Event management

2.5 STAGING OF THE EVENT

Staging can refer to the organization of a venue within a much larger festival. Each of these venues may have a range of events within a distinct theme.  An event has to fit with the overall planning of the complete event with the event’s programming and logistics. The exhibition will have its own event director. (Administrative Committee) The staging of the event includes:

• Theming and event design
• Programming
• Choice of venue
• Audience and guests
• Lights
• Sound
• Catering
• Crew
• Hospitality
• Photographer

2.5.1 Theming and Event Design

The theme of the event is to edify people through the exhibition from a different perspective about Turkish invasion in Cyprus. The exhibition room will be decorated with an average number of 32 paintings of well known Cypriot artist.

2. Programming & Time Management

The program of the event is the flow of the performers, speakers, catering, and music, staff. The program depends on:

• The expectations of the audience

• The constraints of the venue and infrastructure
• The culture of the client and main sponsors

The Operational Committee will be responsible for the programming of the event. The program is a complex of activities so the chairperson of the operational committee will use a Cantt Chart (See Appendix 5) and a Critical Path Analysis (See Appendix 6) to map the various attractions and help the audience navigate the event program.

3. Choice of venue

The exhibition will be held in Kyklos Art Gallery, behind St Paul’s Pillar on the 13th of May, 2006 which is a Saturday night when most of the people don’t work (if they work they finish at 3 o’ clock maximum). It starts at 20:30 and finishes (approximately) at 11:30 p.m. This time of the year and the particular Gallery was chosen because it is well known all over Cyprus for its series of paintings. Another significant reason is that Paphos attracts a lot of tourists, especially middle age and senior citizens tourists. Consequently this people have the money, time and education to be able to show an interest in these kinds of exhibitions. A final point is that the pupil’s/students final exams in Cyprus are a month away from the exhibition and as they have an exam on history (obligatory exam) the subject of the exhibition could be very knowledgeable.

2.5.4 Audience and guests

There will be approximately 220-250 guests (according to ticket sales) through the three nights. Guests will give their ticket at the door before they enter the exhibition room and their seats will be numbered. (The paintings will be in the next room)

2.5.5 Lights & Sound

Pragmatically  and signage lights will be used in both rooms as well  as those illuminating specific areas such as catering and ticket allocation. The reason for having sound equipment is so all the audience can clearly hear the mayor’s, the exhibition’s representatives and performers speeches.

2.5.6 Catering

The guests after the exhibition will be self served; offered several types of canapés, savory’s, sweet delicacies, nuts, champagne, wine, (red/white) juice and water.

2.5.7 Crew/Staff/Volunteers

Professionalism is essential when staging an event. There will be need skilled sound engineers, (Sound Company) a security staff, (one at the entrance of the exhibition and one in the paintings room) a person, who will be guiding in the parking area, 3 people promoting the event at traffic lights points (in town which is the most busy area) 2 people who will be in charge for the canapés and wine stocking (on the exhibition night) and for the guests service. The two people who will be handling the food will have Food Hygiene Certificate. (The Food Safety Act 1990) There will also be 2 volunteers; the one will be responsible for the lady’s jackets and bags and the other for the men’s coats. (A qualified nurse will also be at the exhibition to provide first aid in case of emergency)

2.5.8 Parking

A big parking for approximately 300 cars will be available opposite Kyklos Gallery. The car park belongs to the municipality of Paphos; it has been authorized to be used the particular night and it will be free of charge.

2.5.9. Hospitality

At the end of all the speeches and the exhibition 2 paintings of total value 85.00 (CYP) will be elected by lot for the guests.

2.6 FINANCIAL PLANNING OF THE EVENT

‘Financial planning and a good financial control are important aspects of the event management process’. (Anton Shone, 2004, p.96) Care time and effort will need to be expended at an early stage to ensure good financial management, and that all the possible kinds of expenditure and income have been identified. It is also useful to understand the links between the original settings of the objectives and to follow those through into the financial management and budgets. It is no good saying that a key objective is to raise enough money or the objective is to spend less than. The objectives and the financial management are intimately linked.

The first option is to establish how much money can be set aside for the event which includes incomes and expenditures. ‘A budget can be described as a quantified statement of plans. The budget process (See appendix 7) includes costing and estimating income and allocating financial resources’. (McDonnell, Allen and O’ Toole, 1999, p.324) It is a plan based on accurate quotes from all contractors and suppliers and on careful research to ensure that no expenses have been overlooked. It provides guidelines for approving expenditure and ensuring that the financial aspects of the event remain on track.

