Smart Event Management

Smart Event
Management
Smart Event Book Series

Smart Event Management (Smart Event Book
Series)
Title
Master Steve
Author
Somayeh Amiri, Tara Kamangar
Colleagues
Keyvan
Layout
Designer
Silk Road Publishing (Toronto, Canada)
Publisher
Printed Book: 978-1-990236-21-1
EBook: 978-1-990236-22-8
ISBN
www.MasterSteve.com
Website
Attributions:
Images Credits: pch.vector / Freepik
Note: The author of this book gives the right to use
the present content, provided that the source is cited,
to professors, educators, teachers, lecturers, and aca-
demic and non-academic educational centers, for an
indefinite period.
The copyright of this bookis internationallyregistered
for the author.

Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 1: Event Features and Types ........................................................8
Features of Events ................................................................................................... 9
Types of Event ..........................................................................................................11
a. Business Meetings and Seminars ...................................................16
b. Gala Dinners................................................................................................18
c. Cultural Events..........................................................................................22
d. Public Festivals .........................................................................................23
e. Trade Fairs...................................................................................................24
f. Entertaining Events ................................................................................25
g. Sport Events ..............................................................................................26
h. Weddings and Family Gatherings................................................. 27
i. Official and Government Events.....................................................28
Chapter 2: Methods of Getting into the Event Business........29
Chapter 3: Event Management Stages ..................................................32
Chapter 4: Before the Event ...........................................................................34
1. Event Feasibility ................................................................................................36
2. Event Planning ..................................................................................................37
a. Determining the Event Topic ..........................................................39
b. Determining the Event Date.............................................................39
c. Determining the Event Venue...........................................................41
d. Determining the Event Target Market ......................................43

4
e. Event Budgeting (Economic Feasibility)....................................43
3. Preparation before Holding the Event ................................................46
a. Team Building and Task Division .................................................46
b. Choosing the Event Suppliers .........................................................51
c. Defining the Event Schedule............................................................59
d. Defining the Methods of Generating Revenue from the
Event ...................................................................................................................64
e. Determining the Event Advertising Strategies....................... 73
f. Branding ........................................................................................................77
g. Defining Style and Character for the Event ............................80
h. Inviting the Audience ...........................................................................81
i. Media Relations ........................................................................................86
j. The Reception and Refreshment Service................................... 87
k. Insurance .....................................................................................................89
l. Event Accounting..................................................................................... 90
m. VIP Guests and Celebrities in an Event ....................................91
n. Applying Digital Tools .........................................................................93
o. Making a Checklist of Rules and Regulations and Applying
for Event Permits.......................................................................................... 97
p. Documentation .......................................................................................98
q. Event Rehearsal ....................................................................................100
Chapter 5: The Day of the Event ..............................................................101
Operational Activities on the Day of the Event ................................ 102
Marketing on the Day of the Event ...........................................................109

5 Smart Event Management
Chapter 6: After the Event .............................................................................. 111
a. Say Thanks to Event Attendees ...............................................................112
b. Seeking Attendee Feedback ......................................................................114
c. Sending Gifts .....................................................................................................115
d. Analysis ................................................................................................................ 116
e. Post-event Review ...........................................................................................117
f. Follow-up on Social Media .........................................................................117
g. Arrange an After-party .................................................................................118
h. Close the Books ...............................................................................................118
i. Analyze the Expenses ................................................................................... 119
j. Adjust your Database ..................................................................................... 119
k. Update the Website ...................................................................................... 120
l. Have a Technology Performance Review .......................................... 120
m. Keep in Touch .................................................................................................121
n. Relax .......................................................................................................................121
o. Start Planning your Next Event ..............................................................121
Chapter 7: Some Strategies to Success in Event Management ..122
Tables and Figures
Table 1. List of an event’s expenses and revenues ................................44
Table 2. The team’s job description. ........................................................... 50
Figure 1. Three main vertices of every event .........................................37

6
Introduction
Event management is one of the most challenging yet
most exciting jobs in the world. In the beginning, you may
assume you are unable to pull it off, but in the end, while
extremely exhausted, you will experience a pleasing and
unique feeling. An important part of my reputation is due
to holding successful events. The team under me holds
almost any type of event.
All the stages of event management such as design, plan-
ning, operationalizing, and following up after the event
are controversial and full of surprises and your plans may
fail to be realized on time at any moment. Sometimes, you
think everything is in place, and you realize it is not the
case as you go on and feel stressed and anxious. However,
no other job is as interesting as this one.
If you intend to become a successful event organizer,
read the books and articles published in this regard and
enrich your knowledge. Consider the fact that everywhere

in the world, event management courses take one to three
years. While I cannot explore all the dimensions of this
job, you won’t be any different from a graduate student of
a three-year course if you carefully follow the topics dis-
cussed in this book.
Learning through experience is extremely costly, and in
this book, I provide you with my experiences. The training
process in my books comes with a pragmatic and smart
perspective. Accordingly, in this book, I explain how to
hold an event with an emphasis on practical topics.

Chapter 1
Event Features
and Types

Features of Events
¾
Holding an event is one of the riskiest jobs in the world,
and this risk must be minimized through proper man-
agement and by doing all the affairs on time.
¾
Every event has its unique nature, is not repeatable,
and happens once. An event can’t be called repeatable
even if it is held every year or month.
¾
An event is held on a specific date and it is not possible
to fix things in real time. Therefore, work with profes-
sional suppliers who guarantee the proper services to
minimize the risk.
For example, a wedding ceremony is held only
once and the guests will remember any kind of flaw
for years.
¾
There is almost no event for which you would be
able to move the timetable. For example, the time of
streaming a movie or running a football match can’t be
changed.

10 and Types
¾
In an event, you can’t leave a part of the plan to fate and
luck; everything must be planned beforehand. While
being flexible, your plan must contain a checklist of all
the issues necessary to minimize the risk.
Let’s assume you have sold ten thousand tickets for a
concert, and ticket buyers are waiting behind the doors
for the event to start. If there is any issue with lighting
and sound on the stage, you won’t be able to do any-
thing about it at that time.
We held film festivals in Canada and the power went out
in the middle of one of the shows. In such circumstances, we
couldn’t just tell the audiences that the power was out and
we couldn’t do anything about it. You must always be pre-
pared for such incidents.
¾
In the event business, playing by the state rules and
following and the laws are of great importance. Fail-
ing to abide by the law in the event may result in shut-
ting down the event and all your efforts will become
wasted.
¾
Holding events is extremely costly, and the more bud-
get you have, the more likely you succeed.
¾
Holding events is a job that usually contains heavy side
costs due to engagement with the public.

Types of Event
In general, events are divided into two categories:
ƒ
Events that belong to you, designed and performed
by you.
ƒ
Events that belong to others but you are hired to
manage and perform them.
In terms of recurrence, events are divided into two cat-
egories:
ƒ
One-time events such as opening ceremony of an
auto show or summits of heads of states.
ƒ
Events that reoccur regularly and serially, perhaps,
weekly, monthly, or annually. Book fair is an exam-
ple of such events.
¾
Events for which some people are hired as event
organizers are mostly one-time events. Of
course, hiring individuals and outsourcing the
management of a part of events is also possible
in recurring fairs.
¾
Events designed by others are usually recurring
and performed every month or year because a
great deal of time and cost is spent on concep-
tualizing and designing it, and it is not cost-ef-
fective to hold them only once.

12 and Types
In the beginning years of operationalization,
you are gathering experience and fixing the flaws.
This time is spent on promoting and branding.
Implement your conceptualizations in the
long run. Of course, this is not always the case.
For example, you may plan to run a football
match between two teams in the Camp Nou
Stadium in Barcelona. In this case, the event
happens once and is sponsored and cost-effec-
tive. However, I recommend you in general to
design events which you can repeat in various
periods of time.
¾
In case of regularly held events (in series), the
risk gradually reduces and the event organizer
becomes a more reputable brand. In addition,
such recurrence makes the event service pro-
viders consider the event organizers as a profes-
sional and credited group and offer more dis-
counts due to the continuous nature of the job.
There are beautiful and well-equipped hotels
in Las Vegas, and each one of them has a venue
for holding events. The owners of these hotels
provide the resources for holding recurring
events so people rent their hotel rooms because
of visiting the events. Consequently, the event
organizer has a permanent venue for holding
the event, and the hotel will have more custom-
ers when the event is being held.

A few years ago, I arranged a meeting with one
of these hotel owners to initiate a collaboration. I
presented to their representative some samples of our
works through the company’s website. The represen-
tative left the meeting and came back with his boss.
I wanted their venue for four days to hold a beauty
and health event. They had already given me a price
of 150 thousand dollars per night. I also wanted to
arrange a dinner party during the last night of the
event which would cost me about 100 thousand dol-
lars. I said I wanted to repeat this event in the same
place and time over the next three years. Based on
their knowledge of our professionalism and the con-
tinuous nature of the event, they didn’t ask for any
money for the four nights and it was settled that I’d
just pay 100 thousand dollars for the final night’s
dinner. I saved about 600 thousand dollars by hav-
ing this conversation and proper presentation. The
hotel owner in question is well aware that I absorb
lots of people into the place and each of these people
spends a great deal of money on the hotel’s services.
In the past, the system was that vendors would work
with the reputable individuals who offered better
conditions.
¾
In recurring events, structures are established
and tasks are divided. While each time some-
thing new may come up, the roadmap is defined,
and the path’s prospects are clear.

