Event Stakeholders and Partnerships
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
L01 Understand what a stakeholder is.
L02 Appreciate the potential benefits and problems of stakeholder involvement.
L03 Understand the role that each stakeholder plays in the event.
L04 Know event sponsorship strategy options
L05 Examine ways of communicating effectively with stakeholders.
L06 Know how to work with stakeholders during event shutdown.
Chapter 8 turns the spotlight on the stakeholders - all the different groups of people involved in the planning and staging of an event. Dealing with so many event stakeholders can be a complex and time-consuming task. The event organiser needs to communicate effectively as reaching a consensus with stakeholders within the given time frame is essential for keeping the event on track and on budget. The case study at the end of the chapter is on the Hi Seoul Festival 2009, the largest outdoor Festival in Seoul, whit several events occurring at various venues simultaneously Hi storical palaces and street venues were used, requiring support and cooperation from public and private entities.
Forging a Good working Relationship
Interview with C.L. Wong, CEO Asia, Uniplan
Professional Marketer (HK) He also holds an MBA (with distinction) in strategic marketing. When time permits, he is a lecturer at the University of Hong Kong's School of Professional and Continuing Education postgraduate programmes.
(www.uniplan.com.hk)
Whom do you usually need to coordinate with when working on your events? Will these normally be spelled out in the client brief or are they identified based on your knowledge of organising events?
Depending on the nature of the event, there can be quite a number of parties involved. Events are not as simple as one may think, since many clients nowadays expect the event agency to take on a lot of organisational tasks. This means that in many instances the agency has to provide turnkey programmes.
There are seldom client briefs that outline all the parties that an agency is required to work wiht to run an event. Having said this, different agencies have their own preferred working partners depending on the nature and complexity of the show. Typically, the list of support companies that may be used at a big event may include the following.
• A/V
• Sound and PA
• Staging, including rigging and truss systems
• Carpets
• Security
• Choreographers
• Musicians
• Talent agencies, e.g., performers , MC, models
• Film company and crew
• Simultaneous translation services
• Catering
• Electricians
• Carpenters
• Steel fabricators
• Graphics
• Client's PR agency
• Venue owners
• Florists
• Hotels
• Transportation and trucking
• IT service providers
• Printers for invites, brochures, etc.
• Pyrotechnics
• Web designers
What are the biggest challenges in coordinating events, wiht all the various stakeholders involved in your events?
Unquestionably. the biggest challenge is dealing wiht client requests or revisions in the production process or running order close to showtime, as one small change can impact a whole range of services supporting it. Clients, being clients, sometimes ask for what they perceive to be a minor change, but they do not understand the complexities of such a request. So, another challenge is for the agency to manage the client's expectations in a reasonable way.
It can be best described as managing a complex array of specialists, egos and personalities who may have no idea of what the other vendors are doing on-site and when. It is best to have a namber of work-in-progress meetings and final briefings with all stakeholders prior to as well as during the event, particularly during rehearsals, as there are always things to improve upon
You have dealt with various clients and a range of events. In what ways does stakeholder collaboration differ between these events?
Each event is different, and each one is challenging in its own way. For example , for a road show in China the challenges are usually on-site, where clients and venue owners disagree on what is included in the site rental and what is additional.
In Asia, you have a limited amount of time to set up and install. If you overrun the time allocation (sometimes through no fault your own), you may be required to pay additional overtime charges, which could include additional charges for security, light, power, and other needs. It is critical to have coordination between the hall or venue, the client, the agency and vendors to ensure that delivery is timely and within the quality acceptance boundaries. For instance, the flooring or carpeting needs to be in place before you can move forward on the other props that go on top of it. If the rigging is not up, you cannot hang PA or lights.
Given the importance of working with production crews, performers, media, government officials, investors, VIPs, as well as the client, how does your event team prioritise stakeholder coordination and actions?
At Uniplan, an event director or senior producer will oversee and manage the whole show with a number of event managers, who are usually charged with a responsibility
for certain elements within the event, such as hospitality working under the person
for clients, their most important stakeholders are the company's senior managemnt who may have flown in specially to attend the event. They expect the agency to be at their back and call for every little thing that the senior staff may require.
For the agency, the priority is to ensure that the show runs as smoothly as possible with the minimum of disruptions and last-minute changes. We have event had clients wanting to change the running order halfway through a show, without prior briefing, on the spot. This may mean overriding a client request if it means jeopardising the whole event as normally have only one chance to get it right.
However, the client is the one paying the money and most times we will try to accommodate all reasonable requests - or if not, revert to them with alternantive recommendations if we feel that it is in their best interests.
What has been your experience working with regional and global brands on event such as product launches and celebrations?
