Event management is not a piece of cake. There are hundreds of things that could go wrong. While effective event planning is essential, learning the nuances of managing an event is as crucial if you are looking to host a successful event.
Be it social events like Parties and weddings or corporate events like Annual General Meetings and Product launch parties, a proper event management system has to be in place.
What is Event Management?
Putting together all the moving parts of an event and ensuring they’re travelling in the right direction are called event management. It is the process whereby the event management team adopts the event planner’s perspective and hammers out the practical components required to make the event a reality.
Event Management vs Event Planning
The phrases “event management” and “event planning” are frequently used interchangeably. Yet, they are two very different things. Not knowing their distinctions can indeed create big issues when segregating tasks or dealing with clients who assume both the same.
To avoid internal communication failure and client confusion, let’s find out how they differ in their own nature.
| Aspects | Event Planning | Event Management |
| Role | “Creator of a recipe” | “The main chef” |
| Main Duty | Creating the big picture
(CONCEPTUAL) |
Handling the fine details
(PRACTICAL) |
| Working Timeline | From the early stage of event conceptualisation till the actual day |
Before and during the actual event |
With each having its unique responsibilities, both teams should work hand in hand to ensure a smooth event journey.
What is The Role of Event Management Services?
We notice that even event industry professionals get confused sometimes between event management and event planning services. Both do overlap in certain ways, but we have to make the line clear to minimise client misunderstanding. Let’s take a look at the following examples.
| Aspects | Event Planning | Event Management |
| Services | ● Decide event theme and colour scheme● Develop budget
● Design event space layout ● Negotiate contracts with vendors or collaborators ● Screen and select talents/speakers |
● Reserve event space● Coordinate with vendors or collaborators
● Keep track of clock for different scheduling needs ● Monitor and oversee the execution of an event ● Resolve event conflict |
What are the Types of Events in Event Management Malaysia?
Now that you have understood the term “event management”, we will delve into how companies today leverage event management as a marketing tool to promote their products, services and brands.
Promotional events, product launches, press conferences are some of the events frequently conducted in order to connect with their target audiences. In catering to different types of events, management events Malaysia companies offer a wide range of event management services.
- Personal Events (such as parties, weddings, celebrations)
- Leisure Events (such as musical shows, concerts and sports contests)
- Organisational Events (such as political, charitable and commercial events)
- Cultural Events (such as festivals, ceremonies and traditional art galleries)
What Skills are Needed for Event Management?
Though there are times whereby an event planner also manages and an event manager plans, it is not always the case. Here we have compiled a list of key qualities every event manager needs to work towards gaining.
- Organisational skill
- Problem-solving skill
- Flexibility in making adjustments
- Time management skill
- Work under pressure skill
- Tech-savvy
- Passionate towards event management
- Communication skill
- Teamwork
How Event Management Works?
Generally, an event management team creates, coordinates and manages all the different components of an event so that all of those pieces come together according to the plan.
Event management can be a daunting job but don’t be disheartened. Explore these 5 C’s of event management now to succeed!
- Concept: Be Clear
An event concept includes the 5W’s and 1H of the event.
Why – The event goals, purposes and objectives, i.e. to inform, educate, entertain, fundraise, etc.
What – The type of event and the activities to be included, i.e. seminar, concert, conference, etc.
Who – Every party involved in the event, i.e. stakeholders, target audience, speakers, etc.
Where – The event venue; onsite or online.
When – The event date, time and duration.
How – All of these abovementioned elements must synergise with one another and most importantly match the audience’s needs, wants, desires and expectations.
- Coordination: Be Detail-oriented
It is in this stage whereby tasks are being delegated to every team member. Once you get the idea of how your client envisions the event to be like, start drafting a schedule.
The activities in this phase include coming up with a theme, budgeting, establishing timelines, choosing and reserving event venues, planning the food, selecting and reaching out to speakers and talents, purchasing or renting the required audio/visual equipment and facilities, coordinating transportation, contingency planning and so on.
- Control: Be Flexible
This is the part whereby you as the manager put control measures in place. In other words, keep track of the event progress and ensure that it flows in line with the actual plan. Make necessary adjustments to avoid scope creep.
For instance, you may request a demo from the online event software company and check if the event platform can hold the promised size of attendees. Inspect the quality of the virtual background and the function of tech equipment.
You may also want to have a Plan-B if a speaker/performer were to pull out at the last minute. Not to mention, event control also deals with conflict resolutions.
- Culmination: Be Alert
While the first three steps are pre-event preparation, culmination refers to what’s going to happen on that actual day.
