Event Management of London 2012 Olympics - Marketing, Place-Making, and the Visitor Economy - Case Study Example

Issues in Event Management - Marketing, Place-making and the Visitor Economy (London 2012 Olympics) CONTENTS PAGE I. Introduction…………………………………………………………….3 II. Benefits of events………………………………………………………4 Tangible benefits……………………………………………………….4 a) Infrastructure development……………………………………4 b) Physical development………………………………………….4 c) Environmental development…………………………………..4 d) Investments………………………………………………….....5 e) Tourism ………………………………………………………..5 f) City wealth……………………………………………………..5 Intangible benefits……………………………………………………..6 a) Quality of life………………………………………………….6 b) City branding………………………………………………….6 c) Improvement in technology…………………………………..6 d) Economic development…………………………………….....6 e) Innovation and entrepreneurship …………………………....7 III. Case study 1…………………………………………………………..7 IV. Costs associated with events…………………………………………8 a) Insurance cover……………………………………………….8 b) Preparation and maintenance costs………………………….9 c) Control of waste materials …………………………………..9 d) Provision of entertainment………………………………….10 e) Payment of event contract…………………………………..10 f) Control of noise……………………………………………..10 g) Provision of food and water…………………………………11 h) Provision of toilet facilities………………………………….11 V. Case study 2………………………………………………………….11 VI. Conclusion…………………………………………………………....12 VII. Recommendations……………………………………………………13 VIII. References…………………………………………………………….14 IX. Appendix……………………………………………………………..15 i. INTRODUCTION Event making is the art of preparing a place with expectation of visitors of which one will be the host(Stea & Turan, 1993). Over the years, event making has been going on without any regulations, but in recent times there are standards set for one to meet a sustainable event (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). The measures of the standards expected are based on venue selection, communication and transport state around the selected venue, supply chain and procurement issues and operating procedures(Rubertone, 2008). Event making in practice has many challenges and shortcomings which need some expertise and skill to handle. Event planning and implementation needs to be handled by a team of event managers for the realization of a successful event(Goldblatt, 2005). A good event planning committee should also take into consideration; the environmental impact of the event, the human rights that should be observed during the event, labour practices and the society responsibility in the event(Stea & Turan, 1993). The event planning committee should also take into consideration the effect of multiculturalism and the challenges of hosting a large multitude of people in one place(Rubertone, 2008). In event planning and management, there are very many social and cultural issues that need to be looked into in order to host a sustainable and successful event(Stea & Turan, 1993). At such events, security matters are an important issue. The event managers are supposed to make sure that all areas at the venue are well guarded by security officers and order is maintained (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). They are also to make sure they obtain an official contract that enables them to carry out the event without interruptions from the government(Stea & Turan, 1993). Due to the risks and the insecurity issues that can come up from such events, the managers are to take an insurance cover for the event. Pollution effects of the materials used by individuals at the event should be minimized,and litter bins for dirt disposal be availed at accessible points(Goldblatt, 2005). This helps keep the environment clean and appealing. The general cost of such an event is supposed to be analyzed, and ways of minimizing costs established prior to the event commencement. Staging events,however, have many cultural and social issues that arise and are as discussed below(Goldblatt, 2005). Hosting events has many benefits to the hosts. These benefits, however, can only be realized if the event managers have a good plan of the event. Some of these benefits are as depicted below(Stea & Turan, 1993). ii. BENEFITS OF EVENTS Tangible benefits a) Infrastructure development The infrastructure was developed as people needed to be transported to the fields where the events were taking place(Goldblatt, 2005). Several infrastructure constructions have been completed in the recent past due to the pressure anticipated from the large multitude of people. All these infrastructure development was supposed to be completed before the commencement of the London Olympics(Rubertone, 2008). This is a major development to the host country. The developed infrastructure will continue being in use over the years even after many years from the date the event was hosted(Stea & Turan, 1993). b) Physical development Physical development achieved during such big events may include; development of the broadcast media and media centers, the stadia and the venue of the event (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). The venue of the event is normally re-configured such that it can accommodate more members and it can look neat(Goldblatt, 2005). During the