Town of Dillon Information for Event Organizers
Introduction
Successful events can be exciting and benefit a wide variety of groups and people. However, poor events leave a bad taste for all who were involved, and memories can be long. Events rely on the efforts of a lot of people. Even relatively small events can be complex, requiring many workers, considerable resources, planning, and coordination
Why run an event?
It is important when planning an event to be clear about why the event is being held. Having a list of event objectives is essential. Among the potential reasons for running an event are to:
- help the local community
- inform/educate the community about an activity
- promote an activity to newcomers
- provide an avenue for competition
- provide positive local economic impact
- deliver benefits to sponsors
- obtain media coverage
- help the development of grass roots support
- raise funds
Who is the event for?
The organization should discuss, and agree, about who the event is being organized for or who the target audience is. Events normally cater for a number of interest groups, stakeholders and audiences. For example:
- the local community
- members of sponsoring organization
- local and visiting tourists
- specific demographic audiences (women, men, seniors, youth, etc.)
- spectators
- supporters
- sponsors
- media
Planning and managing an event
While each event is unique, most follow a set of sequential planning steps that are vital for success.
Event concept
The starting point for any event is to ask, and answer in writing, the following questions:
Why is the event proposed? There needs to be a satisfactory reason for committing resources. There also needs to be commitment to the idea from all who will be involved.
What is it for? The purpose should address, and be compatible with, stated objectives of the town.
What format will be used? Be explicit and reasonably detailed about how it will run.
When will it be held?
Where will it be held?
Who will be responsible for the planning and management?
Who are the major stakeholders likely to be?
What physical, human, and financial resources will be required?
How will the event benefit the Town of Dillon? Include estimates of costs and returns.
How will the resources be acquired? Owned, leased, hired, or borrowed?
What are the likely barriers to staging the event?
What contingency plans are needed, eg to cope with bad weather?
What training sessions and rehearsals will be needed?
Only after these questions have been answered and set out in a basic event concept document should an event proceed to the next stage. For events that are staged on a regular basis you will usually have a clear idea of the event concept and should find few difficulties in responding to the questions above.
Event feasibility
To determine the feasibility of the event you need to evaluate whether the reasons for holding it are worthwhile and whether organizational resources (human, financial and physical) are sufficient to enable it to be held. The following considerations are vital for making the final ‘go/no go’ decision. Information must be clear and detailed if rational decisions are to be made. Optimism at this point is no substitute for realism.
- What physical resources (facilities and equipment) are available or accessible to enable the event to be staged?
- What are the important reasons for holding the event?
- What are the costs? Include time, personnel, and money.
- Is there a reasonable chance that event objectives can be met?
- What needs to be done to overcome potential barriers to holding the event?
- Is there sufficient time for planning? Always allow sufficient time; lack of lead time is a major reason for event failure (events should be planned a minimum of 8 months in advance, 12 months for larger scale events).
It is best to avoid clashes with other events such as elections, other major recreation or sporting events or similar events that may draw participants and/or spectators away from the planned event. It is often difficult to recognize other events which may compete with your event. Even such things as church picnics or special concerts close to a proposed date may require stakeholders to make decisions about committing themselves or their resources, so it is advisable to check as broadly as possible. Then, announce the decision (in writing) to all stakeholders stating clearly the nature of the event and its objectives.
Event planning and preparation
The event committee makes strategic decisions about the event. Event committee members should be appointed for their potential to make real and specific contributions. They need to be dedicated and hard-working as well as skilled and creative. These appointments are crucial to the success of the event. Always appoint the event committee as far as possible in advance of the proposed event.
The structure and membership of an event committee depends on the size, nature, and complexity of an event. For small-scale local events an event committee may be appointed from within an existing community organization. Larger and more complex events are likely to have event committee structures that include representatives from a number of organizations and major stakeholder groups.
Set clear directions for the event committee, including to whom they are responsible; duties they are to undertake; specific reporting dates and what kinds of reports are required.
The event committee is generally responsible for the overall direction of the event, preparation of a preliminary budget, and oversight of the Event coordinator/event chairman and event subcommittees.
