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Case studies
Series editors
The authors
Series preface
Preface
This book looks at how an event manager can successfully manage the event process, with each chapter dedicated to each stage in the process. This book examines some of the most relevant of these approaches and associated techniques and applies them to the events industry within the proposed event operations management model.
Analysis
The main purpose of the chapter is to demonstrate how important it is to know what the customer wants and values. It examines the amount of interaction between the organization and the customers, and the effect that different levels of contact can have on the management and control of the different elements of the event.
Learning ObjectivesChapter 1
Development of the
However, in the event industry, changes cannot be made to the end time of the project, as this is the start time of the event. Topics cover the details of the supply chain planning and management process.
Chapter summary and key points
It is important that managers develop for future events and learn from past successes and mistakes. The section also discusses how to evaluate events and offers various techniques to help the event manager.
Learning ObjectivesChapter 2
Event management
For example, in the events industry, ThemeTraders is a UK-based vertically integrated art, design and production company specializing in creative parties, themed events, road shows and motivational events. A variety of authors (Getz, 1997; Goldblatt, 1997; Watt, 1998; Bowdin et al., 2001; Shone and Parry, 2004) identify the scope of the event industry and create typologies in order to consider, in more groups manageable, the diversity of the events industry, its sectors and markets.
Skipton
Public sector event
Private sector event
Voluntary sector event
Case study 2.1
Event managers can work within a small or large event company, or they can be employed within much larger organizations. The organization may be a multi-million dollar enterprise such as John Lewis, which employs social secretaries to organize everything from small interview panels to their Annual Fun Day for their 20,000 Partners and their guests.
Mission
Regardless of their size, organizations and major events such as Children in Need (a UK charity) must have a mission - their reason for being.
Different levels of management and decision-making
These four features are based on those proposed by Slack et al. 2004), and will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter. Consider the NYC & Company mission statement in Case Study 2.2 and discuss how it aligns with the four mission areas identified in this chapter.
NYC & Company
Case study 2.2
Strategic level decisions
Business level decisions
Operational level decisions
EVR congruence
It is both the values and the culture that determine whether the environment and resources currently match, and whether they fit together – that is, there must be an overlap between the environment (critical success factors), the resources (tangible and intangible), and the values of the organization and its commitment to maintain this overlap (Figure 2.5).
Service operations management
Service organization
Service operating system
Inputs/resources
Measuring the efficient use of intangible resources is much more difficult than for tangible resources. However, the amount of time and available information are important issues for the event manager.
Outputs
Royal Ascot, Ascot Racecourse
Case study 2.3
However, the mission of the restaurant is not to prepare meals, the mission is to serve meals, and the delivery of service cannot take place without the customer - it is not possible for the meal to be served unless there is a customer is and the customer has placed an order. In these three examples – the bus traveling on its route, the prepared hotel room and the partially prepared meal in the restaurant – there are stored resources waiting for the customer to arrive.
Who is the customer?
Size and volume of output
Complexity and variety of services/products offered to the consumer
Event management: characteristics and definitions 23 Slack et al. 2004) believe that there are four important characteristics that can be. Where variety is low, little flexibility is required and assigned tasks may be standardized and regular.
Uncertainty of numbers attending, cost, time schedule and technical requirements
This lack of variety can result in relatively low costs, but can result in poor service if a member of staff is bored.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show
The Exhibitors
Case study 2.4
Some exhibitors, such as Nottcutt's, Kelway's and McBean's Orchids, have exhibited at the fair since its early days. The exhibits are judged by specialist RHS judging panels before the show opens and can be awarded gold, silver-gilt, silver and bronze medals.
Organization
The visitors
Catering
Interaction with the consumer, and degree of consumer and customer contact
You will then see how making different choices regarding the event layout and customer involvement has cost and schedule implications for your organization. We've identified the difference between industries and markets and considered the size and diversity of the events industry.
Learning ObjectivesChapter 3
Analysis of the external environment
If the local authority wants to promote the inclusion of the whole community then 'free street events' would be a way to bring the whole community together.