It is an emotional roller coaster from lows to highs, stress levels high all the way through to the end of the event. Events of all typer can be likened to live theatre, and you generally do it once and then tear down the environment you may have taken days to build in a matter of hours after the event. It the teams get it right on the night and the clients are happy, you have a huge high, which may take a while to come back of all-nighters during the set-up period, so this is followed by physical and emotional exhaustion.
Global brands usually demand high levels of quality down to the smallest detail, since this is all part of their imagery- most aspects of event management require a very detailed mindset and careful planning. The challenge here is that everyone needs to be fully focused as it gets closer to the event, since any major changes or mistakes can be very costly.
According to an adage, the later the changes the more expensive they become.
L01 Event stakeholders are the entities who are involved with the event. Their level of influence on the event will depend on such factors as personnel motives, power and authority, resources and degree of involvement. Event stakeholders can be specifically appointed to the event, or becomes involved indirectly or incidentally. Those working in event venues work directly for the event industry. On the other hand, community leaders or local politicians may find themselves becoming indirectly involved and influencing an event perhaps at a later stage of planning due to impacts on the community. Successful event outcomes can hinge on those with greater influence directing their efforts towards the commonly agreed event objectives. A local group may lack resources to fund and stage a local event. This may depend on the support of social elite, politicians or corporate sponsorship. The appearance of leading government officials or company executives at a product launch may influence overall attendance and media exposure. Yet motives for support and involvement may differ.
The event concept may also shape the character of the stakeholder group. An arts festival stakeholder group will attract those interested in this type of festival. A sports event will appeal to sporting enthusiasts, sports associations and fans of sports. An event may alos be political with involvement seen as a way to gain political ground. Those with greater influence over the event will determine the organizational culture of the event, such as reporting line, group norms and behavior, and the decision-making process.
The more there is going on at an event, the more entities are involved. Figure 8.1 shows the network of event stakeholders. The event organizer must be skilled at ensuring effective collaboration and coordination between all stakeholders involved in the the event, often having to unify a political labyrinth of private and public sector entities with differing objectives, resources and commitment towards the event. These differences, if not managed properly, can create a less successful event.
It is important to encourage stakeholder participation and involvement in the decision-making process of the event. Effective cooperation between event stakeholders can lead to a greater sharing of resources and local know-how, economic spread, community cohesion through employment creation and volunteer participation, government assistance and the presenting of local products and services to international audiences.
Each stakeholder controls resources, such as knowledge, expertise, constituency and capital, but on their own they are unlikely to possess all t
Event Stakeholders and Partnerships
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
L01 Understand what a stakeholder is.
L02 Appreciate the potential benefits and problems of stakeholder involvement.
L03 Understand the role that each stakeholder plays in the event.
L04 Know event sponsorship strategy options
L05 Examine ways of communicating effectively with stakeholders.
L06 Know how to work with stakeholders during event shutdown.
Chapter 8 turns the spotlight on the stakeholders - all the different groups of people involved in the planning and staging of an event. Dealing with so many event stakeholders can be a complex and time-consuming task. The event organiser needs to communicate effectively as reaching a consensus with stakeholders within the given time frame is essential for keeping the event on track and on budget. The case study at the end of the chapter is on the Hi Seoul Festival 2009, the largest outdoor Festival in Seoul, whit several events occurring at various venues simultaneously Hi storical palaces and street venues were used, requiring support and cooperation from public and private entities.
Forging a Good working Relationship
Interview with C.L. Wong, CEO Asia, Uniplan
Professional Marketer (HK) He also holds an MBA (with distinction) in strategic marketing. When time permits, he is a lecturer at the University of Hong Kong's School of Professional and Continuing Education postgraduate programmes.
(www.uniplan.com.hk)
Whom do you usually need to coordinate with when working on your events? Will these normally be spelled out in the client brief or are they identified based on your knowledge of organising events?
Depending on the nature of the event, there can be quite a number of parties involved. Events are not as simple as one may think, since many clients nowadays expect the event agency to take on a lot of organisational tasks. This means that in many instances the agency has to provide turnkey programmes.
There are seldom client briefs that outline all the parties that an agency is required to work wiht to run an event. Having said this, different agencies have their own preferred working partners depending on the nature and complexity of the show. Typically, the list of support companies that may be used at a big event may include the following.
• A/V
• Sound and PA
• Staging, including rigging and truss systems
• Carpets
• Security
• Choreographers
• Musicians
• Talent agencies, e.g., performers , MC, models
• Film company and crew
• Simultaneous translation services
• Catering
• Electricians
• Carpenters
• Steel fabricators
• Graphics
• Client's PR agency
• Venue owners
• Florists
• Hotels
• Transportation and trucking
• IT service providers
• Printers for invites, brochures, etc.
• Pyrotechnics
• Web designers
What are the biggest challenges in coordinating events, wiht all the various stakeholders involved in your events?
