The Impact of Mega Events

This is a widespread topic within the events industry, due to the growth of mega events such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in the past 20 years.

According to Horne (2007) the “knowns” of Sport Mega Events is that the industry is expanding and growing due to the amount of attraction the mega events receive. This is due to new developments in technologies, such as satellite TV which attracts global audiences. Therefore, this leads to opportunities for mega events to gain ‘serious’ corporate sponsorship revenue as the new technological developments form a channel of mass communication. This is useful for the sponsors as it is valuable promotion for commercial products.  Therefore this has impact on the economic revenue received from holding a mega event; commercial competition occurs between sponsors to have peak exposure whilst the events are being broadcasted.

 The host country or city holding the mega event attracts large amounts of attention which in turn will have a positive or negative impact on the hosting community. For example the Olympic Games configure relational and symbolic systems within the host city (Glynn 2008). This is due to host communities keen to stage a mega event due to the increase of reputation and exposure it can bring ‘Global shop window effect’. Therefore creating a ‘feel good’ factor among citizens of the host nation, this has a knock-on effect for their wellbeing. As sports mega events can inspire the masses, including youngsters to take up sport or a form on physical activity, therefore improving their health such as the Olympic 2012 legacy. This is something that governments want to implement (Grix, 2012).

However host communities involve, many different stakeholders. Therefore in order for a mega event to be successful, the understanding and participation of all stakeholders in the process is crucial (Gursoy and Kendall, 2006).

 

Glynn, M. (2008). Configuring the Field of Play: How Hosting the. Journal of Management Studies. 45 (6), p.1118-1146.

Grix, J. (2012). The Politics of Sports Mega‐events. Political Insight . 3 (1), p.4-7.

Gursoy, D and Kendall, K. (2006). Hosting mega events: Modeling Locals’ Support. Annals of Tourism Research. 33 (3), p.603–623

 

 

Is Events Management a Profession?

Is Events Management a Profession?

This is a topical subject within the industry, as theories have contradicting views of what a profession is defined as. Therefore in order to begin this discussion it is essential to define what is a ‘profession’?

According to Millersons (1964) ‘What Constitutes a Profession?’ is having skills based on theoretical knowledge, the provision of training and education, testing the competence of member, organisation, adhering to a professional code of conduct and altruistic service (doing something for somebody else).  Similarly Wilensky (1964) also believes that the development of a profession is categorised into various stages. He also considers a profession to be established through a training school and also based on the founding of a professional association. Therefore the two authors share similar views that in order for an industry to be considered as a profession practitioners must have: theoretical knowledge, work within a formal code, and protected through an association.

However in terms on events management, it is difficult to apply these definitions. Consequently raising the issue whether events management is a profession?

It can be suggested that from the perspective of an events management student, events management is a profession as you can undertake the provision of training and education in order to complete a degree. Nevertheless, in order to relate to the definitions provided by Millerson’s (1964) and Wilensky (1964) the completion of training school is mandatory. However, in practice although events management courses are widely available. The components of managing events can be learnt on site in practice, without theoretical knowledge.  Conversely, withholding an event management degree is something that is thriving when looking for jobs in the events industry as a graduate. Therefore it can be suggested that the future of events management is that, the provision and establishment of training will ultimately become compulsory in order to undertake an events management job role.

On the other hand, the adherence to a professional code of conduct is a contemporary topic within the events industry. Currently, The EMBOK model is a framework of the components of event management and is flexible to the needs of its user. However, although this model is used as a “framework”, in practice it is not adhered to. Nevertheless, it can also be suggested that event managers work to the code of conduct of health and safety within events. For example, event safety is a component of the HSE executive and provides with help to run events safety. The guide comprises factors such as, working with contractors, workers at events and health and safety. 

Therefore, overall it can be suggested that events management is an ‘emerging profession’, due to its popularity as a professional qualification. However in order to be classed as a profession, the establishment of a training school must be compulsory in order to obtain skills based on theoretical knowledge. Also, the adherence to a professional code of conduct is something that needs to be developed in order for event managers to utilize the efficacy of the framework.

 

 

The Impact of Social Media on Events

The Impact of Social Media on Events

Event managers must come to terms with the new social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, as they present fresh opportunities and challenges (Bladen et al, 2012: 387). However as stated by Kietzmann et al (2011) “Social media is very powerful, many executives are reluctant or unable to develop strategies and allocate resources to engage effectively with social media” (p.241). Therefore social media forms a contemporary issue which is affecting the events industry.