Tensions and issues for an event manager
A vision depicts the company's aspirations, a desired and achievable image of how the company will appear in a few years, which can capture the imagination and motivate employees and others. Along the way, decisions must be made in accordance with the company's values, as stated in the board's decision-making behavior - according to what the board thinks is good or bad, right or wrong from the company's point of view.
Mission statement
He believes that vision statements should focus on the values to which the organization is committed and that appropriate measures should be in place to indicate progress toward these ideals. He sees the mission statement as not dealing with what the company must do to survive, but what it has chosen to do to thrive.
Holistic management
The mission is to realize the vision, to express the commitment and the will to do this.
Mission statements
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Victoria, Australia
Euro RSCG Skybridge, London, England
Clear Channel, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Case study 3.1
We believe that we have a duty to the well-being of the communities in which we live. We believe that the ultimate measure of our success is delivering superior value to our shareholders.
The importance of the customer
Influencers in a figure's inner circle may be easier to control and manage than those in the outer circle. Analysis of the external environment 37 They are of course influenced by external factors, but they can be controlled by actions.
Political and legal factors
When providing services in other countries, or when using interpreters from other countries elsewhere, it is essential that the organization makes an effort to find out what legal restrictions exist and what is socially acceptable before taking any action. However, it is essential to consider only those aspects during the analysis that may have a direct or indirect impact on your organization or your competitor.
Economic factors
It is therefore useful to be aware of popular issues and to make adjustments to operations so that it can be seen as a responsible organization within the pervasive culture, rather than waiting for legislators to act due to public pressure. When a safeguard is made the subject of rules and regulations, it is likely to have stricter conditions than when organizations or industries adhere to their own self-imposed safeguards.
Sociological factors
For our home market we should have a reasonable idea of what is legally possible, what our health and safety responsibilities are and how current fire regulations may affect our events. In general, laws are for the benefit of the people as a whole and are passed as a result of pressure from the people to add protection.
Edinburgh Hogmanay Festivities, Scotland
By Russell Fallis and Victoria Mitchell, Scottish Press Association
Case study 3.2
Technology
However, it may be that on many occasions the technical suppliers are your own suppliers. In this case, it is essential to be aware of the changes and to have good relations with the suppliers.
Economic factors that can influence event costs
The concept is rather like being on a treadmill at a gym (Figure 3.5); no sooner do you reach a comfortable speed than the coach wants you to run faster. As you reach that new speed, you can't keep up and start sliding backwards.
Case study 3.3
As soon as a company or event has a good idea, a competitor copies it. However, it becomes more difficult to copy intangible resources (or competences), which depend on staff values and company culture and a desire for quality.
Competition
Stakeholders
Internet technology
The Conference Centre at Church House, London, England Inspiring people
Case study 3.4
The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada
Printed courtesy of Banff Conference Centre; further information is available at www.banffcentre.ca.).
The Melbourne and Exhibition Convention Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
A technique for considering the different strengths and influences of different stakeholders will be presented in Chapter 5. This analysis is essential as the needs of different stakeholders may not be compatible with each other and they have many likely to vary in consideration of different factors and within different situations.
Sponsors
The chapter has taken an organization wide perspective and is concerned with setting goals and objectives for the entire enterprise and the importance of determining the best use of available resources. Chapter 4, still within the first phase of the event operations management model, deals with the bridge between the external environment and the internal environment.
Defining service provision
Learning Objectives
In all these scenarios, the event manager must be flexible and adapt to changing situations. Often what the client takes for granted will be critical to the overall operation and will require a lot of effort on the part of the event manager to achieve - such as fleet maintenance and vehicle condition maintenance.
Carnaval Miami, Florida, USA
Case study 4.1
The golf club
Case study 4.2
Product launch
Case study 4.3
The main focus of the chapter is the importance of knowing what the customer wants and values. Chapter 5, still within the first stage of the event management model, will take a closer look at customer and stakeholder needs.
Learning ObjectivesChapter 5
Customers, stakeholders and gap analysis
Ex-customers – those who are now going elsewhere (and are therefore no longer our customers).
