Introduction
When organizing for an event, the host organization needs to ensure that they promote customer satisfaction by delivering the expectations of all the relevant stakeholders through the event. This can only be achieved through successful event planning and management. The organizers should ensure that they engage in extensive planning before the event to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays and that the customers derive value for their money.
Evident from the successful South East College showcase (boys) event, successful event management can be achieved through planning, coordination, marketing and establishment of good public relations. For all the stakeholders, be it the participants, customers, sponsors or the organizers themselves, the main aims are to ensure that they derive maximum returns from the event. Consequently, a successful event is evaluated on its ability to satisfy the needs of all the stakeholders.
Components of Organizing Successful Event
For the organizers to plan and deliver a successful event, they need to outline their objectives and ensure that they execute the plan in line with these objectives. The organizers need to establish the purpose of the event to attract sponsors and further identify the expected outcome to attract customers to their event. Setting the objectives before planning an event enables the organizers to determine the required size of venue, the budget required, the type of people to invite as well as the strategies to employ during the event (Damster et al., 2006). The South East showcase ensures that the event’s objective which entails the promotion of soccer in the region is demonstrated throughout the event by delivering competent matches and providing an opportunity for players to showcase their talent.
Extensive planning is also essential for the successful organization of an event. A well-planned event can lead to increased revenue, customer loyalty and enhance the organizer’s reputation while a poorly planned event can damage the credibility and reputation of the host organization as well as the corporate image of the sponsors. Planning an event entails establishing the right environment for the event through devising strategies that enhance the delivery of event expectations to the stakeholders. In planning an event, decisions such as marketing strategy, sponsorship, event presentation, timing, expected costs and revenue among other issues are established (Masterman, 2009). In the South East showcase event, FC Alliance engages in extensive planning before the annual event by engaging qualified personnel and partners to facilitate the delivery of a successful event.
Success in event organization cannot be achieved in the absence of effective communication. The organizers have to coordinate both internal and external communication to achieve the event’s objective. Effective marketing promotes communication with the prospective customers and sponsors while effective internal communication promotes coordination, sharing of ideas, and boosts staff morale. Consequently, organizers ensure that its communication and marketing strategies are designed in such a way that they promote performance. This evident in the soccer showcase event where FC Alliance consults with the sponsors, participants and staff members to establish ways of further improving the event. Other components of successful event organization include risk and costs management, implementation, and continuous monitoring and evaluation of the event.
Conclusion
To put together a successful event, organizers have to set the objectives of the event after which they engage in extensive planning in line with these objectives. This can only be made possible through effective communication with all the relevant stakeholders which in turn promotes performance.
Reference List
Masterman, G. 2009. Strategic Sports Event Management: Olympic Edition. Massachusetts: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Damster, G., Tassiopoulos, D., Tolly, P., Dry, W., Johnson, D., 2006. Event Management: A Professional and Developmental Approach. New York: Juta and Company Ltd.