Event description essay samples

Business events management

Introduction
Event management is a discipline involving the use of project management tools and techniques to create manage and bring to success festival and events. The process involve the study of the event to determine the target audience and design a theme that suites them. Operational and logistical technicalities are also developed to ensure the success of the event. Event management gets down to two questions concerning the kind of events to be developed and the planning and management processes that accompany such events. Events can be activities such as celebrations, education meetings, promotions and commemorations. Event planning and management practices involve research, event design, site selection, food décor and transportation, transportations and logistics, invitations, accommodation planning for the attendees, coordinating and managing event personnel, and conducting evaluation to determine return on investments.
Event management companies have adopted technology as the forefront for successful management. From event management software used to schedule and coordinate events, social media used as a platform for marketing and communication, and negotiation skills to get sponsors and financiers on board (Davidson, 2013).
The field of event management has been constantly evolving with the introduction of new concepts and innovations to suit a particular occasion. It offers diverse career opportunities for individuals such as students and organizations such as student clubs and societies to put in practice the basics of event management before they get to the real world. This paper explores the event management essentials of a Winter Wonderland ball in the Christmas season.

The event is a formal Christmas ball with a winter wonderland theme for all first year students scheduled to take place at the beginning of December. The event will gather for business students and all other students with the former given early entry and the later joining one hour later. The venue of the event is a local bar themed to suit the Christmas mood. It is estimated that 400 students will attend the event and the organizers estimate the number to be sufficiently accommodated in the bar.

Goals

The event will be conducted with the following objectives:
– While conducting the Winter Wonderland ball, the aim is to make a profit out of the ticket sales
– First years are given the opportunity to meet new people and
– Fill the bar with at least 400 people and bring a touch of Christmas spirit to Oxford Brookes
In building a business community relation among the students, early entry tickets will be issued to business students to enter the event an hour before others joint. Opportunities to mingle with free drinks before other first year students arrive is a perfect chance for business students to get to know each other. As such a quarter of all tickets have been allocated as priority for business students.
The event also creates a chance to meet and socialize with new people in a relaxed setting away from the class. Course mates and flat mates will meet in one place and share their experiences about college while having the chance to eat, drink and make merry.
This is an opportunity to create the beginning of what could potentially become a recurring event. It is the benchmark all other events that would be conducted in the future. Above all it is meant to make a profit that will be used for organizing all future events. The approximated cost of the event is £4, 387. 66. The amount will be sourced from the Student Union.
Each of the 400 tickets will be sold for £30 and the net amount expected totals £12000. This amount is enough to compensate the student union loan and cover the cost of the event next year. If as low as 300 tickets are sold, the net profit £4612. 34 and this amount is still sufficient to host the event next year. Only 147 tickets need to be sold to break even and pay the student union.

Project set up

The event will be hosted early December. The party will create bonding sessions among first year business students and other Oxford Brooks. Project management will start three weeks before the eventual day of the event. The project team will inform the local bar owners of their need to conduct the event at their venue. Thus, booking the space in advance will eliminate inefficiencies at the last minute (Etzion, 2010).

The following events need to be conducted to make the event day successful

– Venue booking
– Training of staff and volunteers
– Delegation of duties
– Marketing and advertising
– Sales of tickets
Events running concurrently will be executed at the same time. These are events like marketing and advertising, bookings, and training of bar staff. The organizing team is made up of ten members. Among them are one team leader, one treasurer, one secretary and 2 operations personnel.

Team manager

A team manager plays the role of project/event manager. The person occupying the post will be tasked with the overall management of the events and the requirements. The team has accorded me this post and, thereby, I will be responsible for the supervision of all other activities of the team members until the event comes to a conclusion. The role of a project manager is an integral part in event management because it links all the other activities taking place (Institute, 2000). Major decisions are made after consultations will the project manager, and therefore, the success or failure of the event is largely determined by the decisions made by the event manager.

Treasurer

This post is concerned with the management of finances used in the event. The treasurer will be tasked with the sale of tickets to students on time with a need to maximize sales as m, uch as possible. The success of the event is dependent on the amount of finance sourced from the sale of ticks. Thus, the treasurer in liaison with the marketing and advertising crew will ensure that the tickets will be available on time to any student requiring them.
The person will also ensure that service providers are remunerated according to the service offered. It will also provide finance for the design of invitation cards send to guests invited to the event. During the event, it might be necessary to offer gifts to the invited guests as a token of appreciation. The treasurer with the event manager will reach on a decision on the type of gifts to be purchased.
The treasurer will also prepare financial plans forecasts, costs, budgets, profits and variance arising from project execution. Thus the work of the treasurer involves the management of the financial aspects to ensure that the project is executed with the planned budget. This is known as resource planning. Resource planning entails revenue generations, cost estimation together with profits and losses.

