PROJECT REPORT ON A STUDY ON EVENT MANAGEMENT

SUBMITTED BY RUSHIT SAVLA TYBMS SEMESTER V DATE - 31st OCT 2006

PROJECT GUIDE MANASI SAVLA

UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI NARSEE MONJEE COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND ECONOMICSBMS

DECLARTION

I, RUSHIT SAVLA, student of NARSEE MONJEE COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND ECONOMICS T.Y.B.M.S (Semester V) herby declare that I have completed this project on A STUDY ON EVENT MANAGEMENT in the academic year 200607. The information submitted is true and original to the best of my knowledge.

Signature of the student (RUSHIT SAVLA) Date: 31ST OCT 2006

CERTIFICATE
I, MANASI SAVLA hereby certify that RUSHIT SAVLA student of NARSEE MONJEE COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND ECONOMICS T.Y.B.M.S (SEMESTER V), has completed the project on the A STUDY ON EVENT MANAGEMENT in the academic year 2006-07. The information submitted is true and original to the best of my knowledge.

Signature of the the COLLEGE PRINCIPLE

Signature of PROJECT COORDINATOR

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The class assignments and the hundred marks project is an essential part of the BMS programme and I am deeply grateful to the University of Mumbai to have introduced this project as a part of our curriculum. The successful completion of the project on A STUDY ON EVENT MANAGEMENT has been a great learning experience. I am also grateful to MANASI SAVLA, for having given me guidance and help for the successful completion of my project. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Neha Misra, for the invaluable help and guidance she has given, without which this project would not have been possible. It was through her efforts that I was able to get assistance and information regarding her company SEVENTY Thank you once again for your precious time and support.

Signature (RUSHIT SAVLA)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SR NO 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. TOPIC Synopsis Entertainment and Media industry Live entertainment Definition of Event History of Events What is Event Management Segmentation 5 Cs of Event Event as a Marketing Tool Various Elements of Event Management Advantages offered by Events Risk Management The 10 Biggest Mistakes most Event planners make... and how to avoid them SEVENTY- An Event Management Company Event managed by SEVENTY Key Issues plaguing the industry Future Prospects Conclusion Bibliography PAGE NO. 6 7 9 10 11 13 15 17 21 26 60 62 65 68 72 78 80 81 82

SYNOPSIS
Events are fast becoming an integral part of the marketing strategy of companies. Events score over conventional mass media in several ways- exclusive coverage for the sponsors, a huge captive audience to watch brand advertising and opportunity for product trial so that product attributes can be effectively conveyed to the target audience. In comparison to these benefits, the cost of sponsoring an event is reasonably small. For those reasons, companies are expected to take to sponsoring events in a big way. Live entertainment events, especially international events are drawing people in large numbers. International artist too are making India a part of their global concert tour. Once regulatory and taxation obstacles are over come and multi city events become an established norm, the number of international events is expected to increase rapidly. Hence, ticket revenue is also expected to show a steady increase in future. Television channels are looking for driver programmes to boost viewer ship and events offer a unique genre of programming. Television networks can either commission events for their channels or buy telecast rights of events from event managers. In both cases, the industry stands to gain. Commercial exploitation of merchandising and interest rights in future by event managers would further boost industry growth.

ENTERTAINMENT AND MEDIA INDUSTRY

The Indian Entertainment and Media (E&M) industry is poised to grow at 19% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to reach Rs 83,740 crore by 2010 from its present size of Rs 35,300 crore, according to 2005 annual edition of the FICCI - PricewaterhouseCoopers report Indian Entertainment and Media Industry -- Unraveling the potential. Economic growth, rising income levels, consumerism, coupled with technological advancements and policy initiatives taken by the Indian government that are encouraging the inflow of investment, will prove to be the key drivers for the entertainment and media industry. The industry has been forecast to outperform the economic growth in each year, till 2010.

The Indian entertainment and media (E&M) industry has outperformed the Indian economy and is one of the fastest growing sectors in India. The Indian economy has been growing at a fast clip over the last few years, and the income levels too have been experiencing a high growth rate. Above that, consumer spending is also on the rise, due to a sustained increase in disposable incomes, brought about by reduction in personal income tax over the last decade. The size of Entertainment in India is currently estimated at INR 353 billion and is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 19 percent over the next five years. The television industry continues to dominate the E&M industry by garnering a share of over 42 percent, which is expected to increase by a further 9 percent to reach about 51 percent. The share of the film industry, which currently stands at 19 percent, is not expected to change materially over the next five years. Print media, is projected to lose some of its share in favor of the emerging segments.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND EVENT MANAGEMENT

