The Art of Event & PR Management in the Next 10 Years

Introduction:

This course aims to help those people who are organizing and planning an event. The impact of a successful event on a company can be profound. The impact of a poorly organized event is so negative that it pulls resources away from real work to deal with the aftermath. This course provides a synthesis of all planning, execution, and post-event analysis. Such an event may be a benefit, arts, and design industry event, entertainment event, trade show, or an event in the fields of hospitality, marketing, and advertising, or sports.

Targeted Groups:

• Middle and Senior Managers tasked with the direct delivery of events or oversight of specialist sub-contractors
• Senior Operational Managers with responsibility for managing teams whose role includes event management
• Senior Managers up to Board Level with responsibility for the strategic use of events as part of the organization’s PR and marketing strategy and their effective deployment
• PR Professionals
• Marketing Professionals
• Individuals who want to get a new experience to improve their profile

Course Objectives:

At the end of this conference the participants will be able to:

• Schedule and plan an event
• Be familiar with a range of events they are likely to engage in and the requirements for their successful delivery
• Identify the most appropriate venues and activities for their events
• Manage the media at their events with confidence.

Course Content:

Unit 1: The Role of Events in a Public Relations or Marketing Strategy:

• An overview of Public Relations and how events fit in
• Events and the PR Transfer Process
• Strengths and weaknesses of events as a form of communication
• The Six Point PR Plan and its application to event management
• Assessing your needs
• The importance of clarity of purpose
• The importance of the audience
• Choosing the event to fit the objective
• Budget - staff, time, materials money
• Evaluating the event success

Unit 2: Event Planning, the Theory, and Practice:

• Scheduling - the long-term plan
• Event running order - timing of an event
• Budget control
• Managing suppliers
• Venue considerations
• Suitability for event - support for the message
• Size - capacity
• Type
• Access
• Accommodation
• Layout for different events - Seating etc

Unit 3: Stage Management, Dining, and Entertainment. Health and Safety:

• “Stage management” of the event
• Ensuring the event is on message and on-brand
• Welcome desk - set up and management
• Sets and staging
• Corporate identity on display
• Food can be part of the message
• Different types of dining for different events and practical implications
• Dining protocol - formal dinner, informal eating
• Choosing catering suppliers - in-house with venue or external
• Entertainment and music at your event
• Staying safe - Risk assessment and events
• Addressing risk areas at events

Unit 4: Managing the Media at your Events:

• Keeping your objectives in mind
• Is it a media event - what’s in it for them?
• Generating news through an event
• Inviting the media - invitations and press releases
• The press office - Staffing, setting up and running it
• The press pack and gifts
• Conducting interviews and briefing interviewees
• Photography at your event
• Involving your in-house media

Unit 5: Invitations, VIPs & bringing it All Together:

• Getting your audience there
• Invitation process for different types of events
• Invitation protocols
• Working with VIPs
• Invitations
• Meet and greet
• Follow up
• Building an event management team
• Event planning exercise involving all elements discussed through the week