preparation period of the event, the venue is normally checked and any repairs made. In situations where repairs are not applicable the whole system is reconstructed so as to give a good representation of the venue. There is usually painting of the structures during such a period, and the systematic arrangement of structures to enhance neatness(Rubertone, 2008). The venue is supposed to be as clean as possible(Stea & Turan, 1993). The media presentation and stadia is also checked and improvement in technology effected for better presentations of the activities taking place during the main event (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). c) Environmental development This involves land remediation and general cleanliness of rivers and the general surroundings(Goldblatt, 2005). During such events, the government usually takes steps to reduce on pollution effects of waste matter and goes into a further step of implementing more ways of neutralizing pollutants. This is usually done in preparation to the coming event where environmental pollution is expected to be high(Rubertone, 2008). The implemented methods normally remain in place even after the event is over. This then becomes an important step towards environmental development(Goldblatt, 2005). d) Investments Due to the events awareness to the people, many investors tend to invest in the country having the event, and this is a source of revenue to the government(Goldblatt, 2005). The investors also employ workers to work for them in their various businesses who earn their livelihood from the jobs they are employed to do(Stea & Turan, 1993). This is also a big contribution towards the economic establishment of a country. The management team can also sell a number of things and earn income. There can be sale of tickets, beverages, gaming equipment, accommodation rooms, clothing, food and transportation facilities. All this can earn the managers good revenue which can help in running the event(Rubertone, 2008). e) Tourism During the event period, many visitors who come to the event come as tourists hence do not spend all the time attending the event(Goldblatt, 2005). They visit national reserves and game parksviewing wild animals and visiting beautiful sceneries. They also spent most of the time at the beach enjoying the sun and swimming(Goldblatt, 2005). All these cost incurred by the visitors while on travel is taken as revenue to the country. This shows that events encourage tourism hence improve a countries economy. f) City wealth After an event has been conducted in a city, the city becomes wealthy due to the increased economic activities, the increased technology level and the increased number of people(Rubertone, 2008). The increase in economic activities makes the city flooded with people who increase the city’s revenue even more(Stea & Turan, 1993). Intangible benefits a. Quality of life The quality of life of the citizens staying in such a city also improves. This is because the technology level of the city is high(Stea & Turan, 1993). The citizens are able to access services using improved technology which is fast and easy to use. There is also an improvement in the quality of life of citizens due to improved economic level. As the citizens are able to obtain jobs during the event, they are able to organize themselves financially such that their lifestyle improves(Goldblatt, 2005). b. City branding Once a city is used to host an event, it becomes known worldwide for very many other things. The city develops rapidly and has an advantage over other cities in many ways(Goldblatt, 2005). This places the city in a position such that it becomes easy to be selected again for another event. Other economic activities also tend to thrive well in such a city because of the influence of the event previously conducted in the city(Stea & Turan, 1993). The event conducted in the city also makes the city generally appealing as the city will remain clean, it will have improved economic activities, and it will also have increased technology level. These specifications place such a city in a good position to be a host to many other following events(Goldblatt, 2005). c. Improvement in technology Technology is usually copied from different parts of the world so that the host country can have the ability to manage the different types of personality and user requirements(Rubertone, 2008). This makes the host country to have the latest technology gathered from the different countries that have advanced technological equipment(Stea & Turan, 1993). d. Economic development This is one area that develops greatly when the event is in progress. This ranges from availability of jobs, the presence of tourists as the visitors during the event and the sale of tickets. Jobs in such an event are in plenty and all of them are a source of revenue to the host country. The visitors in an event pay for various services during the event. All the pay is revenue to the host country(Stea & Turan, 1993). The visitors also pay for entry tickets during the event. The payment made as entry fee is a revenue to the government. This improves the economic level of a country(Rubertone, 2008). During the event, there are also many businesses supplying