This is the main question: Why hold an event?  We spend thousands or millions of money in holding an event but still we go ahead, and make the event happen.

Here are the 10 reasons why we must hold an event:

Conferences, Congresses or Seminars are events that communicate vital information. Most of the information that you can gather here are cutting-edge.

This is the reason why even if the meeting is far and require you to take a long time to travel you will still go and attend the event.

In some cases, conferences and congresses have resolutions to be approved by the attending members of the event.

In the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Tourism Congress of the Philippines, two associations I am a member, resolutions at the end of the event are being discussed and announced as approved by the body.

This is one reason why events are critical in the society. The event produces concrete actions.

In exhibitions, product and service awareness are achieved. In the marketing world, if there is awareness, there is a chance that there will be product and service trials – the start of creating a meaningful relationship with the target market.

We attend events like conferences and exhibitions to create and expand our network. In terms of our personal branding, we place ourselves in the middle of the action and get to shake hands with our future partners and clients.

This is the magic of the actual event.

Concerts or movements need an event to bring people together. This moment is priceless. Beyond networking, we create a sense of togetherness. Bringing people together foster the spirit of human enterprise.

The recent Fusion Concert is an event that brings people together - believers that the Original Pilipino Music (OPM) must grow and continue to thrive in our society.

Events provide an idea a platform to gain acceptance. Events are powerful communication triggers that allows people to be accustomed to ideas.

The much-awaited Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas is the home of new ideas trying to gain acceptance to us consumers.

I was witness to the breakout workshops of the United Print Media Group (UPNG) and Tourism Congress Philippines. UPMG workshops, talked about what they will do in the age of digital. The TCP workshops discussed ways to improve the support of the government to our existing tourism assets.

The different rallies staged by cause-oriented groups are social events that took place as a response to an issue or concern.

The different associations do the same thing as a response to a pressing issue that affects their industry.

Events are leverage for media exposure. Small enterprises or event big companies use the event to gain media exposure.

Media exposure is part of the benefits of creating and attending an event.

We create events to provide a memorable experience. I remember the first MICECON produced by the Department of Tourism in partnership with PACEOS, it was magical. I remember the first time I attended the Ad Congress it was fantastic!

We create to provide these experiences that changes lives and perspectives. We attend to gain insights and take a piece of that event and place it in our hearts.

Experience is the ultimate elixir of life; we get it instantly because of the events that we become part of.

If you are on a budget and cannot hire an event management company, here are some basic tips in planning your own event:

 1. Establish your goals and objectives

What are you planning to achieve in creating your event. A lot of clients I talked with sometimes cannot identify the goals and objectives of the event they wanted to implement. Most of the time, this can spell trouble because how can you say that an event is successful if you do not know the goals and objectives for its creation.

2. Create Your Event Management Team

You cannot do it alone. You need to create a team that will handle the following: finance, logistics, program, visitor invitation, venue coordination, sales and marketing.

3. Finalize the Venue and the Date

Often times the reason for the failure of the event to materialize is because there is no definite venue and date. In our industry, if you are already committed to the venue and date there is no turning back. I recommend that you sign the contract with the venue. If you do this then the die is cast, the pressure is on to make the event happen and make it successful.

4. Create a Master Plan

The master plan should contain the Gantt chart that will identify the milestones of the event in a particular period of time in order to ensure the event is implemented successfully. In addition, establish the Critical Success Areas (CSA) that your event must have.

5. Finalize the Budget

The budget is critical in the sense that it is your guide to what shape your event will take during the actual day. Resources are limited and most of the times budget and vision must be weigh judiciously.

We do not want an event that is losing money.

6. Establish the Administrative Process

So you a one man team that gathered different suppliers and departments to help you. This will be tough if you will not identify the administrative process. The process acts the rules of engagement of all members involved in the event.

 7. Promotion

You need to promote your event to attract your target audience. Your promotion mix is dependent on your budget.

Sometimes if you event is so niche you just need a database and social media to accomplish the number of audience you wanted your event to have.

 8. Find Partners

You can ensure the success of your event if you will tap associations or community organizations as partner of your event.

The more partners you have the better the success ratio of your event.

 9.  Photo and Video Documentation

You must have this in order for you to have record of what has transpired in your event. This will also serve as a benchmark for future similar events.

 10.  Post Event Assessment

The post event assessment is necessary to learn more about how to make your event better the next time around. After the assessment ensure you create a terminal report that will serve as the document to which future event management staff can read and review to avoid mistakes and apply best practices.

Although not exhaustive, these 10 items can already guide you in implementing a successful event.

Good luck to your event management endeavor.

In creating an event it is very critical to go back to the basics. The basics will keep you steady as the event develops and bloom into one of THE EVENTS (if you get my drift).

Here are the three E’s of Event Management. If you keep these in mind definitely you will always create a better if not a great event for your target audience.