Internal customers
Regardless of the level of face-to-face interaction, no service can be provided without some interaction with the customer. When setting up a stage for a classical open-air concert, for example, the customer does not have to be present, but nevertheless without consultation with the relevant suppliers and without knowledge of the size of the audience, the available acoustics and the amount of construction time, the internship company cannot provide a service. grant.
External customers
The greater the interaction with the customer, the greater will be the deviations and the need for training in customer relations. Note that this does not mean that the customer must always be present when the service is provided.
Customer satisfaction
Assessing critical success factors
The diagram in Figure 5.2 can then be further used by adding the various attributes for the various venues under consideration. Use different colors to highlight the customer's requirements and the facilities at the different venues.
Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), Scotland
Case study 5.1
Visit the Edinburgh International Conference Center website at www.eicc.co.uk and plot the suitability of the EICC against the criteria using the criteria in Figure 5.2.
Dolce International Corporate Headquarters, Montvale, New Jersey, USA
Case study 5.2
Printed by permission of Dolce International; additional information can be obtained at www. dolce.com.). What do you consider to be the key success factors for Dolce International in the conference market?
The providers’ perspective
We can see that those venues that are closest to the customer's line can become a successful choice for the organizer. If it's on the right, it's not achieving what the customer wants.
Competitive advantage by using quality of service provision
We can see that if the line drawn for the organization is to the left of what the customer wants, then they are overbidding and possibly spending more money and resources on a less valued attribute. What constitutes quality, how it is assessed and controlled, and the quality culture are detailed in Chapter 16.
Adding value
Thus, customer satisfaction goes beyond the basics of specification, time and cost to include service quality. However, in light of the importance of service quality in gaining a competitive advantage, our discussion of customer service would be incomplete if we ignored the elements of what can be done to improve the basic attributes of specification, time, and cost. .
Summary
These are briefly discussed in chapter 3, because many of the stakeholders are external to the organisation. Freeman (1984) defines a stakeholder as any person or group that can influence or be influenced by the performance of the organization.
Determining who the stakeholders are
We will now focus on defining who the stakeholders are and how to rank the relative importance of the various requirements of customers and stakeholders. The funding body obviously has an interest in the efficiency of the operation.
Carnival parades
Case study 5.3
Adaptation of matrix
Prepare a list of stakeholders for Glastonbury Festival and assign to each group or individual their concerns about the festival. Would any of the stakeholders move from the position you established in the previous exercise?
The Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, England
Based on this list, rank their importance along two dimensions: first, their interest in the event on a scale of 1-5 (5 being high); and second, the impact you could have on the event on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being high). Consider a scenario where too many tickets have been sold for Glastonbury and more people attend the event than estimated.
Case study 5.4
Customer/stakeholder challenges to the event organizer
Surveys
Jagger beats sore point to wow fans
Case study 5.5
Article printed by kind permission of the Richmond and Twickenham Times, part of the Newsquest Media Group.). Regarding the perception of the service, the selected stakeholders in this scenario all saw that the library had some inaccuracies.
Composite customer service rating
The requirements of the participants are an accurate overview of exhibitors, an excellent layout and flow and high quality food facilities. The event manager must reconsider the priorities of the exhibition and look at the requirements of other stakeholders to see who can be satisfied and to assess who is most critical to satisfy.
Gap analysis
This chapter is the penultimate chapter in the analysis phase of the incident operations management model. Usually, an organization will not be able to fully meet all of the customer's requirements, and some trade-off will be possible.
Learning ObjectivesChapter 6
Analysis of the internal environment
Analysis of the internal environment 73 The chapter also considers many of the tangible and intangible resources that an event entails. First, we will discuss those elements within an event organization as identified as being in the internal environment as in Figure 6.1.
Corporate culture
If the event organization has a strong culture, then everyone will instinctively know how things are done and what is expected. Conversely, if the culture is weak, then the individual may not respond in the way management hopes.
Desire for quality
Information systems
Analysis of the internal environment 75 The old management method was that the bosses did the thinking, set the goals. Today, most of us work where we work because we understand the policies of the organization, believe in the product or service we offer, and enjoy being involved, even just a little, in shaping policy.