goods to the spectators in the event. The sum of the amount got from such a sale is directly added as revenue to the government income(Goldblatt, 2005). Many workers are also employed to help in different event activities. The workers are also trained to enable them handle more technical areas during the event. This increases the economic level of the workers and also improves their skills in the job they are trained to handle(Goldblatt, 2005). e. Innovation and entrepreneurship During the period of the event, many people become very innovative as the event forms a forum which one can easily sell any commodity that is appealing to the eye(Stea & Turan, 1993). All people usually look for means of coming up with a new discovery so that it can enable them earn money from it(Rubertone, 2008). It is usually from such events that major innovations and discoveries aremade. This can be as a result of the coming together of individuals of varied abilities hence brainstorming is very easy(Goldblatt, 2005). iii. CASE STUDY 1 To elaborate on the above achievements, we can sight the London 2012 Olympics (Ferdinand, 2012).London Olympics depict a good arrangement of events and the general management of the issues accompanying the events (Ferdinand, 2012). Transportation issues are seen to be arranged in a very orderly manner (Ferdinand, 2012). There are trains to transport spectators from the venue to their respective places of residence. The cleanliness of the venue is also well planned, and it is seen to be cleaned after short moments to ensure that the place remains clean (Ferdinand, 2012). A toilet facility, which is always a major problem when it comes to event management, is seen to be well coordinated in the London Olympics (Ferdinand, 2012). There are several portable toilets that are put in place to assistwhen the others seem to be crowded (Ferdinand, 2012). Waste material control is taken care of well in the London 2012 Olympics. There are trucks which worked continuously to help transport the waste materials away to dumping sites. Water availability was not an issue in the London 2012 Olympics. Water was available to the spectators and the general visitors in plenty (Ferdinand, 2012). The London 2012 Olympics also depicts good arrangement of events and good management of the large crowds and the noise accompanying them. The events follow each other systematically such that they do not affect each other in anyway (Ferdinand, 2012). The cheering crowds are also maintained in an orderly way such that there are no riots or rowdy groups. This is credited to good use of security personnel (Ferdinand, 2012). The entertainment depicted during the London 2012 Olympics was also arranged in an orderly manner (Ferdinand, 2012). The visitors and guests were well entertained. This can be seen from the fact that no complain was seen during and after the event (Ferdinand, 2012). iv. COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH AN EVENT There are many social and cultural issues associated with staging events (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). Although, public events are normally organized as a source of fun and enjoyment to the participants, it may also be a source of loss to the hosts if the hosts do not have a good plan of the event. Global events are mostly accompanied by many social and cultural issues which can impose challenges to the event managers(Goldblatt, 2005). a. Insurance cover In big events, the managers need to take an insurance cover to help cater for the many accidents and breakages anticipated from such events(Stea & Turan, 1993). Such an insurance cover may be very expensive to the event managers and hosts. Such breakages can result from riots from the spectators, drank individuals who may be on the loose and from general pressure of many people on the resources available (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). To help reduce such breakages from alcohol, the event managers can devise ways of reducing the access to and consumption of alcohol(Stea & Turan, 1993). To implement this, the event managers need to be in collaboration with security personnel and the relevant government departments(Rubertone, 2008). The event managers also need to be aware of collaborative planning processes, formal post-event evaluation, strategies of handling large crowds, ways of coordinating adequate and suitable entertainment(Goldblatt, 2005). To control alcohol consumption, the managers need to set the prices of alcohol such that not many people will have the ability to buy(Stea & Turan, 1993). They also are to restrict the type of beverage bottles to be used during the event. Plastic bottles are recommended as the glass beverage bottles are always a source of many accidents and mostly are used to harm innocent people (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). The trading hours for the sale of alcohol should also be regulated such that one has access to alcohol only at certain times(Goldblatt, 2005). The event planners need to select a specific place for alcohol consumption. This helps to control the places one can get drunk from hence not be in a position to destroy property located in other parts of the venues. The