Project Management for Events Part 1 PDF

Project Management for Events Part 1 Dr C. Hattingh  Learning objectives After studying this unit, you should be able to: describe the phases of event management discuss the knowledge areas involved in conducting an event using project management techniques ...

Project Management for Events Part 1 Dr C. Hattingh  Learning objectives After studying this unit, you should be able to: describe the phases of event management discuss the knowledge areas involved in conducting an event using project management techniques  Introduction The project management of events concentrates on the management process to create the event, not just what happens at the event. Many texts and articles confuse the event with its management. The event is the deliverable of a management process. A bridge, for example, is the deliverable of a series of processes called engineering and construction. The event may take place over a period of hours or days. The event management process may take place over many months or years. Project management is a system that describes the work before the event actually starts, the event and finally the shutdown of the event.  Phases of the project management of events A project will pass through a series of phases or stages. Figure 1 illustrates these phases. A project phase is a series of related tasks, performed over a period of time and under a particular configuration of management to produce a major deliverable. Figure 1: Phases of project management  Phase 1: Initiation The first phase of initiation is characterized by the idea of the event being developed and setting the objectives. It may be a vague idea, for example, that a town should organize a heritage festival or a promoter decides to organize a rock concert. As well as this event concept, the initiation phase may include a feasibility study.  Phase 1: Initiation In corporate events, this stage may be characterized by producing an event proposal and pitching for the client’s business. The project feasibility study will report on the viability of the event and the management required to deliver it. It may include site and date suggestions, possible sponsors and supporters, a draft budget, possible risks, required management for the event and event logistics. The feasibility study or proposal may incorporate a number of alternative configurations of the event, so that the sponsor or client can choose the best options that will suit them.  Phase 1: Initiation The end of the initiation phase is characterized by a ‘go/no-go’ decision – whether to proceed with the event or not. The initiation phase is discussed in detail in Chapter 1 of the Pielichaty et al. book and Chapter 4 of the Bowdin et al. book.  Phase 2: Planning The second phase is the project planning. Planning is characterized by working out what is needed and how it will fit together. Each of the knowledge areas on the left side of Figure 1 will produce a separate plan. A major role of project management is to integrate all these plans; that is, to make sure they all work together. For this reason the plans are often called baseline plans. They are regarded as a starting point rather than a finished plan. Once the plans have been formulated they need to be implemented. Chapter 5 of the Bowdin et al. book discusses this phase in detail from a strategic point of view.  Phase 3: Implementation Implementation is the third phase. The characteristics of this phase in project managing events are: the application of all the plans, such as hiring staff, sending out requests for tender, confirming contractors and carrying out the promotional schedule monitoring and controlling – testing the plans and confirming how relevant they are as the organizing progresses making decisions based on the comparison between the plans and reality work in progress reporting to the key stakeholders active risk management.  Phase 3: Implementation The beginning of this phase is a time of high activity with meetings to discuss specific issues, decisions to be made and communication between various parties. The management may need to visit the planning phase when there are major changes and the plans need to be revised. At this time, the team has to be focused on the project scope and ensure all the plans are compatible with each other and with the overall objectives of the event. In traditional project management, this third phase is the final phase and involves handover of the deliverable. Events are not a tangible asset that can be handed over in the same way as a building. For this reason, it is wise to add an extra phase into the project phases and call this ‘the event’. Chapter 12 – Bowdin et al. – Event Management Chapter 7 – Shone & Parry – Successful event management  Phase 4: the event Unlike civil engineering project management, the project event manager is working during the deliverable; that is, the event. During this phase, the staff numbers, including volunteers, may increase dramatically.  Phase 4: the event The short-time period, attendance of the major stakeholders, the audience and the participants, means that the management cannot rely on the same management techniques used during the lead-up to the event. This is recognized in all events, when the operations manager, artistic director or the stage manager takes over the running of the event. At a certain time before the event the management team will move into ‘operations mode’, which might mean getting out of the office and into their costumes for the event.  Phase 4: the event The monitoring and controlling at this point will be devolved to other teams and the management will run the event by looking for errors and making on-the-spot decisions. The tools and techniques used by management during this phase are found in Chapter 13 of the Bowdin et al. book on event staging.  