Conference And Exhibition Management - Case Study Example

Table of Contents Content Page Introduction 3 2. The Conference Buyer 3 3. The Conference Venue 3 Criteria for Venue Selection 3.2 Prospective Conference Venues 3.3 Selected Venue 4 4 5 6 4. Conference Structure 4.1 Program and Schedule 7 7 5. Financial Resources 5.1 Fixed Cost Versus Variable Cost 5.2 Budget Appropriation 5.3 Income Opportunities 12 12 13 15 6. Marketing Plan 16 7. Event Evaluation 16 8. Conclusion 17 9. Reference 18 1. Introduction The University of Bright People in Hong Kong will hold a three-day conference in September 2010 under the theme “Museums and Heritage.” The conference will be represented by approximately 350 delegates specifically students, academics and industrialists. Through this extensive meeting of minds, delegates will come to know and resolve the different facets in the preservation and enrichment of Hong Kong’s museums and heritage. This report presents the mechanisms used in designing the framework of the conference: from venue selection, program structure, budget planning and such other relative matters that may contribute to the success of the conference. 2. The Conference Buyer Generally, conference buyers are the event organizers or planners who purchase or employ event-related commodities or services (e.g. venues, specialist services) (Rogers 34). In the conference industry, there are two major kinds of conference buyers: the corporate buyers and the association buyers. Corporate buyers, as the name suggests, are buyers and organizers of corporate events for a financial gain (Rogers 34). The association buyers, on the contrary, work for not-for-profit organizations and merely rare are those who hold events with the purpose of benefiting financially from such events (Rogers 45). However there is also another kind of conference buyer: academic buyers. Academic buyers are those who plan for academic conferences such as the 2010 Museums and Heritage Conference. Academic conferences are usually an interaction among researchers in a specific field of study (Caroll-Clark). The 2010 Museums and Heritage Conference will mostly constitute delegates who are from universities to convene about one social and educational purpose - preserving and conserving museums and the heritage. Therefore the University of Bright People falls under the context of academic buyers. 3. The Conference Venue 3.1 Criteria for venue selection Since the conference is academic, the venue may not be luxurious however not inferior of taste to suit the varying preferences of the students, academics and industrialists. The venue is where the participants will be able to interact with each other; meet new acquaintances and/or opportunities for trade (Marx, et al. 15). The following are the criteria for selecting the conference venue. 1. Location The delegates should be able to access the location without hassles so the conference site must not be hard to locate on the map. Otherwise, it is best recommended that the venue be a common knowledge to all, or in a word, popular. 2. Affordability The cost for the venue must adhere with its respective allocation. Promotional packages would be a plus. 3. Set-up, Atmosphere, and Capacity The conference venue should be able to accommodate at least 350 people and which has a conducive space for learning and interaction such as in a theater or classroom set-up. It must have enough meeting rooms for parallel sessions, most importantly. 4. Facility and Service Quality The necessary facilities must be state-of-the-art (with broadband access, electronic whiteboard, etc.). The quality of service provided will be according to the ability to address all concerns of the delegates. 5. Availability The first thing that organizers must look into when selecting an event location is its availability on the specified time of the event as all else will be unnecessary when this criteria cannot be complied with. 6. Safety and Security These criteria should be among the top of the mind of the organizers. Since the delegates will stay for three days in the venue, they must be provided with ample security and safety from the transportation to accommodation. 3.2 Prospective Conference Venues Conference Center Meeting Room Rates (HK$) Ballroom Capacity (No. of People) Functional Space (sqm) Regal Airport Hotel Meeting & Conference Center (5-Star) *480 per person (Full-day meeting) *350per person (Half-day meeting) 762 (Classroom style) 1,050 Harbour Grand Hong Kong (5-Star) *580 per person (Full-day meeting) *350 per person (Half-day meeting) 600 (Theater style) 1,178 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center *580 (Full-day meeting) *520 (Half-day meeting) 340 (Other meeting rooms for a half-day use minus lunch proposal) 637 (Theater style) 507 Note: Packages with asterisk (*) refers to the specified room capacity, style, and floor space. 