Finance and ownership
With such an approach, it is no wonder that many people were unwilling to show initiative and thus few truly had the organization's interests at heart. Some staff will be employed full-time, others part-time and only for the duration of the event; some will be volunteers provided by other agencies and some will come from suppliers.
The customer
In the event industry, the most important resource is likely to be people, and we need to know what their competencies are – that is, the location of the premises or where the event will take place, the reliability of the information system and other necessary equipment, the reliability of suppliers, and above all the quality of the people, will determine the overall ability or competence of the event.
Materials
Machines/equipment
Human resources
Buildings and space
Time
Information
Prioritizing resources
Therefore, an integrated computerized information and ticketing system and a clear survey instrument to measure the success of the launch are essential. A back-up "manual" system consisting of the telephone, bound books of brochures and handwritten tickets can be cumbersome, slow and expensive due to errors arising from out-of-date information and incorrectly recorded bookings.
The efficiency factor
Precedence of objectives
Christmas Concert in a cathedral
Case study 6.1
This is not to suggest that the resource-focused organization ignores customer satisfaction; often the use of resources will be consistent with customer satisfaction. If we think that the use of resources is secondary to customer satisfaction, how should the organizers effectively use resources and provide customer satisfaction?
The Bakewell Show, 4–5 August 2004, Bakewell Showground, Derbyshire
If the airline meets these criteria (specifications, time and cost), customers will essentially be satisfied, and if at the same time the airline has a full aircraft (no empty seats) and keeps its operating costs at minimum, then at the same time it will be efficient. resource utilization and customer satisfaction will be achieved. Suffice it to say that passengers traveling in first class, those prepared to pay for the extra service, will not be the ones to be unloaded.
Case study 6.2
Case Studies 6.2–6.4 illustrate different aspects of objective precedence, which are addressed in the following reflective practice questions. Dressed in colorful costumes, they demonstrated the amazing fighting skills of the period, as well as amazing horsemanship.
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, 5–14 November 2004, National Trade Centre, Toronto, Canada
Many of the older visitors were delighted to see the rare thoroughbred horses used on farms when they were children. During the Show there was a chance for younger visitors to win a modern computer in a special competition.
International Business Centre
On Thursday, visitors were treated to fast and daring racing, which proved extremely popular when it was introduced last year. New in 2004 were Suffolks - Britain's oldest breed of heavy horse, with a bloodline dating back to 1768.
National Holstein Show
Three National Beef Cattle Shows
Case study 6.3
Perth Royal Show, 2–9 October 2004, Claremont Showground, Perth, Western Australia
Case study 6.4
The Royal Auctions
Giant Vegetables
Children can discover the magic of the Australian bush through the songs and didgeridoo playing of Wandering in the Bush by Greg Hastings. At this year's Perth Royal Show, wedding cakes reminiscent of the 1950s, topped with royal icing and richly decorated with gold leaf, will be the main attraction of the cooking competition.
Matching customer satisfaction with resource utilization
Some of the staff are responsible directly to the event manager and others are employed by agencies or subcontractors. There is a great deal of previous research and commentary on these alternatives, discussed by leading management writers such as Thompson (2001); Johnson and Scholes (2002) and Mullins (2002).
Virtual organizations
These five functions can be further divided according to the nature and size of the event. Chapters 1-6 form the first stage of the event management model and identify the critical areas that require analysis – ie.
Detailed planning
It is important to consider the company's overall goals and thus the business policy, and how these will affect the location. This provides a very useful guide for event managers, as well as creating an understanding of the importance of aiming to create risk-free events.
Learning ObjectivesChapter 7
Planning, product portfolios, and product and service
In many of the small event management companies, the event manager is already a member of the Board. Remember, we looked at this in Chapter 5 during the analysis stage of the event operations management model.
The Royal Horticultural Society
Examples of strengths could be financial stability, good networking opportunities and a good customer base and reputation; weaknesses could be a lack of skilled staff and a poor cash flow. An opportunity could be an emerging new market, and a threat would certainly be new and emerging competition.
