Event Management – A Modern

Strategic Marketing Tool

Event Management – A Modern Strategic Marketing Tool

Abstract
The globalisation of economies and the increasingly competitive business
environment that is created as a result, demand that corporate enterprises focus on
integrated marketing communications to promote their products and services to the
targeted customer groups in an efficient manner. Corporate events, which provide an
efficient opportunity for face-to-face contact with customers, have become an
essential component in this process. They are unique in the sense that they combine
the elements of distribution and communication. Today, event-based marketing is
viewed as a sunrise sector both for products and services. These days of “brand
building” require a high profile that dazzles customers and creates a strong
impression in their minds. Corporate events, which include live entertainment shows,
product launches, and expositions embracing various product classes, are
particularly suitable in this regard. The marketing success of these events largely
depends on the facility they offer for on-the-spot interaction between participants and
visitors and on a professional approach. Moreover, proliferation of new technologies
like the Internet has seen the event-marketing scenario witnessing many changes.
Online events and online interaction are gathering momentum. The future of these
events depends large on how successfully corporates gear up to these technological
changes and how they integrate these events in their overall marketing and
promotional strategies. This paper highlights the important aspects of event
management. It also examines various steps which are essential to formulate an
effective event management strategy to organise a successful event.

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Overview
Event marketing is a promotional strategy linking a firm to an event, sponsorship of a
sports competition, festival, etc. It is an attempt to coordinate communications around
a self-created or sponsored event. The event is an activity that gathers the target group
in time in a room, a meeting where a message is communicated and a happening is
created. Thus, we can say that event marketing plays a major role in the promotional
strategy of firms. With the ever rising promotional costs associated with the
traditional channels of corporate communications, with customers’ attention being
diverted by many channels and modes of communication, the rising importance of
experiential marketing and the ability of events to have a better face-to-face
interaction with the target group of customers are promoting many firms to
increasingly depend on event marketing for better results.

Events like tradeshows, exhibitions, executive meets, road-shows, corporate-customer

meets, dealer meets, etc., derive their main strength from their ability to interact
directly with target groups. Apart from corporate events, philanthropic events like
charity shows are also being used effectively by many firms. Corporates by making
use of these events are marketing their products and services to their targeted groups
quite effectively. The resulting scenario calls for better prudence on the part of
practising executives to fully exploit the potential of event marketing.

Event Classification
Event management, like direct marketing, is an important marketing tool, especially
in the realm of Customer Relationship Marketing, to identify and to retain customers.
Events could be conducted in-house or externally. In-house events are mostly to train,
motivate and retain the employee clients. External events are those, which are
managed by consultants or agencies, on behalf of their clients. In order to execute and
deliver a good event, it calls for proper planning, budgeting and advertising. A well
executed event will help in augmenting either the relationship with the client or the
enhancement of the business.

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There are several ways and options to identify a customer. But, one sure way of
identifying, as also retaining, a customer is through events. Nowadays, the importance
of event management has only accentuated, with many consultancies/agencies doing a
fairly good business in the industry, across the globe. Events could range from
Launch Parties to Conferences / Seminars to Exhibitions to Team Building Activities
to Incentive Travel and Creative Practices, etc. Events could be broadly classified
into:
(1) Internal Events
Internal Events are those activities that are undertaken by an individual or an entity, as
a point of motivation for business clients or employee clients, but entirely organized
in-house. Product launches, salesmen meets/conferences, training programs/seminars
for building capacity, motivation programs, internal sports meets, holiday events,
annual general meetings of shareholders, etc., could be classified as Internal Events.

(2) External Events

External events are those activities, undertaken by an event management
consultancy/agency on behalf of another corporate client, like organizing exhibitions,
premier shows, fashion shows, vehicle financing road shows, etc. In today's world,
although events such as wedding parties and birthday parties are personal and
important in-house events, they are sometimes considered as external events, when
the services are outsourced, through an agency. External events management could
again mean organizing a thematic exhibition and marketing exhibition space to the
related business or like organizing a film/fashion/music show and source sponsorship
or extend consultancy to organize an event as desired by a client.

Thus we can say that while external events management requires marketing skills
coupled with execution skills, internal events management requires more of execution
skills.

An Effective Event Management Strategy – The Steps

To market events, one should be well organized, with the required infrastructure that
the target clientele will find it worthwhile to invest their time and resources in
anticipation of assured results. To achieve this objective, a suitable event strategy