In order to understand the impact of social media we firstly need to identify why event companies are using social media. One of the most important benefits social media brings is that it allows companies to reach networks of people. As stated by Bladen et al (2012) “These sites bring together like-minded people and allow them to maintain dialogue with family, friends or business associates” (p. 389). Therefore networks of people that share experiences at an event can connect to each other, creating word of mouth and viral propagation. The effect of this was examined in a study by Lee at al (2012) who examined the “Effect of Facebook users' arousal and valence on intention to go to the festival”. The findings from the study strongly suggest that event professionals should design event pages with exciting elements as it generates positive emotions. With the creation of the event page this also guarantees communication between the organiser and the attendees before during and after the event. The benefit that this also brings is that it is an ideal platform for organizers to collect and gather market research feedback.

From the research that I have gained and personal experiences as an event planner I believe that Facebook is the most favorable platform in order to promote an event. Facebook event pages are beneficial to event organizers as it allows potential attendees to identify local events, encounter reviews, create more public relationships which can increase attendance at an event (Becker et al, 2009:cited by Lee et al, 2012).  Therefore this indicates that by creating an event page this acts like a fan page. This increases excitement and anticipation to the buildup of the event as users connect with each other. Allowing users to connect with each other builds a network around the event as individuals can see whose who and who else is interested in the event. 

Another advantage Facebook brings to an event page is the option to add photos and videos. Lee et al (2012) recommends that “event managers should include carefully crafted video messages that promote the excitement experienced by past event attendees who were inspired to attend the event by Facebook event pages”.  Therefore evidence shows that this marketing technique creates feelings of emotion for the attendees unlike most traditional methods, a video will give the attendee an understanding of what to expect. Consequently building up the excitement for an event and resulting in higher event attendee attendance.

 

Kietzmann, J. Hermkens, K. McCarthy, I. Silvestre, B. . (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the. Business Horizons . 54 (1), p.241-251.

 

The Benefits of Relationship Marketing in Events

According to Kelley et al (1983) a relationship is having an impact on one another. Sheaves and Barnes (1996) further describe a relationship as an interaction. Building a relationship between the event and attendee is essential in the events industry as this controls the individuals level of interaction at an event.

In order to understand how the impact of relationship marketing within the events industry, I looked at Baron et al (2010) key themes of relationship marketing. He stated that there are six themes of relationship marketing:

1. RM as a new type of marketing


2. Relationships as networks


3. The Benefits of RM


4. The Components of a Successful Relationship


5. Contexts of RM


6. Stages of relationship

Based on Baron et al (2010) findings I have decided to further analyses the benefits that relationship marketing brings to the events industry.

Firstly an obvious benefit that relationship marketing brings is that it is less expensive to retain an existing customer than attracting a new one. This has a major impact of the events company as they are able to have less expenditure for their marketing costs due to having fewer platforms to promote and advertise the event to attract new customers.  Therefore the longer the relationship continues the more profitable the relationship is for the organisation.

A major benefit that relationship marketing brings is that it creates loyal customers.  Loyalty is key in the business environment as loyal customers, are likely to recommend your business to others. Within context of the events industry, customers will be happy to invite colleagues and clients to your event as they trust the company. This feeling of trust between the organiser and client will also lead to the customer being willing to attend other events that you hold. A loyal customer will also give the organiser beneficial feedback as they are willing to you any problems about the events they have attended, and this will enable to the events company to improve.

It can be suggested that loyalty is formed through relationship marketing creating an event brand. This is due to relationship marketing creating a bond between the brand and consumer. An example of effective event brands are: the Olympic Games, Formula 1 and FIFA. These examples show the link between event brand and sporting events.

Overall I believe that relationship marketing brings a range of benefits to the events industry, as it creates brand loyalty from the customers. An events company can have many benefits from compelling relationship marketing within their organisation.

 

The Importance of Technology When Trying to Find a Job in the Events Industry

Finding full time employment after graduating from university is a contemporary issue affecting a lot of graduates. However I believe that technology plays a vital role in the route to successfully finding a job in the events industry.

Acquiring technological skills is crucial in today’s age. Employees seek candidates to obtain a substantial amount of technological skills from using software to social networking. Therefore ranging from general employment skills such as IT and computer literacy, to specialist skills. Below is an example of an events and programme coordinator job role which states “With strong IT skills”.

 

Therefore it can be argued that the skill of using technology effectively is not something that you can hide away from, if you want to work in the event industry. Employees see that having high  IT skills is a necesity.

