Event Planning in Tourism - Essay Example

Event Planning in Tourism Introduction Any time an organization sets out to plan an event, they aim to provide the best version of the event that they could possibly facilitate. This involves a lot of planning that should be taken very seriously because this is what determines how successful an event truly is. It will be gauged based on its organization from the time the organization notifies the intended audience of its occurrence to the time the event is actually over. The organization, regardless of the field it is in, always aims to set its bar higher with ever succeeding event. This is because the world of event planning is a complex and taxing process that should be taken with the seriousness it deserves failure to which the organization will be guilty of mismanagement of any event they set out to facilitate (Getz, 2007). Event planning for any organization requires individuals who are competent and knowledgeable in the field of event planning. This is so much so in the field of tourism where the organization aims to package itself as a tourist destination of sorts. They seek to attract tourists into their tourist destinations. The tourism sector is linked to virtually all the other sectors of a country’s economy. This makes the tourism sector the most important sector of a government’s planning. With this knowledge in mind, the individuals brought in to plan for a tourism related event should possess skills that are relevant to the field (Kelly, 1990). This paper sets out to investigate the field of event planning while looking at the tourism sector. It seeks to identify the process involved in planning for tourism as an event and set out the steps which should be included when planning for the same. Event Planning An event is defined as a temporary occurrence that possesses a fixed length of time. An event can be of different types, i.e. planned and unplanned, and the ones that are planned are usually publicized to ensure they get maximum exposure towards the targeted audience. Every event is unique in itself as it involves the blending of different setting, duration, management and people who facilitate it (Getz, 2007). In the field of tourism, the organizer has to plan for every event because of the nature of the events that are being thought of. Successful planning of any event is important because it ensures that the organization remains competitive in the related market. This is because the world of event planning is built on reputation and once an organization facilitates a successful event, word of the same goes around leading to the thriving of the organization. This ensures that the organization is able to compete with other event planning organizations for the opportunity to provide their services to their respective clientele. If the organization happened to provide a below par event, the opposite would happen leading to a loss for the organization in terms of clientele. This is especially true for the tourism sector where each event is seen as a stepping stone to the next as the organization always tries to better its services (Matthews, 2008). The objectives that the organization seeks to meet are what guide the whole planning process. This is because the event is usually meant for a particular target audience and each of them requires different strategies to meet their different needs. In the planning process, these differences are all contained in the planning model (Goldblatt, 2002). The Event Planning Process (al, 2002) The need for a model cannot be gainsaid as this is what will guide the event organizers to know how to handle the whole process while factoring in different variations to the same. The beauty of models in planning is that there is no one model that fits every situation. This is because every situation is different despite being from the same sector (Goldblatt, 2002). The model is continuously reviewed with the intention of creating a perfect sequence of events that will culminate in a successful event. Some of the issues interrogated in the model vis a vis the actual event include:- Time Time is a factor that needs to be analyzed in any event and the model will avail a beforehand approach to the organizers to be able to gauge how much time each activity will take so as to be able to factor in and provide for every activity. This is because the world of event planning is fast paced and cut throat; time is of the essence (Getz, 2007). Benchmark The model provides a benchmark for the organization in terms of where it is coming from, where it is currently and where it proposes to go in the future. This can be assessed from the strategies employed in the model while looking at the past results with a projection into the future. This is important for any organization that seeks to grow, and is especially true for the tourism sector organizations as they always aim to expand in terms of the area which they cover and its clientele base (Getz, 2007). Workforce To ensure the competent running of such events, the organization should employ people who are current in their knowledge of the proposed tourist destination vis a vis the target market. Knowledge in the field will not be enough, but they should also possess the ability to apply their knowledge in the field so that they can know and visualize what the target market might expect. This is so much so in the field of tourism where complex processes are involved and people with different skill sets are required (Goldblatt, 2002). Problem Solving The people who are engaged in the event planning should be able to propose and evaluate solutions to the problems that may arise based on their visualization of the event. This is important to ensure that the organization is able to portend the possible scenarios and the different ways of handling them. This will also enable the event organizers propose alternative solutions to the strategies that are employed with a view to providing the best and most practical of them all (Dima, 2007). Record of Events The event organizers should be able to record whatever happens during the whole process of event planning so that they can be able to provide a precedent for future event organizers in the same field while providing recommendations on how to solve the problems that may arise (Getz, 2007). Strategy Formulation The strategy formulated by the event organizers determines what type of procedure they will follow when seeking to meet their objectives. This is their mission statement. In tourism, the organizers need to factor in the organization providing the service, the clientele and the service which they seek to offer. They should do this while laying out their previous successes in the field with a view to selling themselves to the market. This also serves as a morale booster for the organization as they get to assess the extent of their past success and weigh the same against the present challenge (Executive, 1999). The strategy is informed by the research that the organization does. In the field of tourism, research should be centred on the clientele and their preferences because this is the intended market for their products. Research could also be conducted on the weather patterns of the region that is intended to be the base of the event while factoring in the clientele’s preferences. The research is conducted with a view to collecting hard and soft data on the subject of the event. This will enable the event organizers sufficiently plan for the event while factoring in every angle of the research. This should be strictly adhered to in tourism event planning because research on the clientele’s preferences and knowledge of the same wholly determine the success or failure of the event (al, 2002). Event Marketing The success of any event depends on different factors. The one thing that remains constant is the ability of an organization to make the different factors work in their favour. A successful organization seeks to assess and understand the environment while curving themselves out to suit it. This is the process of marketing. It is crucial that an organization excels in this area, failure to which even the best organized event will fall flat on its