In the current economic climate, it is vital that event managers operate as efficiently as possible. Managing successful events is a time-consuming and complex process. It can take many years of training and professional experience for an event manager to become extremely effective at what they do.
One of the challenges that event managers face is the sheer number of activities and processes that go into planning and executing events. The ability to multitask and good organization are traits that event managers should develop and hone as they gain experience in the field.
The benefits of work efficiency are basic:
· Saving time
· Cost reduction
· Improved event performance
Drilling down into these areas, we can see details of how and where efficiency gains can be achieved:
Saves time:
It is important for an event manager to have clear and effective processes that they adhere to when running events. Creating processes that others can follow also means that other team members can help or take over the management of an event with ease. Team members can quickly understand what stage of planning the event is at; reducing meetings and training sessions.
Many event managers will create and update their processes with each event; learning from their experience to make the process of managing each event more effective and efficient. Having a set procedure that is written down means that events can be planned and managed much more easily – important areas are never missed and realistic time frames can easily be worked out. Having dedicated processes saves time because event managers don’t need to create plans from scratch for each event. They can copy each event process over and over again, building on and improving it with each event.
Efficiency in the event planning process also helps in event analysis. This includes analyzing supplier performance – knowing who has been used in the past to supply goods and services and having details of the relationship can help analyze whether that relationship is working at maximum efficiency. It is vital to find out if supplier standards are falling and this can only happen if the event manager works effectively and oversees the relationship with each event. For event managers, it is extremely beneficial to be able to use the same suppliers over and over again – finding new suppliers is an extremely time-consuming process. Also, having vendors let you down can be a big time drain as event managers try to resolve the issue at the last minute. So understanding and staying on top of existing vendor relationships is a vital part of effective event management.
After an event, it is important for event managers to be able to quickly and efficiently obtain information to manage that event in order to analyze the success of that event; was there an increase in delegate attendance, did delegates rate the event highly, did you get a good return on investment (ROI) etc. These are important event metrics that need to be analyzed quickly and efficiently. A common problem with event managers is that they are so busy planning multiple events that they don’t have time for this important stage of event analysis. However, only by analyzing events can you help improve the performance of future events.
Saves costs
The common phrase “time is money” is extremely applicable in event planning. Having an event manager who is efficient in their work, who understands and follows best practice event management processes, and who has good relationships with efficient vendors is a vital part of generating high and fast ROI. Bad event managers can cost an organization huge amounts of money due to their poor efficiency and organization.
Working with suppliers and building good relationships can also save money – the better the relationship, the more likely it is to get discounts from the supplier. Running efficient events also means paying your vendors on time – a vital part of getting vendor discounts and bonuses.
An ineffective event manager will cost the organization because of the mistakes they make. Duplicate orders, missing vital parts of the process, and other mistakes can be costly in terms of the time it takes to resolve, but also because you’re forced to buy items at the last minute.
Improved event performance
The ability to run events effectively also affects the presentation of the event. Delegates will have an improved experience if it runs smoothly and without errors. Efficiency ensures that delegates have an enjoyable, error-free journey – from the point of booking, through to payment, check-in on the day, experiencing the event and providing feedback.
Events with performance issues are likely to be poorly managed, with bugs and errors causing delegates to have an unsatisfactory experience. Providing the best possible experience for delegates is vital to the success of future events.
Increasing delegate attendance is something that many organizations struggle with, and if an organization has reputational issues due to their ineffectiveness, this will have an effect on future registrations. A key part of successful events is building a reputation in the industry and generating a long list of loyal delegates for repeat purchases.
Finally, being an effective event manager also means that they can organize more than one event at a time. For companies that are based solely around organizing events, or for companies that simply host a lot of events, this is a vital part of the management process. Managers must be able to successfully organize the planning and execution of multiple events, and this can only be done if they operate on best practice, efficient processes.
Improving the performance of events
Event managers can help improve the efficiency of their work practices by using event management software. Event software is able to take best practice processes and automate and manage them from one central platform. Removing inefficient spreadsheets from the process and working on a software solution designed specifically for event management has proven to have huge cost and time saving benefits.
Event management software solutions are able to manage all areas of event planning from:
– Website integration
– Online registration
– Communication
– Electronic invitation
– Email
– Electronic survey
– Badge making
– Resource management
– Financial management
– Reporting and analysis
As the industry is hit by rising costs and reduced delegate attendance, it is vital that event companies respond by being as efficient as possible and continuously improving their processes. It is the companies that address efficiency issues and leverage technology that will ensure their events are successful now and in the future.