Case study 7.1
The results of these analyzes should be part of the summary of the SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) of the organization. This chapter examines the lifecycle of services and the Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG); the other aspects are covered in subsequent chapters in part 2 of the book.
The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, 4–8 May 2005, South Gloucestershire, England
The positive cash flows should be reinvested in new products to replace the mature ones leaving the market. Organizations should be ready with new products or have strategies to extend the life cycle if this is believed to be possible.
Case study 7.2
Management actions
Products and services require different marketing, operations, purchasing and staffing strategies at each stage of the life cycle. Slack (1998) points out that this last point implies that the operations manager will need to set new goals as the product or service matures in its market.
The Notting Hill Carnival, London, England
However, there will always be room for improvement, and ideally the culture of the organization will be to seek to make incremental improvements. The decline phase will bring another set of problems; either drastic changes will have to be made to the service to stop the decline, or an entirely new service will have to be developed.
Case study 7.3
In addition to the traditional aspects of the Carnival, there are also three live stages in the Carnival area, featuring local bands, top international artists and music from all over the world. Many believe that the best way to maximize the benefits of the carnival is to change the route.
Criticisms of the product life cycle
Using the BCG matrix
Cash cows
Dogs
Stars
If market share is lost, they can become dogs when the market eventually stops growing - so they need to be watched. You can see that there is a similarity between stars and those products and services that are in the growth stage of the product life cycle.
Question marks
Learning ObjectivesChapter 8
Product development
When changes are being considered, the event manager must be able to make suggestions and be involved in the final decision.
Innovation
Ansoff’s matrix
Simultaneous development
The idea
Internal sources
Research is a function that can be formally set up within the organization of the event, or simply assigned to specific people for a short period of time. It can be about different technologies, or just about doing activities in a slightly different way – for example by being open to ideas and trying them out.
Royal Ascot, 15–19 June 2004, Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire, England
Sometimes your staff may have worked for one of your suppliers in the past, or actually worked for one of your competitors. They may have gathered ideas from other people, or they may make suggestions based on their own observations.
Case study 8.1
Research can focus on different forms of event creation and delivery to see if, by using different ideas, new possibilities can emerge.
External sources
Concepts
Systematic and rapid screening of various alternatives
Development of the new approach and preliminary design
Simple flow charts
Flow process charts
Thomas the Tank Engine Education Week, Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, North Yorkshire, England
Case study 8.2
Customer processing charts
Testing the new approach or offering
Launching on a commercial scale
The spark for new ideas and concepts, apart from the event manager, can come from staff, especially those close to the customer. The chapter showed how flow process mapping can be used to show the flow of work and activities, and also to show the flow of customers through the event.
Learning ObjectivesChapter 9
Supply chain management
If the resources provided are not of the right level, the event manager rarely has enough time to look for another supplier. Mapping out the offer and customer network has only exposed part of the work of the event manager.
Single sourcing or multi-sourcing of suppliers?
The price can also be lowered, as the supplier will feel that there is certainty of selling the required products and services. This is an example of subcontracting - the manager has control over what is done.
Vertically integrated organizations
An example of a virtual company is a promoter who organizes a ballet troupe's overseas tour, hires theaters, arranges accommodation for artists, hires the orchestra, etc., and uses an advertising agency for promotion.
Star Events Group, Bedford, England
Case study 9.1
In the events industry, this may involve buying out a lighting specialist or a catering company, or making all the props for theme nights in-house rather than using an external company. Slack and Lewis (2002) identify three trends in the provision of goods and services and the manner in which they are obtained.
Reed MIDEM, Paris, France
Case study 9.2
There should be a detailed discussion about how these can best be procured – internally or from an external company. Suppliers should be contacted for a price and an overview of what they can supply – Can the exact specification be provided.
