7.2 Detailed Planning Phase

12 May 2009

Once the objectives of the event have been stated and clearly communicated to all, it's time to consider an outline plan. An outline plan contains details in the areas of operations, finance, and marketing. It also includes a search phase. It is now that you explore options of possible dates, suitable times, potential venues, potential demands for the event, target market, possible sponsors and identify any clashes of similar events. Environmental searches will identify any potential problems and opportunities, assess demand and capacity, ascertain potential sponsors and partners, pinpoint any social or cultural issues, research any precedents and identify any timing issues.

Planning

Experience has shown that the management of a successful event requires a detailed planning and consultation process. Although a comprehensive event planning process cannot guarantee a problem-free event, it enhances an event manager's ability to effectively respond to any problems that may occur. The purpose of planning is to successfully meet your objectives. Planning should take place before beginning a project and should continue throughout the process.

Why is Planning an Event Important?

It helps you to be clear about what you are doing and why.
Planning can give more confidence, a greater sense of commitment and can help prevent losing sight of the overall purpose of the event.
Planning is essential for any group in order to be effective.
Planning can save time and effort at a later stage, and can prevent problems occurring.
Working to a plan helps a group's motivation and teamwork.

It is also important to recognise pit falls of planning:

Viewing plans as a once off exercise- plans are active documents and should be regularly consulted and updated.
Seeing plans as conclusive rather then directional - plans change regularly
over planning - becoming obsessed with tiny details and not looking at the overall objective

Venue

The objectives of the event may affect the choice of venue. You should compile a list of preferred locations and contact each one for pricing and availability. You should also visit each location to make sure venue is suitable for your event. The selection and design of the venue will have a significant impact on all components of event planning and on the overall safety and success of the event.
Things to consider should include:

Location - what transport to and from the venue is available?
Hire costs
Proximity to participants
Proximity to spectators -- where will most spectators come from?
Transport -- how easy is it for participants and spectators to get to the venue?
Level of competition -- the standard of the venue may vary according to the nature of the event
Wet weather options -- does the venue have to be covered?
Services and utilities available
Movement of people within the area- Is the area a sufficient size for your event?
Hazards in and around the area
Potential impact on the local environment
Traffic flows/parking
Provision for disabled people
Agreement of key stakeholders on selection of site/venue.
Power, lighting and equipment
Emergency plans/exits

Date

Selection of a suitable date can have a major impact on the success of an event. Factors to consider include:

Its proximity to other events that may affect participant and spectator levels
When the school holidays are
The likely weather conditions
What other events may affect the ability to get media coverage (some of these may be non-sporting events)

Time Requirement

You will need to plan your event in advance. In order to establish the time required to organise your event, you will have to list all you need to accomplish to bring success to your event and work backwards. You need to identify all the deadlines, schedules and delivery times and assign a time frame to each item. Remember to build in a bit of 'lead-time' for delays and note any major holidays such as the summer and Christmas that may interfere with suppliers etc.

Human Resource Management

The staffing of an event often provides one of the biggest challenges, especially to smaller associations. It is important to be clear that the personnel tasked with delivering the event have both the expertise and time to do so.

Often the level of complexity and the amount of time taken is underestimated. One of the most common post-event comments I have heard in nearly 20 years of event organising is; "'I never realised how much work goes on behind the scenes to deliver an event".

Many sporting associations are under-resourced and struggle to simply keep up with day-to-day administration, running competitions, handling members' inquiries and running development programs.

It is important to develop a detailed staff plan for the event, highlighting the staffing requirements before and during the event.

A Resource Plan can be used in order to:

Clear up any confusion about "who does what."
Ensure that for each task, there is a responsible party.
Facilitate additional communication by helping people who need to work together to get to know each other.
Prevent duplication of effort

Event Manager

Event Management encompasses the assessment, definition, acquisition, allocation, direction, control, and analysis of time, finances, people, products, services, and other resources to achieve specific objectives. An event manager's job is to oversee and arrange every aspect of an event, including researching, planning, organizing, implementing, controlling, and evaluating an event's design, activities, and production.

Committee

Pull together a group of people with a range of skills to deliver the event. This has the advantage of adding resources to the organising team but, unless they are well managed, these resources can be counterproductive. It is important that meetings are structured and committee members are accountable for tasks that they agree to undertake.