14 and Types
A while back, I held an event and made a
profit of at least 50% more than the initial esti-
mate. Due to the continuous nature of the event,
the suppliers received much less money and still
made a profit. This is because absorbing new
customers is an extremely hard and costly task
for them. To do that, the company must spend
a huge money to hire vendors and print catalog.
It is in the company’s best interest to make less
profit and follow the job as a continuous one.
Based on the topic and type of procurement, events
can be classified into the following categories:
The following categories are based on my personal
experience and knowledge of an event’s concept and topic,
but it is not like there is a standard and immutable cate-
gorization. Some headings can be put under some other
headings. In addition, you can also merge two categories
in practice or there might be some other categories, as
well.
The event procurement defines the type
of an event.
To hold an event, you must know what kind of facility/
procurement you need to arrange in order to make the

event a success. For example, there is no prepared stage in
outdoor events and you need to design a stage for the per-
formance. There is no lighting and it must be provided.
Many sport events are of outdoor type. If a stage and a
performing space are supposed to be arranged in out-
door events, the required procurement and regulations
for the fire department, ambulances, first-aid team, secu-
rity guards, etc., to enter the scene must be considered. Of
course, such procurement is defined according to state or
federal laws.

16 and Types
The following categorization encompasses almost all
types of events.
a. Business Meetings and Seminars
¾
These are events in which various businesses consult
with each other and hold different training confer-
ences and meetings. We have put business meetings
and conferences/seminars into the same category as
their procurement processes are similar.
¾
This type of event can be the type that you design by
yourself or the type you get hired to manage. It can
also be both. For example, a ministry may employ you
to hold an academic conference.
¾
Those who order seminars are mostly universities and
organizations. Some big companies may also hold confer-
ences, but it’s not common because there is no justifica-
tion for it unless the company itself is the event organizer.
¾
The difference between business meetings and con-
ferences lies in the content. Business meetings are
more public and example of which would be launch-
ing a company’s new product.
¾
The company meetings are also put in this category,
and they can, of course, be a small trade fair. An exam-
ple of such events is a meeting which includes a group
of business owners and traders from a foreign coun-
try attending it to get to know the products of another
country.

¾
Small trade fairs and board meetings can also be
defined into the category of business meetings.
¾
In this section, one of the revenue-generating services
is to arrange a meeting with the employees of a group.
The occasion for such event can be celebrating a suc-
cess or presenting a new product, or introducing a new
manager.
¾
Business meetings can be quite diverse and range from
a small meeting with a few individuals to a meeting
with thousands of people.

18 and Types
b. Gala Dinners
¾
This type of event includes fancy parties in hotels or
banquet halls and are mostly held in form of a dinner
party and for a special occasion, but they can also be
held as lunch parties.
A proper example of this type of events is launch-
ing a new product (as mentioned before) along with a
banquet.
In gala dinners, simply the party and the din-
ner are prioritized, other affairs are on the
sideline.
¾
These types of parties have their own identity. For
example, many charities arrange gala dinners for
fundraising.
¾
Gala dinner is a diverse type of party; it can happen on
the occasion of New Year or it can be an official party
in an embassy on a cultural occasion.
¾
While having their specific setting, the gatherings of
prominent officials are also categorized into this type.
¾
The level of luxury in these parties is different. The
dinner for each person may cost between 25 to 1000
dollars.
Note 1

¾
The nature of a gala dinner is different from the nature
of a seminar. What we call a gala dinner must include a
great number of participants.
In gala dinners, the type of services, entertainment,
and the presence of celebrities are of great impor-
tance. Also, in gala dinners, it is the level of luxury that
defines the financial and non-financial value of a gala.
Audiences attend this event by considering all of these
circumstances; for example, they purchase $500 tick-
ets and participate in the party.
The status of participants and the schedule
of the gala define the level of luxury in these
parties.
The type of food should not be your gala’s
signature. The audiences must promote your
gala to others by mentioning the uniqueness
of the event.
¾
It is better to provide a setting in the gala for the guests to
have a chat and to leave the party with happy memories.
This issue affects the feedback your guests give others. In
this type of event, the importance of dinner is so great
that I put wedding ceremony in this category, too.
Note 2
Notice

20 and Types
¾
There are some standards regarding holding a gala din-
ner. Almost everything is predetermined and everyone
has a specified place to sit. At the same time, you can
make your party special by incorporating new ideas.
For example, to absorb foreign tourists, arrange a gala
dinner with local dishes and make the hosts serve the
guests while wearing traditional costumes.
If you are working in the tourism industry, you can
arrange a big party to honor tourists who are just arriv-
ing. This will help these tourists make a happy mem-
ory. You can design these galas and sell them to touring
companies. Tourists carry a large amount of money.
This is an opportunity to generate income and tourists
also enjoy it. In other words, it is a cultural show.
Every month, I go to Las Vegas to watch different shows.
Lots of people go there to see theatre plays and go to concerts.A
major part of that city’s income comes from these pricy shows.
One of the methods of absorbing foreign tourists is to design
shows for understanding which no language is required.
The shows held in Las Vegas are instrumental and concepts
are communicated through music and body language of the
actors because audiences come from various countries.
If you have an interesting idea and follow it with
persistence and teamwork, no one can stop it. In Can-
ada, I have managed to climb the ladder of success while hav-
ing Middle Eastern facial features. The reason behind that
success is nothing but interesting ideas that I possessed and
persistence.

¾
In gala events, you can surprise your guests with
unpredicted happenings, but what is done must be in
accordance with the character of the event. In official
parties, you can’t pull practical jokes such as throwing
mud at people.
In the events I hold in Canada, I don’t announce the enter-
taining part of the event up to the last minute because if I
do, I’ll become a concert host. Your job must have its unique
signature.

22 and Types
c. Cultural Events
¾
Cultural events are one of the most important popular
events at both domestic and foreign levels. Individuals
involved in tourism industry can absorb tourists using
the opportunity of cultural events.
¾
You can ride on cultural waves. For example, the cherry
blossom festivals in Japan (Hanami) or Milan Cultural
Festival are significant cultural events. You can define
your own event or absorb tourists through such event.
For example, hundreds of events are defined inside
events of Toronto International Film Festival.
¾
Acultural event must be in accordance with the circum-
stances and culture of a country. Therefore, full-extent
imitation of other countries’ events is not going to be
helpful. For instance, the Japanese cherry blossom fes-
tival can’t be operationalized in Dubai.
¾
Cultural events can be merged with other types of events.
¾
Cultural events are quite diverse in terms of opera-
tionalization.

d. Public Festivals
Public events or public festivals are generally held out-
doors. Depending on the type of the event, a part of them
can be held indoors. The aforementioned cherry blossom
festival is categorized in this class. This type of festival is
open to the public in all age groups.
Holding a festival without press coverage
and generating revenue is futile. In festivals,
effective measures must be taken to absorb
domestic and foreign tourists and there must
be plans for generating revenue.
¾
Public festivals have their own procurement because
there is a huge difference between outdoor and indoor
ceremonies. The cost of procurement and operation-
alization of public festival is higher. In such festivals,
certain costs such as cleaning fee, putting up fences,
building a stage for the ceremony, etc. are sometimes
imposed — these fees don’t exist in othertypes of events.
Note

24 and Types
e. Trade Fairs
¾
Trade fairs are interesting and useful types of events.
¾
In this type of event, the method of operationalizing the
eventandgeneratingrevenueismorecomplicated.There-
fore, it requires more specialized organizing groups.
¾
Trade fairs often have more specialized organizers and
visitors. An example of such events is a book fair.
You may heavily lean on the help of volunteers in a
cultural event or a public fair, but in case of holding a
trade fair, you need to use a group of individuals who
are experts in holding the type of event in question.
This will help you to pull the right type of audience you
desire and also help you maintain your uniqueness.
¾
In this type of event, a great amount of budget is spent
on decoration. Consequently, many other expenses of
the booths also increase.
Decorating and marketing trade fairs is a specialized
job because your audiences are companies.

f. Entertaining Events
¾
One of the most interesting events is holding enter-
taining programs such concerts, screening movies,
theatre performances, red carpet events, and film
festivals.
¾
In many cases, you get to meet celebrities in such
shows. To hold such events, you need to have a long
list of celebrities.
¾
In addition to being amusing, this type of event has its
unique sidelines and difficulties.
¾
Security matters must be considered in such ceremo-
nies, and this is an issue which has turned into a signif-
icant challenge in some countries. This is important as
audiences’ security must not be put in jeopardy in any
way.
¾
In entertaining shows, you must sell tickets. That’s why
the risk of doing this job is high. If the tickets are not
sold, you will suffer a great loss.
¾
You will face critical issues if an artist does not show up
in the event for any reason, such as sickness.

