Ultimate Guide to Event Management 1

By: Dr^Waqipedia

Stages  of Event Management

Anything you want to do, implement or make real, you start with a plan, work it out until the day of the operation and only then settle down. The concept is essentially the same in event management. Just to make it practical and easy to understand, I have divided event management into three parts; pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative.

To explain the stages of event management without any good examples can be boring and too theoretical. So let's take an example. How about a medical check up carnival in Sabah? Let's try to put some thoughts on it.

• Pre-operative - This includes the process of you 1) planning the rough idea of the event, 2) working it out step by step rigorously, 3) going through all the bureaucracy and procedures as well as 4) leading the team and monitoring your team's performance. The duration of this stage begins from the time your idea is born until the day prior to the event. You will focus 70-80% of your effort on the planning while the rest is for the event's day. Why you ask? Based on 90/10 Principle; first 10% of your time that you spend  planning and organizing your work before you begin will save as much as 90% of the time getting the job done once you get started. So, if you do not plan, you will plan to fail!   
• Intra-Operative - This is the stage of the day of the event. It commences upon arrival of people to the event or ceremony until their departure and the event's team settling all the technical requirements there. If everything goes according to what we planned, then the event is a success. However, not everything will go according to the plan which is the reason why we need a checklist, master plan and certain documentations to get on track if anything unexpected happened. The point here is that the more you prepare, the less effort you need on the big day itself. That's why I put 15% of effort for intra-operative. 
• Post-Operative - This is the final stage whereby many abandon and forget how crucial it is. If you are aiming for long term success in event management, put effort in it. It's also for your continuous learning and sponsors' benefits. The port-mortem will help you highlight points for improvement, mistakes and for you to learn from it since everything is documented in a report. Appreciation letter to the sponsors and certificates towards the event's team are the best way to maintain our relationship with them in the future. Of course we hope they can come back and join us for future events or programs. That's the way we want to 'tie' them with us; not through brutal force but silent encouragement.

After you have read the explanation above, take a deep breath and think. Have you ever thought about it and worked out all the stages? Of course, there are a lot more to go for pre-operative and other stages. However, start with thinking and finding out what to do by yourself first. This is part of faster learning and long term memory. Your first thoughts combined with the knowledge or experiences you gain in the near future will sky-rocket your understanding!

So, please wait for the next post, whereby I will be explaining the overview of pre-operative stage. Bye!

Next: Overview for Pre-operative Stage