However although it is mandatory to aquire IT skills I believe that within the context of “The importance of technology when tryin to find a job in the events industry” using technological platforms to find job applications is essential . The internet is full of job recruiment websites: Prospects, Indeed Jobs, Total Jobs and Gurardian Jobs. However new developmnets in technology are seeing a platform for events related jobs. For example Your Event Job is a new serivce that brings together “the right person for the right job”. 

However an alternative platform to finding employment within the events industry is through the social networking site Linked In. The professional networking website has 250 millions member in over 200 countires. Linked In provides people with access to jobs, news and updates.  I believe that Linked In is an effective platform to find a job as many emlpoyees adveristied through this social networking site and is updated regularly. 

Overall I believe that the contemporary issue “The importance of technology when trying to find a job in the events industry” is specifically concerned with the candidate’s level of technological skills.  However I feel that the most important factor is the individual’s ability to use technology effectively to find employment.  With reference to social networking sites such as Linked In, there is an opportunity for those with an understanding of technology to seize an opportunity. Therefore I believe that if an individual is using the Internet to find a job and specially using a professional networking platform they are at advantage to those who are just using generic recruitment websites.

After conducting research on Linked In (a professional networking website) the author found that companies such as “HolyCow!” specialise in events management and social media. “HolyCow” helps companies to implement creative branding through everything they do from customizing a Facebook Page or branding a large event. Therefore events companies would externally utilize the services provided by “HolyCow!” This resolves a contemporary issue within events using social media, as events are not constantly run, therefore could be seasonal or annually. Therefore it would not be cost effective for an event manager to employ a ‘social media manager’ if they are not needed all the time, as this would be costing the company money through paying their salary.

Source: http://www.linkedin.com/company/holy-cow

The Impact of Technology In The Events Industry

The impact of technology is a key contemporary issue within the events industry. This is due to event technology creating benefits for companies by providing speed and growth. However there are possible disadvantages of technology which can have detrimental effects on the events industry e.g. security threats, lack of knowledge.

Technological developments have brought many benefits to the way in which events are planned, managed and produced. Glodblatt (2002) states that technology is fundamental in the key foundation of success of events management alongside time, finance and human resources. For example the growth in speed of the internet has led to effective forms of communication. Therefore event organisers and stakeholders are able to communicate directly and efficiently to ensure that the planning process on the event runs smoothly. This also leads to a good relationship between client and the service providers as they can be kept up to date with information and can have their queries responded to instantly.

Another factor that has benefited the events industry is the general decrease in the cost of IT. I believe that this general factor has highly impacted the events industry as I feel that it gave smaller event companies a window of opportunity. With the lower cost of IT, companies are able to provider their employees with the necessary technology systems in order for them to complete their work responsibilities.

Corresponding with the growth in software solutions for event management has benefited the events industry as there are specific software platforms available to meet the needs of event companies.

However although the developments of technology bring many benefits to the events industry it has to be discussed that there is many risks that are generated by the use of technology.

One of the most important risks caused by technology is the rise in security threats, data theft and hacking that using technology can bring. Event data can hold personal and confidential information about an event attendee so it is essential that the data is stored securely.  However if the correct security measures are not in place the event company is open to competitors hacking the account and taking the database of clients for their own use.

Additionally a lack of knowledge about the technology is also an issue regarding the impact of technology in the events industry.  There is evidence that there is clear lack of knowledge from event organisations about technologies which are already operating within their network. For example, Etherlive survey of Wi-Fi and IT knowledge of venues, (2013) showed that 81% of respondents were unable to answer the question: ‘What size is your broadband capacity for events facilities? I believe that this survey shows that there is a clear lack of understanding about the specifics of technology. I also feel that this lack of knowledge leads to technology not being used to its full potential. For example research shows that there is a lack of knowledge about the benefits a hybrid event can bring to an event organisation. Therefore event companies are less likely to branch out and conduct hybrid events as they do not know enough information about them (Platt, 2011).

Overall I believe that the impact of technology within the event industry is a key contemporary issue as although technology brings many benefits I believe the lack knowledge is impacting the events industry more. I feel that the reason for this lack of knowledge is due to a lack of education. Therefore in order to understand the real benefit technology can bring to the events industry, training should be provided in order for them to understand the fundamentals specifically how to reduce the risk of threat.

Platt. S (2011). Why streaming an event doesn’t stop visitors from attending in person- by Sarah Platt of @Kintura. Available: http://www.eventindustrynews.co.uk/2013/08/08/why-streaming-an-event-doesnt-stop-visitors-from-attending-in-person-by-Sarah-Platt-of-Kintura/. Last accessed 4^th November 2013