Unquestionably. the biggest challenge is dealing wiht client requests or revisions in the production process or running order close to showtime, as one small change can impact a whole range of services supporting it. Clients, being clients, sometimes ask for what they perceive to be a minor change, but they do not understand the complexities of such a request. So, another challenge is for the agency to manage the client's expectations in a reasonable way.
It can be best described as managing a complex array of specialists, egos and personalities who may have no idea of what the other vendors are doing on-site and when. It is best to have a namber of work-in-progress meetings and final briefings with all stakeholders prior to as well as during the event, particularly during rehearsals, as there are always things to improve upon
You have dealt with various clients and a range of events. In what ways does stakeholder collaboration differ between these events?
Each event is different, and each one is challenging in its own way. For example , for a road show in China the challenges are usually on-site, where clients and venue owners disagree on what is included in the site rental and what is additional.
In Asia, you have a limited amount of time to set up and install. If you overrun the time allocation (sometimes through no fault your own), you may be required to pay additional overtime charges, which could include additional charges for security, light, power, and other needs. It is critical to have coordination between the hall or venue, the client, the agency and vendors to ensure that delivery is timely and within the quality acceptance boundaries. For instance, the flooring or carpeting needs to be in place before you can move forward on the other props that go on top of it. If the rigging is not up, you cannot hang PA or lights.
Given the importance of working with production crews, performers, media, government officials, investors, VIPs, as well as the client, how does your event team prioritise stakeholder coordination and actions?
At Uniplan, an event director or senior producer will oversee and manage the whole show with a number of event managers, who are usually charged with a responsibility
for certain elements within the event, such as hospitality working under the person
for clients, their most important stakeholders are the company's senior managemnt who may have flown in specially to attend the event. They expect the agency to be at their back and call for every little thing that the senior staff may require.
For the agency, the priority is to ensure that the show runs as smoothly as possible with the minimum of disruptions and last-minute changes. We have event had clients wanting to change the running order halfway through a show, without prior briefing, on the spot. This may mean overriding a client request if it means jeopardising the whole event as normally have only one chance to get it right.
However, the client is the one paying the money and most times we will try to accommodate all reasonable requests - or if not, revert to them with alternantive recommendations if we feel that it is in their best interests.
What has been your experience working with regional and global brands on event such as product launches and celebrations?
It is an emotional roller coaster from lows to highs, stress levels high all the way through to the end of the event. Events of all typer can be likened to live theatre, and you generally do it once and then tear down the environment you may have taken days to build in a matter of hours after the event. It the teams get it right on the night and the clients are happy, you have a huge high, which may take a while to come back of all-nighters during the set-up period, so this is followed by physical and emotional exhaustion.
Global brands usually demand high levels of quality down to the smallest detail, since this is all part of their imagery- most aspects of event management require a very detailed mindset and careful planning. The challenge here is that everyone needs to be fully focused as it gets closer to the event, since any major changes or mistakes can be very costly.
According to an adage, the later the changes the more expensive they become.
L01 Event stakeholders are the entities who are involved with the event. Their level of influence on the event will depend on such factors as personnel motives, power and authority, resources and degree of involvement. Event stakeholders can be specifically appointed to the event, or becomes involved indirectly or incidentally. Those working in event venues work directly for the event industry. On the other hand, community leaders or local politicians may find themselves becoming indirectly involved and influencing an event perhaps at a later stage of planning due to impacts on the community. Successful event outcomes can hinge on those with greater influence directing their efforts towards the commonly agreed event objectives. A local group may lack resources to fund and stage a local event. This may depend on the support of social elite, politicians or corporate sponsorship. The appearance of leading government officials or company executives at a product launch may influence overall attendance and media exposure. Yet motives for support and involvement may differ.
The event concept may also shape the character of the stakeholder group. An arts festival stakeholder group will attract those interested in this type of festival. A sports event will appeal to sporting enthusiasts, sports associations and fans of sports. An event may alos be political with involvement seen as a way to gain political ground. Those with greater influence over the event will determine the organizational culture of the event, such as reporting line, group norms and behavior, and the decision-making process.
The more there is going on at an event, the more entities are involved. Figure 8.1 shows the network of event stakeholders. The event organizer must be skilled at ensuring effective collaboration and coordination between all stakeholders involved in the the event, often having to unify a political labyrinth of private and public sector entities with differing objectives, resources and commitment towards the event. These differences, if not managed properly, can create a less successful event.
It is important to encourage stakeholder participation and involvement in the decision-making process of the event. Effective cooperation between event stakeholders can lead to a greater sharing of resources and local know-how, economic spread, community cohesion through employment creation and volunteer participation, government assistance and the presenting of local products and services to international audiences.
Each stakeholder controls resources, such as knowledge, expertise, constituency and capital, but on their own they are unlikely to possess all t
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