The event committee is often responsible for identifying potential event coordinator/event chairman, appointing the most suitable person, and negotiating a job/service description. Make certain the Event coordinator/event chairman has the attributes and skills necessary to plan and run such an event. They must be accountable to the organizing body and liaise with the community, officials, local government, police and emergency services, facility managers and volunteers. Whether the position of Event coordinator/event chairman is paid or voluntary will depend upon the size and nature of the event and the budget for the event. The person appointed to this position should be a good manager and have characteristics such as being:
- positive and enthusiastic
- well organized
- a good leader
- a good communicator
- reliable
- A “do-er” rather than a “talker”
Set objectives
Objectives will be used as guidelines by a lot of people. They need to be clear and unambiguous and include all parts of an event. It is important to set realistic dates, times, deadlines, and critical points (often called milestones). When setting objectives for the event consult as many people as possible, particularly stakeholders. Stakeholders generally want the opportunity for input and can provide valuable ideas and suggestions. It is also important to cater, where possible, for stakeholder needs. Their cooperation will be required if the event is to be successful.
Develop budget and monitor finances
To develop a budget, start from scratch and list all essential costs. If available, use accounts from a previous event to develop and check the budget. To ensure that an event is costed accurately it is important that all items of expenditure are identified early in the event planning process.
The expenditure items in the budget checklist have been broken down into several key areas (administration, event delivery, and marketing and communication). Small events might not find it necessary to break their budget down into key areas. Make sure the budget represents true costs. Hidden costs, such as hiring extra equipment that was originally under estimated, can be significant. Even if it is known that some items will be free or subsidized, they should be included. Most events will attract some income:
- Direct income - items such as gate takings, programs, catering, car parking.
- Indirect income - items such as advertising, sponsorships, raffles, sales, donations.
Show all sponsorships as income. Sponsorship is time consuming and can be difficult to find. It is best not to overestimate the likely amount from this source. Also remember that it may cost money to obtain a sponsorship and this cost should also be included in expenditure. It is advisable to be conservative when estimating event income, but particularly sponsorship.
The Event coordinator/event chairman should work closely with the organization’s Treasurer. Make sure income and expenditure targets are clear and understood by all who will be responsible for these items, and include a contingency allowance. This is money set aside to cover unplanned costs. Fifteen percent of the total budgeted expenditure is normally allowed as a contingency.
Aside from an overall budget for the event it is good practice to draw up a cash flow budget. A cash flow budget estimates when money is to be received and when it is to be paid out. In event management, cash flow is often critical because expenditure often cannot be incurred until income has been received, and most direct income is not received until very close to the day of the event. Plan for income to be received in time to pay for the accounts.
As a final measure, nominate a cut-off date, when the final ‘go/no go’ decision will be made to go ahead or cancel. Where projected event income is not going to be sufficient to cover event expenditure then it is in the financial interests of the organization to cancel the event.
Identify tasks and responsibilities (subcommittees)
The Event coordinator/event chairman and the event committee must define the main tasks. Depending on the size of the event it may be necessary to appoint individuals or subcommittees to be responsible for particular areas under the guidance of the event committee through the Event coordinator/event chairman. Often, a compromise is made with subcommittees being responsible for a group of similar areas, such as advertising, promotion, VIPs. Within subcommittees individuals are delegated responsibility for the tasks associated with each of these areas. Typical areas where subcommittees are appointed include
- catering
- competition
- facilities and equipment
- finance
- marketing and communications
- programs, results, awards
- security
- support services
- transport
- VIPs (eg sponsors, patrons, local politicians)
- volunteers
Each subcommittee should be provided with a short job/service description. Subcommittees or individuals should then develop task lists and action plans to cope with their assigned areas of responsibility.
In the early stages of the planning each subcommittee will need to assess the number of volunteers or officials required. It is good practice to recognize those helping with the event by involving them in decisions. People are the most valuable resource in event organization, whether they are volunteers or paid staff.
A list of the tasks required for the entire event is essential for monitoring and controlling the event. This is an onerous and precise task and requires knowledge, in advance, of everything that needs to be done. A good event task checklist is a precious item and it is worth trying to obtain copies from other successful events.
The task list should form the basis of action plans and include answers to the following:
- Who will be responsible for each task?
