Toolkit. Leadership and Planning for Events 2020-21 Semester 2
CW1: Event Planning Toolkit
IF Oxford Science + Ideas Festival
In association with Science Oxford
IF Oxford is organised by the Oxfordshire Science Festival (Charity number 1151361), with Trustees
and a small team that work year-round to produce the Festival. We want the complexity, wonder
and opportunities of scientific research to be explored, challenged and enjoyed across society.
“This is the best thing to do in Oxford. Your brain lights up for the evening.”
(Attendee feedback, 2018)
“The festival gave a social scientist and musicians the chance to work with a group of
young people with a complex story to tell. On stage, we all saw how music is such a
powerful way to explore ideas, emotions and pressures of living in the world.”
(Rodney P, British hip hop artist, 2018)
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think a science day would be one of the biggest and most
successful events in Westgate in 2019! The atmosphere was fantastic.” (Events Manager, Westgate
Oxford, 2019)
For further information, please see: https://if-oxford.com/events/
Complete the attached event planning toolkit, considering how the Event Planning process might
apply to a live event presented by IF Oxford, at one of the venues listed below.
Please ensure ALL task responses are fully supported by reference to relevant theory and
research evidence, providing industry examples to illustrate.
Task 1:
Identify your chosen venue
Venue
Balliol College ☒
Ashmolean Museum ☐
John Lewis, Westgate Shopping ☐
Centre
Malmaison Hotel Oxford ☐
Warwick Castle ☐
Other – please specify here: ☐
, Toolkit. Leadership and Planning for Events 2020-21 Semester 2
Task 2:
Discuss the significance of leadership and the planning process in relation to the potential
perceived success or failure of the event (350 words)
Bowdin et al. (2011) points that the strategic planning process is concerned with the final
results and the resources for achieving these results. Planning relates to success indefinitely and
planning every activity against the lead time is of greatest importance. The planning process is
meant to improve an event compared to previous one, keep up to date the vision, mission and
objectives as they might change over time, study the audience’s needs and desires, recognize the
most suitable venue, etc.
Bladen et al. (2018) discuss the characteristics of the Event Management Body of
Knowledge (EMBOK) model, which proposes the break-down of structures into smaller ones in
order that a clear link can be followed between the event’s initial concept and the required tasks to
achieve it. The authors (ibid.) argue that the success of the events management industry depends on
employees who understand the working dynamics of all the elements of event work breakdown.
These employees include the Event’s Managers and their leadership skills. Western (2013,
p. 330) comes to a beautiful conclusion: ‘Glimpses of beauty can only be experienced, however, if
we remain open to the whole of our experience, to engage with grief, sadness, loss, love, joy and
beauty. What has this got to do with leadership? Everything.’ Our understanding of this quote is
that a leader needs to anticipate the guests, staff and stakeholder’s needs. As most informed about
the vision and mission of an event, an Event Manager is responsible for passing on this perspective
to the on-site teams.
As it is stated in The Event Management Guide (McLeod, 2021, Chapter 1), ‘the more robust
the plan, the smoother the journey to success’. A little gap in the planning process can cause issues
with the event’s schedule, with any external hire, limited time frames, risk being at a loss, bad
reputation due to lack of environmental awareness, etc. E.g. the cancellation of ‘Camp Bestival’ in
2018: ‘Music festival forced to close due to bad weather’ (The BBC, 2018, cited in Stewart, 2021a,
slide 18).
The Ideas Festival is an opportunity to undertake a path to expand knowledge. It aims to
meet the public, sponsors, advertisers and other stakeholder’s expectations. To avoid failure, an
event has to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based (Shone and Parry, 2013).