Further elaboration of decision points 1–9 1. Recognizing a need for a resource
- Prepare a specification/brief
- Lists of preferred suppliers
- Approaching and locating suppliers for a specification
- Examination of the received quotations and fitness for purpose
- Comparison of in-house and external provision
- Prepare a purchase order/create contractual
Each criterion must be weighed in its importance for that particular product or service, and as a result, the event manager will be able to more appropriately select suppliers and their services. When the quotations are received, it must be ensured that the companies are able to meet all the requirements of the activity for which they have been asked to quote.
Receipt of goods/services and consumption
Review: was it as required/expected?
Customer relationship management
This chapter has examined the relationships along the chain between different levels of suppliers, through the operation of the event out to the direct customer and on to the end user. Since many of the previous chapters have been spent considering what customers want and how to satisfy them, this chapter has concentrated on the other end of the supply chain – the suppliers.
Learning ObjectivesChapter 10
Location management and choice
For example, for sound and acoustic suppliers you can use a number of different suppliers across the country, depending on where your event will be held. A wrong initial location decision will lead to further expense and disruption if a subsequent move to a new location has to be made.
Why move?
It must be recognized that the economy is cyclical, and when there is an economic downturn, expensive properties are difficult to vacate. Many decisions to move to new premises are made for prestige purposes rather than to improve the efficiency of the operation or better serve the customer.
32nd America’s Cup, Valencia, Spain
Sometimes the reason for moving is due to a change in competition or local costs (rent, taxes, etc.). Wild (2002) suggests that if the reason for moving is due to an increase in demand, this in itself raises more questions:.
Brief history of the America’s Cup®
If the reason for moving is to meet increased demand, the question should be: 'Is it possible to extend the existing property instead of moving?'. Sometimes the reason given for a planned move is unclear and it cannot be clearly demonstrated that the move to new premises will improve business operations or increase customer satisfaction.
Case study 10.1
For the 32nd America's Cup, a new location was sought and a management company was appointed to manage the event. The news reports below describe the process undertaken to select the venue for the 32nd America's Cup.
Where to?
International locations
How much space is required?
Lease or buy?
Setting up an overseas event
Case study 10.2
Although leasing is less definitive than building or buying, the location decision must be made with just as much care. If a leased property later turns out to be in the wrong location, there will be disruption both internally and externally to the customer, and effort and money spent on finding new premises and moving, which may could have been avoided if the right decision had been made in the first place.
What are the differences between cost and the benefits to be made?
Have alternatives been evaluated?
Likewise, in the example given, the need to use local staff is rated low, so that those venues that are close to a useful labor supply are not rated highly in the final analysis. Large public events can be held outdoors in public parks, in the streets or malls, or in the middle of the desert (Silver, 2004).
Developing selection criteria
The same style of analysis that was used to evaluate site selection for office space can be used to evaluate weighted criteria for site selection for an event. Case study 10.3 discusses the factors influencing the choice of location for the British Grand Prix in July 2005.
British Grand Prix, July 2005, Silverstone, England
This technique can be applied to many other resources that the event manager will use. The table can be used to identify the event manager's research and decision-making process.
Case study 10.3
We need the British Grand Prix to maintain the long-term stability of the valuable British motorsport industry and for the sake of Silverstone. One of the goals of an event organizer is to add value and eliminate activities that do not add value.
Computer-aided event planning
Types of layouts for events
Creating the site plan
The VGM will have to ensure that all their regulations are followed and that the event can function safely. The plan should state where everything related to the event will be located and how the customers will circulate.
Crowd-related issues
Similarly, if the event attracts media interest, a media area and/or location of any associated press conferences should be identified. The event manager should use an accurate, scaled plan, the direction should always be north.
Accommodating special needs
Certain elements of the arrangement should lie next to each other, and others should be carefully considered – for example, the proximity of catering and sanitary facilities. Discuss with a range of people with difficulties what they feel would be useful to make their visit to the event more comfortable and enjoyable.
Event signage
You are here’ boards
It is therefore important that maps include details of the scale, so that customers can estimate how far their destination is. However, a vertical map can be positioned so that buildings on the left side of the map are on the left side of the ground, and buildings on the right side of the map are on the right side of the ground.