- What is the time-frame for completing each task?
- What resources will be required?
Prepare organization and work flow charts
These are the core tools of event management. They provide an overall picture for all to see including critical dates, deadlines, and task interrelationships. Organization and work flow charts include responsibilities, resources and time frames as well as task dependencies.
Task dependencies show the tasks that must be completed before the next task can be started. Flow charts are the ‘blueprints’ used by the event committee, the Event coordinator/event chairman, and subcommittees as the basis for monitoring and coordinating event planning and preparation.
Flow charts represent everything that needs to be done in order to plan a successful event and deliver it on time. The most used forms of work flow charts are Gantt and PERT (program evaluation and review technique) charts. These charts show all the tasks together with the time frames for start and completion. They can also be designed to show responsibilities and dependencies.
Event marketing plan
Marketing is the whole event as seen from the point of view of the final result, that is, from the customers’ and stakeholders’ perspective. It is beyond the scope of this document to go into detail about marketing in its entirety. However, several aspects of the marketing process are particularly relevant for event management:
- Publicity is the coverage given to an event by the media. It is worthwhile personally contacting journalists at all radio stations and newspapers in the area and preparing a media release. The media release should be interesting and short, and focus on something different or take a human interest angle such as a special guest participant who might be a recognized personality. Background material that includes a site plan and a timetable of activities can be included. Keep a record of any publicity obtained, including radio coverage. This will be useful background material for future sponsorship proposals.
- Promotion and advertising are publicity that is paid for in order to have control of the message. It is important that any promotion and advertising reflect the event objectives and send correct information about the purpose of the event. It is also important to determine the target audience and how worthwhile it is to spend scarce resources on a promotional campaign.
On a limited budget it is important to be careful when buying advertising space as it can be expensive and not always cost-effective. This is why it is beneficial to have a radio station and/or newspaper as a sponsor. There are also free advertising opportunities such as community slots on the radio or television, ‘what's on’ columns in the newspaper or listings in any local club or school newsletters. During the event, printed programs, public address systems, and notice boards are key mediums for promotions. Two cost-effective types of pre-event promotion are posters and flyers. A poster should contain only essential information and, although this may seem a basic point, is only effective if it is displayed. A flyer can include more information than the poster because people will hold on to it in order to read it. Remember to acknowledge key sponsors on all printed material.
- Sponsorship is another way of obtaining resources or help for an event. For an event such as a family fun-for-all festival, the best and perhaps easiest sponsorship to obtain is in the form of a product or service.
Monitor progress
The Event coordinator/event chairman's role includes ensuring that the event runs smoothly. A key role is to communicate with all officials and volunteers to ensure that their tasks are being carried out. Always check off the time-line of tasks and duties before and during the event. As tasks are interrelated, it is essential that they are completed in the time planned so as to keep the whole process on track. It is the Event coordinator/event chairman's responsibility to ensure this is done.
It is good practice to set regular meeting dates and times for the various individuals and subcommittees to report. Keep minutes and records of all meetings and follow-up on tasks between meetings. These records will be used for monitoring and coordination as well as for the final evaluation, event reporting, and input to planning for future events.
Computerizing the programs or work flow charts for project planning and management is also useful for event monitoring and record keeping. Continuous monitoring is essential for successful events and provides early warning if things begin to deviate from the plan. The earlier any deviations are noticed, the greater the chance of dealing with the situation before major reorganization is required. The more slack time between critical tasks, the more options for adjustment. If the plan needs adjusting because of over-runs of time or resources, the main options open to the Event coordinator/event chairman and the event committee are to:
- find additional resources (eg recruit additional volunteers or seek more funds)
- reassign resources to shorten critical tasks (eg move volunteers or finance from one task area to another)
- reduce costs and/or reschedule key tasks (eg drop non-critical tasks or move non-critical tasks to another time).
