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Here is a quick introduction to this event management training course at Wisconsin Technical College. Although there’s not too much information which you can ‘learn’
from this website, there are some interesting comments from people about why they want to be event managers, and what they feel they will get from an event management qualification

Original eventsecrets.com article

When you are trying to plan a great event, you want to everything perfect so that it all goes as planned. This may not always be easy and in fact you will have to work hard at it to make sure that it does go the way that you are hoping. You should not get all worked up about your event. As long as you have the right materials and the work ethic to do it, you will have a great and successful time.

There are four ways to ensure that your event will just as you have planned:

You will first want to make a budget. Once you know how much you can afford to spend on this special occasion, you will then be able to plan out all that you have to spend on your purchases. This will give you some kind of start so that you can follow through on it. It is very important to stick to your budget so that you are not forced to go over and have to find ways to pay the extra cost.

Once you have the budget in place you will want to make a list. This is the second way to ensure that everything goes as planned. Once you have the list of all the materials and things that you need to plan out, you will then be on your way to making the most of your special occasion. You will want to figure out the different things that you will need and then go from there. This will be the best way to make sure that you are getting good deals on all the things that you are in need of.

Make sure that you are checking things off of your list as they are done. You will want to do this so that you are not forgetting to take care of something and this will help you leave nothing undone. You will find that planning out the event will go a lot easier and quicker when you have a great plan to move on with. This will be a very good way to stay organized and on track.

The third way to ensure that your event goes as planned is to make sure that you have a lot of help. You do not want to take on all the challenges of running an event yourself. You want to have as much help as you can so that you are able to make the most of your special day. You want to have friends help you out as much as possible as well as even hiring some extra hands to get everything done for you.

They will also be able to keep an eye on things at the event. They can watch over and make sure that all is running smoothly and if there is a problem, they can try and fix it before you even find out about it. This will be a great help and also take some of the stress off of you when the time comes.

The fourth way to make sure that you are succeeding with your planned event is to have a lot of patience. You do not want to get yourself worked up too much. You want to make sure that you are calm and collected so that you can handle any problems that may come up at the event. You will feel better and be able to relax when you are in control of the situation. This is something that a lot of people do not do and they will find that they have no fun at their own party.

You did all this planning and hard work and you should be able to enjoy it as much as you can. Calm down and have patience. Things are going to go wrong and there is nothing that you can do about it. All you can do is work through it and hope for the best.
© 2007 eventsecrets.com - Dave Lake is a specialist event and production manager who has organised events all over the UK. On Dave’s event management website you will find instant access to all his event strategies, tips, tools, and resources that he’s used to organise everything from an intimate dinner for 15 to outdoor events for 22,000, as well as conferences, training days, music and sports events.

Original event secrets Article

When planning an outdoor event, there are many technical aspects which have to be taken into account to make sure that you get things right. Technical production can cover all aspects of lighting, sound, video, staging and power – all the necessary ingredients for supporting your event.