26 and Types
g. Sport Events
¾
Sport events are primarily huge events held in stadi-
ums. Hardly ever, these events are designed by a sin-
gle individual. In such events, federations and gov-
ernments are involved and they may outsource the
entertainment or decoration of the match to external
firms.
¾
Firms usually collaborate in these events as event orga-
nizers.
¾
Case ideas such as having a football match in Los Ange-
les can be an example of such sport events.
¾
Holding sport events is a tough job to do and requires
complicated procurement.

h. Weddings and Family Gatherings
¾
Wedding planning is one of the most popular jobs
globally, and holding wedding ceremonies and par-
ties is one of the most important businesses in the
world of event business. Wedding planners design
the whole procurement and plan the parties. They
also help the couple in making their wedding cere-
mony a success.
¾
Wedding is the only event for which there are training
courses with accredited certificate because it is widely
useful and has a high turnover.
¾
This business is one of the most low-risk businesses.
This is because even if the bride and the groom
don’t have money to cover their living expenses,
they will still pay huge amounts for their wedding
ceremony.
¾
This type of event has its own appeals and sidelines,
too; but if you act professionally, it is one of the sim-
plest and least handful types of events.

28 and Types
i. Official and Government Events
¾
In this type of event, you deal with officials and
need to follow certain protocols in holding the event.
For example, you need to be aware of the officials’
positions and their seat; e.g., a sergeant can’t sit in
a row ahead of a colonel according to the military
laws.
People who work in this section have special train-
ing to learn how to observe the protocols.
¾
Embassies are one of the customers of such services.
Working with embassies is easier because their cere-
monies are semi-official. An example of such events is
summit.
An event organizer does not have to hold various
types of events. Some companies simply hold wedding
ceremonies, and some others are solely responsible
for holding sport events. This makes the company to
be known as a professional in that specific niche. Also,
when a company works in a specialized field, it redou-
bles its reputation and finds its true place in the corre-
sponding niche.

Chapter 2
Methods of Getting
into the Event
Business

30 Methods of Getting into the Event Business
One of the interesting things about the event business
is that there is always a job for you wherever in the world
you land. Holding events is required for any business and
has significant importance.
Practitioners in the field of holding and managing
events can be considered in three general categories:
1.
1. The first category includes those who are
coordinators and a part of event holding team for
companies. In this way, you can be an employee of
the event management in commercial enterprises
or event companies or get hired in event venues.
This job title is defined in many companies and
can cover a single individual or a group of people,
depending on the company’s size.
2.
2.
The second category includes people who provide
event-related services to various companies. These
people’s job is event management. For example,
you make a deal with a film festival and become
responsible for operationalizing it.

Holding event is a job full of controversies and it is quite
difficult for a single person to handle it. Event organizers do
their job for event customers by building a team. The num-
ber of individuals in the team depends on the event size.
3.
3.
The third category includes those who design an
event. Designing, planning, and operationalizing
an event are interesting activities because you
indeed become the creator of an interesting idea.
This is an artistic work on its own. Your per-
formance needs assessment, identify the popular
domains, and create some ideas such as trade fairs
and art festivals. In this case, you get creative and
create jobs, as well.
Holding events is one of the job-creat-
ing businesses, and manpower is used in
it depending on its level.

Chapter 3
Event Management
Stages

The important part of planning an event is to make a
list of doable tasks in each stage of holding the event. The
activities related to each event are carried out in three
stages:
ƒ
Before the event
ƒ
The Day of the Event
ƒ
After the event
Many people only talk about the day of the event, but
the two stages before and after the event are also import-
ant. While most plans are done on the day of the event, the
important part of it is planning and designing before the
operationalization.
As a professional event organizer, you must write down
your event plan precisely according to these three stages
and make a list of tasks you need to do in these stages. This
is your roadmap and the time to implement each action
must be predetermined.

Before holding an event, you need to take some crucial
measures. You must look into:
ƒ
The feasibility of holding the event
ƒ
Plan the event
ƒ
Make preparations before operationalizing the event
If you concluded at the end of feasibility stage that
you can hold the event, then, you enter the planning and
preparation stage.

36 Before the Event
1. Event Feasibility
Before you start to plan, hold, and operationalize an
event, investigate the following items:
¾
Is operationalizing your event reasonable or not?
¾
What kind of people are working in the same field as
our event? When you recognized the kind of people in
that field, identify their performance.
¾
Is there any competitor?
¾
Does the topic of your event have any advantage over
the competitors’ event?
¾
Are you distinguished from your competitors because
of the date and the venue you have considered for your
event?
Answering these questions shows your initial mar-
ket analysis. In short, analyze the event market.

2. Event Planning
To hold an event, you first need to plan it. Some signifi-
cant factors are considered in planning. The most import-
ant ones are the event topic, date, and venue which are
known as the three crucial vertices of an event triangle.
The event triangle determines the struc-
ture and method of holding an event
anywhere in the world.

 The event topic is placed on the head of your event
triangle. Determine your desired topic and idea for
holding the event.

 The other two vertices are date and venue.
Figure 1. Three main vertices of every event
Topic
Date
Venue

38 Before the Event
In addition to this triangle, some other factors such as
the target market and the budget should be considered in
planning.
Your plan before holding the event must be quite flex-
ible and you need to keep modifying it constantly during
the time of preparation.
Flexibility is only pertaining to the time
before holding the event, as you won’t get
any opportunity to change plans on the day
of the event.
Note

a. Determining the Event Topic
The most important issue in designing an event is the
topic and type of the event. Then, the two issues of date
and venue of holding the event are raised accordingly. For
example, to hold a cultural event, you need to evaluate the
cultural conditions of the venue, too.
b. Determining the Event Date
Date affects your event from various aspects.
¾
The event date is related to the event topic.
In small events such as a party or a wedding, the
topic is not much influential on the event date and
venue. Still, in certain events such as film festivals or
trade fairs, the topic is directly related to the date and
venue.
¾
In some cases, the simultaneity of events is problem-
atic.
ƒ
Sometimes, you may deliberately select the same
date for your event as another event. For example,
you may hold a press conference regarding publica-
tion and book at the same time as a book fair is on.
Such simultaneity is acceptable because the activ-
ities are not exactly identical and they complete
each other. The second event can even be held as
a peripheral activity along with the main event. It

40 Before the Event
can also be held one-two days before/after the event
when the event setting is still in place or held some-
where near the main event’s venue.
ƒ
Some other times, the simultaneity of events forces
you to change your event date.
Let’s assume you want to hold a commercial fair.
At the same time, there is another trade fair with
the same features in another country and many of
your potential customers have probably gone to the
other fair. In this case, to whom do you want to sell
booths?
Therefore, each vertex of this triangle is of great impor-
tance and they all are interdependent.
¾
The order of considering date and venue is compli-
cated.
ƒ
Sometimes, you have to accept one of these two
items and adjust the other one with it. For example,
a New Year-related event must be necessarily held
on the same date as planned.
ƒ
Sometimes, date is flexible and you care about the
venue. Therefore, you plan your event date accord-
ing to the date and timetable when the correspond-
ing venue is able to provide the needed services.
¾
The weather and season in which the event is held are

also important factors in selecting the event date. You
must also consider whether something else is happen-
ing simultaneously and in place on the date you are
choosing for your event.
¾
In addition to the event date, you should also deter-
mine the event duration. An event may last two hours
and another one may last four days.
The event duration for each day of the event can be
different. For example, an event may be held in three
days, but the first day may last only two hours and the
next two days may last four hours.
c. Determining the Event Venue
The event venue is one main elements that is pertinent
to the event time, the target market, and your plan for
sponsorship and revenue-generating.
¾
Sometimes, you don’t have a choice but to select a spe-
cific venue. For example, you may have to choose an
exhibition center for a trade fair. In this case, you have
to put up with all the conditions of that venue because
you need it.
¾
Sometimes, you have to adjust your event plans accord-
ing to the available time slots of a specific event venue.
For example, you intend to hold a big concert and only
one large hall is in the city. Therefore, you have to plan
the concert date according to the available time slots
of that hall.

42 Before the Event
¾
The type of visitors is a determining factor in selecting
the venue. Participants (sponsors and exhibitors) are
the next influential factors after visitors.
¾
In addition, to be suitable for your event type and to
be affordable, the venue should not impose a heavy
cost for procurement. For example, it needs to have a
prepared stage and great lighting.
¾
The venue must be in accordance with the event type.
For example, in case of a conference, you definitely
need some special facilities which are not required for
holding a wedding ceremony.
¾
While selecting the venue, consider the audience. A
certain venue may be suitable for holding an event in
summertime, but it may bring difficulties for visitors
in wintertime in terms of coming and going.
¾
One of the big troubles about an event is coordinating
the event venue with its date because on suitable dates,
almost anywhere you want to hold your event either is
already reserved or costs higher than usual. For exam-
ple, regarding wedding ceremonies, in a specific sea-
son and on more suitable weekends, most venues are
taken, and both the price of the venue and the sideline
costs are much higher.
Date directly affects the event costs but
is not a budget factor.

d. Determining the Event Target Market
The event topic determines the target market. Your
event’s target market has two parts:
¾
Visitors: people who visit your event.
¾
Participants: people who attend your event, whether as
exhibitors, sponsors, or under any other capacity.
While planning your event, determine what people
and companies form your visitors and participants and
what interests your event offers to these two groups.
e. Event Budgeting (Economic Feasibility)
¾
In budgeting, the event venue and date matter.
The event venue is one of the main
expenses of the event, and date directly
affects all sections of holding an event.
¾
In order to budget an event, identify the expenses
and methods of generating revenue, and make a list
of them. Some examples of expenses are the rent fee,
decoration, music band, etc.
How much will it cost to organize the event and how
much revenue can the event generate, at the end?