Secretary

For the project to be successful it needs to be executed in a planned manner and the post of a secretary comes in. The secretary keeps records of all the records of events during meetings. The secretarial positions collaborate with the elected officials to design a smooth execution of activities in a planned manner without repetition.

MARKETING

Marketing will be conducted via social media predominantly through Twitter and Facebook. A Facebook and Twitter page will be created exclusively for event sensitization and campaign. It is estimated that with the creation of the pages three weeks before the event, sufficient number of students will be aware of the event and will purchase the tickets. The pages will describe the event times and the prices of tickets and guest list. Through referral, friends will invite friends and the network will grow tremendously.
Other social media, other marketing options include the distribution of A5 leaflets through student letter boxes, A4 posters around student hostels and hall of residence and A5 posters around campuses including Wheatley, Gypsy Lane, and Harcourt.

Project Plan

Event planning has been conducted in a manner that incorporates contingency plans to gather for unforeseen inefficiencies. Contingency planning is a essential component in event management to gather for unfavorable situations. Basing the success of the event on the number of tickets sold, it is required that 25% of the tickets be converted to cash to break even and be able to compensate the Student Union. In case the decorations in the venue are ruined, the bar can re-decorate it to bring the required Christmas theme. A DJ will be contracted from one of the community DJ establishments. However, in case the DJ fails to turn over, the hotel has an in-house DJ who will take over and provide the anticipated entertainment.
Services will be provided by the trained hotel staff and volunteers. However, in the event that a problem arises and the part time hotel staff does not turn up, the events team will be in standby to offer the same service.
In order to avoid shortages of meals and drinks, organizers have approximated two meals per individual multiplied by the expected turn up number. The hotel has a stock of beverages and as such shortages will not be anticipated.

Training of staff and volunteers

There are six different groups of workers:
– Bar staff
– Waiting staff
– Doorman
– DJ
– Volunteers
Training is essential for these groups so that they are aware of service procedures as well as rules and regulations governing the event. Training session will be conducted for the last two days prior to the event to acquaint employees with the environment and procedures. Training will be conducted by a qualified personnel selected by the committee. Bar staff will be trained on the handling of clients, quantities of food and drinks to be served to individual persons and related matters. Waiting staff are will be trained on how to handle attendees especially when scenarios of alcoholic drinks will be served (Raj, 2013).
Bar staff and waiters will be distinguished from the attendees through their special hotel uniforms. Volunteers will be provided with uniform and name badges to identify them and facilitate smooth floor of operations. As everyone will be tasked to provide service at a specified location, collision and duplication of duties will be eliminated.

Leadership and time management

Leadership will b e demonstrated in the management of the event to deliver success. As a team leader, there is need to organize staff, volunteers and attendees to achieve the desired goal. All activities will be executed in a pre-planned manner except when situations arises that require drastic measures(Nicholas & Steyn 2008).
Time management is an essential practice that needs to be taken care of to achieve the specified goal. As planned business students will be granted early entry before all other students. Thus, a time schedule will be developed right from booking of the hotel venue, invitations, transportation, preparation and service of food and drinks, cleanliness and other concepts.
Cards will be printed and distributed two weeks before the event to allow guests enough time to prepare. Likewise, early preparation will accord event management team the time for review and handle changes (Cecil et al 2013).

Prioritization

Some activities are classified as high priority and its execution receives the greatest attention. Ticket sales have the highest priority tag and will continuously be executed until the day of the event unless they are exhausted. The hotel venue is also priority and should be booked earlier to facilitate sufficient preparation of staff and other parties(Burke 2003).
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Project management and monitoring

In order to be updated on the progress of various activities, frequent meetings between the committee members will be called to review task execution. With the collection of the events and the activities that will be undertaken in preparation o the day, there will be the need to have proper activity sequencing. Activity sequencing is the identification and documenting the logistical relationship that exist in the project (Liang, 1985).

Scheduling

As part of project management, variations arising from different activities will be reviewed and adjusted to meet the present scenarios. This applies mostly to finance and budgeting Wheelen & Hunger 2011).

Team building and team effectiveness

The goal of the project is to create a legacy to the community on the process of event management. In order to achieve this, effectiveness of the team will be put into test. A functional team will need to have effective team building activities and features. In order to quell tension and anger arising from working in a team effective problem solving procedures need to be put in place. Likewise, communication management will be enhanced to bring all the members of the team together. Problems arising in the course of the processes, either internal or external will be reported through the right channel and solved instantly.

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