Implement a plan for an occasion

Introduction

Event management is a process of aligning resources in order to implement a plan for an occasion. According to Case (2013), event management and planning basically is the implementation of project management where the host is supposed to arrange and align the processes of an event. The purpose is to objectify the prospects of the event. However, the event manager in Birmingham is provided to arrange an event “Tea for Two” for the elderly to rejuvenate their upcoming life. Moreover, they will be provided with an environment where they can enjoy and embrace the grace of old age. The event manager will critically explore the needs of the stakeholders and the customers to provide them with a suitable environment. Along with this, they have to find a suitable venue or location on the basis of carefully analysed criteria as it needs to be at the elderly’s convenience. Furthermore, the manager will have to support this choice with evidence of convenience and a detailed map of the locality of Birmingham. Evaluation of the resource requirements is very important and for this, a suitable project model shall be submitted which can be executed, similarly, Brunt et al. (2017) also stated that evaluation of the required resources is significant for carrying out a successful event. The model will include a detailed plan of the event, the anticipated timeframe, and a schedule of the program with detailed justifications. Lastly, the manager will conclude the report with all prospects of the event and provide recommendations to improve this planned standing. 

Needs of customers and other stakeholders

The requirement of a successful event is to determine the fundamental needs of consumers and stakeholders. The more the event organiser is able to understand the needs of the audience, the easier it is to anticipate the needs of the consumer. The main target audience for the event is the elderly people of Birmingham. Following are the essential requirements of the event.

The location/venue is an extremely important factor, to demonstrate while arranging an event for elderly people. In addition to this, the following facts should be considered while choosing a venue for the event. Firstly, the location of the event should be as close as possible to the senior centers or senior housing of Birmingham. Older people are often comfortable with the venues near their housing society. It is critically analysed by Musgrave (2011) that the old people attend the events that are capable of giving suitable environment to them, thus, the organisers of the event “Tea for Two” will consider the distance from the entrance to the main and should make sure that is will be short. Walking long distances are tiring and problematic for some seniors; thus, distance consideration will help in increasing the success of the event. The accessibility of the venue must contain ramps, handrails, and elevators to make the event more comfortable for the people. Secondly, selecting the best time and date for the event is necessary too (Holmes et al., 2015). Considering the weekly schedule of the seniors at local centers, contains essential value while organizing events, as seniors attend scheduled programmed events and activities at their centers. Before arranging an event, a meeting with a program manager or administrator of senior centers or senior housing in Birmingham. Thirdly, the content and information shared in the event should be agesensitive and linguistically appropriate. In addition to this, as per Salem (2004), the event managers are required to fulfill the requirements of the stakeholders as satisfied stakeholders are a significant element for the success of the company.

Location analysis

To select a suitable venue for an event firstly there should be a proper estimate of the people attending an event for this purpose proper survey teams will be arranged to calculate the total old population in Birmingham or we can use population census where we can find the total old people living in Birmingham. Mostly people in the UK live in old age houses so the location selected for an event will be near to old age houses so they can attend the event easily.

Centre of gravity method

To arrange the best event center of gravity method will be used “center of gravity “means to give importance to the factors that minimize cost. Such as markets, shipping cost, and volume of goods shipped. Raj (2017) argued that this method will result in happy attendees and minimum cost. Thus, the event planner of the “Tea for Two” event will mainly focus on all these elements in order to conduct a successful event.

Choosing the best location

For choosing the best location following factors must be focused on as this event is specifically for old people so every factor must be critically observed. So event managers should focus on transportation, availability of qualified labor, quality of life, state and local government.

Weighted Criteria method

The event planner is advised to analyse 6 different stated of Briminghim in order to choose the best possible area for conducting the most effective event for the people of old age. It is researched by Yeoman et al. (2012) that this model helps in scoring different elements of the area; thus, the event planner will choose the area which will have higher score.

Elder Population: The areas which have high number of old people are given higher score.

Risk and barriers: The areas that have low risks associated with the event are given high score.

Operational cost: The areas which provides low operational cost to the event is given high score.

Thus, after complete assessment, the event planner decided to conduct the event in Sutton Coldfield as this area got the highest score and provides the most suitable environment for carrying out an effective event. Also, the event planner picked the Utilita Arena in order to conduct the event as it was able to fulfil most of the requirements of the target audience.