44 Before the Event
¾
Determine the expenses and revenues of an event sep-
arately for each one of the three stages:
ƒ
Expenses and revenues before the event
ƒ
Expenses and revenues on the day of the event
ƒ
Expenses and revenues after the event
¾
Create a table like Table 1 and have separate columns
for both expenses and revenues.
ƒ
Revenues include financial sponsorship, booth leas-
ing, advertisement in the event, selling tickets, etc.
ƒ
Expenses include the venue rent, the expenses for
entertainments, music, vocalist, decoration and so
on so forth.
Such a table is a general estimate of the project’s eco-
nomic feasibility.
Event Expenses Event Revenues
Venue Rent $50,000 Ticket Selling $10,000
Advertisement $7000 Booth Leasing $30,000
Work Team $10,000 Sponsor $40,000
… … … …
Total
Expenses
$67,000 Total Revenues $80,000
Table 1. List of an event’s expenses and revenues

Every event has various parts and each
part has its own expenses.
¾
Now, according to all the items that you have consid-
ered so far, including the event topic, date, venue, com-
petitors, and the target market, you need to determine
whether your event is economically feasible or not. If it
is feasible, how are you going to move it forward?
¾
The feasibility study of an event using this method hap-
pens when the planning has been on you or belongs to
a company that has chosen you as the event organizer
and delegated the financial affairs to you.
¾
Sometimes, you are only responsible for operational-
izing the event and the employer company is in charge
of the financing. In this case, budgeting is completely
out of your jurisdiction and you simply run the event.
¾
A budget is defined beforehand for the event delegated
to you. For example, 100 thousand dollars is specified
as the budget and you must hold the event using this
budget. As an expert, you need to hold before you a list
of the delegated event’s expenses, specify the budget
accordingly, and determine where and how you need
to spend the budget to achieve proper results.
¾
Consider what you stand to gain by organizing the
event. You have the list of expenses and revenues, and
you want the revenues to cover the expenses and leave
you some benefits at the end.

46 Before the Event
3. Preparation before Holding the Event
To make preparations for the event, write down the
three following lists:
¾
The doable tasks
¾
The checklist of doing the tasks
¾
The list of possible risks
After determining the event topic, date, and venue,
it’s time to select the members of the event coordinating
team. With that in mind, choose the providers of services
required for holding the event.
a. Team Building and Task Division
The first stage of the job before the event is team build-
ing. In this stage, determine the event coordinating team
and their tasks.
To provide the required manpower for holding an
event, various methods are available:
¾
You may want to hold an event for a company with
1000 workers. In this case, you can use these workers
to operationalize your event by applying a suitable
strategy. These individuals will be treated as your offi-
cial employees during the event, and that shows the
greatness of your work. For example, through using
the company’s employees, you can have the maximum

event advertisement of that company on social media.
¾
If you want to work as a recognized company in the
event business, you have to hire individuals such as sec-
retaries, marketing employees, and any other worker
you need for the event and add them to your team, and
you have to do it constantly. Some of these individuals
may be volunteers and some may be your permanent
employees.
¾
Sometimes, the company in charge of holding the
event only consists of a few people working together
and there is no physical office. The workplace is, in
fact, the event venue, and the communication is estab-
lished via email and phone call.
¾
Some of the event organizers work on their own, and
since they are skillful in what they do, they get hired by
companies and manage a certain project.
¾
Some of your workers only collaborate with you on the
day of the event. Some of them are temps and some
others may get hired a few days before the event.
¾
Various individuals may get hired in various events.
There is no guarantee that you would use these indi-
viduals in all the events you will hold. In other words,
this is a project-based job and there is a floating num-
ber of individuals who work in an event. However, it
must be noted that since these individuals work on
temporary basis, they don’t have any commitment for
long-term collaboration.

48 Before the Event
In providing the human resources for an event, you
should consider some points:
z
If you provide services to others, you may not need a
part of the aforementioned human resources (if you
only work as an event organizer).
Many event organizers are basically one single
person. They get hired, and since they know how
to do the job, they operationalize and hold each
event as a project using event service providers.
This one single person must divide his/her time
between various tasks.
z
Supposeyou plan and hold an event (such as atrade fair
or a conference). In that case, you need skilled work-
force and planning to succeed and thrive in some sec-
tions such as public relations, media relations, absorb-
ing sponsorship, etc. It would be best if you had a clear
and defined plan and workforce for each of them.
A great part of the tasks can be outsourced, but
it depends on how you manage things.
I have been carrying out my works through outsourc-
ing for almost 15 years now and hundreds of people work
with me all over the world. I have learned how to man-
age this outsourcing through experience.
z
Keep in your database the information that different
people have gathered for the event during their col-
laboration with you.

z
Give a task checklist to each of your workers and
define their job description. In this case, you can
check at any moment which stages of the tasks they
have accomplished.
z
Don’t go too far in task division, instead, assign the
tasks to people who can properly handle them unless
these tasks need to happen at different times. Other-
wise, don’t assign more than one or two tasks to each
of these individuals because it increases human error,
resulting in some lasting problems.
z
Before the event, have multiple meetings with the
event coordinating team for task division. Some team
members should be doing research, and some others
should be in charge of following up the collaboration
with the suppliers.
z
To divide the tasks among the team members, pre-
pare a table and write in a column the name of the
person in charge for each task and the precise time.
For example, “David” is responsible for coordinating
and managing the press conference, and the confer-
ence is scheduled for May 5 at 3 p.m.
z
Write in the table the name of suppliers and service
providers such as the cameraman, the decorator, and
so on so forth after they are finally selected.

50 Before the Event
Anyone can write the information on a piece
of paper or a whiteboard based on one’s circum-
stances. The manager must be able to review all the
information by taking a look at the table. There-
fore, not all the details are mentioned.
I design this table in Excel software and it greatly facilitates
the process. I can email it to myself, always have it with me, and
update it if necessary.
Name Position
Job
Description
Date of
Action
Coordinator
…
Member of
the Venue
Procurement
Management
Handling
the Seating
Arrangement
Before the
Event
Hall Director
…
Security
Guard
Controlling
Entry and Exit
Points
The Day
of the
Event
Security
Director
…
Sound
Producer
Installing Audio
Equipment
Before the
Event
Hall Director
…
Sound
Recordist
Testing the
Equipment
The Day
of the
Event
Hall Director
…
Sound
Recordist
Recording
Sound
The Day
of the
Event
Hall Director
… Host
Introducing the
Event’s Plans
The Day
of the
Event
Event Manager
… … … … …
Table 2. The team’s job description.

b. Choosing the Event Suppliers
There is no company in the world that carries out an
event without using other companies and service pro-
viders. Therefore, the event coordinating affairs are con-
ducted through outsourcing and using event suppliers.
¾
An event coordinating manager is someone who can
make quick decisions regarding any event-related
issue in real-time and have access to primed resources
to be able to apply them. By resources, we mean event
suppliers or event service providers.
¾
No matter how much knowledgeable an event coor-
dinator is, he/she is not able to do anything without
establishing relations with suitable suppliers and hav-
ing information from them.
¾
Suppliers provide various services for holding and
operationalizing an event.
¾
One of the most important suppliers are event venue
suppliers such as hotels, halls, and salons.
A group of suppliers provides technical services
such as electricity, internet connection, and telecom-
munication.
Another group works in design and decoration of
the place or filming and photo shooting services.
Another group works in regard to reception and
security services.

52 Before the Event
¾
Keep in mind that the event management is quite a
difficult job, and as the event organizer, you are a proj-
ect manager with no time to waste. The suppliers are
supposed to provide you with the services required for
the event, and you are supposed to supervise the pro-
cess, not to involve personally in doing tasks for which
the suppliers are in charge. You can’t just pick up the
wrench and carry out the technical tasks.
As the event manager, if you don’t concentrate on
coordinating the tasks and get too much involved with
the details, you will fail to accomplish the main job.
Therefore, collaborate with individuals who have a
good grasp of both the tasks and the regulations and
that you are fully confident about their competence.
An event manager must be able to man-
age all the operational affairs, not carry
them out!
¾
As the event organizer, you can be one of the suppliers,
as well. For example, purchase some of the decorations
which you always rent and use them in various events.
Consider the costs of storage, shipment, workforce,
and management for it.
I spend 20 to 50 thousand dollars on renting children’s
play toys while I can buy them for 30 thousand dollars. How-

ever, we don’t do that because such action will heavily make
us involved operation-wise.
¾
The most significant winning card for an even holder
is to have a classified and comprehensive archive of
various suppliers and their contact information.
Get to know tens of people in every field. For exam-
ple, learn about a great number of any type of venues
such as hotel, hall, and so on so forth, and be aware of
their quality level so you can choose among them in
real time and secure the required services. For exam-
ple, when you need a cameraman, you must be able
to call an expert to the place by a simple phone call.
Suppose a cameraman announced an hour before the
event that they are unable to provide your required
services for any kind of reason. In that case, you should
be able to replace them with someone else immedi-
ately.
¾
There is no reason for all the suppliers you know to
collaborate with you in all of your events. The number
of suppliers who work with you in an event depends
on the event type, date, and venue.
In many small events, most of the required services
are provided in the same venue, and there is no need
to use many suppliers.
¾
Classify the suppliers based on the services they pro-
vide. Evaluate, score, and rate each one of them based
on the quality of provided services and their profes-
sional experience.

