Tips for effective events management

With the increasing use of activation events to promote brands, the management of such events has become more crucial for success. We asked Maricel Gatchalian-Badilla, our resource person on events management, for some tips on better events management.

Staging events can be a costly endeavor but can be valuable to your stakeholders if done right.

There are three major concepts that aid event planners in preparing for highly successful events, as follows:

The law of timing

The law of timing works around the idea that timing an event affects the success of an event. Everyone is busy and has other important things to do, hence deciding on the time and date of your event is crucial. It is also necessary for you to have enough lead time in preparing for the event.

For example, weddings should be scheduled at least one year in advance as popular churches and reception venues may be booked a few months prior to the date. Some suppliers also charge higher, the nearer the event date is.

The law of space

We’ve learned in science that space can only be occupied by one thing at a time. Actual physical space governs the time required for various elements of the event. Hence, apart from the time of the event, also consider the ingress, setup and egress time of back-to-back events.

During peak season of event venues and suppliers, ensure that there is enough time for the setup of venue, sound system, caterers etc. For instance, an LED projector takes time to be set up, it would be impossible to finish in an hour. Also include time to do a technical run prior to the start of the program.

The law of tempo

All events should observe the law of tempo. Within the event site, the activities done and the guests need to be managed well. Event managers need to have the ability to wave a baton to conduct the movement and pace within the event venue. Schedules need to be arranged considering the movement and special needs of the guests/participants.

For example, there is a need to consider the capacity of event venues when scheduling comfort breaks and meal times. Imagine shuttling a thousand people from a conference venue to a separate meal venue—this cannot be made in 10 minutes. Anticipating crowd movements will help create a seamless event.

Badilla will conduct a workshop on “Events Management: Techniques and Strategies on Planning and Launching Events“ on Nov. 11-12.

It is designed to provide the participants knowledge and understanding of general management in handling meetings, special events, conferences and conventions. For specific topics covered by the course, you may contact the Inquirer Academy.

The Inquirer Academy is at 4168 Don Chino Roces Ave. corner Ponte St., Makati City. For more information about the workshops or if you would like to add your input on the article, please email [email protected], call (632) 834-1557, (02) 800-8110 or (0945) 2158935 and look for Jerald Miguel or Karl Paz, or visit www.inquireracademy.com.