Financial control is vital for an event management. Having a good financial control it is important to limit members of the organizing committee who can incur expenditure, to keep accurate records of all income and expenditure, to pass financial information to all who require it, to keep information easily understandable and to maintain expenditure within budget guidelines. The first attempt at providing an adequate outline budget will help identify information needed to prepare a detailed budget forecast. A key element of a budget is to show worst and best case. (See appendix 8) In terms of expenditure and costs it is essential to calculate the total costs and include every cost that might be involved. (See appendix 9) It is very important to ensure that all the costs have been checked and the list is genuinely complete.

For commercial organizations, senior management or a head of department might do the preparation of a budget for an event. Financial managers play an increasingly important role in mergers and consolidations, and in global expansion and related financing. These areas require extensive, specialized knowledge on the part of the financial manager to reduce risks and maximize profit.  They often work on teams, acting as business advisors to top management. They need to keep abreast of the latest computer technology in order to increase the efficiency of their firm’s financial operations. A record of every financial transaction should be maintained and all payments must have accompanying account before payment. The bank statements should be balanced and a report should be provided at each meeting. (Microsoft Encarta Plus, 2003)

Anticipating potential sources of revenue should be given as mush attention as projecting expenses. The source of revenue will often define the type of event, its objectives and planning. One of the most important financial resources is ticket scaling. ‘There are many ticketing strategies that strive to obtain the best value from ticket sales such as vary the pricing according to seat position, number of tickets sold and time of sale’. (McDonnell, Allen and O’ Toole, 1999, p.336) Tickets should be given to outside organizations or people to sell. Therefore, to increase the selling of tickets should:

• Provide convenient ways to purchase tickets.  For example, credit card telephone orders, online ticketing, other retail outlets, extend ticket-office hours, etc
• All tickets and cash are to be returned by a certain date, with a report on sales. 
• Tickets are valid exclusively for the dates indicated on them. If they are not used, it is not possible to exchange them
• Create door hangtags for residence halls, sororities and fraternities that give information and ticket prices.      
• Tickets will be refunded only if the exhibition is cancelled
• Have a special ticket booth/display with information and ticket order forms available

By determining whether tickets will be sold in advance or purchased at the event, will help the event organizers to determine necessary crowd control measures and to plan accordingly. VIP’S and media will reserve their own tickets. Buying tickets (See Appendix 10) should be easy purchase for the consumer and the transportation for getting them not far.  For the purchase of tickets the following ticket selling points will be available:

• Kyklos Art Gallery
• Municipality of Paphos
• Kato Paphos CO OP
• Corner Kiosk
• Ordered by telephone
• Internet ()

(In kind-support and bartering, merchandising, broadest rights, sponsorship leverage, special features)

Equally important for financial resource is to find sponsors. ‘Sponsorship is a promotional technique used by business, both large and small, for purely commercial reasons.’ (Glen Bowdin et al, 2001, p. 152) It is a commercial transaction that the sponsoring organization uses because it believes that the festival/exhibition/event offers a communication link to its target market that is more effective than, or complementary to, other promotional opportunities such as advertising.   The sponsor earns popularity this way while the sponsored can save a lot of money. Many companies want their  on sponsored equipment in return. People may sponsor an individual or group of people to undertake a fundraising task, usually for a  or other cause requiring funding. Very few organizations want to be the first to sponsor a one-off event, however, once the event has one sponsor’s support sufficient credibility is gained to enable approach to other sponsors.

 The main sponsors for the event would be: Municipality of Paphos, Paphos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, , , Kato Paphos CO OP, Paphos TV, Radio Paphos. These Sponsors would contribute to the management of the event supporting them with in-kind arrangements (contra), promotion. (e.g. radio station, posters)

2.7 MARKETING PLAN OF THE EVENT

Marketing is concerned with satisfying consumer needs and more by exchanging goods, services or ideas for something of value. ‘Kotler, Bowen and Makens (1999, p.20) suggest that marketing is human activity directed as satisfying needs and wants through the exchange process.’  Careful marketing planning and effective marketing are required for activities that will help to ensure the success of what has to be done. As with other activities, there will be finite money, time and staff available for marketing and these resources need to be planned carefully and used effectively.  

A time for market research should be allocated by event managers to identify the target markets (competitors, spectators, tourists), determine potential customer attitudes, profiles, awareness and expectations, and to determine market volume and size. An event marketing manager should undertake marketing activities to produce a successful event.

The most important are:

• Analyse the needs of the target market to establish the design of the event experience and the way in which it will be delivered.
• Predict how many people will attend the event and the times that different groups or market segments will attend
• Estimate the price or value that visitors are willing to exchange to attend an event-i.e. ticket price (Johnny Allen et al, 1999)

In effect marketing has evolved well beyond early views of the marketing concept as being the meeting of customer needs through decisions about the four Ps. The ‘product’ of an event is the set of intangible leisure experiences and tangible goods designed to satisfy the needs of the event marketer. The development of an event /festival can be easily modeled on the processes used to plan, create and deliver services.  This includes the entertainment offered, ticket sales, merchandise, programmers, customer care, location, staging, seating, decoration and quality production.