54 Before the Event
¾
Gather various types of suppliers you want for your
event and determine what kind of suppliers you need
before, during, and after the event. Ensure you appraise
these suppliers and make them understand what you
want at each stage of your event.
Some suppliers are with you in all three stages of
an event. For example, there are magazines and media
in a film festival which promote the festival before the
event, attend the event on the day it’s held, and notify
the public about the news in real time. They also release
the event’s corresponding reports after the event.
¾
Collaborate with professional and reputable suppliers.
These companies have the adequate experience, indi-
viduals, and resources to manage the unexpected issues
and incidents, and they can find replacements. For
example, when you close a deal with a reputable video
shooting company, this company can find a replace-
ment when something goes wrong with the camera-
man and he/she cannot participate in your event for
one reason or other. However, if you close a deal with
an individual, you will not have such an option. While
you may have to pay a higher fee, working with repu-
table suppliers reduces the involved risk.
¾
Evaluate the method of working with suppliers care-
fully. First of all, you need to deliver from suppliers
a long list of all the jobs they have done. Meet them
multiple times and assess their resources to make sure
they have the potentials to pull off your job. One single
supplier is never capable of meeting all your demands.

Therefore, check whether this supplier is competent
enough to fulfill all of your requests up to a certain
point. For example, an electrician who has worked
with household electrical systems is possibly unable to
pull off a job in a hall.
¾
The list of suppliers must be organized and precise,
containing all the required details. You need to both
write the quality rating of the supplier’s work and
determine the type of event for which they most suit-
ably provide services. For example, a supplier might
be only suitable for sport events and there can be some
suppliers that can only provide excellent services for
VIP guests.
¾
Evaluate the suppliers constantly. A supplier might
provide high-quality services during a certain time
and then reduces the quality after a while. Evaluate
their latest activities. Those who care for your reputa-
tion will not experience such fluctuations.
¾
In business, both service and price are important. You
don’t always have to choose the best and the priciest
service provider. The first priority goes for the quality
of the services you receive from the supplier, and price
follows it.
¾
Evaluate the suppliers qualitatively and quantitatively,
and compare them in terms of your budget. Select the
service provider who has the highest rank according
to your experience. Ensure the service being offered
matches the price being requested.

56 Before the Event
¾
The proper method of selecting the suppliers is to
examine the whole projects of various suppliers and
choose for your event the closest ones in terms of topic
and context (the setting in which they have worked)
and the most suitable ones. For example, it is better if
your selected supplier has already worked in the venue
you have in mind because in that case, the supplier is
familiar with the place.
If you have limitations in your selection and there
are limited number of suppliers, select the one who
has the highest rate in accordance with your event.
A food supplier might be only suitable for wedding
ceremonies and lack the relevance for a trade fair, or
you rate a company of security services as “A” based
on its records and your observations of their work.
Employ every supplier based on the circumstances.
For example, use the help of a supplier from the group
“C” for a trivial and cheap job.
¾
One way to reduce the risk of collaborating with
suppliers is for all the people who work with you
to exactly know what to do, not that you’d have to
teach them how to do their job. If an electrician has
only done building electrical installations and never
worked on an outdoor event system, don’t risk it
employing such an electrician. This could be a prob-
lem for you.
¾
Not being dependent on suppliers is an important
issue to consider. Work with some of these suppliers
intermittently. If you work with only one supplier for

a long time, you will be recognized as this supplier’s
customer in the market. In this case, when you go to
other suppliers, they’ll reject you and send you back to
that previous supplier.
¾
Hold multiple meetings with suppliers. Providing ser-
vices is not something on which you could easily trust
and dodge following it up. As the event manager, you
and the coordinators should hold multiple meetings
with each of the suppliers, clarify what demands you
exactly have, and make sure your suppliers can do that
certain event in question.
Check all of the supplier’s actions after selecting
them. Explain elaborately what services with what
specifications you expect to receive, and have a mutual
agreement. Be detailed while giving a supplier your job
description.
¾
Be in touch with the suppliers in all cities. Knowing
local suppliers is of great importance. At the same
time, the main issue is management in which you must
show expertise.
¾
Make professional and precise deals with suppliers and
follow the state rules. There must be local laws and reg-
ulations in every province. It’s better if these contracts
are closed in consultation with a lawyer.
¾
Due to the high risk of holding an event, you will face
countless troubles if any of the people in your project
don’t fulfill their contract in due time. If you face any
problem in this process, consult with your lawyer.

58 Before the Event
¾
After drawing up the contracts once, you can use them
for various people.
¾
Some hotels and suppliers have their own invariable
contracts which you are obliged to sign. What matters
is for you to sign solid contracts.

c. Defining the Event Schedule
One of the important actions before the event is to pre-
pare the precise schedule of the day of the event in addi-
tion to the detailed timetable.
¾
Categorize the general schedule of the event based on
various time intervals, and determine what has to be
done in each period.
For example, if the event is held in three days, split
up each day’s schedule and divide each day into dif-
ferent time periods. An example of such periods is the
morning of the first day between 8 and 11 a.m., and
in the same way, you can write the timetable of plans
from the beginning to the end of the event. In this way,
the entire days of the event are divided into smaller
plans in specific periods.
¾
Check the schedule for when the plans are carried out
to make sure of the thorough progress of the plans.
Determine the prestart timetable, as well. For exam-
ple, determine what needs to be done eight months
before the event, what measures you need to take three
months before the event, and so on so forth. Consider
several timetables for after the event, too. With this
timetable, you will be able to monitor your success or
otherwise.

60 Before the Event
¾
In addition to the main plan you have assessed several
times and which risk you have minimized, consider
one or two plan B options to move forward according
to them in case of unexpected happenings such as sup-
pliers pulling a no-show.
¾
If there’s going to be a speech, determine who will
show up, who will anchor the event, who will be the
target audience and how long is the speech going to
take? When are you supposed to settle the account with
the speechmaker? Determine all of these items in a
precise manner.
¾
Do you have sponsors for the event’s programs? Or do
you have to pay a fee for it? In that case, when is this fee
supposed to be paid?
For example, one of your programs is a live show
by a music band, and a music production company
has only sponsored this part of the event. Include this
information in the plan that a sponsor is in charge
of this band’s expenses, and the fee is to be paid as
agreed.
You may be in charge of expenses for some of the
parts of the events, too, and you may have to pay the
fee immediately after the job is done. Such conditions
must be included in the plan and the person in charge
of the payment needs to be determined.
¾
If you are to offer a catalog as a guide to the visitors, or
give them gifts, or run a contest, specify in the event
plan the time and the person in charge.

¾
Determine the job description of the security and pro-
tection forces. There can be two groups of these indi-
viduals:
z
First, a part of your team that must be responsible for
checking the exhibitors’ conduct and whether it is in
accordance with the regulations.
z
Second, a security team at the entry and exit points.
This team is responsible for controlling people’s
coming and going. These individuals help you in
case of first-aid demands or emergencies such as a
fire.
Go through the whole process of selecting
the security providers the same way as you’d
do for other suppliers.
¾
Check your event’s venue several times. Just like the
case with other parties involved in your event, hold
multiple meetings with the security and protection
teams, too. Venues often have their specific security
details and you also need to check these items and
make sure of them.
¾
Have a plan for the cleaning at the time of the event.
Notice

62 Before the Event
¾
If checking and registering the guests’ information is
required at the entry and exit points, determine how
this process will be carried out. This part of the event
can undermine the entire event as much as it can be a
nice experience for the visitors.
The visitors’ first impression can lead to an unpleas-
ant perception or turn into a great memory and inter-
esting perspective for the visitors.
¾
Determine what information you are to receive from
the visitors, and if you are going to give them any cat-
alog, consider this part of the plan.
¾
Check the venue map and determine what programs will
be done in which section of the venue. Recheck the design
and layout of the place and make sure that the subplan is
in accordance with the timetable you have specified.
¾
Determine the contractors for the audio and video sys-
tem. Even in a trade fair, you have an audio/video sys-
tem and probably a press conference.
¾
Determine what design you want to implement in
the interior decoration. You may want to have flower
arrangements. The flower arrangement also needs to
be considered in the decoration part of the plan.
All the designs must be in harmonywith your event
style. For example, if bright colors are applied in your
major design, your flower arrangement can’t be done
using dull colors. Bright colors attract and make peo-
ple want to associate with your event to make use of it
to stand among your competitors.

