Planning and executing a successful event can be a tedious process. From finding a great venue to ensuring flawless logistics, the work can be overwhelming. So, to ensure every aspect of an event culminates into a memorable experience for everyone, we often use event managers. In this guide, we look at what exactly event management is, how it works and why it is essential for the success of any event.
What Is Event Management?
Event management is the act of ensuring that all aspects of an event work as planned. This includes hiring staff, handling overall logistics, booking a venue, and working closely with the event production team.
Event managers also ensure that the budget is well-adhered to and that crew members properly perform their functions. In most cases, event managers work with big events. These may include public or private events for business or social purposes.
While event managers have a lot of power, they usually follow client instructions and schedules. Some examples of events that might require professional management include:
- Business conventions
- Industry conferences
- Trade shows
- Concerts
- Award shows
- Press conferences
- Festivals
What are the Functions of an Event Manager?
Big events can be complicated. So, to ensure that they don’t turn disastrous, event managers have to come up with a working strategy and a solid schedule. This means that they have to be in charge of the technical, creative, and logistical elements of the event.
To accomplish these, event managers perform several functions. These include:
- Creating a workable concept for the event
- Reserving venues
- Working closely with third-party vendors
- Creating and sticking to a budget
- Writing a script for the event
- Working closely with the audio-visual team
- Creating a marketing strategy for the event
- Obtaining required permits and insurance
- Arranging for equipment transportation and parking spaces
- Monitoring venue setup
- Ensuring compliance with safety and health standards
- Engaging with speakers and the entertainment team
- Ordering food and drinks for guests
- Coming up with emergency contingency plans
- Managing crisis before or during the event
- Designing a security plan for the event
If you are hosting a small event, you can do most of these tasks independently. However, for a big event, you might want to work with a management company.
Why You Should Work With an Event Management Company
Working with a professional event management company instead of doing everything yourself comes with a lot of benefits. These include:
- Less stress and fatigue: Planning an event can be frustrating. It is even more tedious if you manage it yourself. A management company will ensure you relax and let them do everything for you.
- Time-saving: Since they have already managed many events, management companies know how to manage a timeline without sacrificing the success of the event.
- Expertise, skills, and knowledge: If you are creating an event for the first time, there is a chance that you have limited expertise to make it a success. A management company will bring in a team of experts with the right experience and knowledge to make your event a success.
- Effective risk management: Event managers have the right skills to counter unforeseen risks and crises. For instance, in case of a power blackout, they will always know what to do.
If you are looking for a competent event management company, feel free to check out our event management solutions or contact us for more information.
Qualities of a Good Event Manager
To be an effective event manager, you will need an arsenal of important skills. Managing events is a critical career. People depend on you to provide them with memorable experiences.
So, as an event manager, you should be able to:
- Plan all the activities of an event effectively
- Communicate with your team, vendors, and the client
- Stay organized
- Solve any issues in a creative and timely manner
- Interact well with everyone involved in the event
You Should Be Able to Plan Effectively
Often, a successful event starts with proper planning. You might have an event planner for this. However, it is important that the manager understands the planning process in order to effectively collaborate with the event planner.
You Should Be Organized
The whole event process involves organizing different elements that holistically contribute to the success of the event. So, whether it is a small or big event, the manager will need to have the right skills to ensure everything happens according to plan.
You Should Communicate Well
Communication is vital when it comes to managing an event. As the person in charge, you need to be in constant communication with the different teams and vendors to ensure they are properly performing the functions you assigned them.
You Should Interact Well With Crew and Vendors
As an event manager, you will be interacting with a lot of people. Whether it is your clients, crew members, or vendors, you must know how to work well with different types of people and personalities.
You Should Be Able to Solve Problems Quickly
A lot of things could go wrong during an event. While you always do your best to plan the perfect function, it is possible that you may encounter an unforeseen crisis. A good event manager should be able to quickly identify and develop mitigation measures for any emergency contingencies.
Why Is Event Management Important?
Planning and management sit at the backbone of any successful event. Without good management, it will be hard to create a memorable experience for your attendees or at the very least, one you want them to remember.
In this regard, there are several reasons why we think event management is absolutely important:
- Ensures that everything goes according to plan
- Enhances business reputation
- It might help to widen your client base
- Provides a good customer experience
Because of these and many other benefits, there is a growing demand for competent and creative event managers.
Conclusion
As we have seen, event management is highly crucial to ensuring the success of any function. It ensures a smooth execution by following a set schedule and sticking to the event budget. This is important because events can inform how people perceive your company or business. So, the more successful the event is, the more likely they are to trust your business.
