What is Event Management?
What is an Event?
Anything that happens, especially something of importance. It can be a planned public or social occasion. An event can be a wedding celebration, office party, fashion show, conference, product launch, sports event, rock concert, exhibition, seminar and much more…
What is Management?
According to Henri Fayol, “To manage is to forecast and to plan, to organize, to command, to co-ordinate and to control.” Simplifying it further, management is the way something’s handled. Or using necessary skills to achieve desired goals and objectives.
Event Manager – Jack of all Trades
Find a location, select a great theme, book a DJ/band, organize great food and send out invitations. Many think designing and producing events are easy. Do you?
Creating a successful event requires a lot of hard work, skills and experiences. An event manager requires the right blend of the three to be good.
A manager plans, organizes and executes different types and sizes of events. In simple terms, working with budgets, schedules and various vendors is the job. Then creating the perfect event for the client.
An event manager’s job may be hard but in practice, it is the most exciting and rewarding job on the planet.
Skills Required to Become an Event Manager
Managing and producing an event efficiently requires a considerable range of skills. An event manager needs to possess these skills set:
- Be able to multitask
- Great communication and people skill
- Exceptional organizational skill
- Posses creativity
- High level of attention to detail
- Good negotiating, sales and marketing skills
- Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines
- Be street-smart to solve problems swiftly
- Budget awareness
Events – Experiential by Nature
An event can be a public assembly or a social gathering. The event’s purpose can be for celebration, education, marketing or reunions…
Events are so varied and limitless. Nearly every event differs from another. An event manager will almost never experience the same with each event. Because each clients’ needs differ from another. An event manager ensures the event runs smoothly according to the client’s brief.
Types of Events
Events are commonly categorized as follows:
1. Festival Events
Events created to celebrate a festival are most common. All religious festivals fall under this category. Festivals like Shivaratri, Dussehra, Makar Sankranti, Diwali, Christmas, Holi, Eid, New Year are celebrated in all glory…
Celebrities often throw show-stopping parties to celebrate festivals. They invite their families and friends to join in the festivities with them. Clients often engage event managers to organize magnificent parties impeccably.
2. Special Occasion Events
Special Occasions always play a significant part in our lives. Be it reunions, birthdays, anniversaries or weddings, we want to celebrate them with grandeur.
- Birthday Parties
Gone are the days of a simple house party. To keep up with changing times, birthdays have gone larger than life. An event manager hires kid-friendly venues, bouncing castles with great food and drink and entertainment like puppet or magic shows to keep kids engrossed… Incorporating a theme like ‘Frozen’ or ‘Peppa the Pig’ into everything from invitations to cutlery to decorations and giving away gifts…
- Weddings
From the engagement, haldi ceremony, mehendi function to the sangeet and the wedding. Indian weddings entail various ceremonies and rituals. The event manager has many things to plan and execute due to various ceremonies.
- Anniversaries
From creating the most romantic day for the couple to organizing the biggest party ever. Anniversaries play an important part in people’s lives. What better way to spend that important day by engaging an event manager to create a perfect day for you!
- Reunions
Be it school or college reunions… An event manager will make sure to create a fun-filled day. From finding the perfect venue, to organizing fun games, entertainment, caterers and making sure to capture every precious moment with a photographer…
3. Entertainment, Arts and Cultural Events
Have you ever been to a fashion show and watched celebrities walk the ramp? Or, did you feel the electricity surge through you as you stood among thousands at a rock concert? Didn’t you think “Woooooooooow”???
All this electrifying energy created at these events was the hard work of an Event Management Firm. There are a whole lot of events that fall into this category. From the many Award Ceremonies such as Filmfare Awards or IIFA Awards, fashion shows, classical dance shows, road shows, music concerts, to art exhibitions, art openings and even art workshops…
Entertainment events are well known for their ability to attract a large audience. Larger the crowd, generally means better budgets. But there are risks involved when ticket sales don’t reach expected targets!
4. Meeting and Exhibitions
A vast and competitive category itself. Many conventions attract thousands of people. Some meetings may only have a handful of people but they could be really high profile participants.
From a big group of people participating in “Improve your Parenting Skills” conference, to 1000s of people attending a ‘property exhibition’, to a fun-filled kids carnival, to even organizing a talk at Infosys… There is a lot for an event manager under this category.
5. Marketing and Promotional Events
Commercial events come with high budgets and high profiles. From launching a celebrity perfume, a new washing liquid or the latest Volvo. The aim of promotional events is to differentiate the product from its competitors. Making sure the new product launch is memorable. Media giants are usually invited to these events. If successful, it would make a great career for an event manager.
6. Sports Events
From the Olympic games, the Commonwealth games, to badminton tournaments or our very own craze for the IPL (Indian Premier League) all these are classified under sports events…
Sports events conducted in every town, city, state and country attract international sports men and women at the highest level. An event manager organizes logistics, catering… A day of sight-seeing on off-days, showcasing the beauty and traditions of the country, is another great option.
An event manager also needs to have a medical team on stand-by for any emergencies. Planning and producing a splendid awe-inspiring opening and closing ceremony is another feat.
7. Charity Events
From Sports relief, to Marathons, to blood donation camps, or even a yummy bake sale. Charity events are becoming really common in all major cities across India. There are many big companies conducting charity events in India these days. It generally takes several months to organize a huge charity event.