1. First of all – if you are not an expert production manager, used to working on outdoor events – then go and find one. There are plenty of freelancers and companies you can partner with. One of the biggest challenges at an outdoor event – and one of the areas that involves the most health and safety management, is that of technical production.
2. Before you get too far into planning your event – make a plan of how you and your team are going to manage the technical requirements. It might be that you have one, small sound system to relay messages and play a little music – or it might be that you have upwards of 30 venues – all of which have lighting, sound, staging, video and power. Create a database (can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet) to manage all of the requirements in one place – otherwise you may lose track of what is going where.
3. It is important that you find good contractors to help you run your event. Some companies cover all aspects of the technical provision – whilst others specialise in certain elements. The most important thing is working with a company that you trust – and one that will go the extra mile when you need them to.
4. Another important aspect is to keep on top of all of the technical requirements – particularly in the final few days before the event. Make sure that you keep in communication with all of the contractors and content providers (speakers, venue managers, bands etc) so that you can constantly update your information so that everyone gets what they are expecting, and everything runs to plan.
5. As an event manager, you sh ould make sure that all of the equipment you are using has been properly safety checked. For electrical equipment this usually involves a ‘Portable Appliance Test’ (more commonly known as a PAT test) which can be carried out by an electrician. Most local authorities will want to see that any temporary electrical supplies have been installed properly and that equipment has been tested.
6. You should also make sure that you have the relevant insurances in place – not only Public Liability (in case of the guests gets injured) but also employers liability insurance (even if the only people working there are volunteers) as well as insurance in case any of the technical equipment gets lost, stolen or damaged. It is usually the case that if the technical contractor accompanies the equipment to site, then it is covered on their insurance, but this is not always the case – so it is best to check up.
7. During the build of the event it is critical to make sure that all of the technical contractors are working to their own, and your own risk assessment guidelines, as you have a responsibility for their working practises. It is also a good idea to make sure that they are providing exactly what they have quoted for – because if they change the specification without telling you – it will be too late once the event is up and running.
8. During the event you should have a system in place for checking that all equipment is running correctly – and that nothing has broken down. If you are running a large, complex event then it might be worth having some form of system in place to log problems and issues – so that they can be dealt with in order of importance by site contractors.
9. There are bound to be a few technical problems along the way – with all events that have temporary installations it is almost guaranteed. The best way to combat problems is to do everything you can in advance so that they do not happen. If they do – keep calm and work as a team to sort out all the problems – regardless of what they might be, in the quickest, most cost effective way.
10. Once the event is over and the pack down starts – try to remember that the site is still working. There will often be heavy plant, large trucks and a lot of tired crew members working – so remember to keep an eye on health and safety- as this is the time when most accidents will happen.

© 2006 eventsecrets.com - Articles, hints, tips and information about event management - www.eventsecrets.com
If you want to reuse this article on your website you may do so with our best wishes - please just include the footer text and copyright notice - and if you can, let us know where it is so we can come and have a look!

Original eventsecrets.com Article

For many people, planning their first outdoor event can be very daunting. One of the most important aspects is choosing the right venue for your event.

1. One of the first things you should do when looking for a venue for an outdoor event is to give yourself enough time to find it. You should aim to find a suitable venue with at least a year to go before your proposed date. This will help you to see the venue in action (when other events are being held there) and will also help to ensure availability – ie that there are no other events taking place on the dates that you have chosen.
2. When looking at a venue, think about the venues that are using by similar or competing events. It might not be a good idea to try to use the exact same venue, but it will give you some ideas in what you need to look for when conducting a site visit.
3. The location of your venue will be quite important – it will need to be well known enough that people will know how to get there, but not so famous that it is very expensive or never available because too many other events take place there
4. When thinking about location, think about the type of audience you will have. If the majority of them are based in the south of England, it would be sensible to hold your event in that area. If you are trying to attract a large group of people who don’t drive – then don’t hold your event in the middle of nowhere!
5. The venue has to be suitable for the type of event you are planning to hold, as well as the type of audience or the time of year. For example, it would be no good trying to hold a Christmas fair, in the middle of winter in an open air venue – it will be just too cold – or trying to hold a rock concert near to a large residential area – it will affect the neighbours too much.
6. Venues have improved greatly over the last few years, with many investing in roadways, power distribution, water course and phone lines. Although there are still venues which are just an empty field, larger event venues have moved with the times, and now come full of useful infrastructure. Word of Warning! – when you are signing the contract, make sure that you know exactly what you are getting for your money – and if you are only allowed to use approved (and often expensive) contractors on site.
7. Going one step further, many venues have now invested in permanent venues, ticket offices, boundary fences, car parks and toilet blocks. Although this may make the venue more expensive to hire, you should weigh up the costs (and the time) it would take to bring in contractors and infrastructure for each of these services.
8. When looking at your venue, you should make sure that it is accessible by all of your contractors. If you are bringing in marquees, staging, big tops, funfairs or other large equipment, your contractors will want to bring in all sorts of large vehicles – from 3.5 tonne vans, to 45ft artic trailers and heavy plant – so make sure that they can get in through the gate – and that they won’t sink into the grass.
9. Another thing to consider is the access and egress for the customers of your event. if you are expecting many people to attend your event, you should ensure that the local roadways can cope with the influx of people, that the on site routes are clearly marked, and that the car parks are big enough. You should also ensure that foot traffic and vehicles are kept apart as best as possible to avoid any possible injuries.
10. Finally, when looking for a venue, you should think long term. Make sure that they venue that you choose can cope with the growth of your event over the next few years – the last thing you want to do is to move your event every year or so – people will become accustomed to its location – and this will become part of the marketing of event – ie people learn to remember where the event is!