Ergonomics
Providing important information in the primary languages of the attendees can avoid confusion and aid in the success of an event. These topics are very much operational issues, and yet they exist in the wider strategic context of the organization.
Risk management for event managers
Laybourn (2004) argues that one of the reasons why events are special is risk – the event has not yet taken place. Other possible risks could be that the artist you have booked for the event is not granted an entry visa by the country where you are running the event.
Insurex, Los Angeles, California, USA
What would your team need, and what would you tell the general public and when.
When Lightning Strikes
Case study 11.1
The costs of having systems in place to prevent poor quality situations are discussed in Chapter 16, where we examine the costs of having a good system in place and compare those costs with those that will have to be covered if problems occur .
Rock concerts
Case study 11.2
To better understand the causes of these unexplained incidents, this research then turned to rock concert events from the emergence of the subculture called "Nu metal." Once the risks have been identified, the event manager must also assess the impact of the risks if more than one occurs at the same time (O'Toole and Mikolaitis, 2002).
Fault tree
To help with the brainstorming, a quadrant can be used to place the probability of a risk and the degree of impact that can be expected from it (see Figure 11.1). This approach can be useful, with a group of people, to identify the range of risks that may occur.
Risk assessment sheet
FMECA defines event design features that are likely to cause failure. Criticality enables an examination of the severity of any failure in terms of reducing the performance of the event and its eventual success.
Moment of truth
Any defects should be examined to determine their likely impact on the event as a whole. FMECA can be used in any phase of the event management model, but in this case it is shown in the third phase - the implementation phase.
National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA), Wallington, Surrey, UK
Case study 11.3
Risk management for event managers 161 to all concerned and put into action if the risk becomes a reality. However, it is important to close this chapter by reiterating the need to report back on the effectiveness of the risk management process.
Implementation and delivery
This chapter considers the importance of people, the 'human resource', together with how the event manager can make best use of this resource. In the events industry, the level of service provided to customers and the internal efficiency of the organization are highly dependent on people - human resources - and their consistent performance.
People power – the most valuable resource?
This chapter is the first about the third phase of the event operations management model. Ensuring that the people of the organization have all the necessary materials and equipment to get the job done.
People power
They may be the most important resource, so managers, according to Lashley and Lee-Ross (2003), must be able to align the needs of the individual with the goals of the organization for the benefit of their employer, themselves, the customer and the outcomes of the event. Ensuring that staff know what to do and how to do it (this is often specified and explained in the job description).
The importance of motivated people
Much has been written about motivation and many theories have been developed, and still many organizations do not have high-performing, self-motivated people.
Motivated event staff
Our challenge is to encourage all employees, whether employed by us, employed by our suppliers or volunteers, to provide a high level of service.
Out-of-sight staff
Investors in People
Prestbury House Hotel, Cheltenham, UK
The organization
The result
The challenge
The strategy
Case study 12.1
Torquay Leisure Hotels (1), Torquay, Devon, UK
Case study 12.2
Develop the structure and capability of the management team to meet the future needs of the business. It has pushed the entire development of the company forward, and has now become a norm in the way we think and plan.'
Torquay Leisure Hotels (2), Devon, England
They may be full of good intentions, but leave things to chance or expect others to do the work.
Case study 12.3
It is important to read more widely about the research undertaken to identify what makes volunteers volunteer in the events industry and how managers can harness and increase their motivation. The event manager can coordinate these different groups of volunteers to produce an event such as a carnival or the Commonwealth Games.
The Alexandra Blossom Festival, New Zealand
However, it is recognized that this list contains many generalisations, and that there are a wide range of events which attract a wide range of volunteers. Some volunteers will bring a range of skills learned and developed from their other volunteer work.
Case study 12.4
This presents a greater challenge for the event manager in terms of using different motivational tools. However, as events move from one location to another, the number of volunteers may or may not be more plentiful.
USA Swimming
Case study 12.5
However, the event manager has additional problems in that the staff may not have worked together on an event before. Remember that an event is a unique occurrence and may not have happened before, and therefore may not have developed any habit or loyalty to the event manager.
Economic man and scientific management