Resource requirement

The resource requirement has to be evaluated for the smooth implementation of ideas. The most important resource will be finances and budgeting. It is stated by Robinson (2010) that the manager shall arrange for finances and sponsors for the event which will automatically provide resources. The resources will also include décor, photography, food, entertainment, and fixtures. The arrangements for furniture, stage, and the décor shall be decided upon the theme selection prior to the event settlements. The theme shall be lively and downtoearth to connect the elderlies to their lives ahead and must be engaging. The ambiance is really important in order to properly engage the audience and keep them living the moment (Bladen et al., 2012) However, the aspect of furniture should also be kept in mind, as they’re dealing with a very sensitive audience. They should keep in mind the comfort and arrangements of the furniture so that the elderly can enjoy without getting tired despite the fact, that the event might be a prolonged one. As per the food, it should be according to the taste and medical conditions of the audience, as their health shall be kept at the first priority. To make the event memorable, the photographer and the host shall be the ones who keep them engaging and understand the mentality of the age group they’re dealing with. As it’s hard to keep this age group fully engaged, the hosts shall devise strategies and entertainment plans prior to the event to avoid any awkward and silent moments (Bundgaard, 2005). In addition to this, the marketing aspect for this is also very important as they need to market the event and create hype in the community to make Birmingham aware of the event. This may also lead to future events if this one turns out to be a huge success and to do that, marketing will play a very important role. Finding sponsors and collaborating with them will also help in marketing and funding resources for this event as it will be mutually beneficial for both parties. This will be the job of the manager to arrange such sponsors or collaborations for which they’ll have to go for a little extra mile as finding sponsors won’t be easy. The budget will be used as a guideline for the manager to arrange everything within the boundaries of the available finances and this will be the job of the manager to effectively utilise and manage accordingly.

Gantt Chart

The event manager is required to establish an effective plan in order to execute a successful event; moreover, the success of the event is significantly dependent on the fact that how long the planner has been planning the event. According to the critical analysis conducted by Ehlers et al. (2011), it is accurate to mention that the event planner is encouraged to allocate time to different activities such as surveying the needs of the target audience and preparing the event day procedures. Thus, the event planner of “Tea for Two” is also advised to allocate a specific time for each of the processes. Following is the Gantt chart that shows the activities conducted by the event manager and the time taken for performing these activities.

Gathering information slot was extremely important as it was the main source for creating a successful research. Also, the location analysis part was also immensely important as it helps in carrying out an effective event, if the event planner does not select the accurate place for the event then the success will be hugely impacted. Lastly, marketing of the event is significantly important as it helps in promoting the event and increasing its awareness level.

Recommendations

Events success depends on how effectively it has been carried out; it is critically investigated by Hansen (2008), that the event planners are encouraged to focus on activities that are capable of increasing the element of the success of the event. Following are a few of the recommendations that are capable of increasing the efficiency level of the event.

The event planner should highly emphasise on the need for proper and effective marketing of the event in order to attract the most number of attendees. Norton (2015) argued that the event managers who focus on social media marketing are more likely to gain a high level of awareness; however, the event planners for old age people should develop a marketing plan to cater to different old age homes as this is the most affecting marketing strategy to attract old age people.

The other major recommendation for carrying out a successful event is to hire an effective and highly skilled speaker who is capable of gaining the interest of the audience. As per Edebalk (2010) the event manager who is able to hire a knowledgeable speaker is able to provide useful knowledge to the audience. Thus, the event planner who is arranging an event for old age people should hire a speaker who can deal with old people effectively and motivate them to enjoy their later life.

The event should be arranged by using technology and with a proper booking system in order to avoid any kind of problem; thus, innovative management of the event can help in increasing the efficiency of the event. Moreover, the event planner is advised to establish different activities that can help the old people in expanding their social circle.

Thus, these are a few of the recommendations that are helpful in carrying out an influential event for old people.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, there are several different factors that should be considered by the event planner while focusing on executing a successful event. The event planner of the event “Tea for Two” majorly focused on carrying out an event that ensures that the people of old age love their later life. The event planner analysed the basic resources that are required to carry out an effective event. In addition to this, the planner also emphasised on the center of the gravity model to choose the best location for carrying out the event successfully. Moreover, the event planner also significantly observed the needs and wants of the customers and other stakeholders in order to increase the chances of success of the event. The event planner focused on implementing strategies that are able to provide comfort to the old people and they feel good about attending the event. Thus, these are a few of the things which are required to be fulfilled by the event planner in order to execute a successful event.

References

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Brunt, P., Horner, S. and Semley, N., 2017. Research methods in tourism, hospitality and events management. Sage.

Bundgaard, K.M., 2005. The meaning of everyday meals in living units for older people. Journal of Occupational Science, 12(2), pp.91101.

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Edebalk, P.G., 2010. Ways of funding and organising elderly care in Sweden. In Population AgeingA Threat to the Welfare State? (pp. 6580). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Ehlers, A., Naegele, G. and Reichert, M., 2011. Volunteering by older people in the EU.

Hansen, M.H., 2008. Organising the old: Senior authority and the political significance of a rural Chinese ‘nongovernmental organisation’. Modern Asian Studies, 42(5), pp.10571078.

Holmes, K., Hughes, M., Mair, J. and Carlsen, J., 2015. Events and sustainability (pp. 1206). New York, NY: Routledge.

Musgrave, J., 2011. Moving towards responsible events management. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes.

Norton, J., 2015. The Diggers’ Festival, Organising a community festival with political connotations.

Raj, R., Walters, P. and Rashid, T., 2017. Events management: principles and practice. Sage.

Robinson, P., Wale, D. and Dickson, G. eds., 2010. Events management. Cabi.

Salem, G., Jones, E. and Morgan, N., 2004. An overview of events management. Festival and Events Management, p.14.

Yeoman, I., Robertson, M., AliKnight, J., Drummond, S. and McMahonBeattie, U., 2012. Festival and events management. Routledge.