© 2006 eventsecrets.com - Articles, hints, tips and information about event management - www.eventsecrets.com

If you want to reuse this article on your website you may do so with our best wishes - please just include the footer text and copyright notice - and if you can, let us know where it is so we can come and have a look!

Original eventsecrets.com Article

Why set a budget for my event?
When you are promoting your own event, creating a budget is an important area, as it will help you to see where your costs lie, what your break even point is, and most importantly, how much profit you are going to make.

Many small event management companies and promoters, who organise their own events, often never know wherther their events are really profitable. It might be that they sell £100 worth of tickets – and that their costs only appear to be £50 – so they have made a profit – right? Wrong!!

Factors such as insurance, fuel, office costs and tax are often overlooked – and once taken into account may show that an individual event may not have made any money.
The biggest factor in this is time. Unless you are promoting your events for fun, you time (and the time of your staff) is costing you money. You need to take into account the amount of time that you spend on an event, as well as the financial costs to see if it is worth it. For example, if you decide that your time is worth £50 a day to your organisation, and you spend four days organising an event, the event needs to make more that £200 to have been worth it.

This is known as ‘opportunity cost’ – ie, what has this acticity cost your business when you could have been doing something else. Although it is boring and time consuming, keeping a record of how you spend your time will soon show you which of your activities make you the most money, and which make you hardly any at all.

How do I budget for my event?
There are many ways to set a budget for an event. Some event managers look at the cost of the event they wish to put on, and decide the ticket price based on their desired break even point. Another way to budget for an event is to look at the likely selling price of a ticket or pass, as well as the likely number of tickets sold, and set a budget based on these figures.

It is a lot easier to set a budget for an event that you have organised before – as you will have previous costs, and previous levels of ticket sales. The higher you set your breakeven point, the more risky the venue – but the lower you set it, the higher the ticket price. It may be that a lower ticket price will attract more customers, allowing for a higher breakeven.

It is important to know where the break even level of your event will be – you will be able to know how many places you have to sell before you make a profit. This will help you to focus on ticket sales, and to know at what level you may have to cancel the event.

Some event organisers also set levels for ticket sales every month as a target – so that they know when they will break even. It is also likely that once an event has broken even, additional funding might be made available for additional elements at the event – ones which may have been unnecessary – but add that something extra (once the organiser is confident that they have the necessary finance to do so).

The most common way of setting an event budget is a mixture of all of the above techniques. Usually, event managers have a good idea of approximately what an event will cost – and can base ticket prices and sponsorship requirements on this.

When setting the budget it is always advisable to include an element of contingency – for costs that may have been forgotten, or crop up at the last minute.

© 2006 eventsecrets.com - Articles, hints, tips and information about event management - www.eventsecrets.com

If you want to reuse this article on your website you may do so with our best wishes - please just include the footer text and copyright notice - and if you can, let us know where it is so we can come and have a look!

Original eventsecrets.com Article

Planning for an event is very different from most other project management. Unlike other major projects, an event cannot be delayed if the organisers are not ready. This means that time planning is very important. The event manager must have an understanding of the tasks needed to complete the event, the people needed to complete these tasks, and the time needed.

There have been a lot of changes to the event management industry over the last few years, with deadlines getting shorter, and budgets getting tighter. It’s now often the case that event managers are given incredibly short deadlines to create high profile and memorable events.

With a large number of tasks to undertake, it is critical that a manager finds a method of time planning that will work for them. There are many different plans you can follow to ‘successful time planning’ - but they will only be successful if it works for you.

