Event Management and How to Hold a Successful Ceremony Or Celebration

Events can come in many forms, and include product launches and press conferences attended by a few key representatives and journalists, right up to televised parties and award ceremonies that are attended by hundreds or thousands of celebrities and industry guests.

All kinds of events need to be managed, including corporate hospitality, company functions, Christmas parties, movie or theatre premieres, team-building away days, business lunches, drinks receptions, summer garden parties, street shows and art exhibitions.

Event management is the act of managing any one of these gatherings, at a specific time and place. All aspects of an event need to be managed, and include details such as choosing the right venue, producing invitations, arranging decor and catering.

Organising an event can also involve hiring any necessary staff such as entertainers, waiters, cleaners and security. Holding an event for a product, or to celebrate an occasion, sends a message that the product or occasion is important.

The work beings with choosing a location. If the people that are to be invited can reach the location easily, then they are arguably more likely to attend. Although a remote location might dissuade some invitees from attending, if it is an exclusive and unusual location - such as a stately home in the countryside - that might prove to be part of the event's attraction.

The venue must have the facilities needed, or be able to provide them. If it's something as simple as a press conference, then a podium, PA system and some chairs might be enough. If it is a New Year's Eve party for a thousand clubbers, then the venue will need DJ equipment, a cloak room, A VIP area, at least one bar and sufficient toilet facilities.

If the venue in question does not have the facilities your event requires, you will need to find a cost-effective way to have them installed temporarily.

If the event is launching or promoting a product, then branded decor will be a wise decision. Branding can go anywhere, from banners above a doorway, to logos on wristbands to promotional t-shirts.

Decor and branding provide the visual impact that helps to burn memories of an event into the minds of the attendees, long after the taste of the food, the words of the speaker or the sounds of the music have faded. This is especially true if press photographers might be present.

When providing refreshments, it is probably more appropriate to provide the likes of tea, coffee and water for a daytime function. A party at night is a different situation, and might require either a free bar, possibly sponsored by a drinks brand, or for the event organiser to pay for it. Something like a nightclub event is naturally exempt from this, as clubbers are used to having to pay for drinks.

If promoting a brand, consider sending the revellers home with a goody bag containing either samples of your product, items that contain your brand logo - or impressive designer freebies, if it is a particularly high-profile event.

Having the right Health and Safety documents and procedures are important to any event. A promoter should complete a risk assessment form, and have public liability insurance in place. The venue must also have the appropriate paperwork regarding safety measures, such as fire doors and information on capacity limits.