U4A1 – Managing an Event
Managing an Event
There are many factors event organisers need to consider when preparing and setting up an
event. These range from but are not limited to organising, Investigating current legal
requirements, setting up organisational procedures and what skills are needed. An event
organiser is someone who ‘coordinates all aspects of professional meetings and events and
helps to ensure the successful running of an event and may be involved to planning one.’
Organisation:
The organisation of an event is key to ensure it is a good event, any setbacks or flaws can
negate the opinion of the whole event. Organisation features that need to be considered
are venues, locations, catering, planning, and reserving facilities, preparing, and distributing
documents and contracts.
Venue:
For an event to even take place, the initial step is to locate a suitable venue for which the
event is going to take place in. This takes careful consideration and needs to be thoroughly
thought through. Different buildings can offer different structure, space, and facilities – an
event organiser is going to only pick ones best for them. It is of great importance that a
suitable venue which relates to the type of event the organiser is trying to set up is chosen.
This sets the initial tone and scene for the type of event that will take place. A venue plays a
big role on the fact whether people will attend or not.
An example of is – An event planner is trying to set up a wedding, the venue needs to be in a
suitable location, accessible and fits the number of people invited to the wedding. If there
are not enough seats or the venue is too compact, guests will become irate and begin
feeling uncomfortable with possible disputes occurring.
The type of venue the event planner would be looking for would differentiate as some
venues would state the amount to hire and whilst others would require a pre-deposit or
requesting renters to sign a contract. This places all liability in the renters’ hands for
damages and anything that happens in the event. The event organiser would need to take
into consideration that the venue would need to be booked at least 3-6 months prior. This
would allow for them to have enough time to plan other aspects of the event such as
catering, leaflets, and Information about it.
Ethical considerations should be adhered to when planning for events. Event organisers
should be considerate and be ethical and considerate of people who follow alternate beliefs
and religions. A transparent instance of this is holding this event in a pub and then inviting
Muslims – this would be unethical as Muslims are forbidden from drinking alcohol. This may
come across as offensive or lack of respect for their beliefs and they very much may not
attend.
Location:
, U4A1 – Managing an Event
The physical location is different to the venue and can be hard to have a good venue in a
good location at a good price. The location of a venue is just as important as deciding on the
venue itself. Invitees are far less likely to attend an event far from their homes. People
would want to travel to a location that is close to where they live not an area that is
unfamiliar, dissimilar, potentially more expensive, and not safe. A good event organiser is
responsible for building up an idea of where is best suitable for the event and then choosing
a suitable venue.
The venues surroundings matter too, it could be the most beautiful perfect and affordable
venue – but right next to a dual carriage way. However, the surroundings may also work out
in your favour as the venue could be near a park, this is especially good if children are
attending the event as they have something to go do when they get bored. Extra areas near
a venue can also be good as these can be used for activities.
An event organiser must also select a venue and location that is in correlation to the
formality of the event. If the event is formal, the event organiser needs to consider how
accessible the location is – i.e., is there a bus that goes there, a carpark on site or nearby, is
it uphill etc. A formal event might be for people who are most likely in a medium to high
income bracket and probably drive expensive cars. Owners of nice cars, or any cars that
matter would rather not park their car on a street side and rather in a nice carpark.
Catering:
Catering also needs to be considered by the event organiser. Select venues do offer pre-
catered packages and are distributed solely by them however if they don’t or that is not of
interest, outside catering services are an option. Catering services will need an area within
the venue with appropriate outlets and hygiene to operate. Catering is important when
organising an event and is a signature responsibility, catering includes food, beverages,
snacks, and alcohol. An important factor that caters must consider is a minority of guests
may have health or ethical considerations that need to be considered. Guests can be vegan,
gluten-free or face other intolerances. Ethical considerations are how Muslims should not
eat pork and should not be only promoted and offered pork at the event and rather a
suitable alternative.
As mentioned earlier, some venues provide free catering which has been approved by the
Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the environment health. This allows them to serve their
food to people so that they do not fall ill. Allergies is a very important requirement that
caterers/venues must be aware of. Many people have different types of allergies, and the
caterers must be informed if any guest has allergies in the certain types of food they make,
they must ensure it does not it affect them in any negative way. This can be achieved by
making and storing there food separately.
Planning and reserving facilities:
When planning an event, a clear plan needs to be made and approved months before the
event occurs. This is to ensure that everything is done correctly in safe and appropriate
manner. An event organisers end goal is to ensure the event runs smoothly. When an event