face. This is because exposure is mandatory for the success of any event. This is especially true in the field of tourism which is wholly dependent on how the organization packages and sells itself to its intended market. There are different types of environment that should be factored into the planning of the event; the internal environment, the micro-environment and the macro-environment (Getz, 2007). The micro-environment describes the organization and the driving force that control these relationships directly including the stakeholders, consumers and suppliers. It is a localized relationship allowing the organization to exert influence on how it will relate to the other marketing environments (Kelly, 1990). In the tourism sector, this involves the organization providing the tourism service and the clientele, i.e. the tourists. The macro-environment is composed of every detail that may influence the organization and is out of the direct control of the organization. This relates to the different legislations that are in operation, the competition in the market and the ever changing market. The legislation that guides the tourism industry is diverse as it is specific. This is because even though there are universally accepted legislation in place setting out how to treat tourists, each country has its own specific set of laws that are to be followed by any organization seeking to conduct any tourism related event. The competition in the market cannot be regulated but the event planners can do their best to be able to compete with the rest of the companies through implementing sound strategies that are guided by a careful analysis of the market. They should also seek to change with the market so as not to be left behind. This can only be achieved through re-inventing themselves through time (Matthews, 2008). The internal environment is composed of factors internal to the organization, i.e. men, money, machinery, materials and markets. These are regulated by the organizations but they too determine the success of the planned event. In tourism, the internal environment is as important as every other environment because the organization sells itself as a packaged deal and no department can be seen to be wanting on inspection by its target audience (Matthews, 2008). Logistical Planning In tourism, logistical planning involves the procurement, maintenance and transportation of facilities and personnel. The event organizers should plan for their event with the knowledge of how many people will be attending the event, the size of their venue, the amount of food the people will eat, where the people will spend their time, how the people will make their way to the venue and how they will leave the venue. Logistical planning is an important aspect of any event planning process as good execution of the same will prevent the event from being labelled a debacle. The whole event should be evaluated based on the proposed model and the preceding events that bear a resemblance to the current one with a view to ascertaining the correct quantity and quality of the amenities and services that are to be provided (Kelly, 1990). Financing The event organizers in the tourism industry factor in a lot of things while determining the budget of an event. Among these are the location of the event, the purpose of the event and the intended clientele. The uniqueness of every event requires of the event organizers a different model each time they seek to budget for the event but they base their models on past events and the success rate of the same. A successful event is one that has a positive balance after balancing the income generated from the event with the expenses incurred as a consequence of the event. This is because at the end of the day, the organization is a business that aims to make a profit (Getz, 2007). The amount of money to be spent during the event and the level of efficiency of the event planners guide the level of largess that the event will incorporate. The event organizers should seek to work within the limits of the money allocated to the project. This is because going over budget or providing for a budget that does not utilize the money accordingly will lead to a below par event in each scenario. This is because the budget of an event is a carefully considered aspect that should always be followed and stuck to to ensure the event runs smoothly. The efficiency of the event organizers goes without saying. They should be seen to be above par at all times to instil confidence in the targeted audience to the effect that the event will run smoothly (Kelly, 1990). Feasibility Study The event organizers should conduct a feasibility study into the intended location of the event so that they can be able to research, analyze and determine the correct course of action that they should employ when they actually conduct the event that they intend. This is important as it enables them get a feel of the area they intend to go into and ascertain whether any problems might result from their excursion and the possible solutions to the same. This is important in risk assessment analysis as the clientele would like to know what they are getting into (Kelly, 1990). The feasibility study will also enable the event organizers know how much will be needed to conduct the event. This enables them plan beforehand on how to source for the finances. This is an important aspect to the event planning process because in most cases, the money required to conduct an event is not collected from one source. They get the same from sponsors who include companies, associations and charities who all wish to be associated with successful events; therefore planning for the same is of the essence (Dima, 2007). In the field of tourism, feasibility studies need to be conducted frequently owing to the level of interactions that are ongoing in the market as relates resources, clientele and the various organizations. This is because in most cases, they are international in nature, with different operational modalities as their guide. This should be factored in at the earliest opportunity within the event planning model to ensure that the event organizers are able to factor in all the different scenarios that might arise during the actual event. Conclusion Once a company sets out to conduct an event, it should employ the capabilities of event organizers who are competent in the particular field. This is because competition in the corporate market is as cut-throat as never before making the simplest event an avenue for people to criticize the company and what is stands for. It is for this reason that a company should be seen to be efficient in whatever they set upon (Getz, 2007). This is more so in the field of tourism where the slightest mishap could mean failure in the organization as the sector does not provide for fail safe mechanisms, rather, it is composed of impressions that are mad. Impressions can be either positive or negative. An organization should always ensure they make a positive impression and the one resource they can get this from is the clientele, i.e. the tourists themselves. Over and above the tourists, the respective market players also provide an analysis of the event. This should always be positive to ensure the continued growing of the company. The only way it can be positive is if the people employed to conduct the event are efficient, professional and proficient in their task execution for the betterment of the company. This ensures the growth of the company which is always the benchmark of every successful organization as this gauges its success or failure (Getz, 2007). Reference List al, A. e. (2002). Event studies; Theory, research and policy for planned events. Dima, E. e. (2007). Dexi Dicţionar explicativ ilustrat al limbii române. Bacǎu: Editura Arc. Executive, H. &. (1999). The Event Safety Guide. London: HMSO. Getz, D. (2007). Event studies; Theory, research and policy for planned events. Goldblatt, J. (2002). Special Events: Twenty-first Century Global Event Management. Wiley, London. Kelly, J. (1990). Purchasing for Profit. Pitman: NatWest Business Handbooks. Matthews, D. (2008). Special Event Production: The Process. Elsevier: Oxford. Read More