¾
In the section related to the interior design, devise
some features using which the disabled can receive
services the same as ordinary people do. This matter
is one of the standards on the day of every event and
at the same time, it shows your respect for different
people.
z
At the time of arrival, the disabled can receive a guid-
ing catalog to find out how to use special services.
¾
Try and collaborate with charities. The society pays
special respect to charity donors. Your event makes it
possible for charities to introduce themselves. In such
collaboration, you both do a good deed and take a big
step in your own promotion and branding. At the end
of it all, both the charity organization and your brand
benefit from the collaboration.
z
In any business, taking social responsibility is of
great importance and results in branding and
growth of the corresponding business. It creates a
setting in which everyone will speak very highly of
that company.
¾
Set your main goals and emphasize them in all of your
advertising contents. Many of such actions are taken
before the event.
¾
Consider a special position for the communications
division in all the three stages (before, during, and
after the event).

64 Before the Event
d. Defining the Methods of Generating Revenue
from the Event
The following items are methods of generating revenue
through an event:
ƒ
Selling tickets
ƒ
Selling booths
ƒ
Absorbing sponsors
ƒ
Ambient advertising
ƒ
Revenue and partnership development
Ticket is basically sold to visitors. Some events such as
trade fairs don’t have ticket sales.
Participants are one of the most important income
sources of any event. Three different groups can be par-
ticipants in your event:
9
First, companies which field of work is directly related
to the event topic. For instance, if you establish a food
fair, the first group of your audiences is companies
that work in food industries and are suitable for being
absorbed as sponsors, exhibitors, and ad customers.
9
Second, companies which can be providers of ser-
vices and products to the visitors and participants
of your event. Companies that offer products or ser-
vices to the participants in a food fair are an example.
9
Third, companies which can be your event’s spon-
sors. Sponsors can be involved in any field but their

target market is usually close to the event’s target
market. In the example of a food fair, a brand of
home appliances can be the sponsor because the
target market for home appliances includes families
who are also the audiences of a food fair.
The following are three groups of companies which can
be the event sponsor:
1.
1. Companies which are your main target to be
absorbed as sponsors.
2.
2.
Companies which you somewhat hope to
collaborate with.
3.
3.
Companies which you don’t go after unless you
have to.
Send exclusive emails to the first group and post to
them interesting text, photo, and video contents that are
related to the event. For example, ask the recipients for
their opinion on the video you send them. Spend more
time on this group and follow them one by one or even
personally. Sometimes a major customer from the first
group can generate a large amount of income for your
event on their own. Spend less time on the second group,
and invest the least on the third group.
The biggest Canada Kids Festival belongs to me, and I have been
its designer and developer. An American brand was the sponsor of
my event and financed a large part of the festival’s expenses. There-
fore, I was personally in charge of negotiating with that company.

66 Before the Event
To absorb sponsors, you can apply the following meth-
ods:
Identify the sponsors of your com-
petitors’ events and offer them to col-
laborate with you.
From the market research, you have
already concluded that you got some
advantages over your competitors. In
addition, you have received some infor-
mation such as who the sponsors, exhib-
itors, and participants of your compet-
itors’ events are and which companies
and organizations have been involved.
Make a list of them, notify them about
your event, and offer them to collabo-
rate with you.
Move forward using a proper strat-
egy and provide them with interests
which would persuade them to work
with you. This is a simple process. The
same advantages which have persuaded
you during the market research to enter
the market despite the presence of your
competitors are the same points you
have to make for your competitors’
sponsors.

Make it clear for them as an advan-
tage that you are one of the best ways
of promoting their company in the
market, and that they can participate
in your event and gain a huge profit
instead of attending several events
per year. Note that badmouthing your
competitors is not a decent thing to do
and you need to articulate your own
advantages.
Another interesting and special
method is to absorb companies as spon-
sor-partner.
Let’s assume that there is an event
that requires two million dollars. A com-
pany provides this amount of money
and receives a part of the profit made in
the event in addition to gaining the prof-
its as a sponsor. Sometimes, the entire
investment of a company is returned
to them. Depending on the event type,
you can absorb several companies using
such method.

68 Before the Event
Another method is to collaborate
with associations and organizations
over a win-win game.
To collaborate with organizations,
bring them some benefits. For example,
give them a booth or have an interview
with the head of that organization and
publish it in the fair’s magazine so the
corresponding organization can intro-
duce its members, and most importantly,
they can announce that they are officially
collaborating with your event which is
an approval for the event and makes the
subsidiaries a source of income for you.
When the subsidiaries of an organi-
zation witness the sincerity of that orga-
nization in collaborating with the event
organizer, the chance of them partici-
pating in the event will increase.
The pertinent organization provides
you with services in proportion to the
resources you offer them. One of these
services is the credit they bring for you
by their support. The organization in
question is not supposed to be partner
in the entire event; it only participates in
the process of holding the event in gen-
eral. Don’t forget that a long-term col-
laboration with such organizations is in
the favor of both parties.

Collaborate with advertising agen-
cies decidedly. Suppose every advertis-
ing agency has a major customer. In that
case, the same customer may bring you
some huge profit and it will be enough
for you to have one single customer!
First, target those advertising compa-
nies which are related to various orga-
nizations and companies of your event’s
target market.
Collaboratively, leave the unsold
spaces such as booths, ad pages in the
journal, advertising banners, and so on
to those companies that generate profits
for you.
Invite companies that generate long-
term profits foryou and offer them these
unused spaces free of charge. Using this
method, you define a backup strategy
for yourself.
In standard marketing, these spaces
are offered to companies with a signif-
icant discount. I disagree entirely with
offering discount in this way.
One of the prestigious American jour-
nals had contacted me and offered me that,
“Based on how you operate in business, we

70 Before the Event
can sell a page to you with 50% discount.
Here, any customer realizes that the offered
page is left blank and they are making this
offer out of desperation. In addition, for the
next issues of the journal, customers will
wait until the last days to order their ads
and get a discount.
I personally provide some pricy services,
and I don’t offer any discount, hell or high
water, even if some pages are left blank. Such
action affects your brand.
The smart thing to do is to give an
advertising space to various companies
and leave them in your debt ethically
and financially. You can both use their
help in different areas and consider
these companies’ presence as a sign of
your event’s credibility.
During my first days of working in Can-
ada, I tried to bring the logo of some repu-
table companies such as McDonald’s to my
event. As a result of these efforts, McDonald’s
and the biggest Canadian telecommunica-
tions company became my customers later on.
Another method is to offer some
booths for free to reputable companies
which are useful for you and ask these

companies to try and participate in the
event and if they received a nice feed-
back, they can then buy a booth next
year. Doing so is beneficial for you, even
if your event is not held periodically.
In the modern world of business, any
kind of connection comes handy for
you one day.
Talk to charities and give them free
booths to support them.
You can give a free booth to the trade
union pertinent to your event.
Another method is to barter. I gave a
place to a restaurant in an event, and that
restaurant kept preparing food for our col-
leagues for a while. Keep that in mind that
the event does not reoccur. Therefore, get
the most out of the place on that day.

72 Before the Event
Hence, by having a strategy and a plan for possible
unreserved spaces, you both avoid being surprised by the
event space not being sold and by that can make the most
of your event space and everything else.
To invite companies to work with you, you can apply
the following methods:
9
Sending a presentation of your event
9
In-person marketing
9
Interesting follow-up
Start with making phone calls, sending emails, negotiat-
ing in person, and reminding them of previous communi-
cations from time to time.
When inviting companies, prepare an exclusive presen-
tation for each company. Prepare the way you introduce
your event based on the type of audience. For example, to
absorb sponsors or exhibitors, you need a kind of intro-
duction that is different from what you introduce to the
visitors.

e. Determining the Event Advertising Strategies
In the next stage, you must determine the event’s adver-
tising plans to absorb the maximum number of audiences.
¾
Go back to the famous event triangle for the adver-
tising plan, and determine the event topic, date, and
venue. Based on these factors, determine what type of
advertising you need to do to absorb the target market.
¾
Prepare two different sets of advertising strategies for
each one of the two parts of the target market, i.e., vis-
itors and participants.
¾
To absorb visitors, you can use certain tools such as
advertising in newspapers, TV, billboards, etc., depend-
ing on the event type, your budget limit, and whether
your objective is sales or branding.
¾
Determine various advertising methods, approaches
to media relations, method of advertising design and
type of interior design. What plans do you need and
whom do you want to work with?
¾
The details of the target market such as gender, age,
location, etc. are in selecting advertising tool. You can
apply all the advertising tools to advertise as long as
using them is in accordance with your budget. You
may spend heavy expenses in the first year and look
forward to gaining income in the following years; how-
ever, your expenses should not be more than what you
can afford.

74 Before the Event
¾
Prepare the advertising materials such as posters, bro-
chures, catalogs, and presentations by being aware of
your competitors’ performance and knowing the tar-
get market and the event’s audiences including visitors
and participants.
¾
To absorb visitors, apply a certain tool such as newspa-
per, television, billboard, etc., depending on the event
type.
¾
Check all the advertising tools and see which one is
more suitable for you (in terms of financial budget and
the event size). Do you intend to boost your brand or
gather more participants?
Any advertisement which is useful in other
businesses is also functional in advertising
an event.
¾
Magazines, emails, letters, phone calls, billboards,
radio, television, and social media are some of the
methods you can apply to advertise your event.
¾
Business-to-business collaboration (B2B) is a market-
ing tool that is also practical in events because you
intend to sell booths and advertising spaces and absorb
sponsors.
Note

¾
Prepare a set of B2B marketing tools such as posters,
advertising brochures, websites, precise and clear pre-
sentations, and short introductory videos (30 to 60
seconds).
¾
Don’t forget the budgeting. Don’t do something that
makes you end up realizing you have done every-
thing and your financial balance is fallen apart. Fall-
ing apart the financial balance is only worth it if
your business is continuous and you would think
that you want to get recognition in the first year, and
it will be alright even if you spend money from your
pocket.
¾
Such as the case with any other business, an event also
requires you to have a team to provide contents of
advertising items such as posters, banners, print ads,
photos, videos, and social media posts.
¾
Define the event’s relations team so they prepare the
contents. The team assigned to accomplish this task
must:
z
Be experts and deliver professional work.
z
Follow harmony in all of these tools.
z
Work for all the three stages of before, during, and
after the event.