Event delivery
This is generally the most hectic part of the process and timings are generally much more critical than in the earlier stages of event planning and preparation. Smooth event delivery depends upon many things. Planning and monitoring are essential prerequisites for successful events, but as event delivery draws closer there are countless situations that arise and require immediate decisions. It becomes increasingly more difficult for the Event coordinator/event chairman to be everywhere and to make the myriad of decisions that are required. Much of the responsibility for decision making is, of necessity, gradually transferred throughout the evolution of the event from the event committee to the Event coordinator/event chairman, then to subcommittees and individuals in their respective areas of responsibility. It is at event delivery where the outcomes of careful planning and monitoring, and effective training, communication and coordination are realized. Event delivery day relies heavily on each individual knowing their tasks, being able to do them effectively and efficiently while maintaining coordination with all other aspects of the event. At the same time, individuals must be able to deal with problems, preferably before or as soon as they occur, and make and act on decisions quickly in order to keep the event running smoothly.
Successful events are generally scripted. Scripts are detailed lists of every activity to take place within a strict time frame. An event script should include actual time, activity, those involved, the person responsible and the location. Events can be scripted for every minute, but some events do not need to be as tight as this. Every volunteer involved in the event should have a copy of the script and follow it carefully. Scripts are also used for briefings of all involved. All activities, no matter how small should be included in a script.
- It is essential that an event has an evaluation process that is more than simply monitoring the planning and implementation. Evaluation should be carried out through the life of the event as well as at the end. Information recorded from monitoring provides a record and can be kept as a historical record for events that are held regularly. Criteria for success, and methods for measuring those criteria, need to be set when the event is first planned. Measures depend on the important questions to be answered. Questions may have to do with attendances, quality of staff, revenue, public opinion, and press coverage. Methods for obtaining the information needed to answer the questions might include statistics for attendance, questionnaires from participants and spectators, and financial records. If planning, monitoring and coordination have been carried out thoroughly, there should be few problems. However, it is seldom there are not some unforeseen situations that arise. Contingency plans then become important, and where problems have not been anticipated, quick decision making and action are essential.
Post event
Although the actual event may be over, there are still tasks to be completed. After the euphoria of a successful event it is often difficult to remain focused, and easy to leave some tasks incomplete. Remember to:
- send out results and media information
- thank and recognize all volunteers, participants, media and sponsors
- balance the accounts
- hold a debriefing session
- send out reports to the sponsors and key organizations
- ensure adequate records are kept for running the event in the future
- pay outstanding accounts.
Every event is a learning experience. No matter how well planned, adjustments will be required. In order to learn for the next event, it is important to record the progress and to compare the plan to how the event eventually unfolded.
The last duty is to review and evaluate the whole planning procedure and the event. Document what went to plan, what went wrong, and what to do next time.
Main problems when staging events
Research and experience has shown that some areas are frequently given insufficient attention or even omitted entirely. The following are typical problem areas:
- insufficient consideration of the organizing structure, aims and objectives
- not appointing an Event coordinator/event chairman
- failing to maintain accurate written records
- failing to closely monitor progress
- allowing insufficient planning time
- failing to communicate and coordinate fully with subcommittees or individuals
- having an unwieldy committee, subcommittee or work unit structure
- having poor relationships with local authorities, governing bodies or competitors.
Some problem areas that are critical to the success of an event and which should be avoided are:
- Weak or ineffective event coordinator/event chairman
- Keen but ineffective announcers
- Insufficient or inappropriate food and beverages
- No first aid
- Insufficient staff or volunteers
- Insufficient waste management systems (eg toilets and rubbish bins)
- No contingency plans for bad weather
- Embarrassing pauses in proceedings
- Lack of hospitality for visitors
- Failure to inform police or local authorities
- Poor press coverage
- Program running over time
Summary
Before making the commitment to run an event, an organization needs to be clear about what the event is (the event concept), why it is running the event, and who the event is for. Once the feasibility of the event has been investigated, an event committee and Event coordinator/event chairman need to be appointed, with a long lead time to ensure that every aspect of the event can be planned for and coordinated. Planning and decision making which initially resides with the event committee is eventually transferred to subcommittees or individuals responsible for key tasks. However, the event committee and Event coordinator/event chairman should retain overall control and coordination of the event. During event delivery, the Event coordinator/event chairman should be given sufficient authority to make decisions and act quickly to solve problems as they occur. An event should not be considered complete until it has been evaluated and feedback gathered for future events. An important outcome of an event is the documentation of event plans, policies, and processes for future events.