Event management is a multi-crore industry with mega shows and events hosted regularly. In India even personal functions like marriages and birthday parties have become important social matters, and have to be professionally managed. The growth of sophisticated and mega companies have brought forth a spurt of meetings, seminars, exhibition, conferences, product launches with everything being a matter of class and style. Then comes the innumerable celebrity shows, international artists shows, shows for a cause, road shows, competitions, that India has seen of late. More than 200 companies have forayed into events. The live entertainment and event management segment was of miniscule size of about 20 crores in the early 90s, but now it has increased over 500 crores. Growth is approximately 400% annually. With corporate increasingly using events to communicate with their target consumers and the rising popularity of live entertainment event, the segment is poised to grow rapidly. But surprisingly, research soothed that there was no formalized education to teach event management and companies found their executives not up to the mark to handle event. It was not so easy to train because event management includes organizational skills, technical knowledge, P.R., marketing, advertising, catering, logistics, dcor, glamour identity, and human relations, study of law and licenses, risk management, budgeting, study of allied like television and other Medias and several other areas.

DEFINTION OF EVENT

Events

Reach

Live interact ion

Right communicatio n with the client

Live With Audienc e

Create s

Desir ed Impa ct

An event is a live multimedia package carried out with preconceived concept, customized or modified to achieve the clients objectives of reaching out and suitable influencing the sharply defined, specially gathered target audience by providing a complete sensual experience and an avenue for two-way interaction. The above figure is the graphical representation of the above definition. It is evident from the model that an event is a package so organized so as to provide, reach and live interaction between the target audience and the client to achieve the desired impact.

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HISTORY OF EVENTS
Tracing the History of Events would entail tracing the history of mankind because coming together forms an event. An event in its universal and literal form would be any occasion when something happens to something needs to be done to organize the same. Examples of International events are Olympics, arena sports. The Pushkar Mela has the distinction of being the biggest attended fair anywhere in India, if not the entire world, making it the biggest event of its kind. These represent the biggest organized effort in events from ancient times. Originated on religious line, these melas which literally mean fairs have always been a meeting ground for big and small traders, across the Indian subcontinent. Traditional games and entertainment have always been a part of such events. The euphoria generated in the fair was not only good for the participants and audience but also for the economy of the region as a whole. Ancient events such as Indian fairs and festivals, with the help of their visually spectacular depiction of epic themes which are interwoven with singing, dancing and emoting were a means of expression of the spiritual arid cultural tradition of a community. Its not only in its recent progress about event as Marketing medium that events are attracting corporate attention and at the same line getting corporatised itself. An event organizing agency does every time from offering consultancy for a communication strategy to managing the post-event media coverage.

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Rural India comprises of over 5, 75,000 villages and the TV penetration here barely crosses 5% and the Internet effect is infinitesimally small. Therefore, to obtain reach for their communication campaigns, various corporate have resorted to events as strategic alternatives. Having made a humble beginning event has now come a long way in terms of classification and specialization that are possible in this field. In fact, in this new millennium, events as a medium will be catering to all demographic segments of the population. Events have proved to be a versatile marketing communication tool since they can be easily customized to cater to the communication needs of the industry; be it pharmaceutical, financial services or any other. To add to the benefits that a communication, viz. advertising, sales promotion and public relation. An event can also act as a focus for specific campaigns and help in giving a guideline to media-related decision-making such as when to change, stop or even to introduce new campaigns.

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WHAT IS EVENT MANAGEMENT?

Events begin where the glamour ends. EM is the most intimate form of marketing. It is a controlled activity aimed at the target audience." With the ushering in of television era, we have been witnessing a plethora of ceremonies or events being organized in every part of the world. Behind the success of Miss World Competition, or World Cup '99, or a Michael Jackson or even a product launch show are a group of Event Managers. Event Management can be categorized into different forms such as organizing cricket matches, product launching, rock shows, fashion shows and even training programs for corporate sectors. Before product launching, organizing road shows has become a regular feature. Different sorts of festivals can be organized. As one gains experience, one can start a PR consultancy firm to develop press relations. One can arrange youth camps for children or a trekking tour for youth or executives. An interesting area in Event Management is organizing parties and disco nights. The concept is gaining momentum because of the present day demand for socializing. Event management is a glamorous and exciting profession which demands a lot of hard work and dynamism. As the name suggests, it means conceptualizing, planning, organizing and finally executing an event. The event could be of any type - musical show, concert, exhibition, product launching etc. This industry is just five years old in India, but holds a lot of promise for expansion. It offers enormous scope for ambitious young people.