Phase 5: shutdown The event manager will be responsible for the shutdown of the event. It is the last phase and requires a separate series of tasks and responsibilities. Management will be scaled down and return to their pre-event formation. This phase includes the on-site shutdown and the management closure. The shutdown plans will be created during the planning phase, and the shutdown ideally is the implementation of these plans. Chapter 12 of the Bowdin et al. book describes the processes use in event shutdown.  Phase 5: shutdown However, in an industry beset by major changes, the shutdown will rarely go exactly to plan. Monitoring and decision making from management will be needed. The shutdown phase can take the event from a seeming success to a failure if the management does not make the right decisions at this time. Shutdown includes preparation for the next event. On-site, this includes packing for the next event; Off-site, the management will be archiving the documents and assessing their management. It is during this phase that the success of the management system is evaluated and the baseline plans or templates created for future events.  In summary, the best way to describe the event management process from a project management perspective is in terms of five phases: initiation, planning, implementation, the event and shutdown. These phases comprise the life cycle of the project. Each of the phases will require different management techniques and tools. Different areas of knowledge will be used.  Knowledge areas The management of any festival or special event will be concerned with the areas illustrated on the left side of Figure 1. The relative importance of each of these management areas will change and evolve over the phases. From this figure, the event itself is seen as a small part of the whole management process.  Knowledge areas As mentioned in the planning section, management will produce a number of deliverables in each of these knowledge areas. In the finance area, for example, management will produce a financial plan and budget. The marketing area will produce a marketing plan and a promotion plan. The design area will produce the site plan and the actual event programme. These deliverables are used throughout the management process to organize the event. They focus the staff in each individual area and become the documentation of the event. The areas correspond to the departments of an ongoing business organization. The project management approach seeks to integrate the plans from each separate knowledge area into a cohesive, workable plan for the project.  Knowledge areas PMBoK (the Project Management Body of Knowledge) lists nine areas of knowledge for traditional project management areas: scope, cost, time, integration, procurement, quality, human resources, communication and risk (PMI, 2000). Event management is slightly different. It will also be concerned with marketing and designing the event. In the construction industry, the project manager would rarely be involved in designing the building, finding the money to build it or making decisions on the building’s marketability. These are major concerns for the event and festival manager.  These areas of project management knowledge can be explained as follows: Scope Encompasses all the work, including all the plans. The scope, therefore, helps to integrate the many plans. Controlling the scope is a fundamental responsibility of the project manager. To be discussed in more detail in next powerpoint. Marketing A combination of processes that help define the event and, therefore, the scope of the event. Marketing may be regarded as a feedforward control mechanism for events and as a risk management tool to minimize uncertainty.  Finance Would be called ‘cost’ in traditional project management. In events and festivals, the funding – or revenue – is often a basic responsibility of the event or festival manager. Time management In the form of schedules and milestones is primary to all project management. For events and festivals the deadline takes on a higher significance. Project management has developed numerous techniques to manage time.  Design Design and creation of the asset is found in the project management of software and product development. The event or festival may be changing design right up until the day it starts. Event project management, therefore, must incorporate design under its integration of the event planning. Risk management Although a recent phenomenon in event management, managing risk is a fundamental function of project management. It covers all the other areas of management, is constantly undertaken and produces up-to-date reports, which is why it has been adapted for the project management of many events. (Chapter 11 of Bowdin et al. describes event risk management in detail)  Procurement Includes the sourcing and managing of suppliers and the management of contracts. Human resources Could be seen as a part of procurement, but the special conditions of dealing with people, such as team building and leadership, are indispensable to all projects, and so human resources is considered a separate area of knowledge.  Stakeholder management An important responsibility of the event manager. Some large public events will have more than 70 stakeholders; therefore, it is an important area of management for the event team. Finding and servicing sponsors is one of the areas of stakeholder management. Communication Includes external communication with the stakeholders and internal communication with the event team. It changes as event organizing progresses. The external communication is linked to marketing and stakeholder management. On-site communication is linked to the staging and logistics of events.  Sources Bowdin, G., Allen, J., O’Toole, W., Harris, R. & McDonnell, I. 2006. Events management. 2nd ed. Elsevier: Oxford. O’Toole, W. & Mikolaitis, P. 2002. Corporate event project management. John Wiley & Sons: New York. Pielichaty, H., Els., G., Reed, I. & Mawer, V. 2017. Events project management. Routledge: New York.