For example, doing ‘what you want, when you want to’ is one form of planning – there is certainly less stress and guilt when you don’t get a task done – but in event management this will quickly lead to your clients looking for a new event manager, and you looking for a new job.

Planning your time can be simple – you first need to know how much time you have. Most people are contracted to work about 37 hours a week – but that is not the amount of time you have each week to work. Having hundreds of tasks and people clamoring for your attention means that what you have to do can seem like a huge uphill struggle.

If you split your week into days, and you day into half hour slots of activity, you will soon realise that you can get a lot more done. If you concentrate on one activity for each half hour section, you will be more productive than if you flit from one activity to another, make a cup of tea, check your emails, look on the web, check your emails again, make another cup of tea – and so on.

Each day you should set aside a certain amount of time for working on each event in your current portfolio. You should also leave time for checking emails and for any other activities you have to achieve. Each day should also include about an hour of ‘flexible time’ so that you can finish off any incomplete tasks. Being able to focus in this way will not only improve the amount of work you are able to complete, but also the quality of the work.

Between each half hour session, you should allow time to get up and away from your computer – walk around the office, go to the toilet and make a fresh drink. This will help to keep your thinking fresh and your mind sharp – and give your mind time to think over the decisions and information you have been given. You should leave about 5 minutes every half an hour – this is not wasted time – this is time that will make you more productive.

By breaking your day into blocks, you will also be able to keep a better track on what you have been doing. By keeping track on what you are doing, you will better know how efficiently your time is being used, and how effective you are at the tasks you are given.

© 2006 eventsecrets.com - Dave Lake is a specialist event and production manager who has organised events all over the UK. On Dave’s event management website you will find instant access to all his event strategies, tips, tools, and resources that he’s used to organise everything from an intimate dinner for 15 to outdoor events for 17,000, as well as conferences, training days, music and sports events.

Original eventsecrets.com Article

Once you have researched your chosen company, using sites such as google.co.uk, yell.com or more event specific sites, such as eventsecrets.com, event-management-uk.co.uk, event-jobs.net or worldofevents.net and have sent them your great CV (check out the CV tips here) you will get invited in for an interview. As the vast majority of event management companies are quite small, this may not be like an interview you have been to before. It is unlikely that there will be an HR department, and you will probably be interviewed by one of the owners or directors of the business.

When you are being interviewed, try to remain calm, and be yourself. If you appear too over confident or too shy, you will probably not sell yourself well to the interviewer.

Make sure that you have done your homework on the specific company or organisation you are being interviewed by. Try to refer to things that you have learnt about the company - but try to mention only positive things you have learnt - don’t mention any bad press that they have had. Visit their website, have a look at their accounts (only available for limited companies from the Companies House website).

If they offer you a drink (and you are feeling thirsty) then take one. It is unlikely that this will reflect badly on you - unless you ask for ten sugars (or more) in your coffee. It is unwise to smoke, answer your mobile, or eat (anything other than a biscuit with your tea) during and interview as this will annoy the interviewer.

Possible employers will want you to be able to prove your experience and qualifications. Take certificates with you to demonstrate your exam results - both academically and for any other qualifications (first aid, driving licence etc). When talking about your experience, make sure you have evidence, or can back up anything you say with a knowledgable answer. Never lie to an employer - if they find out then it my be the end of your job - or even worse - your career.

When answering questions - particularly about why you want the job, why you want to work in events, or why you are leaving your current employment, try not to mention the negative aspects (how you hate your boss, or want more money), but rather concentrate on more positive aspects - looking for more responsibility, looking for a challenge or wanting to learn a new skill.

When the end of the interview comes - always try to ask at least a couple of questions - it will show the interviewer that you have been paying attention. Do not be afraid to clarify aspects such as salary, holidays, who you will be working with or for and who will be working with or for you. Also, ask questions about the future of the company, or what they expect from you as a member of their team.

Good Luck!

There are loads of websites out there offering information and tips about interviews. The alec.co.uk site offers some great information, as does Job-Interview-Info.com although it is a little American. The well known job site Monster also offers interview tips.