insurance cover will also be used to cover for any accidents happening to the participants in the games during the event(Goldblatt, 2005). The insurance may cover from treatment of such a casualty to the payment for any disabilities got from the accident during the game (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). b. Preparation and maintenance costs The hosts of the event also incur many costs in preparing the venues for the events and the general preparation exercise(Rubertone, 2008). The hosts of the event usually have to take into consideration that all transport and communication channels are working properly before the commencement of the event(Stea & Turan, 1993). If such transport and communication channels are not operational, then it is the responsibility of the event managers to rectify the situation. This causes them to spend money carrying out the repairs of the systems which adds to the overall cost of managing the event (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). c. Control of waste materials During such big events, controlling disposal of waste materials is usually a problem. To solve this, the event managers are supposed to look for various means of reducing the waste matter disposal rate. This can be achieved by using reusable trays, beverage containers, cutlery and dishes(Stea & Turan, 1993). The items that cannot be reused should be recyclable. The event managers are also to provide means by which organic waste materials will be disposed. This can be done by having compost programs and backyard composters for the disposal of such waste materials. There should also be providence for collection bins where waste materials are disposed. The collection bins need to be put at open places where one can spot them easily(Stea & Turan, 1993). There needs to bemessages for sensitizing the public on cleanliness and trucks to be carrying the waste materials away(Rubertone, 2008). All these events and tasks can be achievable with money. The event managers are supposed to set aside enough money for this project(Stea & Turan, 1993). d. Provision of entertainment Entertainment is an important element of any event. It is the entertainment mood that keeps visitors and spectators jovial and always happy(Rubertone, 2008). The event managers are, therefore, supposed to make sure that entertainers are paid and are of various types of presentations (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). The entertainers are supposed to be of varied nature because the audience is usually of a mixture of different ages. All the age groups need to be entertained to satisfaction(Stea & Turan, 1993). This scenario only increases the cost of the event (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). e. Payment of the event contract Many events need an event contract to accredit that the specific event is known by the government. This helps the government to intervene and give assistance to the attendees if any problem arises during the event(Stea & Turan, 1993). This is also one way in which the cost of the event increases as the contract is payable(Rubertone, 2008). f. Control of noise Noise as a form of pollution is one of the things that is likely to be present at any event attended by many people(Goldblatt, 2005). Noise can be generated from amplified music, cheering of spectators of a particular team and motors(Stea & Turan, 1993). This can be a big nuisance to businesspeople and the local residents around the venue of the event. To help deal with this problem, the event managers need to identify a venue that is well positioned so as not to interfere with local residents(Rubertone, 2008). They also need to appoint security people to help in controlling the masses. As the security people will be paid, it is a clear indication that it will reflect on the final total cost(Goldblatt, 2005). g. Provision of food and water Food and water availability is one of the main challenges that face event mangers at such large events(Rubertone, 2008). Event managers can easily be challenged by underestimating the number of visitors at such an event, and this can cause panic and unrest during the event(Stea & Turan, 1993). There is need, therefore, to have other alternative plans that can take care of such an overflow of people. The managers should also employ many workers to pass beverages and fruits around to avoid crowding at restaurants and at the entrance to the venue of the event(Stea & Turan, 1993). The provision of such services requires that the managers pay the respective people involved in the beverage distribution hence high costs(Goldblatt, 2005). h. Provisionof toilet facilities The managers of an event are supposed to be very keen in estimating the number of attendants during such an event (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). This will help them to estimate the number of toilets they are avail for use. They are also to have other portable backup toilets. All these are payable for and also increase the total cost of the event(Goldblatt, 2005). In cases where the toilets are few, this poses a big threat of diseases attacking the attendants of the event(Stea & Turan, 1993). The provision of all these facilities