3.3 Selected Venue As the chart above indicates, Regal Airport Hotel Meeting and Conference Center promises a more suitable and convenient site for the delegates as well as for the organizers. Not only is it the venue with the largest capacity providing enough room for interaction and learning (with a classroom style), it is in essence a hotel designed to hold meetings and conferences. Though HKCEC could well serve the purpose alongside the fact that it offers participants a wonderful sight-seeing experience, its rates are but too pricey as compared with Regal Airport Hotel’s rates. Regal Airport Hotel is a five star hotel; therefore it is given that it is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and amenities necessary during plenary and parallel sessions. The hotel is also located near a famous landmark, the Hong Kong International Airport; hence reaching the venue should not be difficult at all. 4. Conference Structure 4.1 Program and Schedule Theme: 2010 Museums and Heritage Conference Day 1: Wednesday, 22nd of September Time Slot Program 0900 - 1030 Delegate Arrival and Registration 1030 - 1100 Conference Overview 1100 -1130 Welcome Addresses 1130 - 1200 KEYNOTE ADDRESS 1 Mr. Bernard Charnwut Chan, Antiquities Advisory Board Chairperson Introduction to Heritage and Museums 1200 - 1300 Lunch 1300 - 1500 PLENARY SESSION 1- Part 1 1. Museum and Heritage in Hong Kong: Past and Present Audio-Video Presentation 2. Contributions of Relevant and Related Organizations/Associations to the Conservation of Heritage and Museums 3. Monitoring Heritage Structures and Museums 1500 - 1530 Snack Break 1530 - 1630 PLENARY SESSION 1 - Part 2 4. Preservation Efforts of Some Notable Structures and Buildings 5. Individual Role for Sustainable Development 6. Question and Panel Discussion *Moderated by the Discussion Leader 1630 - 1700 KEYNOTE ADDRESS 2 Ms. Carrie Lim, Secretary of Development Bureau The Sustainable Development of Museums and Heritage: Social and Cultural Impact 1700 onwards Dinner at Murray House (End of Day 1) Day 2: Thursday, 23rd of September Time Program 0900 - 1000 PLENARY SESSION 2 - Part 1 1. Educational Function of Museums 2. Reaching Out to the Younger Generation 3. Modernization Impact 1000 - 1030 Snack Break 1030 - 1130 PLENARY SESSION 2 - Part 2 4. Project Building: Measures to Conserve and Protect Heritage Structures and Museums 5. Questions and Discussion *Moderated by the Discussion Leader 1130 -1200 KEYNOTE SESSION 3 Mr. Daryl Ng Win Kong, Heritage Conservation Foundation Director Conservation Projects 1200 -1300 Lunch 1300 - 1500 PARALLEL SESSION 1 1. On Unlawful Acts and Constitutional Foundations on Preserving Heritage and Museums 2. Case Studies: Present Case Scenarios 1500 - 1530 Snack Break 1530 - 1645 PARALLEL SESSION 2 1. Righteous Conduct in Heritage and Museum Conservation 2. Boosting the Museum and Heritage Industry 1645 onwards (End of Day 2) Day 3: Friday, 24th of September (meeting at designated rendezvous) Time Program 0930 -1000 Overview of the Guided Tours 1000 onwards Guided Tours 1. Flagstaff House 2. Kom Tong Hall/ Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum 3. Man Mo Temple 4. Hollywood Road Park 5. Western Market 1200 -1300 Lunch 1300 -1400 Resting Session 1400 - 1500 Open Interaction and Discussion (back to conference site) 1500 - 1530 KEYNOTE ADDRESS 4 Mr. James Tien, Hong Kong Tourism Board Chairperson Effect of Heritage Preservation on Tourism and Economy Boost 1530 - 1600 Snack Break 1600 - 1700 Awarding of Tokens, Plaques, and Certificates of Appreciation and Participation End of Day 3 5. Financial Resources 5.1 Fixed Cost Versus Variable Cost The substance and style of any endeavor is still highly dependent on the financial resources of the organizing committee. Through a liberal financial projection, the organizers will come to know the approximate amount needed from the planning to implementing the event. In order to prevent deficits, the budget management committee should include all fixed and variable costs in the financial forecast and then at least allow a conservative budget for each entity. Fixed costs are costs that don’t depend on the production level such as rental fees, interests, or salaries (Mankiw 274). They remain unchanged though only in a preconceived period of time since any market is still dynamic. Variable costs, on the other hand, refer to the costs which vary within indefinite periods (e.g. raw materials, energy or water consumption) (Mankiw 274). Variable costs rely mainly on the production and activity rates. 