Original eventsecrets.com Article

One you have decided why you are holding your event, and have investigated its feasibility, as an event manager, you have to start putting a plan together. There are many factors that have to be taken into account when planning even the simplest event, there are staff to arrange, venues to find, equipment to source and tickets or invitations to send out.

First things first – all good event managers make lists
Over the years – one of the most effective tools I have come across when planning for an event is a simple, handwritten list. Although these days I use my computer to schedule my tasks, sometimes it is still easier to collect my thoughts together with nothing more than a sheet of blank paper and a pencil. It doesn’t really matter how you organize these thoughts, it may be chronologically or it may be by section of the event.

The Event Management Framework
Once you have established the initial plan of action, you should start to fill in the gaps and add detail to each of the sections. At the same time you can start to put the action points into an order of priority – with the most important elements first, followed by the less important ones.

This planning document will start to form the framework which will help you through the event planning process, and will guide you through how you are going to run the event successfully. This plan will be with you through the entire event planning process, the live event and the evaluation stages.

It is important to cover as many areas as possible in this first instance, as the more thought you give to the event at this stage, the more successful and stress free your event will be.

Have you managed this event before?
Many events occur on an annual basis, or are at least similar in some ways to events that have happened in the past? A conference for one client will have many similar attributes to a conference for a new client.

Unless you really have never done an event of this type before (in which case I seriously suggest you find a freelance manager who has) you should be able to look at the planning that took place and use many of the ideas and techniques from the last event.

Not only will this help you to save time in the initial planning stages (as you will have a pre-determined list of all the things you have to do) but it will also help you to ensure you do not miss any of the elements.

At the end of every event you should evaluate what you did – which will allow you to learn lessons from previous events.

These lessons should be both positive and negative – remember for every one thing that went wrong, ten things will have gone right – so learn from the good as well as the bad.

Who is going to do what
Once you have decided which activities have to take place, you need to decide who is going to do them. For a small event, it may be that you manage many of the elements on your own – but on the day of the event it is usual for many more people to get involved.

When planning for you event, you need to see which skills you require, and recruit the right people for the right tasks.

Once you have the right people in place, you not only need to let them know what they have to do, but when they have to do it, where they have to do it and why they have to do it – so that they can see where their part of the planning process fits into the overall event planning process.

Planning is one of the most critical elements of event management – and the management of the planning process is even more important. Knowing that every aspect of the event is covered will make the event run a lot more smoothly, and be a lot less hassle for all event management and production staff.

© 2006 eventsecrets.com - Dave Lake is a specialist event and production manager who has organised events all over the UK. On Dave’s event management website you will find instant access to all his event strategies, tips, tools, and resources that he’s used to organise everything from an intimate dinner for 15 to outdoor events for 17,000, as well as conferences, training days, music and sports events.

Original eventsecrets.com Article

Event Management is a very popular career choice for people of all ages and backgrounds. This is probably because it looks quite exciting, you do not need any qualifications and it covers a large number of disciplines.

The vast majority of event management companies are small, with only half a dozen staff or less. This means that very few firms can afford to employ people who have no experience at all, or if they can it is usually for very little money - or for free.

This means that it is vital for you to be able to demonstrate the skills that are required. One of the best ways to do this is to get experience within events - it will provide you with many of the skills that employers are looking for, as well as showing you what event management is really like as a job, and giving you something to put on your CV.

Working (volunteer)
There are many voluntary organisations, including charities, churches or other local groups who organise events. They will often welcome the help of anyone who is willing to get involved. This will mean working on all kinds of events, although it will usually involve a lot of the event administration to start with. This is a great place to start as it may lead to a paid job within the voluntary sector (who often spend a lot of money on events) or be the stepping stone to a fully paid job within the events industry.

Working (free)
The best experience will be gained by those who can work within an event management company, or within the events department of a local council or company. This may mean working for free or for very little money. This is a great way to gain experience, as you will be learning from the ground up. If you are working for free (or on work experience) you can often ask for more responsibility, or to be moved around departments as you are doing them a favour - so why can’t they return that favour? This will often lead to permanent work with the company or organisation you are working for, or to a job with another company.

