PROPER EVENT PLANNING

Posted: March 27th, 2020

PROPER EVENT PLANNING

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Proper Event Planning

Introduction

Events in the 21st of the century are known as major events and market. Therefore, the events are not only for people to gather, to celebrate, to worship, to remember or to socialize (Douglas and Derrett, 2001) but they now impact on the country’s economic growth. Most major or mega events have become known as part of the culture for some group of millennial such as rave festivals, rock concerts etc. Major events have benefited the country’s economic factor significantly by attracting lots of tourist around the world and social media. One of the major components to create magical events is the design, which excluded from the basic model of event management. Having a perfect design of the event will influence the reputation of the event and creates “wow” factors. In this blog post, I will demonstrate the similarities and differences regarding multiple structures of event design. Moreover, I will describe the Ultra Music Festival that I have chosen and explain about their “wow” factors. 

Ultra music festival

According to the official website of Ultra Music Festival, Ultra was founded in 1997 in Miami, the United States by Russell Faibisch. Faibisch is a co-founder, an executive producer, or CEO who start producing electronic music events to held first Ultra Music Festival in 1999 in Miami. I chose the Ultra Music Festival as an event that consists of various “wow” factors. Firstly, Ultra Festival hold in many different countries such as Australia, United States, Singapore, and South Korea (Honeycombers Editorial 2016). I went to Singapore Ultra Festival in 2016, and I was very impressed with this event. There were a bunch of people who came for DJs and its popularity of the event. I could also see many foreigners came to the event, and we all have fun together. Ultra Music Festival has greater accessibility compared to the other events because they play in 25 different countries annually. Moreover, there is a live stream people can watch through YouTube and enjoy electronic music online. 

Discussion about why your case study events have a WOW factor

            The Ultra Music Festival is among the largest global dance spectacles. Since its inception in 1999, the event has attracted huge audiences in major cities around the world. In particular, most electric dance music lovers turn up annually. As part of the presentation, music lovers are treated to five days of the best electric dance music (Honeycombers Editorial 2016). A youthful population that is always passionate provides a charged atmosphere at the events. The Ultra Music Festival held in Singapore in 2016 was one of the best events ever hosted in the country. The festival attracted performers and an audience from all over the world. The organizers of the event did well in making an event a success. The festival displayed all the attributes of the wow factor despite some challenges.

            To begin with, the design of the stage was a spectacle. The focus is one of the principles of event design. The principle states that the event organizers should ensure the attention of the audience is on the performance (Honeycombers Editorial 2016). The stage of the event was huge, and all the participants had a good view of the happenings. In addition, it was equipped with gigantic screens that kept the audience mesmerized with different transitions of color. The stage was also fitted with devices that erupted in fire and smoke to maintain the intrigue on the audience. The audience had their eyes focused on the stage throughout the event.

            In music events, sound is a critical factor. ‘Why’ is one of the W’s in the 5W’s. The ‘W’ is the main reason for attending the event. Individuals attend the Ultra Music Festival mainly for the electric dance music (Honeycombers Editorial 2016). True to the calling, the sound system of the event was one of the highlights. All sections of the audience were entertained by the radiation of the music from the equipment that was strategically mounted at different sections. The sound engineers of the event exceeded the expectation in making it memorable to the music lovers. The ‘Why’ of the event was answered because the audience was satisfied.

            In a five-day event, the expectations of the audience should be managed effectively to eliminate the possibility of boredom. Shape as one of the principles of event design highlights the psychology of the audience. The event organizers did their best in managing the psychology of the audience using various means. For instance, during the day the intensity of the music was regulated so as not to exhaust the audience mentally and physically. At night, the tempo of the music was raised to keep the audience captivated. Additionally, the best performers and music was saved for the last day of the festival. Having the best performers at the beginning stages of the event would have killed the anticipation and the mood of the audience in the festival.

            The event organizers also did well in anticipating the magnitude of the event. The capacity of the venue was enough for the thousands of people who turned up for the event. Resources such as food courts and lavatory facilities were sufficient for all. In addition, the security deployed for crowd control did not encounter any challenges. The event organizers were spot on regarding scale. The overall coordination of the event showed that the organizers had prior experience.

Overview of theory relating to the design of events

            According to Goldblatt (1997), there are 5W questions that must be used to analyze the format of an event design, which is why it happens? Who is it about? When it take place? Where it take place? What happens? The 5 W is considered as magical 5W because with small amount of words can create description of whole main story of the event. This 5W needs to be answered before an event is attempted: why? Who? What? Want? (Goldblatt and Nelson 2001). Brown, Steve and James (2012, p. 54) stated that the structure of the typical event management organization, and the job description for the typical event manager, fails to include the ‘design’ component. Brown, Steve and James (2012, p60-61) further explore that there are 5 principles of event design which is scale, shape, focus, timing and building. Scale means matching the scale of the activity to the venue for the audience can see and understand what is being presented. Shape of the events describe as understanding the audience psychology such as the way they behave or how they respond to the site layout. This observation is to ensure every seats/space of the event’s layout is fulfilled. Focus is where audiences or participants give attention to the certain shape and structure. In addition, people respond to movements and lightings naturally. Therefore, it is important to design the event in aspects of lighting, movements, and structure (Brown, Steve and James 2012, p. 61). Timing should be carefully considered in event because the flow of event plays an important role. Therefore, participants would not be bored or tired during the event. Addition to timing, the size of venue should be suitable for the event. If the venue is too small and lots of participants joined, they will hesitate to participate event again and there could be emergencies.