76 Before the Event
¾
Organize acollection of comprehensive files to introduce
your event. To prepare these items, you need a designer
who is, in fact, a supplier of design services for you.
z
Select the designer of the event advertising materials
according to the event topic and type of audience.
z
The plan for designing and preparing the event’s pre-
sentation and introduction files requires a schedule.
¾
After the event is finished, the marketing plan becomes
obsolete. If the event is going to be operationalized
again, use the same marketing plan with some modifi-
cations. Ensure your marketing plan is in tune with the
current market operation.
To read more about marketing and advertising meth-
ods, you can refer to my other books in this regard.

f. Branding
Try and make a brand out of your event as much as pos-
sible.
¾
Introduce it in various places so others will recognize
it.
¾
Move towards branding by using advertisement, dig-
ital media, collaborating with various companies, and
even renting booths in different events. For example,
become the sponsor of a press conference related to
your event or barter.
You need to spend a lot of money on advertising, so
the corresponding companies notice you, but sponsor-
ing a press conference requires much less expense.
¾
You can offer a discount to the participants of another
event for participating in your event. This will encour-
age them to attend your event in the future.
¾
You can consider a 10% discount for, say, members of
the National Food Union, to encourage an organization,
association, or union, or you can offer 20% discount on
renting booths for the members who have paid their
membership fee, and offer 30% discount for top food
exporters. In this case, the corresponding organization
will introduce you to their members and you turn to a
brand. Furthermore, through such process, you gain
more customers and become a household name.

78 Before the Event
¾
To do branding, attend different places to the maxi-
mum capacity. Check what you can do to be noticed
by the participants and visitors. Apply various tools to
present your work.
Let’s assume you have closed a deal with a restaurant
for preparing food. See how you can use the restau-
rant’s space and resources for branding. In the meeting
to close the deal with the restaurant, don’t just go and
meet the place’s manager, but rather try and let every-
body in that group become aware of your event. You
can distribute some coupons among them or give them
free tickets to the event. You can also have a hat and
an outfit with the event’s logo on them and encourage
others to use these outfits. As they wear these branded
outfits and go about, people who see them will inad-
vertently learn about your brand and planned event.
For example, for an event which is related to chil-
dren, send the brochures to all the schools in the area
or offer these schools a special discount. You can con-
tact the board of building complexes and ask them to
put up your posters in the entrance of their buildings.
¾
While planning for the event, pay attention to how you
are going to carry out the operational measures to be
noticed by both groups of audiences, i.e., visitors and
participants. Use various tools to present yourself and
magnify your activities. Act smart even in your meet-
ings and don’t assume that you will just meet someone
and turn back. Be ready to convince and advertise your
brand to the people you meet.

There are events with thirty years of history, but
they still don’t apply these methods. You can’t ignore
advertising and expect everything to go well.
A large number of events that were previously held
in the North America are now gone. The major reason
for that is ignoring the branding. The other reason is
these events’ dependency on government resources,
and when the aids were cut off, these events went
down.

80 Before the Event
g. Defining Style and Character for the Event
Before planning an event, you have researched the
characteristics of the whole idea, the competitors’ status,
and the target market.
¾
In addition to observing an event’s standards, define a
unique style and character for your event.
Making iconoclastic moves and being different is not
always appealing.
When I was young, I did something against the market
standards. While doing what I did brought me recognition, it
also imposed a huge loss on me.
¾
If you want to astonish the visitors, do something
which risk is minimum. For example, do it only in a
part of your event.
¾
Utilize ideas that make your event distinguished from
other ones. Notice that you need to have lots of capa-
bilities to implement all of your ideas successfully.
¾
You also need to seek uniqueness in the stage of planning
the basic idea. Every person has a unique mentality that
fosters one’s ideas and gives individual a unique charac-
ter. Enjoy the consultation of others in this regard.
¾
When you selected your unique style, implement it
in all marketing cases such as booth design and all the
items, including posters, catalogs, billboards, etc. If it
was not possible to do so, try and keep the harmony on
the day of the event.

h. Inviting the Audience
Another action you need to take before the event is to
invite the audience, including visitors and participants.
¾
Formulate a general letter and explain in there the
information on the company and the event. The con-
tent of this letter can be different for each of the groups
of audiences in the next stages.
¾
Prepare two distinct invitations according to the type
of audience you have, and only change some of the
details for each time and send these invitations.
For example, prepare a type of invitation for spon-
sors with a standard template and send the invitation
to each sponsor by only changing the date and recipi-
ent’s name. Do the same about other audiences.
¾
In the letter’s content, there must be a reason for each
group to collaborate with you. Give each group an
exclusive and new offer, or have a shared letter for all
different groups.
¾
Prepare the letter on a professional letterhead and
follow the letter writing principles. In addition to the
writing format, you need to give the letter to several
people to read to ensure there is no writing error in
there.
Follow the usual standards of letter writing in the
country you work in. For example, in English-speaking
countries, the letter is dated and the company’s name

82 Before the Event
and the name and address of individuals are written on
top of the letter. Then, the recipient’s name is inserted.
If you are in a country where things are done differ-
ently, follow your own local standards.
¾
Concisely introduce yourself at the beginning of the
letter. Then, describe your event and organization in
the least number of words possible. In the next part of
the letter, discuss the main topic with the audience. For
example, tell them howtheycan be financiallysponsored
and gain from this sponsorship. At the end of the letter,
mention that a full description of the offer is attached
and let them know that they can contact a certain indi-
vidual or department if they had any questions. At the
end, the letter must be signed by both the management
and the head of the corresponding department. The
signer’s name and position must be mentioned.
Add a paragraph between the end of the letter and
the explanation for sponsorship, and bring up (if you
have) any specific offer which is not stated before.
That’s where you make an exclusive piece out of the
text you are going to send.
¾
Your presentation can be either short or long. You may
have an in-person presentation which means you are with
the letter. Such presentation can be short, depending on
the time allotted to you. However, when you are going
to send something to people, it first must be sufficiently
clear because there is no one along with it to explain it.

¾
To write the different parts of the letter, think prop-
erly. You can even use professionals for writing the text.
However, a professional must have reached a proper
understanding of the audience’s circumstances and the
event type to formulate a suitable text for you.
¾
Keep the harmony and order in sending the letters to
avoid making mistakes. People who work profession-
ally in the world of event business have faced such
errors. For example, an invitation gets sent and the
date is 2015 instead of 2017. Or, instead of an invitation
for the officials, an invitation for income-generating
is sent. One of the major reasons behind such issues is
the lack of order in letters.
To avoid making such mistakes, you need to know
how these letters are different. Otherwise, you won’t be
able to know to whom you send the letters.
Assigning letter to each individual and each group
demands a special knack for it. You need to be extra
sensitive and remember to have different filenames in
various categories when preparing different letters. In
this case, you realize to which group of audiences a let-
ter belongs by taking a quick look.
¾
Find the certain names of recipients by calling before-
hand, identifying, and gathering information.
In the past, fax was widely used in marketing. A sin-
gle letter could be faxed to thousands of people, but
currently, using it is not acceptable, wise or cost-ef-
fective. The present culture doesn’t accept such things

84 Before the Event
easily and they call them junk mails which means you
haven’t taken the other party seriously and you are
only looking for their money. Therefore, you need to
determine to whom you are sending a letter.
¾
Post or email the invitations to the audiences.
The basic rules to follow in sending a mail by post are
as follows:
9
The envelope size: The envelope size must be the
same as the letter with no folding needed. This mat-
ter affects how quick you will be noticed and how
professional you look.
9
The envelope design: The design is definitely of
great importance and the envelope must be in har-
mony with other spaces in your website, emails, etc.
Keeping the harmony helps with your branding, as
well.
9
The text clarity: your letter must be of utmost clarity
so the audience doesn’t have to spend so much time
finding your information and message.
9
The mail design: the more orderly and less cramped
a letter is structured, the faster your message is
conveyed. Consider a standard template for the
invitations and always stick to it. Ensure the for-
mat you use is up to date and easy to read by all
recipients.

