to speedup results.
4. To get different ideas and opinions.
5. Getting full support of the team.
6. Everyone has equal input, and opportunity.
TEAM BUILDING
•To some extent, this management skill concerns psychological aspects. It is essential
that any event manager makes a real effort to build his or her team.
•Unity of purpose and an atmosphere of cooperation are essential to achieve success
in the often pressured world of event management.
•Informal meetings should be encouraged to help build relationships and promote
joint understanding, and clear structures and chains of command, which help to
avoid confusion and conflict. Formal training, informal socializing , group decision
making and full staff involvement at all stages will help to build an effective team.
This is very important to events of all sizes, with volunteers as well as paid staff.
DELEGATION
•Delegation is a key management activity and is crucial to the success of any event. It
means giving people something to do which they are capable of achieving. It is
important to do this in the right way, by planned delegation not just a random
allocation of tasks. “As 1% of 100 people is better than 100% of one person.” It
achieves more in the long term.
•Delegation is designed to get success through maximizing efficiency, using
everyone’s time, expertise and effort to the best purpose.
•It is important to select tasks that will provide individuals with some challenge and
sense of achievement when they are completed, not just menial tasks the team leader
doesn’t want to do.
•Clear direction must be given; tasks delegated must not be vague or require people
to spend lots of time and effort seeking clarification.

•During the delegation process, “event leader” should ask for progress reports and
check them regularly. This shows that the leader is still interested.

•It is also necessary to give positive feedback in a constructive way to help the
person achieve the task.
LEADERSHIP
•It is impossible to overemphasize the crucial need for an effective, charismatic leader for any successful event.
•Some of the qualities required for event management leader:
- Hard working - motivating
- Flexible - enthusiastic
- Knowledgeable - well organized
- Innovative - analytical
- Diplomatic - good at listening
- Understanding - communicative
- decisive - firm but fair
- Resourceful - blessed with a sense of humour
- Financially aware - questioning
•The style and quality of the leader will be a deciding factor in the success of any
event. The style of leadership can vary on a continuum from laissez-faire to
dictatorial, with a number of stages in between.
Dictator ----Authoritarian----Democratic---- Consensus---- Laissez-faire
•The only style which is totally inappropriate to events is laissez-faire
• (leave to do) because, with nobody at the leading, an event would hit the rock, or at
the very least it would lack direction. And a complete dictator would be equally
unacceptable, especially where volunteers were involved. A democratic and
pragmatic approach to leadership is normally the way to retain a degree of control
alongside unity of purpose.