1.    Experience

What experience will your event provide to the audience or event visitors? This is important because your event will be judged a success or a failure on this metric alone.

If your event is a conference, your event should provide a stimulating learning experience. If your event is an expo, your event should provide a business ambience to foster trade and business matching. If your event is a brand event, your event must provide a clear message of what the brand is all about.

We can talk about Experience endlessly and we must because this is very important. If you ignore this basic E, then brace yourself to suffer the consequence.

2.    Entertainment

All events must entertain. Yes you hear me loud and clear. Even the conference and convention must have an entertainment value. You have heard about the conference fatigue, this is very true. The mind can only absorb information for thirty minutes after that it flies elsewhere.

In exhibition, trade buyers can only stay as much in the trade floor but if there are entertainments sprinkled around the show floor, the buyers will remain in the show floor. If you have observed, the most visited exhibit booths are those booths that provide entertainment to the trade buyers.

More so, in corporate events, I do not need to elaborate the importance of entertainment in this type of events. I just want to point one thing, if you want to create lasting relationships – ENTERTAIN!

3.    Enterprise

An event is a marketing tool with costs. Therefore, we must always be reminded that the costs must have a return on investment. This is what I mean about enterprise. If all event managers will take this to heart they will be conscious about the costs and adamant that the event objectives must be met at all costs (pun intended).

Event is a great business tool. Even if there is a widespread inclination to go online, hey we are humans, our nature is to socialize face-to-face. We can never run away with this nature.

To end this, let me say go back to the basics of creating an event and do not forget the three E’s because this will guide you on how to shape successfully your events.

For events managers and exhibition organizers reading this piece, it is just a review. One thing that betrays us professional event organizers and managers is our too much familiarity on the basics.

They call that familiarity a blind spot. A blind spot that deprives us of, guess what, checking the basics.

I am excited about a book that was two years in the making. It is a book that will hit all the universities in the country. It is a book that is simple but not simplistic. It is a book that will make events planning easier for the uninitiated. It will also be a book that will act as a review for veteran events manager and events organizer.

The book was born out of a discussion to offer resource materials for people and students who find it difficult to have one in our bookstores that are made by Filipinos.

I know the feeling of looking for a book with local authors in a particular subject matter. I scour heaven and earth during those moments to find one but, alas, my effort is like a journey taken by the early merchants in finding the promise land – it is like a quixotic journey.

So I also know the joy or hubris, if you may allow my indulgence, in finding a book that you are looking for. It is like winning lotto! The feeling is so great that you can hardly breathe because of extreme happiness.

The book I am talking about is for M.I.C.E. organizers and planners – a very select group who took upon their shoulders to slug it out with other countries in this very competitive industry. I remember Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Department of Tourism, saying that “our advantage in MICE is not on the physical structures but the excellent service our people provide”. I strongly agree.

Although I am hoping that our excellent service or people can be combined with excellent physical structures so that we can generate a compelling result in the MICE Industry. I want our country to produce a MICE result that will not only put a dent in the world but will cut a large chunk of the cake of this multibillion industry.

I want to be a proud MICE player (do not be mistaken, I am a proud Filipino MICE Player) with a country that has world class MICE products and services. I know that we will be there. Hopefully, I am still part of this industry when we reach that stature.

Anyways, I am getting ahead of myself. Going back the book, it is not only for upcoming MICE players but also for upcoming event managers, event organizer, exhibition managers, exhibition organizers, conference managers and conference organizers.

This is the book that is just a start of the many local books that will be produced on the MICE and Event Management Industry by PRACTITIONERS (this is the key selling point of this book!).

The book is entitled “ The Events Planning Manual” an apt title, produced by the Philippine Association of Convention and Exhibition Suppliers and Organizers (PACEOS) which I am part and a current board of director.

If you want to have a copy, you may contact me. You will only need to invest P295.00 for this easy to read and actionable book. A real bargain this I promise!

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”

This dictum is very much true in the events industry. Actually, we knock our heads to the wall just to create a complete plan that delivers the client needs. So, I am crafting here the basics to help you win the battle in terms of creating a plan.

After the client and you, as the event manager or event planner agreed on what are the objectives of the event, the next best thing to do is plan on how to make the event become a reality.

I read a lot of books and some are very complicated requiring a lot of metrics. Not that I do not concur with their ideas but there is a simple and easier way to plan an event.

First breakdown the plan into three parts: the three parts are pre-event, actual event, and post event.

Pre Event basically contains the following (you can add depending on the complications of your event)-

As you can see this blueprint is just the basics and depending on your event you may add or delete some portions. But just to serve as a springboard this plan is best for conferences or corporate event.

Again, the most important part in creating an event plan is to answer the question “How will I achieve the client’s objectives”. After that, break your plan into the three most important parts which are mentioned above.

Happy event planning!