In the current economic climate, it's vital that event managers work as efficiently as possible. Managing successful events is a time consuming and complicated process. It can take many years of training and on the job experience for an event manager to become extremely effective at what they do.
One of the issues event managers face is the vast number of activities and processes that are involved in planning and running events. Having the ability to multi-task and being well organised are traits that event managers need to develop and hone as they gain experience in the field.
The benefits of working efficiency are basic:
繚 Time savings
繚 Cost savings
繚 Improved event performance
Drilling down into these areas we can see the details of how and where the efficiency gains can be made:
Saves Time:
It's important that the event manager has clear and efficient processes they adhere to when running events. Creating processes that others can follow also means that other team members can assist or take over the management of an event with ease. Team members are able to understand quickly what stage of planning the event is at; cutting down on meetings and training sessions.
Many event managers will create and update their processes with each event; learning from their experiences to make the process of managing each event more effective and efficient. Having a set procedure that is written down means the events can be planned and managed far easier - important areas are never missed out and realistic timescales can be easily produced. Having dedicated processes saves time because event managers do not need to create plans from scratch for each event. They can replicate each event process again and again, building on in and improving it with each event.
Being efficient in the event planning process also helps with event analysis. This includes analysing the performance of suppliers - knowing who has been used in the past to supply goods and services and having details of the relationship can help analyse if this relationship is working at maximum efficiency. It's vital to understand if suppliers standard are falling, and this can only be done if the event manager is working efficiently and monitoring the relationship with each event. It is hugely beneficial for event mangers to be able to use the same suppliers over and over again - sourcing new suppliers is an extremely time consuming process. Additionally having suppliers that let you down can be a huge drain on time as event managers try to resolve the issue at the last minute. So understanding and staying on top of existing supplier relationships is a vital part of efficient event management.
Post event, it's important for event mangers to be able to quickly and efficiently get management information on that event to analyse the success of that event; was there an increase in delegate attendance, did delegates rate the event highly, did you get a good return on investment (ROI) etc. These are important event metrics that must be analysed quickly and efficiently. A common issue event managers have is that they are so busy planning multiple events, that they do not have time for this important event analysis stage. However, it is only by analysing events that you can help to improve the performance of future events.
Saves Costs
The common phrase 'time is money' is extremely applicable in event management. Having an event manager who is efficient at their job, who understands and follows best practice event management processes and who has good relationships with efficient suppliers is a vital part of generating a high and fast ROI. Poor event managers can cost an organisation huge amounts of money through their poor efficiency and organisation.
Working with suppliers and building good relationships can also save money - the better the relationship, the more likely that supplier discounts will be involved. Running efficient events also means paying your suppliers on time - a vital part of gaining supplier discounts and bonuses.
An ineffective event manager will cost an organisation through the mistakes they make. Doubling up on orders, missing vital parts of the process and other mistakes can be costly in terms of the time it takes to resolve, but also through being forced to purchase items at the last minute.
Improved Event Performance
Being able to efficiently run events also has an impact on the performance of the event. Delegates will have an improved experience if it runs smoothly and without errors. Being efficient ensures that delegates have an enjoyable and error free journey - from the point of booking, to payment, registration on the day, experiencing the event and providing feedback.
Events with efficiency issues are likely to be poorly managed, with errors and mistakes causing delegates to have unsatisfactory experiences. Ensuring that you provide the best possible experience for delegates is vital for the success of future events.
Increasing delegate attendance is something many organisations struggle with, and if an organisation has issues over its reputation, due to their inefficiency, that will have a knock on effect on future registrations. A key part of successful events is building up reputation in the industry and generating a long list of loyal, repeat purchase delegates.
Finally, being an efficient event manager also means that they are able to organise more than one event at a time. For companies that are based solely around event organisation, or for companies that just happen to host many events, this is a vital part of the management process. Managers must be able to successful organise the planning and running of multiple events and this can only be done if they are working to best practice, efficient processes.
Improving Event Efficiency
Event managers can help to improve the efficiency of their working practices by making use of event management software. Event software is able to take best practice processes and automate and manage them from one central platform. Removing inefficient spreadsheets from the process and working on a software solution designed specifically for event management had proven to have huge cost and time saving benefits.
Event management software solutions are able to manage all areas of event planning from:
- Website Integration
- Online Registration
- Communication
- E-Invite
- Email
- E-Survey
- Badge Production
- Resource Management
- Management of Financials
- Reporting and Analysis
With the industry being hit with rising costs and lower delegate attendance, it's vital that companies organising events fight back by being as efficient as possible and continually improving their processes. It is the companies that tackle efficiency issues head on, and employ the use of technology who will ensure their events are successful now and in the future.
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