Event management has many facets and so do the responsibilities of an event manager. Determining responsibilities can get a bit confusing. Especially when you look at the different job titles and job descriptions circulating in the industry. But in reality it is quite simple: As an event manager, you do it all!
While there are team members to support you, the final responsibility is in your court. It’s all about versatility! Challenging, but it truly is one of the aspects I love most about event management.
Working as an event manager, you might feel as if you were wearing a magician’s hat. But let me tell you: there are many more hats waiting for you.
Don’t hesitate, put them on!
I. The hat of a Project Manager:
I am convinced that an event manager can only be truly successful when following project management principles. Let’s face it: running an event is running a project! To organize yourself and your team, you likely work with these tools: event plans and schedules, checklists, and the infamous Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). While we are heading from initiation to event success, we plan details, execute our plan, and monitor and control all processes involved. And at the end, we put our efforts to rest. But only after documenting valuable lessons learned. Voila! Project management at it’s best.
II. The hat of a Creative Director:
Formulating a unique creative concept is one of the best parts of planning an event for me. You and your team can let your imagination run wild. As a creative project manager, you are not only brainstorming and designing entertainment concepts. You also work on (social) media integration, rely on effects made possible with modern technologies, integrate creative sound options, and develop an inspiring decorating plan. A dream, if you have a creative bone in you!
Image courtesy of pakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
III. Hat of a Procurement Expert:
Are you tapping your network to get the best possible conditions for needed services? And negotiating the fine print of contracts? While at the same time juggling logistics? And burning up the phone lines tracking orders? This is all part of the game. Responsible for logistics to run smoothly, you as an event manager are being put to the test. So whip out your people skills, get ready for negotiating, and brush up on your knowledge of local laws. These skills will serve you well!
IV. The hat of a Marketer:
Part of your responsibilities as an event manager is supporting development of a marketing strategy for the event. And your goal is to market the event not only to potential guests, but also to your sponsors. Guests should be encouraged to attend, and your client, or management team, likely needs some convincing to put up funding for you and your plans. Therefore, it’s vital to point out the USP of the event. Keep in mind: Hosting an event is an excellent opportunity to sell an experience that reflects the company’s mission and vision. Be creative, think outside the box, and wow them all!
V. The hat of a Budget Officer:
Like it or not: The number game is part of every event manager’s job. Above all: Your success as an event manager is partially determined by event costs staying within your assigned budget! Granted, it’s not much fun hovering over numbers and spreadsheets. But only with a complete set of numbers can you make informed decisions. Budgets are not only essential for event planning purposes. They also serve as great reporting- and communication tool. Especially in interactions with clients, and with your team. To get ahead, do stay on top of your numbers at all times!
There certainly are many more hats fitting event manager’s heads out there!
Which hats do you wear? Share your experience managing an event from a to z!
- Mona
This post is brought to you by “Mona’s Event Dos and Don’ts.”
Find more tips and tricks on managing your events via their event blog at http://www.MonasEventDosAndDonts.com/blog.
Mona – would you be able to give me more info on the WBS tool you use and refer to ?
Newly into meeting and admission Event planning for a small University.
Thanks
Hi Diane,
Absolutely! Just a quick heads-up: before working on the WBS, you’ll ideally have the scope of your event already defined, and the sponsor’s sign off on it in your hands. That will save you and your team a lot of headaches along the road!
Now to the WBS – the work breakdown structure – which by the way looks like a hierarchical diagram, similar to those used in an organization chart. The term WBS originally comes from the field of project management (PM).
Like the name suggests, you take the ‘big picture’ of an event and break all things required to make your event a success down in smaller more manageable pieces. In the first step, you organize all the major tasks into categories (or deliverables in PM speech).
These categories could for example be Invitation Management, Design, Location, Entertainment/Speakers, Security, Food & Beverage, etc. If you start out drawing the WBS by hand, these categories form your first level of the WBS on the horizontal level (under the box with the name of your event serving as a header). You want to use nouns for these categories, and not verbs or phrases.
In the next step, you subdivide these categories hierarchically into individual tasks that need to be completed in each area, e.g. for Invitation Management you might want to include ‘define target groups’, ‘update & expand mailing list’, ‘draft content of invitation’, ‘set-up RSVP System’, etc.
You basically organize each and every single one of the chores (or Work Packages in PM) required to organize your event. Note these ‘chores’ on the vertical axis right under each of your categories based on an internal timeline for completion of each chore (what needs to be done first is noted on top, then you go down the hierarchy). It’s your choice how often you want to break down the ‘tasks,’ and into how much depth you would like to go. Select the depth according to what makes sense for your event.
And that brings me back to my opening remark: To do this well, you will need to know what’s in and what’s not – the scope.
Once you have all your individual chores defined, it’s easy to plan for implementation, and to assign the work packages to team members. On this ‘low’ level, you can also easily schedule each task, budget for it, and make sure it’s on track, and implemented properly. Consider using numeric codes and a ‘dictionary’ to note these details in a separate document (if you are not using software that automizes this process). The completed WBS is a great visual you can use in communications and negotiations with your team, sponsor, and other stakeholders.
Browse the Web to find software suitable for your purpose – there are many options out there!
Btw. brainstorming and defining categories and chores together with your team is a great activity to get buy-in from everybody. Use sticky notes and a plain wall, and make sure everyone’s input is heard. It’s a fun team-building activity, and the result is a document serving as the red thread throughout your entire event management process!
I just found an illustration (very basic) of a WBS for a conference at the University of Technology Sydney’s Website at http://www.projects.uts.edu.au/stepbystep/planning1.html so you can look at a visual of a basic WBS layout as well.
Happy designing!
Simone
Marketing seems to be growing more and more with the availability and almost INSTANT scalability of cyber technologies (sites, apps, social networks ect..) I think this is awesome but also a little confusing sometimes!
I agree, David. I love the opportunities for instant feedback that new technologies and social media afford us.
Knowing how our messages are interpreted, and if they trigger the desired reaction with our target groups, is a big plus.
We now have the opportunity to adapt strategies if needed – as opposed to finding out we were on the wrong path when it’s too late.
In the section “hat of a marketer” you mention a USP… what is that?
Hi Donitta,
Thanks for your message. With the abbreviation USP, I am referring to the “unique selling proposition,” which is a term borrowed from the field of marketing.
The USP points out what makes your event / your organization (or product & service) different from others.
So what is it, marketers – or in our case event managers – attempt to do when “pointing out the USP” for an event?
For sponsors, and senior management, it is essential to know the value hosting a specific event can bring to an organization. This information is what helps with deciding which events should be picked over others, and how the available resources should be allocated.
In addition, event managers need to show why collaborating on a specific event would be an excellent idea for potential co-operation partners. This helps with expansion of fields of expertise, contacts, budgets, resources, etc.
And last but not least, it is essential to clearly spell out – and include in communications – why attending the event would be a valuable use of your target attendees’ time.
Ideally, your event will be unique all around!
Hope this helps!
Simone