The coordination of the event day itself will reflect how well the previous preparation has been done. That includes whether the event is delivered on time, logistics are well arranged, the crowd is effectively controlled and so on.
Despite the plan, you also need to be ever ready just in case if any emergency or unprecedented issues occur. All of these can affect the attendees’ event experience, whether or not the event is a pleasant one to remember.
- Closeout: Be Professional
It’s not the end of the task yet even after the event ends. There are still post-event works to be performed such as checking if all the payments and termination of contracts with the vendors, caterers, speakers, etc. are completed.
Post mortem should also be held to report, review and evaluate the event for quality improvement as well as reward and recognition to team members. It will be great if you can reach out to the attendees and speakers to ask for feedback.
How Do You Plan and Organise an Event?
Yes, we need the event planner and event manager to work side by side in order to pull off an event. However, it may not be sufficient always if you missed out on certain steps. Here are 10 management event ideas to keep in mind when you are hosting an event.
10 Insider Tips for Successful Event Management
- Not All Events Are The Same!
A classic mistake by event managers would be to think the same way for all events. Each event is different and requires different and innovative thinking.
You cannot actually manage to perform the same things for two different types of events. Hosting a corporate event requires you to have a complete know-how of protocols and procedures.
On the other hand, managing a concert requires you to have knowledge about sound systems and various other resources.
- Be Clear of The Set Goal & Objectives
The event planning team may provide you with a list of objectives to work on. Make sure that these goals are as specific and concrete as possible. Use numbers wherever possible.
For instance, if the objective is to ensure effective parking control management, you ought to figure out the number of vehicles coming into each session. You may also want to learn the number of questions your client is hoping to answer in a single session within the stipulated time.
- Start Early
Put those plans into action as soon as the details of the event are confirmed. Start contacting vendors and booking venues at least one month in advance. If you are to host a large-scale event, expect to begin all the preparation 4 to 6 months prior to the actual event day. There will be more to take care of down the road.
Not only that, starting early can save you time and money as you enjoy those early-bird specials. Even if you encounter problems halfway through, you will still have ample time to make adjustments or search for alternatives.
- Estimate Correctly
If you are holding a real-time event, you need to figure out the number of guests correctly. Ensuring that proper seating arrangements are there and guests get ample space to move around is essential. If starters are being served you need to ensure that food reaches all.
Remember, what might be right for a few people might not be right for a hundred other people.
- Prepare and Arrange Correctly
You need to understand your responsibilities to be a successful event organiser. All organisers should know their duties perfectly so that nothing is missed out.
Moreover, you need to be careful about the arrangements, especially proper technical types of equipment. You do not want the mic to go off in the middle of a performance, do you?
- Adhere to The Rules
Before you organise an event, you might need to take permission from the authorities or follow a certain procedure.
Remember to complete all the formalities and adhere to all legal rules so as to avoid any complications.
- Be An Early Adopter
In this modern world, the flourishing technology innovation has sequentially impacted the event industry to continue booming.
To stay ahead of your competition, seize the chance to be the trailblazer. Embrace innovation changes and integrate helpful tech trends into your event. It will not only make your work easier but will also be able to enhance the event experience of attendees.
For example, incorporate an Instagram printer for your attendees to bring home lasting memories; engage augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to transport attendees to a whole new world.
- Promote & Market Across Channels
Do you know when and where your followers are more active? Is it the social media platform or your company channel? According to studies, the social and online buzz is one of the most effective tactics to up your social media presence.
You may also create a custom hashtag for your event on Instagram or Twitter and encourage your followers to use the hashtag.
Moreover, targeted email marketing is a terrific approach to advertise your events when you have a vast database.
- Don’t Panic!
One of the worst things that could happen is that you panic if something goes wrong.
Things do not always go right even if you do meticulous event planning. Event management requires a good amount of planning and an ability to shred off the most difficult of situations with a smile on your face.
Even if anything goes wrong during the event, instead of fretting over it, try to make sure everything else goes right!
- Photograph Everything
A picture is worth a thousand words, and sharing nice images of your event online is a great way to portray event success. On top of that, documenting invaluable moments with the right angle at the right moment allows us to do proper justice to those events.
Hence, engage a professional event photographer to cover all bases like a shot of the event scene and exciting photos of attendees enjoying themselves. Then, upload your photos on your social platform once the event is over and actively encourage the attendees to tag themselves.
Fuel for Success: Keep Your Brand Ahead with Evenesis
Once you have mastered all of these, don’t just manage events, make them a legendary one instead. In need of creative and workable management event ideas? Evenesis’s end-to-end event management system would be a good investment to make.
For more information, feel free to leave your query in this form and we will get back to you within a business day.