Volunteers

Depending on the size of the event you may require volunteer assistance. Volunteers can play a major role in determining the success of the event. You should appoint a dedicated volunteer coordinator because there is usually a massive amount of work involved in recruiting, training, uniforming, accrediting and feeding volunteers. Volunteers can fill some jobs that might otherwise be staffed by temporary employees. Volunteers provide high levels of service at no extra cost.

Outsourcing

Some associations are reluctant to outsource the management of an event, believing that it costs too much, but there are considerable benefits, including:

Allowing the association to continue to focus on its core business, that is, recruiting and servicing members
Ensuring the quality of the event. If you select a reputable event management company and set key performance targets, there is a strong likelihood that the event will be a success whereas, if you use a committee or volunteers with limited event experience and other commitments, that likelihood is reduced
A reputable event company will usually have a strong network of reliable suppliers.

Stakeholder Analysis

Identify those who are ultimately affected by the project, positively or negatively and outline the level of involvement that is required by them in the project. For some stakeholders, it may simply require them to attend the kick-off meeting while others will need to be involved throughout the project process.

You need to be able to identify the range of stakeholders in an Event and manage their needs, examples include:

Media
Transportation Agencies
Event Organiser
Public
Government agencies
Elected officials
Private Industry

Consultation: It is essential that events are developed and reviewed in consultation with identified key stakeholders. All these key people need to be contacted about the event in advance. It is helpful to brainstorm with the organising committee to generate a list of people, groups or statutory agencies which could be considered stakeholders. Involve those who may be affected by the event, they will appreciate the contact and will often be more cooperative and supportive if they are involved during the initial planning stages.

Planning meeting: A series of planning meetings should be conducted with the key stakeholders well in advance of the event to allow sufficient time for any planning changes.

Briefing - Before Event: Once the planning has been done it is essential to call all the participants together to conduct a pre-event briefing. Issues of communication, timetabling, responsible service of alcohol, security and emergency procedures should be clarified at this time. The event manager must be in contact with key stakeholders at all times before and during the event. The manager must have the authority to make critical decisions in relation to the event and, in an emergency, order the cancellation of, or evacuation from, the event. It is important to keep a contact record of various stakeholders on file. These details are useful in the implementation phase of the event as well as being useful for any future events.

Event Marketing

Event Marketing involves studying the intricacies of the brand, identifying the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and coordinating the technical aspects before actually executing the modalities of the proposed event.

Target Audience is the main group of people expected to attend the event, e.g. families, singles, under 18s, senior citizens, 18-25-year-olds etc.

Marketing Tool: Event management is considered one of the strategic marketing and communication tools by organisations of all sizes. From programme launches to press conferences, organisations create promotional events to help them communicate with their target audience. Organisations may target their audience by using the news media, hoping to generate media coverage to reach a wider public. They can also invite their audience to their events and reach them at the actual event.

Event Promotion: There are a number of different ways to promote your event including the suggestions below:

Contacting all key people to mark their calendars as soon as a date is confirmed
Analysing your target audience and identifying what will entice them to the event
Producing and distributing leaflets, flyers and posters about the event.
Circulating a news release about the event along with providing personnel to provide further information and interview opportunities
Updating information about your event onto your website and any other relevant websites
Spreading word of mouth through friends, relatives and work colleagues
Displaying outdoor banner at the venue where you are holding the event

If you plan to have an invitation list for your event then you need to send out invites at least six weeks before the event.

Advertising examples include:

television,
local and national newspaper,
magazines, radio,
Web and outdoor.

Media Coverage for an Event

In the case of high profile events and you are planning on inviting the media to your event you should keep them informed of all your activities. Having the Media present at your event will help to raise public awareness for the event and your organisation. You should appoint a publicity coordinator for the event, compile a list of local journalists who would like to cover the event and send them individual notices with the details of the event. You should follow up with a phone call to confirm attendance and receipt of invitation. It is a good idea to reserve seating for members of the media who have agreed to attend and have refreshments for them. It is a good idea to organise a photo opportunity and talk to the media who attend on the day.

Financial Analysis

With financial planning it is important to be realistic, not only with revenue expectations, but also with expenditure, and an amount should be included for contingencies.

