Event Management Hosting - Essay Example

Reflective Report on Event Management Introduction In the current world, everything is changing and the way events used to be has changed. It is necessary when having an event to plan early to ensure the event meets all the objectives and targets. Consideration of the desired outcomes is also a major requirement. Evaluation of available resources of the event and the target group are also integral factors to consider. In event management, it is also for event managers to employ suitable skills to ensure the events are successful. With the main target of the cake sale event being the university students, the best site for the cake sale was at the university reception. The choice of the venue came along on consideration of how strategic is the reception in terms of probable customers. With the team cooperating, the event was a success and it was a joy to meet most of the objectives. Executive summary The cake sale activity was planned urgently by our team to evaluate how best we can manage an event with little time to prepare. It was worth trying and putting in practice skills acquired in class, in real life scenario, having learnt the concepts of event management. The activity was in place at the university reception with the aim of making one of the successful activities of the group. Detailed in this report are the experiences, reflections and the lessons in the event. It consists of the objectives of the team, description of the activities, and how the team members managed the event and the skills attained. The report also describes the event, the objectives, the venue, participants, budget, and the execution of the activity and the evaluation of the whole activity. Team arrangements Spurred on with the target of setting a record in such an event, we split the team into four to cover specific tasks. I was voted the project manager to be responsible for overseeing the entire event and making sure that every group is on top of their task. The first group was to organize on how to get the cakes from the suppliers, Sweet Cakes Company into the venue. The second group was to make arrangements of the venue and ensure cleanliness in the day of the event. They were also to set up the tables to place the cakes. The third group (marketing group) had the responsibility of marketing the event in terms of distributing posters about the event all over the university. The fourth group was to take on the selling responsibility and taking customers through the brands. Team objectives In every activity, setting out objectives is a major step towards achieving the desired goals or results (Damm, 2012). Setting objectives helps in planning and in seeking effective ways to perform the activity and meet the targets. Objectives are also important in the after activity evaluation as they offer a benchmark of the expected results (Mehndiratta, 2008). Our main objectives for the activities were: • To test our team management ability and enhance teamwork in event management • To assess our capability on time management • To test our marketing capabilities • To make all the sales within 10 hours • To utilize skills in budgeting and coordination • To test our flexibility and capacity to organize quality events • To ensure all the customer receive the best attention possible • To test our customer relations ability and communication skills • To evaluate our capacity to handle large number of clients and activities • To test our ability to plan and arrange activities with urgency Event description The event was amazing and spectacular. The first group had the cakes ready from the sponsors, and the second group had the venue ready as we had planned. The marketing group had also distributed enough information, as it was evident by the number of customers who shared their knowledge about the event. Though almost everything was ready as per the scheduled time, we delayed starting the activity due to lateness of the receipt books. On starting the sale, the customer flow was commendable and we were able to sell 90% of the cakes we had at the end of the day. Were it not for the rain in the evening we would have sold everything. All activities took place well though there was also a challenge of serving the customers whenever their number surpassed our target at a specific time. The marketing group helped in directing the clients to different brands available whereas the members who brought the cakes helped in packaging. Most of our clients were our fellow students and lectures as the event focused more on the university fraternity. After the activity, we organized the venue as it was before and all members participated in cleaning the area. The remaining cakes were returned to the supplier as we had agreed. We were able to meet our target sales and this would be attributed to the hard work of all the team members. Event Evaluation After three days, all the team members met for the evaluation and analysis of the event. All members made suggestions on the undertakings of the event and they all claimed it was a success. The cakes arrived on time except the issue on the receipt book that delayed the start of the activity. The team on marketing noted that, it was a challenge to design and distribute the posters within the short time they had. Additionally, there were unable to market the activity on other platforms due to lack of enough capital. The group assigned to arrange on the venue suggested that it was a challenge informing the authorities involved on late notice as the venue had been allocated to others, but were able to convince the other group to relocate. On my side as group leader, I noted that coordination of a large group was a challenge but with experience, this would be easier. Being a team leader requires dedication, determination, and active interaction with team members to yield results (Walton, 2006). Other challenges noted by all members include uncooperative customers, adverse weather, time management, and unexpected workload. Analysis The strategic preparation, planning, coordination, and execution of an event demands professional handling to guarantee optimum interplay between all the participants (Brown, 2003). The roles assigned to every member of a team in event arrangement are very critical as any failure on a single corner may affect negatively the whole project. We were able to meet most of our objectives though due to challenges encountered some were not fully achievable. Time management was our main achievement. We were