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Planning an event is an event itself

THE PEOPLE'S EXECUTIVE

PLANNING AN EVENT IS AN EVENT ITSELF

An event management company today is much more professional and more organized a sector than, say, a decade ago. Event management started the moment multinationals started pouring in when our markets liberalized in the 80s," Brian Tellis, director of Fountainhead. Event management does not have a textbook definition and to try and define it would mean to borrow heavily from mainstream management and media concepts. Event management is the most profound form of advertising and marketing, it is a glamorous and thrilling profession. It provides an opportunity for unleashing one's creative potential to a very high degree. It demands a lot of hark work and effort but at the same time offers enormous scope. The services of event management companies can be tapped by the general public as well as by business houses. Event management is reaching out to prospective customers more intimately with plethora of services.

Event management is a process of organizing a professional and focused event, for a particular target audience. It involves visualizing concepts, planning, budgeting, organizing and executing events such as fashion shows, musical concerts, corporate seminars, exhibitions, product launching, conferences, promotions, press conferences, jubilee celebrations and farewells to television based events, birthday parties, wedding anniversaries, theme parties, wedding or parties¡K it could be just anything. Sunrise Industry Event Management is looked upon as a sunrise industry in the service sector. The word 'Event' now needs to be re-defined in view of the manifold growth of the various 'happenings' in the ¡¥commercial¡¦ as well as in the 'non-commercial' world. Be it private happenings or public events, everything now is done on 'big scale'. 'Image' is the key word today. This 'image' building exercise today needs a professional manager, either an individual or an organization, depending on the size of the exercise.

Live entertainment is among one of the factors causing an increase in events. Television channels are looking towards programmes based on live events like awards shows, pageants, rock shows, musical programmes based on Bollywood churn-outs, etc. to boost their ratings. Segments like music, culture, sports, fashion shows, Bollywood-based shows and award ceremonies are emerging as the main growth drivers in the sector. Recently, a study on Live Entertainment industry was done by Pricewaterhouse Coopers to study and evaluate the untapped opportunities in the Indian Entertainment Industry. The report unfolds the story of gradual growth in live entertainment shows and the consequential growth in the Event Management Industry. The positive side is the growing acceptance of professional event management in both public and private sector. Events are playing an increasingly important role in the marketing and communications mix for all companies. Today, Event Management has become an integral part of any marketing plan. A large number of companies have really started to recognize the benefits of direct marketing through events. Events can be considered as a means to advertise or build a brand. Any event management company would have personnel specializing in visualization, creativity, planning and venue management. Through events, we can select and reach out directly to our target audience, we can control our budgets and at the end of the event tangibly analyze if the event was a success or not. The event management industry is expected to grow at an astounding rate of 30 percent per annum over the next five years. ¡§Planning an event is an event in itself.

Companies or the general public approach the event managers with a vague idea and a budget in their mind. It is then entirely up to the event manager to develop and improvise and turn the idea into a success. Once the idea and the budget are settled, event managers begin their tasks of planning and implementation of the event as per the requirements of their clients. They begin coordinating with sponsors and performers, arranging travel, security, and accommodation for the stars, in case of shows. They also have to supervise ticket and stage design, arrange music, sound and lights, and look into those numerous details that go into making an event successful. Security is another big issue that is dealt with by event managers. In India, shows usually have to end before midnight at the latest, even earlier in some places. Event managers have to ensure that events conclude on time, and in case they stretch beyond the permitted hours, they have to handle the police and the local bureaucracy. Bad security could ruin an otherwise well-organized event. Unwanted guests, stampedes, fights, and harassment of performers are a few things event managers have to tackle during public events. Planning an event is an event in itself.

Remuneration: An excellent field to make money¡Kin fact once you start getting the feel of the field, it will never be a problem. Even freelancers today earn anywhere between Rs.30, 000 and above today.

It is a very lucrative profession. Money again depends on the kind of events you handle. Bigger the deal, bigger may you earn. If you prefer to deal with weddings and parties it may easily come around Rs. 50,000 or even more. Event co-ordinators with a good deal of experience could earn even in seven figures. There is no stipulated amount and earnings largely depend on the success of each show or event. The event management organizations usually get a commission of 15 to 20 per cent of the total amount spent on organizing an event.

Skills Needed: In terms of educational qualifications, a graduation should be ideal though not much stress is laid on education. One has to remember that to become a successful event manager, you may need to put in 365 days a year without even a Sunday off, but there are a host of other qualities, which are essential for a person to be well-equipped in this field. These include:

« Analytical/Critical thinking and problem solving - Analytical thinking, critical thinking and problem solving are abilities that are a must in this field. You should be able to acknowledge a problem, recognize that it has to be solved then and there, and always think on how the situation could be avoided in future.

« Client/Customer service orientation - Client/customer service orientation is the ability to be client focused and committed to meeting the needs of your customer. An event manager has to be client focused, he must attempt to know the client's needs, he must be able to put them at ease while interacting with them, build trust and respect with customers and clients.

« Good negotiation skills - It is a general opinion that negotiating means underestimating the seller. On the contrary it is a skill in business which, when developed, makes him an astute minded businessman.

« Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines - An event manager should be able to handle pressures and deadlines at ease. In spite of meticulous planning and arrangement, a small error or miscalculation can wreak havoc and disrupt the entire schedule. At such testing times, he should be able to remain calm and cool and perform his role as though everything is under control, so that others are not adversely affected.

« Teamwork, facilitation and co-operation - Needless to say, one of the most important things here, is the ability to work as a team. He should not only know how to lead a team but also work with everyone and get the job done. He should be able to build efficient teams of people and facilitate their effectiveness. Always remember, "There is no 'I' in Team".

« Planning, co-ordination and organization - This involves the ability to effectively coordinate and organize oneself, others, information and/or situations at a personal and/or organizational level.

« Good networking skills - An event manager needs to build up his own network and the more number of contacts he has the more successful he will be. Any kind of business can be only expanded through contacts and he must therefore have the skill and aptitude to go out and talk to people. Conclusion:- Event management is a sunrise industry.

Event Management can be termed as 'experiential marketing', or niche marketing, where the environment is controlled to suit the needs of the product or the show being showcased and the output being far tangible than that of the conventional media. An event is a niche communication medium that allows companies to reach their target audience directly with tangible outcomes, which are not possible through conventional forms of advertisement. An event manager has to first design the basic framework, after which he prepares the marketing plans, hunts for sponsors, works on the logistics, locates the site/destination, contacts vendors, hires performers, prints/mails invitation cards, creates menus, looks after the stage/lights, books the artistes, arranges for transport for different people, and on the event day co-ordinates, plans and finalizes every aspect of the event. Event managers usually start working months before the event. Sometimes, in order to make the work easier, large event management companies hire the services of smaller companies on a contract basis. It takes so many minds to make an event a grand success.

REFERENCES: 1. www.indiamart.com 2. www.webindia123.com 3. www.zeelearn.com

Written By: Ruchi Bhatia

Jobnet's Placement Consultants Directory - India & International
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Writers Profile

Ruchi Bhatia

Lecturer B.S.Anangpuria Institute of Technology & Management Faridabad

ruchibhatia2@rediffmail.com