The general rules to follow in email invitation are as fol-
lows:
9
Design the email in a way that it won’t be catego-
rized into advertising or promotion emails.
9
Mention the name of the event and invitation in the
subject.
9
Write the email using the recipient’s name and
address of the target audience.
9
Avoid sending large size photos and videos.
9
If you attach the invitation, write a brief description
of it in the body of the email.
9
Follow the necessary rules so your emails don’t end
up as spams.
Whether you send the invitations through
post or email, they may be ignored and you
may need to have more follow-ups through
phone calls or in-person meetings.
Notice

86 Before the Event
i. Media Relations
Media relations happen much easier in events than in
any other business because an event has news value on its
own. Have plans for your media relations.
An event is sort of a media platform.
¾
Send invitations to the media proprietors, and depend-
ing on the situation, prepare suitable facilities for them.
Provide them with tables and options such as internet
connection and refreshment services, and ensure they
are able to do their job easily.
When reporters are satisfied with the facilities, your
news will reflect better in their associated media. Such
process helps you with branding.
¾
When you design an event, prepare its press release.
¾
The press release must be constantly provided with
fresh contents and sent to the media before, during,
and after the event. For example, film festivals keep in
constant touch with media on the days of their event,
and media update the news about these festivals.
¾
Determine the details of your media relations strategy
in a specialized work team.
¾
Make your audience believe that they are dealing with
a media platform. That facilitates your media relations.

j. The Reception and Refreshment Service
Food is of great importance in events. In certain events,
such as a wedding ceremony where the dinner overshad-
ows the entire event, food is more important than other
parts.
A while ago, I held an event. While everything was planned
with utmost precision, the whole job was undermined because
there was a slight problem with the food preparation, and after
the event, all the guests were talking about the undesirable qual-
ity of the food.
There is a trade fair in Canada in which food is dis-
tributed among 5000 people within 2 to 3 hours. The
planning is so precise that there is no queue because
many people distribute the food at a time. Interestingly
enough, a menu with variety is available. It is quite smart
to select such company for providing food. Some heavy
expenses are probably involved, but the job goes down
desirably.
¾
Depending on your event structure, have a special sec-
tion for refreshment.
¾
Preparing and distributing food in an event is a quite
sensitive job, and your contractors must be high-qual-
ity and experienced in the type of the event in which
you intend to use them.

88 Before the Event
The food must be in accordance with the setting of
your event. A food supplier who provides services for
a trade fair is different from a supplier who provides
foods for a party. There is no reason for anyone who
owns a fancy restaurant to be able to handle an event’s
food preparation.
¾
If you don’t find a proper food supplier, your entire
efforts may come to nothing. Work with a supplier
who has worked before in the event’s venue. For
instance, when you go to the International Exhibi-
tion Center, work with an electrician who has already
worked there before because this person has a good
command of the venue. This person may demand a
higher hourly fee, but it will be in your favor, eventu-
ally because such electrician does not have to spend
much time on finding the electrical junction box. In
addition, this person probably has some connections
with the venue authorities and everything may go
down more smoothly. The importance of such issue
is doubled in the case of food.
¾
If you are going to distribute the foods, determine
how it is prepared. Determine the names of the sup-
plier and the person in charge of running this sec-
tion, as well.

k. Insurance
Insurance is one of the most important expenses in an
event. Something may happen at any moment, but insur-
ance greatly helps with risk management.
Some insurances, such as the insurance of the venue in
which you will hold your event, are mandatory.
¾
Don’t purchase the insurance just to do away with the
legal problems. The purpose of purchasing an insur-
ance is to minimize the risk. You may lose your entire
investment due to an unfortunate incident and have to
remove yourself from the present business.
¾
Close deals with reputable insurance companies.
Check the details of the contract. For example, check
what items are covered by the insurance and how
and when the claims are paid. Also, check the dos and
don’ts of the insurance you are about to purchase for
your venue.
¾
To select the proper insurance, review various ones
and their conditions, and select the most suitable one.
Carefully check what items are included in each type
of insurance and whether these insurances cover the
venue you have already selected or not.
A while back, we held an outdoor event, and while it was
summertime, it rained heavily and such a wind blew that
all the tents were knocked over and a few people got hurt. If
we didn’t have insurance, we would have to pay our entire
belongings as compensation.

90 Before the Event
l. Event Accounting
Like the case with any other business, budgeting and
accounting are of great importance in the event business.
¾
If you don’t manage how the budget is spent, you might
end up with no profit at all, or worse, a huge loss might
be imposed on you.
¾
In addition to managing the expenses, an accurate
accounting helps with analyzing future jobs, as well.
The function of accounting is to organize and man-
age expenses and revenues.
¾
All the expenses must be predicted beforehand, but
such a thing might not completely happen in case of
revenues, and it might not be clear to what extent you
can absorb sponsors. As stated before, this job is quite
risky, and you may even lose your business by making
one simple mistake.
¾
To manage the accounting, you can use accounting
software tools or do the job using event-related soft-
ware tools. Sometimes, you may do it manually.
¾
Every project must have its own accounting system
so the expenses match the predictions. Avoid many
unpredicted expenses by writing a plan.
A few summers ago, I held six event and nearly, nothing
happened that would surprise us. At the end, I didn’t have
any unpredicted expenses, but instead, my profit went up
30%. Your expenses should not be more than 5 to 10% differ-
ent from your estimation. Even such figure is too big because
you might have only considered 10% profit for yourself, and in
this way, there will be no profit at all.

m. VIP Guests and Celebrities in an Event
The VIP part of the event happens in two forms:
ƒ
Either an event is VIP in general, such as a quite spe-
cial dinner party.
ƒ
Or the VIP section is a part of the whole deal. For
example, some of the guests in a sport event are VIP
individuals.
¾
You may have a VIP section in any event, but
whether you would have a VIP service provider
depends on your budget.
¾
If you haven’t considered a sufficient budget for
the VIP section, hire some suppliers who can
provide the VIP services.
¾
The presence of celebrities in an event helps with
branding and absorbing the audience. By celeb-
rity, we mean someone who has lots of fans, and
if they give a speech in your event, lots of people
would come to the event to see them.
Based on their function in business, celebrities are
divided into two groups:
ƒ
First, those who are generally famous and every-
body knows them, such as actors or TV hosts.
ƒ
Second, well-known people who are famous in a
certain industry and are useful for advertising a cer-
tain business, such as a recognized professor regard-
ing entrepreneurship.

92 Before the Event
Using celebrities must be based on the nature
ofyourbusiness and the type ofyouraudience.
¾
Have a plan about using celebrities in your event,
and determine whether the objective of their
presence is to absorb participants and exhibi-
tors or visitors. For example, the presence of a
famous actor in an event results in absorbing
sponsors from drink or clothing brand trade.
¾
Use celebrities in the event smartly. Some celeb-
rities attend any sort of event, but professionals
only attend the events according to their char-
acter, worldview, belief and mentality.
Specialized celebrities include promi-
nent figures of a trade.
¾
Give celebrities some pointers for their presence
in your event, and don’t heave them to participate
in the event aimlessly. Even the speech in the event
must be made based on the plan you have devised.
If you give the thread of the narrative to the celeb-
rities, they may lose the main course and you’d fail
in your purpose of inviting these individuals.
Note

n. Applying Digital Tools
There are various software tools that can help in man-
aging and planning an event. The more modern tools you
use, the better your event is done.
¾
Some event-related software tools make a list of certain
options. A smart software tool shows the procurement
related to each event in an exclusive way and does not
list the required procurement for a gala when dealing
with holding a sport event. The best software tools are
those which offer you various options based on the
event type.
¾
Using software significantly reduces the risk, but
some software tools are complicated and need train-
ing courses. It is better if you first learn how to do the
job without any software tool. In such case, working
with software tools will be easy for you. Also, with your
knowledge, you can easily tweak whatever output the
software gives you and customize your options accord-
ing to your event.
¾
Nowadays, notifying the participants and visitors has
become quite easy thanks to digital tools such as social
media, emails, and SMS. The more you apply these
smart tools, the deeper and better you get noticed in
the target market and the easier you accomplish your
goals.

94 Before the Event
In digital marketing, there are two tools you need to
take seriously: website and application.

j Website
Nowadays, having a website is a necessity for
any business.
The first step towards branding an event
is to design an interesting website that
works properly.
¾
Instead of dedicating a part of the company’s
website to the event, design a website that is exclu-
sively about the event. Some event companies make
announcements about all of their events on an exclu-
sive website.
¾
After doing the market research, analyzing the compet-
itors’ websites, and consulting with some web design-
ers, expand your ideas and design a proper website for
your event.
¾
The event’s website must provide some general infor-
mation such as the event topic, venue, and date along
with some brief descriptions. This information must
be put on display for the audience on the best spot of
the landing page.

¾
Provide the information a sponsor requires to get
involved in your event, and make this information
available.
¾
While plain and simple, the web design must be attrac-
tive and easy to handle, and users must be able to access
the information as quickly as possible.
¾
Apply, in the website, the same coloring and design
used in the event.
¾
The website should not be cramped and everything
must be in utmost clarity. The main information
should be available on the main page, and further
information should be available on landing pages.
¾
The website must be mobile-friendly. In the past, a
separate format was designed for mobile devices, but
nowadays, websites are designed to be responsive on
all devices.
¾
Put your contact information on the website’s main
page for the visitors and participants such as sponsors.
When you provide proper and full information, the
audience don’t waste your time by supplying irrelevant
contacts.
¾
Ticket sales must be carried out on thewebsite smoothly.
If the username and password are required to log into
the website, the process must be done quite easily.
¾
Use text, photo, and video contents on the event’s web-
site. In addition, set aside a section for introducing pre-
vious events.

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