Special Events Management: How to win hearts and wallets, too

When we talk of special events management, it can range from the Olympics to the Palarong Pambansa; from the NBA to PBA; from the UAAP and NCAA basketball tournaments to the barangay inter-color competition; from the World Youth Day celebration to the Ayala Young Leaders forum; from the International Ballroom championship to the local cha-cha and boogie challenge; from the Worldwide Cooking Festival to the community-wide barbecue; and, from the Paris Fashion Week to the FDG Gala.

The 1984 LA Olympics has been the undisputed showcase in the marketing and management of special events. Before that, organizers and sponsors tended to see events, of any magnitude and configuration, as a source of pride not profit. After the LA Games, however, marketers started to realize that events can be financially lucrative Thus, special events rapidly became a major tool of marketing communications. It developed into a significant venue for products, services and event handlers to reach identified target markets.

Special events are more than just well known, and well-covered athletic competitions and cultural performances. There are also thousands of smaller ones that take place everywhere, everyday – a fashion show in Shangri-La Hotel, a three-on-three basketball rivalry in a SM Megamall, a rock band showdown in Libis, Malate or G-4, a survivor challenge in Rockwell, a rave party at the Tent, poetry reading at Powerbooks, an art auction at Heritage, or a Christmas Bazaar at the Polo Club. The list goes on and on. Events can bring products and services together with its target buyers for a face-to face interaction. They can also put people in one place for purposes of fund-raising, changing the image of the host or sponsoring group, expanding awareness, inducing trial at the point of enjoyment and stimulating inquiries and sales.

Art Stevens of Harvard Business Review describes special events marketing and management as the process that "promotes products by linking them to activities, issues or ideas of inherent interest to consumers." He contrasted traditional product hype, which focuses on the product’s features and benefits, with event sponsorship, which he labeled brandstanding. By selecting or engineering links that connect the product to an event of public interest, or an area of public concern, brandstanding establishes rapport between consumers and a product.

Stevens listed six characteristics of an effective brandstanding program: First, the event linked to the product must invite publicity; second, the public attracted must be users or potential users of the product; third, there must be a meaningful link between the product and the event; fourth, the link should be evident but not intrusive; fifth, a concurrent program of promotion must support the effort; and, sixth, there must be a follow-up evaluation and measurement of results.

Event staging takes more than a dream or a wish. It requires a lot of preparation time, skills in logistics and resources management, and creativity. Preparation is key to any successful event. It does not just happen: it is well-planned, carefully-reviewed, and masterfully-coordinated. But the best thought-out and prepared plans can also go awry. That’s precisely the reason why events specialists usually assemble a team of skilled and seasoned consultants for creative, production, marketing, operational, and legal matters.

These advisors are usually called upon, every step of the way, to examine, evaluate, and provide counsel on every detail – from sponsorship solicitation, cost estimation, creative development, production of materials, venue selection, actual staging, crowd control, ticketing, scheduling, budget handling, ingress and egress, and down to the final wrap-up. The overall special event coordinator, in close consultation with the other members of the team, acts as a motivator, forecaster, and fiscal manager. He makes sure that the entertainment and fun value of the event is carefully balanced with a profitable bottomline. Special Events, as a business is financially rewarding, and will continue to be so, if the team is able to strategically evaluate the market, forecast conditions on a medium-term or short-term basis, attract sponsors, develop creative support materials, harness the power of media-based promotions and publicity, and very importantly, bring in the crowd.

Special Events For A Cause

Over the years, special events programming has become a major tool in cause-related marketing (CRM), a program in which companies and non-profit organizations (NPOs) form alliances to market an image, product or service for mutual benefit. It enables a firm to use the sponsorship of an event, not only to project good corporate citizenship, but also to push sales and marketing goals, and rationalize its investment. At some point, it is integrated with other company activities such as community involvement, employee volunteerism or corporate philanthropy.

Companies desiring to have a "corporate soul" project, search for causes that they can tie-in with. They usually turn to NPOs to propose a mutually beneficial program, which very often are implemented using the special events route. NPOs need to choose the kind of event that will highlight their mission, as they generate the funds they need for survival. Thus, the choice of events, in partnership with corporate sponsors must be able to win the targeted publics’ hearts, and their wallets too. The events can be one-shot fund-raisers or a series of coordinated activities over a timeline. The events possibilities are endless. The only limit, as we say in creative communications, is our imagination.

Here is a short-list of tried-and-tested events we can consider to raise funds:

• Kapihan – a relatively simple way to entertain a large group of prospective contributors with coffee and pandesal with kesong puti in a donor’s home, a hotel, or country club.

• Reception – A more elaborate way to entertain prospective donors or contributors, and to introduce the representatives of the cause, particularly a celebrity who supports it. Receptions are usually held in a ballroom, sizable private home, or a membership club. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres are served.

• Power Luncheon – A sit-down or buffet lunch appropriate as an annual fund-raising event because it offers an elegant lunch cum entertainment such as an important keynote speaker, or a fashion parade.

• P10,000/Plate Dinner – A much more formal event with elegant menu, creative theme, elaborate table arrangements, high-powered speakers, top caliber entertainment, ballroom dancing, and evening wear.

• Merienda Cena – An increasingly popular and elegant way to raise funds for a cause, without the elaborate preparation expenses.

• Art Show or Auction – A labor-intensive, but very productive fund-raiser. This will require a very energetic, aggressive and capable committee to amass and sell a wide range of art pieces in one or many categories.

• Sports Event – From celebrity golf or tennis exhibition or tournament, capped by a fun award ceremonies with cocktails.

• Community Garage Sale – An effective money-maker, if we have a large village/subdivision group interested in one cause, and is willing to donate items, time, and the proceeds of the sale.

• How-To Seminar – From candle making to bead stringing; from cut flowers to pottery; from opening a new small scale enterprise to closing a sale.

• Marathon Events – Walk-a-thon, Swim-a-thon, Dance-a-thon, Tel-a-thon

• Raffle – a time-tested approach that brings in the result. Cash, house and lot, car and travel package are favorite raffle prizes.

• Bazaar – A time-honored way to pool the resources of an organization or community and have fun raising the money.

• Concert – Music and musicians provide the fun and entertainment, the events team provides the venue, promotion, and on-site orchestration.

There are many other event ideas that can be added to the list. We just need "a whack on the side of our head," to bring them out, and make them work to our advantage.

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E-mail bongo@vasia.com for comments/questions.