A key influence on event demand is ‘price’. Contrasts in pricing strategy exist according to the type of event and its target markets. A mass-market event must keep its price at a level of affordability for its consumers. In establishing the pricing strategy for an event, an organizer should account two cost categories: Fixed cost and Variable cost. The price of an event can be varied according to the type of consumer and must be logical in order to achieve budget estimates.

‘Place’ refers to both the site where the event takes place (the venue) (See Appendix 11) and the place at which consumers can purchase their tickets. In deciding the most appropriate place for ticket distribution, organizers may question whether to use a ticketing agency.

‘Promotion’ is any form of organized activity to increase the profile of your event. Promotional activities need to be chosen carefully and timed effectively. Promotion is a costly exercise (Radio and television are the most expensive) and the most cost-effective methods are feature articles and local newspapers. (See appendix 12)

Advertising is an element of the promotional strategy. It may take many forms, the following being some of the options: Print, Radio, Television, Direct Mail, Outdoor advertising/billboards, brochures, Internet. As part of the marketing plan, it is necessary to identify the market to be reached and then to establish where the people in the market live and which of the media would be most likely to reach them. (Van Der Wagen et al, 2001) The content of the advertisements must be informative, and of most importance, it must inspire decision making and action to attend or purchase. There will be an advertisement in the local newspaper (The voice of Paphos) about the art exhibition informing people about the event and the information regarded. Doing so, will generate much greater economic benefit for the region, building goodwill and increased community support for future events.

2.7 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

Strategic marketing is a planning tool that emphasizes thorough analyses. The marketer’s own sense of judgment is not enough to make good strategic decisions. (Rao &Steckel, 1998) Astute marketing decisions emerge from a thorough analysis of competitor activities, the political, economic, socio-cultural, and technological environments (C-PEST) in which the event occurs, and an analysis of the event’s organization’s internal resources.

2.7.1 PEST Analysis

Political – Legal

• More campaigns on Art museums
• Possible new EU legislation and guidelines.
• Reducing public entrances in Art museums/Art public places
• Food and drinks inside the paintings area won’t not be allowed
• It is forbidden to take photographs, with or without a flash. Sound or video recording of any type is prohibited.
• Smoking is strictly prohibited within the paintings area
• Copying material from the paintings for reproduction in any format is expressly forbidden
• Animals are not permitted.

Economical 

The economic role of events is to act as catalysts for attracting visitors and increasing their average spend and length of stay. They are also seen as image-makers for the destination, creating a profile for destinations, positioning them in the market and providing a competitive marketing advantage. (Getz, 1997)

• The Cyprus Art Galleries generated estimated (ticket) sales of 120.00CYP in 2003 at retail selling prices, increasing (ticket) sales by 3% since the previous year. Its share of the total Cyprus’s (tourist) market has been increasing every year over the past 5 years.
• The tourists are extremely linked to economic progress so any kind of economic recession will affect the industry.
• Most Art Galleries are affected by big Art museums
• The Cyprus economy remains strong, with factors such as low unemployment and rising house prices contributing to consumer confidence and expenditure on luxuries.

Social 

• Most industries now work fewer hours than before. Consequently this is lead to people having more leisure time
• Also with better education is broaden people’s horizons to taking more cultural and art events.
• Television appeals to  such a wide and diverse market and attracts more interest from a larger audience

Technological

• With the development of computers and internet is opened a whole new field of art and cultural exchanges (i.e. It can be seen through the different art objects the culture of other countries, emotions, social matters)
• The rise of Internet ordering (tickets) has further increased the volume of sales and public awareness
• The use and availability of high technology equipment nowadays allows more efficient and quick delivery services. Special equipment which allows customers to pay by credit card upon delivery without risking giving their number on the phone (and securing their transaction by simply inserting their pin code)

Once the C-PEST and the internal resource audit are completed, an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) can be conducted. This summary of the critical issues identified through the C-PEST and internal recourses analyses (Tribe, 1997) enables the event marketer to marry opportunities and strengths, improve weaknesses, negate threats and have a sound basis of establishing marketing objectives and strategies for the event.

2.7.2 SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Low cost investment to establish the exhibition (Sponsors)
• Money will be donated to Paphos General Hospital for a new equipment
• Reliable and trustworthy
• Through the use of the Internet, everyone in our target market can access the exhibition information
• No delays in payments.
• Not creditors.