Working (paid)
Some organisations require temporary or unskilled staff to work at events. This will include companies such as ShowSec who provide security and stewarding staff to events, affinitycrew who provide event crew or other recruitment firms who work on more localised events. It is worth looking at the local temporary staffing firms as they may be looking for staff to work at events - in silver service, collecting litter or managing traffic.

© 2006 eventsecrets.com - Dave Lake is a specialist event and production manager who has organised events all over the UK. On Dave’s event management website you will find instant access to all his event strategies, tips, tools, and resources that he’s used to organise everything from an intimate dinner for 15 to outdoor events for 17,000, as well as conferences, training days, music and sports events.

Original eventsecrets.com Article

As almost all books on business will tell you – setting targets is one of the most important things you can do in order to set you and your event apart from any other. By setting targets you will be able to focus on your desired outcomes for your event more clearly. As we have already discussed, event managers should always ask the question ‘What is this event for’.

Setting Targets
Once you have some clear reasons for holding your event, you can use them to set targets. These targets will control what you are doing, and will ensure that you know how to get where you are going. But it is not just about you – it is important that all of your team, contractors and suppliers know the reasons for the event and what you are trying to achieve. Targets are most useful for evaluation – if you know you want to measure your performance, you can only do this by setting a target first – if you don’t have a target – what can you compare to? Finally, targets are important, because after each event you can re-visit them and change them for the future, so that you, your event and your company can continue to grow and develop.

Setting targets (to help you get there)
Setting targets often seems like a waste of time particularly in the fast moving, dynamic and creative industry that is event management – however setting targets will help you to keep your event on track. Every time you reach a cross roads in the event planning process – every time you think of a new idea or a new suggestion is made – you should ask the question, ‘Does this fit with my targets?’

If the new activity or idea will help you to achieve your objectives, then GREAT – but if not, then what is the point? If you accept every suggestion or idea, without any kind of check – you run the risk of holding an event that is little more than a collection of different activities, rather than a single, flowing event that has continuity and works well together.

Setting Targets (so that everyone else knows what you are doing)
When you set the targets for your event, you should make sure that this is a team effort – and once the targets have been set you should ensure that they are communicated to all of those involved with the planning and management of the event. This will help the people in your organisation to keep focussed on the event – and not to veer away from the main reasons for ho lding the event.

Setting targets for different areas will provide the roadmap to a successful event – throughout the planning process you will be able to quickly see which areas need more attention (poor ticket sales means focusing resources on tickets) or which are close to reaching their target.

If a target is reached, then a new target should be set so that the momentum and pace of the event is not lost.

Setting Targets (so you know if your event has been a success)
When you are trying to evaluate your events, you measure the success of the event against the targets that have been set – if you do not set any targets, then how can you measure against them? These targets can be personal, for the event management team, for the event or for the business as a whole. For example, you may choose to set a target as ‘selling 100 tickets’. If you sell only 90 tickets then you have failed to reach your target and you need to investigate why. If you sell 110 tickets then you have exceeded your target – but again – why was this?

Setting Targets (so you can change them next time)
Once the event is over – you should look at all of the targets individually – your performance against these targets will provide a comparison between how you did and how you wanted to do. This provides a framework for any evaluation – and allows the evaluation process to be streamlined.

It isn’t acceptable to just see whether you did or did not meet a target – you have to investigate why – as this is where you can learn lessons to take forward to the future. The reasons for matching targets should be carefully considered, and action points arranged from them – it might be that some areas failed due to lack of funding, or others due to lack of training. Without knowing this, the risk is that the event, staff or company will continue on, never quite getting it right – year on year and event on event.

© 2006 eventsecrets.com - Dave Lake is a specialist event and production manager who has organised events all over the UK. On Dave’s event management website you will find instant access to all his event strategies, tips, tools, and resources that he’s used to organise everything from an intimate dinner for 15 to outdoor events for 17,000, as well as conferences, training days, music and sports events.