If it is a formal event, then inviting important businessmen, entrepreneurs or even celebrities makes a difference… But if informal is the plan, having loads of entertainment, deciding on a great theme and creating a program around it will help. If the organizer can rope in a popular personality as the guest of honor, a huge turnout would follow.
8. Varied Events
There are just some events that defy categorisation. Flowers, fruits, dogs… all provide the focus for an event in the world. Events like the Flower show in Ooty or the All India Championship Dog show in Bengaluru are common examples.
What does Event Management Involve?
Event management is the fastest developing industry in India. Rapidly growing leaps and bounds every year. The types of events are important for any soon-to-be event manager. Yet, it is vital to understand what goes into the planning and execution of an event.
Whether you are just organizing a friend’s wedding or producing a multi-national product launch. There are certain essential tasks;
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Clear Objectives
Understanding the client’s aim is very important. What is the purpose of the event? What experience do we want people to have? Planning any event is impossible without clear objectives.
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Managing Budgets
Having an effective budget comes next to understanding the client’s objectives. Delivering a great event is easy when you have all the funds without questions asked. But producing an awesome event with a limited budget spells ‘great management’.
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Establishing Timelines
Make sure your client and you agree on a timeline. Determining what has to happen and when it needs to happen. Most events involve time management, scheduling and coordinating. Ensure all hired vendors carry out the same methods.
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Picking a Venue
Selecting a venue may seem like the simplest job. But it is essential to choose the right venue to fit your event like a glove. This involves research, cost negotiation, building a relationship and finalizing the best one.
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Sourcing and Managing Vendors
Every event involves a range of vendors. The organizer assembles diverse suppliers such as caterers, decor specialists, entertainment… Contacting the vendors, short-listing, negotiating costs and finalizing contracts. From then onwards, efficiently managing all vendors. Ensuring they fulfill their roles on time, with quality products and within budget is vital to the success of the event.
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Marketing and Communication
Today this involves various channels from direct mailers, to social media and digital marketing. Depending on the event, managers execute marketing and communication accordingly.
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Managing Risks
Events are complex. Having many elements in an event means multiple possibilities of failure. Understanding what the risks can be is crucial. Thinking of what risks may arise, how to minimize them and developing a contingency plan is an important task for every event.
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Thinking Sustainably
When planning and executing an event, think how you can make a difference. Try making decisions in the event management process that would have an environmental impact.
Advantages of Using an Event Management Company
There are many benefits to using an event management company to manage your event. One of them being stress reduction – that’s what most clients tell us! So here are our advantages for using an event management company:
- Saves you time and money
- Gives you creative ideas that will work for you
- Expert planning and budget management ensuring a successful event
- Professional delivery on the event day
- Managing risks
Tips for Successful Event Management
Planning an event can be stressful and often leave organizers feeling overwhelmed. These are few tips to help master the art of event management;
- An Early Start
Begin planning as soon as you can. Realistically, organizers start planning a large event 4 to 6 months in advance. Smaller events need at least 1 month of planning. Getting a head start will help the event flow smoothly.
- Be Flexible
Change is evident. So whether it is the event time, venue or theme, ensure you are flexible and can meet the changing demands head-on.
- Negotiate
Despite what vendors tell you, everything is negotiable. Determine your budget for each vendor before you meet. Offer to pay 5-10% lower than this figure. Your vendor may put up a fight, but ultimately they will want your business.
- Delegate Responsibilities
Divide the event into various sections. Then assign a section to each member in your team. When a member handles one division, s/he will pay more attention and notice any small changes.
- Create a Backup Plan
It is rare to see an event run smoothly without any issues. Assess the most important thing in your event and create a backup plan. This way, you will have an alternative, if the need arises.
- Do a Rehearsal
Two weeks before the actual event date, do a run through of the entire event. Organize a meeting with your team and walk through everything. Right from the initial setting up to the follow up process. Many times, complications arise at this meeting. It gives you a chance to correct them beforehand.
- Photograph Everything
“A picture is worth a thousand words” is a very common phrase. So posting positive photos online is an excellent way to prove the success of an event. If you have the budget, then hire a photographer. Snap everything possible, like the venue, event branding, lots of attendees having a great time…
- Get Online
Social media is the way to market or promote your business. Create a custom hashtag for your event on Twitter and encourage people to tweet about it. Create a Facebook page and get people to follow you.
- Timely Follow-up
After completing an event, many organizers like to take a break. Keep following up with attendees via email or social media and showcase the success of the event to get more business.
A Career in Event Management
The field of event management is glamorous and fun. There’s never a dull moment. This is one industry that keeps you on your toes! It is rapidly progressing and evolving.
If you are passionate about a career in event management, then volunteer or intern to get a real world experience of what’s involved in events. For starters, it will help build your portfolio and give you invaluable experience. Bringing you credibility with potential employers. It will also allow you to see whether working in events is for you.
A better alternative… You can choose to do a course in Event Management from the many reputed institutions in India or abroad. Pursue this on completion of your 12th standard or graduation.
So do you want to work in the irresistible field of Event Management???
Want to be an Event Manager?
Join team.i – The Entertainment and Media Institute