Weaknesses

• Time of the year
• Weather
• Any other event that clash with the same date of the exhibition
• Promotion of other events (i.e. sports event)

Opportunities

• Repeat the event in the future
• More publicity to show is capable of hosting the event
• Co-operate with other agencies for fund-raising

Threats

• Possible new entries of other exhibitions
• Economic recession (The art exhibition industry is tied to the economic progress).
• Introduction and increased of other Art Galleries

• The Gallery will have to compete with more experienced Art Galleries

2.8 INDUSTRY (Kyklos Art Gallery) ANALYSIS

2.8.1 The threat of potential new entrants – Medium

The entrance of new competitors is a very probable scenario.

• This is because the cost of setting up such an exhibition is low.
• There is no major legislation preventing entry.
• It is the first exhibition for fund raising scope in the market; Kyklos Art Gallery might enjoy good reputation, which will attract other companies to compete.
• The ideas and way of establishing the exhibition can easily be copied.

Overall considering all these fact we assume that the potential of new entrants is medium.

2. Critical Success Factors

• Offer the best  (ticket) prices for the exhibition (Including food and drink at the end of the exhibition)
• High quality paintings
• Present a variety of art paintings in logical prices
• Present an effective advertising campaign.

CONCLUSION

3.1 EVENT’S EVALUATION

Once information has been collated from date collection, observation, feedback meetings and surveys, a final event evaluation report should be completed and distributed to all stakeholders. The information should provide a profile of the event, which can be included in the executive summary of the report. This profile can form the basis of a media release promoting the outcomes of the event, and can be used to begin planning for the next event and approaching sponsors.

3.2 TYPES OF EVALUATION

Audience Count

An easy measure to control an event it is mostly accurately done through ticket sales or establishing seating capacity

Surveys and Polls

These can be done during or after the event. Surveys or polls usually provide good data about the market that was reached and their perception.

Media Impressions and Publicity

Publicity can be measured by counting sponsors

Evaluation is a continuous process, but perhaps the most critical time to evaluate an event is immediately after it is over. This evaluation can be either written verbal or a combination of the two. Evaluation should come from many parties:

• The attendees/visitors
• The vendors
• The community
• The organizers/volunteers

 The following day of the event (15th of May) there will be a conference with the Media announcing that the event was of great success and remind people (and tourists) that Kyklos Art Gallery will remain open. (See Appendix 13) This report has covered all aspects of planning and organizing an event. It has been emphasized the aim and objectives of the event which was organizing an international artistic event (Art Exhibition) that will take place at the ‘Kyklos Art Gallery’ in Paphos on the 12th, 13th and 14th of May 2006.The aim of this event is to demonstrate through the work of the artists the Turkish invasion in Cyprus capturing the viewers attention from the extraordinary colours and figures used. The most important objectives were to raise money for Paphos General Hospital and educate and inform people through the exhibition from a different perspective about Turkish invasion in Cyprus.

In writing this report an attempt was made writing the methodology and analysis of the strategic planning for the event and the second part of this study is dedicated on a discussion which covered the legal, social and environmental issues that have the potential to impact on the event using C-PEST and SWOT analysis. If all the fields are covered in organizing an event it can lead to a good exhibition and a good relationship between event and local community.

 

WORD COUNT: 4349 

REFERENCES

Allen, J., O’Toole, W., Mc Donnell, I., Harris R., (2002). Festival and Special Event Management, Second edition.

Getz, D., (1991). Festivals, Special Events and Tourism, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Goldblatt, J. (2002). Special Events, 3rd edition. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Hoyle, L. , (2002). Event marketing, John Wiley & Sons, New York

Kotler, P., Bowen, J. & Makens, J., (1999) Marketing for hospitality and tourism, 2nd edition, Prendice Hall International, Upper Sadler River, New Jersey

Lecture Notes (06/10/05, 20/10/05, 03/11/05,

McDonnell, I., Allen, J. & O’Toole, W., (1999) Festival and Special Event Management. Brisbane: John Wiley and Sons Australia Ltd.

Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2003.  (1993-2002) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Shone, A.  & Parry, B., (2004) Successful Event Management: A Practical Approach, 2nd edition, Thompson Learning: London

Tribe, J., (1997) Corporate strategy for tourism, ITB Press, London

Thompson, J.L., (1997) Strategic management: awareness and change, 3rd edition International Thompson Business Press, London

Rao, V. & Steckel, J., (1998) Analysis for strategic marketing. Addison - Wesley, Reading, Massachusetts.

SOURCES FROM INTERNET

Argiris (Gary) Zia, (1996-1998) Benefits and Challenges of Tourists, Cosmos Net,

Sited in:

Friends of the Earth (2004) How to organize events, Sited in:

Financial Management, Business Process

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