A detailed budget is probably the most critical aspect of any event. You need a Budget so that you are clear about how much each area is going to cost - in order to work out the overall cost of the event.

There is often a tendency to have unrealistic revenue expectations, it is important to consider all possible revenue streams, for example:

Event Budget

Income	Estimated	Actual	Variance
Sponsorship
Entry fees
Gate receipts
Total:
Expenditure
Advertising
Catering
Hospitality
Merchandise
Transportation
Venue Rentals
Entertainment
Speakers
Staging
Lighting/sound
Insurance
Translation
Staffing
Miscellaneous
Contingency
Total:

You can use Microsoft Excel to set-up a spreadsheet for calculating your event budget.

Note:

On the expense side, always put together a worst-case scenario budget and be aware of the risk of not budgeting for items that were expected as donations -- often favors from "friends" fall through at the last minute, leaving a hole in the budget. Contingency should be between 10-15 % of your overall budget.

Cash Flow Budget

Apart from an overall budget for the event it is good practice to draw up a cash flow budget. A cash flow budget estimates when money is to be received and when it is to be paid out.

In managing your event a cash flow budget is critical because expenditure often cannot be incurred until income has been received.

Fundraising

Before undertaking any fundraising plan it is important to evaluate the capability of the fundraising group. One of the major considerations before embracing specific ideas for fundraising activities is to evaluate whether there are sufficient resources, you need to determine whether there are a sufficient number of volunteers and it is important to understand that there will be costs associated with fundraising. Those costs may include the use of office supplies, transportation, purchase of consumables, insurance, etc.

There are many tried and proven ideas for fundraising activities. Some of these activities include walk-a-thons, auctions, fundraising ball, sponsored cycles etc.

The following are some guidelines to make sure your fundraising event is a big success:

Planning:

What will you do to raise money?
Who will run the fundraiser: volunteers?
How will people take part?
When will it take place?
Where will it take place?
Permission - Always check with those in charge before starting to plan the event

You should prepare an action plan:

Gather any materials you might need and collect resources and enlist the help of volunteers and staff.
Don't forget to advertise about your event.
Promote your event on your website if you have one set up.
Set up a checklist for each action, assign a person to be responsible for each action and establish a deadline for completion.
Keep a record and chart the progress of your fundraiser.
Record your collection efforts.

Evaluate the success of your event for future reference and don't forget to thank all those who were involved.

Fundraising Budget:The following example budget is based on a fundraising event, catering for 200 people. Start up budget is €5,000 and total profit is the amount raised at the end of the event. Figures may vary as numbers could change please keep in mind this budget is only an estimate budget.

Estimated Budget:

Income:	Amount
Tickets @ 55 x 200 =	11,000
Grant:	5,000
Total Income:	16,000
Venue	740
Staff	Included with Venue
Meal 200 people @ €11	2,200
AV	Included in venue
Bar Extension	350
Décor	200
Champagne Reception	300
Auction Guest Speaker	100
DJ	150
Prizes	FREE
Ticket Master Sales	400
Advertising	360
Transport	200
Event Management@21%	1,050
Total Cost:	6,050
Total Profit:	€9,950

Sponsorship

Sponsorship is the financial (cash) or material (in kind) support of an event by private individuals or firms, given with the expectation of benefit in return. The sponsor can communicate with its target audiences through sponsorship. It is the fastest growing segment in new marketing techniques.

Preparing a sponsorship proposal - what can you offer the Sponsor in return for financial support?

Profile of your audience:

Attendance - audience size
Measurement of audience - ticketed, estimated
Demographic profile of audience
Use recognised research data

Present your mission and event plans:

Outline event activities
Emphasis on entertainment value and appeal to audience

Retaining the Sponsor

Manage the relationship and deliver on all benefits
Provide a post-event evaluation report
Renew for next year

Please see our sponsorship chapter for more details on sponsorship.

Visualisation

Visualisation is a step-by-step process that walks you through your event to identify any potential problems. If you identify the problems early, they could be addressed promptly in the planning stage. Visualising your event from start to finish will help you to iron out any problems prior to finalising and executing your plans.

You can use a diagram called a mind map to represent ideas, tasks, or other items linked to your event. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas. A mind map is a brainstorming approach to planning and organising your event.

INSERT IMAGE OF MIND MAP HERE