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should be designed and developed. There are seven important steps to organize a
successful event.
(I) Planning
Prior Planning prevents poor performance. No event manager should be complacent
or procrastinating. Nothing should be left to chance, only to regret later. Planning,
hence, is essential in all respects. Before starting any event, a bit of research would
help. One should start sufficiently early so that there will be ample time to complete
the assigned project. It would help to have a briefing note or a checklist listing out the
objectives and goals of the particular event, the target clients, the venue, the dates,
products to be displayed, brochures to printed, gifts to be distributed, etc. An
appropriate event strategy that improves the corporate image or the brand identity
must be designed and developed. The way of presenting the event content should also
be carefully planned. Whether a celebrity or an industry expert is needed to kick off
the event, to present the event, engage the audience or tie-in the message, should be
carefully thought over and finalized. If the target clients cannot interpret the event
content, or the event fails to match the market, the whole exercise will prove futile.
Since the relationship between event success and sales could be significant, knowing
the customers and evaluating their needs at the planning level itself is a must for
scheduling the right event.
(II) Budgeting
Once the planning is in place, budgeting should start. It could be either a part of the
existing promotion budget or a special budget exclusively for the event. Whichever be
the way, a correlation must be sought between the budget and the perceived benefits
while marketing of a particular product/service. Naturally, all products, logistics,
service and manpower costs, from the beginning till the end, should be anticipated
and taken into account. More than the financial budgeting, manpower budgeting is
crucial. One should consider carefully, whether the existing employee members can
be reallocated duties or a fresh team should be hired temporarily. Otherwise, one may
also consider whether a mix of both can take place. A wrong choice of the event
members can result in disaster. Budget should provide not only for such arrangements
but also for contingencies, so that there will be peace of mind. Spending short out of a
big budget is desirable than falling short of an inadequate budget.
(III) Execution

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To translate all the plans into reality, the project/event should be executed. The first
task of execution is to assemble the teams, provide multiple interfaces to the members
and set out tasks. Messaging mechanisms and a document management system should
be put in place. While one of the teams hunt for sponsorships required, another team
should start on site inspections for recognizing the local conditions. Yet another team
should be entrusted in finalizing and procuring additional products like stationery,
gifts, etc., if required. If the event is to happen at a place other than the base, the team
entrusted with the logistics arrangement should ensure shipping the display products,
material for the delegates, point of purchase (POP) material, gifts for customers,
dignitaries and escorts, higher officials, etc. The distribution system to be put in place
is also planned. One team should be given the task of setting up communication
systems, power, arrangement of conveyance vehicles, water facilities, food and
beverages, etc. If the event takes place in another country, travel visas should be
arranged. Material should be shipped well in advance, so that no surprises take place
like being held up at the customs and not released till the event's last scheduled date
for some reason or the other. Once these things are being put in place, let one team
work on the designing of the event and if need be, support like a good interior
decorator should be enlisted. To ensure understanding the management and strategy,
one may resort to rehearsals. During the reviewing, shortcomings, if any, would
surface. These then could be avoided/rectified and different creative solutions could
be found.
(IV) Publicity and Media Planning
Publicity or promotion is the backbone for any event. The marketing team, in
consultation with the advertising agency, must print good, informative and attractive
literature, posters, calendars, visiting cards, etc., well in advance. The more creative
these materials are in thought, the better they would be in reality, since they can
attract more attention. The media planning should be well coordinated to release
initially teasers and later offers, through a mix of media vehicles like TV, radio,
newspapers, internet, etc.
(V) Delivery
With a lot of hard and smart work behind and a prayer on their lips, the members of
the team await the day of delivery, where all their work and efforts are put to test.
They keenly look forward to the success of the event with bated breath, for success
could result in awards, rewards and promotions for the team members. The event

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should be conducted with uniform discipline throughout the period so that confusions
could be minimized and a professional atmosphere could prevail. Invitees and visitors
should be impressed not only by the setting of the events but also with the general
conduct of business.
(VI) The End
Once the event comes to a close, the remaining material should be returned to the
base, after a thorough check of the inventory and accounting for all material that has
been used. If any superstructures have been erected or built at the venue of the event,
like in the cases of exhibitions, the same should be dismantled and disposed of, while
ensuring a decent and optimum return. Legal or statutory or mandatory formalities
should be fulfilled without fail to avoid penalties. At the conclusion time, all the task
members must be appreciated depending on the success or of the event.
Once the event ends, it should be ensured that all the visitors are contacted again
through a thanking note for visiting and making the event a success, which will turn
out to be a reminder of the event and the esteem of the organization will also be
enhanced resulting certainly in better business prospects in future.
(VII) Feedback
Once an event is concluded, the effect of the event should necessarily be measured by
a survey. The survey could be informal and oral where one may question the
prospects/clients and await the response. Alternatively, a scientific survey could be
undertaken by designing a suitable but simple questionnaire, distributing it and
collecting the data for analysis. The invitees could be added in the marketing database
so that they can receive future communications such as newsletters and product
announcements. Suggestions could also be solicited to make further improvements in
future events.

Conclusion
Events are a great way to turn prospects into customers. The success of an event can
be ensured by effective planning and promoting. Further, the target audience must be
kept in mind when determining the type of event. An effective event marketing
strategy based on some well-defined steps would go a long way in enhancing the
success rate of an event. But like the proverbial saying "the proof of the pudding is in
its eating", good events result in improved business or relationships. Badly managed

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events will provide scope for more and more analysis, debates, research and finally
will end up as academic case studies.

References
1. Abel, S and A Loong, December 1996 “Event Sponsorship: Does it work?”
ADMAP.
2. Chandra Sarvajeet, 1999, “Brand building through Event Marketing”,
Dissertation, Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad.
3. Kotler, Philip, Eleventh edition, “Marketing Management”, Prentice Hall, pp
576.
4. Schreiber, L Alfred and Lenson, Barry, 1994, “Lifestyle and Event
Marketing”, McGraw-Hill, 7.
5. Sreedhar G V S and Bala Krishna A V, 2006, “Event-based Marketing:
Strategies and Cases”, IUP.