Similarities and differences from 2/3 authors given

            The works of Goldblatt and Nelson (2001) strike a high similarity with that of Brown, Steve, and James (2012). The 5W’s and five principles of event design are similar. One of the 5w’s is Why. The ‘W’ provides an explanation for holding the event. The audience attends the event for a specific reason that is the answer to the question (Schüßler, Dobusch & Wessel 2014). The ‘W’ is the same as focus. The focus is one of the five principles of event design. The audience pays attention to a specific reason that brought them to the event. For instance, in a music event, the audience is focused on the sound produced (Simon, Parker Stockport & Sohal 2017). Therefore, an event organizer is supposed to make sure the sound is satisfactory. The other essentials outlined by the event scholars differ. A strict adherence to one guideline while ignoring the other might leave out some essentials required to make the event a success.

Why I chose this event for my case study?

            I chose the event for my case study as it is one of the best I have ever attended. I was mesmerized by the organization and the attention to detail exhibited throughout the festival. The crowd was sad when the event ended (Yeoman et al. 2016). The event had many highlights, and the wow factor was displayed. The organizers of the event demonstrated a good understanding of what is expected of an event of such magnitude. Attending the event was time and money well spent. In the future, I hope to be in a position of organizing one to such levels of success.

Conclusion

            Organizing the perfect event requires proper planning. Many factors are supposed to be aligned to make the event a success. A good organizer analyzes all the possible outcomes. A plan is put in place to circumnavigate any challenge that may arise. In addition, organizers must always do their best to make the event memorable to the audience. A proper understanding of the characteristics of the expected audience is critical. Outcomes to excite the crowd should be lined up. However, the organization should be careful not to overdo the excitement. The event host should also avoid any happening that can cause crowd control challenges. For instance, unexpected explosions might scare the crowd and cause a stampede. Crowd control is one of the main challenges in an event. Advance ticket sales are made to approximate the expected number of attendants. Security personnel are recruited by the expected number of attendants. The personnel required are trained specifically to handle the crowd in events. Apart from crowd control, security is also used to protect the audience from external and internal aggressors. The intended objectives of the event should be met. The audience is supposed to leave the event  satisfied for the time and resources spent. The Ultra Music Festival met the expectations of the audience. Events lasting more than a day are difficult for organizers. The likelihood for unexpected outcomes is higher. For instance, massive equipment failure might occur due to prolonged usage. A good organizer can anticipate and cover all contingencies.

References

AEA Consulting 2006, ‘Why festivals matter’, Thundering hooves: maintaining the global competitive edge of Edinburgh’s festivals, AEA Consulting, Edinburgh, pp. 6– 21, retrieved 30 June 2018 https://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/assets/000/000/355/Thundering_Hooves_Report_-_04.05.06_original.pdf?1411049125

Berridge, G. (2012). Event Experience: A Case Study of Differences Between the Way in Which Organizers Plan an Event Experience and the Way in Which Guests Receive the Experience. Journal Of Park & Recreation Administration, 30(3), 7-23.

Brown, Steve and James, Jane 2012, ‘Event design and management: ritual sacrifice?’ in Festival and Event Management: An international arts and culture perspective, Yoeman, Ian; Robertson, Martin; Ali-Knight, Jane; Drummond, Siobhan & McMahon-Beattie, Una (eds.), Routledge, London.

Cameron, Neil 2013, The Cultural Development Handbook: An A-Z guide to designing successful arts events in the community, Centre for Creative Communities, Hobart.

Event Scotland 2014, ‘Chapter 6: The programme’ in Event Management: A practical guide, retrieved 31 Jan 2017, <http://www.eventscotland.org/resources/event- management-a-practical-guide/ >.

Goldblatt J. 2008, Chapter 2 ‘Models of Global Event Leadership’ in Special Events: The Roots And Wings Of Celebration [e-book]. Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley & Sons, 2008.

Honeycombers Editorial, 2016. Ultra Singapore 2016 review: The highs and lows of the Ultra Music Festival. https://thehoneycombers.com/singapore/ultra-singapore-2016-review-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-ultra-music-festival/. Accessed 31 Jul. 2018.

Richards, G & Palmer, R 2010, Chapter 3 ‘Event Vision and Programming’ in Eventful Cities: Cultural Management and Urban Revitalisation, Butterworth-Heineman, Oxford

Schüßler, E., Dobusch, L. and Wessel, L., 2014. Backstage: Organizing events as proto-institutional work in the popular music industry. Schmalenbach Business Review, 66(4), pp.415-437.

Simon, A., Parker, A., Stockport, G. and Sohal, A., 2017. Towards an adapted MHP strategic capabilities model for moderating challenges to quality music festival management.International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 8(2), pp.151-171.

Yeoman, I., Robertson, M., Ali-Knight, J., Drummond, S. and McMahon-Beattie, U. eds., 2012. Festival and events management. Routledge.