will definitely result in an extra expense(Rubertone, 2008). v. CASE STUDY 2 To elaborate on the above issues, we can sight the Turin Olympics (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). This is an event that ended successfully though with a number of constraints accompanying. It has been seen to have had problems with transportation of spectators to their respective residences. Some spectators are seen to be using motorbikes to reach their respective residences (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). Although there has been a growing use of motorbikes in the UK, in the recent past, it is also a sign of lack of the appropriate transport means. Timings were seen to be critical for Turin before the games. Turin took the legacy objective seriously and showed great potential in achieving its achievement (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). The overall view is that, Turin has also suffered some disadvantages though not many, but they can be tressed to the Olympic Games (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). Turin has also suffered cultural misunderstandings from the mixture of people from different cultural background (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). The general effect of such an agglomeration of cultures is that the inhabitants of the city will initially start to exhibit some habits that might not be appealing according to their culture (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011).Control of waste materials during the Turing Olympic Games was also a challenge the event managers were not keen enough to anticipate the general effect of the wastes and the ways of controlling the wastes (Green, Rogerson, Sadler, & Wong, 2011). vi. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, it is clear that for staging events to be successful one needs to have a good plan of how the event will be conducted(Stea & Turan, 1993). The event managers are supposed to take good time in estimating all the costs to be incurred, how they will generate revenues from the event and how they will manage issues resulting from the event. The managers are supposed to take into consideration the overall effect of the multiculturalism that will be accompanied by such a multitude of people and look for ways of satisfying each individual’s desire(Rubertone, 2008). This is usually a hard task as it is tasking to handle such a massive crowd of individuals and manage successfully(Goldblatt, 2005). Events are also seen to be beneficial to the host country in many ways. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the event managers to identify the benefits and maximize on their return. This can easily be done through constant analysis of the event to come up with new ways of generating revenue for the host country(Rubertone, 2008). vii. RECOMMENDATIONS From the discussion above, I recommend that future event managers should be analyzing their planned events in time to avoid problems with shortage of resources at the event venue(Goldblatt, 2005). It is also clear that future event managers should look into it that transportation issues are dealt with in advance(Stea & Turan, 1993). This is seen to be an issue of concern in the 2012 London Olympics. Event managers are also to look for means of availing water to the spectators and visitors to the event. This was seen to be an issue of concern in the London 2012 Olympics.The managers are supposed to look for safe means of waste matter disposal.This will help reduce cases of pollution to the environment(Goldblatt, 2005). I would also recommend that event managers be on the look out to improve water transport for the transportation of spectators and the general public(Goldblatt, 2005). This will reduce the congestion in the transportation sector. The event managers are also supposed to enforce rules regarding to alcohol taking during such an event to help reduce instances of misbehavior while the spectators are still on the fields(Stea & Turan, 1993). viii. References Allen, J. ( 2002). The business of event planning . Toronto : J. Wiley & Sons. Bernstein, J. S. ( 2007). Arts marketing insights. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons . Blythe, J., & Zimmerman, A. S. ( 2005). Business-to-business marketing management . London: Thomson Learning. Bohl, C. C. ( 2002). Place making. Washington, DC : Urban Land Institute. Burrow, J., & Bosiljevac, J. (2009). Marketing. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning. Carter, L. ( 2007). Event planning. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. Ferdinand, N. ( 2012). Events management . 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Landsdowne (SA): Juta Academic. Zimmermann, R. ( 2006). Agent based supply network event management. Boston Berlin: Birkhäuser. ix. APPENDIX 1. Tangible benefits- they are the physical values gained from an event. 2. Intangible benefits-they are the abstract values gained from an event. 3. City branding-it is the marking or taking note of something. In this context, it is used to show that a city is noted. 4. Insurance cover-signing of insurance form so that you are compensated for any loss you incur on the insured item. Read More