able to prepare and organize the venue and required facilities as per our plans. The only challenge observed was the lateness of the receipt book that delayed us for thirty minutes. The rain also forced us to close the activity earlier than expected as customers, ceased coming. Time is one of the major and critical factors that all event organizers should consider in their projects (Harris, 2004). We dint manage to sell all the products as we had objected, but the 90% sales we felt it was an achievement due to the challenges faced. Challenges in events are unavoidable, but the techniques used to combat them determine the success of the event (Mehndiratta, 2008). We also managed to meet the budget of the event. The ability to coordinate team members and the willingness of all members to succeed determines the effectiveness of an event (Morgan, 2009). All the group members dedicated maximum efforts in their assigned duties and this was a positive move as per the group objectives. The difference between our planned objectives and the objectives was because of event uncertainties. An example is the unpredictable workloads. At some extent due to a high flux of customers, most members concentrated on sales to minimize the pressure on the team members who were allocated the duties. Learnt lessons from the project Every activity performed is a learning experience and one should emerge better than before (Morgan, 2009). Having a plan and budgeting for an event forms the foundation for its successful. Costs of managing an event may escalate under certain circumstances thus there is a need to build detailed requirements at an earlier stage. Teamwork is an integral part in facilitation of an event. The success in an activity depends on the ability of team members to cooperate, and to own the project. Duties need to be well delegated (Smith & Peterson, 2000) among members to ensure no one section of an event fails. As the project leader, I realized that members should be flexible to help others whenever challenges occur such as unexpected workload. In the future, it is important for the group to plan earlier enough and make arrangements on the event early to avoid any event day frustrations. According to Mehndiratta (2008), events can be frustrating especially when planning is poorly. All stakeholders involved in the event should be notified at good time span to ensure they are adequately prepared (Harris et al., 2005). Recommendations for future projects Through the experience in the project, it is worth to recommend that in holding such events it is necessary to have well laid objectives, reliable plan, and necessary arrangements of the venue be made. Team members should never be carried out by other activities in an event and forget the assigned duties (Smith & Peterson, 2000). It is as important to seek approval of the event from the appropriate authorities to avoid inconveniences in the day of the event (Morgan, 2009). Another recommendation is that proper marketing strategies should be in place to ensure the target groups have information before the event day. In addition, in the future it is important for team members to have adequate preparation in terms of trainings and equipment to ensure smooth running of activities. Benefits of working in a group Unity is strength, were it not for the joint efforts or the team members, the event would not have been fruitful as it was. Strong teamwork is an important skill to all working in events industry (Harris et al., 2005). Working as a group has several benefits as it enhances creativity. People in a team have different experiences and opinions, when working together more ideas are open. Team members enhance decision-making. Through teamwork, members improve job satisfaction as working towards a common goal develops a sense of unity within a team. It also helps in accessing stronger skills set (Hamlin, 2005). Everybody has individual strengths and weaknesses, working as a group provide a wider set of skills. Event managers most work under tight schedule. Working with a team ensures that tasks easy to carry and much is achievable within a short time. Individual contributions and skills earned As a leader of the team, I was able to coordinate the team members and supervise throughout the activity. When the workload was high, I was able to make a quick decision and assigned several members to serve the customers. It was a lesson that at times when one is in a leadership position, it is necessary to make fast and critical decisions to ensure success of the role assigned (DiMeglio et al., 2005). The project was beneficial in that I learnt that in any project there several basic requirements to consider. These are, purpose of the event, permission from authorities, budget, group members, the timeline and the logistics of everything to be used in the event. It is also necessary to consider the target group, the means appropriate for advertisement, and the best follow-up strategies. Through redrafting of the resume, it is necessary to indicate this event as one of my most successful events I led. The integral skills learnt, and important to indicate would be the leadership skills, time management skills, and the citation of the event as evidence for may capabilities. References DiMeglio, K., Padula, C., Piatek, C., Korber, S., Barrett, A., Ducharme, M. & Corry, K. 2005 “Group cohesion and nurse satisfaction: examination of a team-building approach” Journal of Nursing Administration, Vol.35, No.3, pp.110-120. Damm, S 2012, Event Management, Diplomica Verlag, Hamburg Hamlin, L 2005, Leadership and teamwork,. A Textbook of Perioperative Care, Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh Brown, G., Jago, L., Chalip, L., Mules, T., & Ali, S. 2003, Building events into destination branding: insights from experts, Event management, Vol.8, No.1, pp.3-14. Harris, V. 2004, Management Practice Event Management: A New Profession?, Event Management, Vol. 9, No.1, pp. 103-109. Mehndiratta, V. 2008, Event management, Abhishek Publications, Chandigarh, India Morgan, M 2009, What Makes A Good Festival? Understanding The Event Experience, Event Management, Vol.12, No2, pp.81-93. Harris, R., OToole, W., & McDonnell, I 2005, Festival and special event management. John Wiley & Sons, Australia. Smith, P. B., & Peterson, M. F 2000, Leadership, organizations and culture: An event management model. Sage Publications, Inc., New York Walton, T, 2006, Leadership, creativity, teamwork, Design Management Review, Vol. 17, No.3,pp. 6-9 Read More