5.2 Budget Appropriation Income Allocated _____________________________________________________________________ Registration Fees 115 Students * 2,000 230,000 100 Academics * 3,000 300,000 135 Industrialists * 4,000 540,000 1,070,000 Sponsorships 86,000 86,000 Grant and subsidies 48,000 48,000 TOTAL Expenses Allocated _____________________________________________________________________ Facilities Venue (as per packages) 535,500 Other facility service charges 5,000 540,500 Transportation Bus rentals on guided tours 15,500 Other transportation expenses 5,370 19,870 Other food and catering expenses 185,450 185,450 Accommodation 405,000 405,000 Promotion and Marketing Event posters and tarpaulins 2,550 Brochures and other promotional designs 9,025 Web and newspaper advertisements 13,520 Publicity 530 25,625 General Tokens, plaques, and certificates 1,500 Registration materials 750 Administrative costs 3,500 Committee provisions 15,000 Miscellaneous 1,000 21,750 TOTAL 1,198,195 _____________________________________________________________________ PROFIT (INCOME LESS EXPENSES) 5,805 5.3 Income Opportunities Sponsorships, registrations, and grants/subsidies can be options for acquiring financial resources to cover all necessary expenses that will be incurred for the preparatory stage. With effective marketing strategy and ample resourcefulness, commercial firms can be made to defray some of the expenses as one of the sponsors. Sponsorships are not limited to the monetary return however; it may also applicable to any service value a potential sponsor can offer to benefit the event however related the event may be to the sponsoring organization (Allen et al. 104). Corporate sponsors may promote trades or strategic alliances to industrialists who will be attending the conference. Moreover, in this conference, Regal Airport Hotel may become one of the sponsors in return for other discount or privilege offers. The Hong Kong Tourism Board or other related government entities may provide grants and subsidies. Media partnerships are also a means of lessening promotional costs. 6. Marketing Plan Since the conference is not an international affair, it can be communicated through promotional tactics such as posters, tarpaulins, and flyers/brochures. Perhaps the most effective ways of selling the conference to the desired participants are through web, and national and regional newspaper advertising. Web and newspaper advertising are perfect means for a massive reach and achieving certain kinds of permanence (Buchman and Warner 341; 413). Regardless of the advantages though, the nature of the intellectual habits of delegates are appropriate for web and newspaper advertisements or press releases. They easily have access to either. A media coverage could also add value to the conference. It may only have to be aired after the event however. 7. Event Evaluation Evaluating an event identifies the areas of success and failure from the preparation to implementation (Allen et al. 413). Assessing the quality of the following areas are instrumental to determining the over-all success of the conference. 1. Conference goals 2. Media and communications 3. Facilities/Venue (including site accessibility and services) 4. Speakers and moderators 5. Program 6. Audio-visual aspects 7. Food and catering facilities 8. Accommodation 9. Security 10. Transportation 8. Conclusion With sufficient intellectual, financial, and creative resources, events organizing and management may not be such a complex task. The events industry is a booming market that hiring the services of event planners and organizers is becoming a major trend. In operating a successful event, venue selection, program structure and financial resources are elemental factors. The 2010 Museums and Heritage Conference plan adheres to contemporary practical theories to achieve the event goals. Towards the end of the conference, the delegates should be able to fully grasp the scope of their individual roles for the sustainable development of heritage and culture as such is the main purpose of the event structure. The most important factor however is that they will be able to apply what they have theoretically gained in their respective regions. 9. Reference Works Cited Allen, Johnny, Glenn Bowdin, Robert Harris, Ian McDonnel, and WIlliam O’Toole. Events Management. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinamann, 2004. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . Buchman, Joseph and Charles Warner. Media Selling: Broadcast, Cable, Print and Interactive. USA: Blackwell, 2004. Wen. 20 Sept. 2010. . Caroll-Clark, Susan. “Attending Academic Conferences: A Primer.” Nicolaa. Nicolaa, 2003. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . Mankiw, N. Gregory . Principles of Economics. USA: Cengage, 2009. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . Marx, Marilyn, Gaylon Palmer, Susan Sevilla, and Jonathon Wagner. Planning and Organizing a TA Conference. ITAA. Itaa, November 2005. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . Rogers, Tony. Conferences and Conventions: A Global Industry. Great Britain: Elsevier, 2008. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. . Read More