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Event management is very closely related to advertising and marketing. Events can be thought of as another means of advertising and brand building. Event management, as an activity constitutes of visualization, creativity, and meticulous planning and venue management. Visualization involves imagining the event to be a brand and then customizing and promoting it as per the needs and values of the brand. This requires a lot of creativity, originality and novel ideas to lend a winning and distinguishing edge to the event so that it stands apart from the others. The creative potential of a person is tapped to a very high degree. To make an event successful, one needs to have an in-depth understanding of the product or brand for which the event is being organized, and then plan accordingly. The execution of the event is a process of projecting a small idea in a whole new way. The presentation is what matters, to make the look and feel of the event a wonderful experience for the audience. There is a lot of logistics involved in managing of any event. It boils down to the management and co-ordination of services and supplies. During event planning, one needs to consider all the technical details like - projection of lights, sound effects and other special effects to make the event a spectacle. After planning comes the actual execution part, which needs to be orchestrated in a perfect manner. The venue needs to be managed efficiently in all domains which include managing the banquet area, placing security personnel at the right places, hospitality and all the other small things which provide all the participants a perfectly comfortable feeling.

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SEGMENTATION
1. CORPORATE Product launches Conferences/ Convention Shareholders Meeting Employee Get-together Exhibition Road shows Press conferences Promotion 2. ENTERTAINMENT Celebrity Performances Musical Nites Award Functions Fashion Shows Beauty/Personality Pageants Cultural Programme (Dandiya Raas, etc.) 3. SOCIAL/PERSONAL Weddings Birthday Parties Personal Celebration Family/ Friends/Associates- Get together Opening Ceremony Function

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 Association- Meetings/Educational Workshops. 4. POLITICAL Political Conventions Political Rallies/Meetings Election Campaigns 5. OTHERS Theatre Shows/Plays Premiers Government Contracts Food Festivals Religious Sammellans College Events

SEGMENTATION Corporate 15% 5% 20% 25% Political Others 35% Social/ Personal Entertainment

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5 C'S OF EVENTS
Conceptualization of the creative idea/ambience Costing involves calculation of the cost of production and safety margins Canvassing for sponsors, customers and networking components Customization of the event according to brand personality, budgets, etc.

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Carrying-out involves execution of the event according to the final concept

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The activities required for marketing and managing events require certain steps to be followed that can be called the five C's of events. The first is Conceptualization of the creative idea/ambience followed by the Costing i.e. calculation of cost of production and margins on the event. Canvassing, for clients/ sponsors, customers/audience and networking is the next step. Depending on the customers' needs and marketing objectives, Customization of the concept is required. Finally, the most important part of event management is the execution of the event as planned. We term this activity as Carrying-out the event In practice, each of the C's may not strictly adhere to the sequence in which they have been presented above. There is a complex interaction between the various C's before the carryout stage, depending on the requirements of the client, constraints forced by budgets, etc. The final concept, which is going to be actually carried out, is a derivative of a series of modifications to the initial concept. The final concept is arrived at after accommodating changes required for a perfect fit amongst all other C's during the conceptualization process. This process can be termed as event designing.

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A CASE EXAMPLE Event organizers: ABC events Event: Holi 2002 Event category: Fairs and festivals Core concept of Holi It is a celebration to mark the onset of spring and the harvest season. A festival in which people splash colors on each others as a symbolic gesture, celebrating the good harvest and fertility of the land. The bonfire night commemorates a Hindu mythological event in which Vishnubhakta Prahalad emerges unscathed from a fire arranged by his father King Hiranyakashyap and aunt Holika to kill him. Background In the year 1997, ABC had successfully organized a two-day event with an ethnic and rural mela ambience for city dwelling families entitled Rang Barse in Mumbai. Color rain and blasts formed the main attractions of the event. The first days programme was an evening of musical entertainment after the lighting of the Holika. The venue was the parking lot of an amusement park, large enough to host an audience of around 1500. The costing involved an event production budget to the tune of Rs. 7 lakhs. The event was ticketed show partially sponsored by multiple sponsors. Tickets for the show were sold at a variety of outlets as well as at the venue for Rs. 250 per couple. Art was given more importance leaving hardly any scope for customization. Costing The costing for Holi 200 worked out Rs. 10 lakhs.

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Canvassing Many corporates were approached with the initial concept to sponsor the event. The leads generated through canvassing for sponsors and negotiation with venue owners gave a strong impetus and indications of success for a particular variation. A leading soft drinks company could be persuaded to fully sponsor the event. Customization The target audience of the soft drinks company was predominantly fun-seeking youth. The initial concept needed to be changed from a family-oriented event to a youthful event. The budget needed to be drastically reduced to Rs. 2 lakhs per centre and the event was to be conducted simultaneously in 5 locations spread across the country. Final concept and carrying-out Constraints of budget and specific requirements of the client changed the initial concept of a two day programme to a 3- hour forenoon programme titled Holi Gyrations 2000. The programme essentially revolved around a color rain dance and color blasts for young people with coverage on a popular youth oriented music channel on the television. It was also decided to use the event coverage as software for future use by the channel. Now the event was fully sponsored show for a single sponsor with invitations to a small limited number of participants. The show was now fully customized to give predominant importance to the sponsors colors, viz. blue and red. Both the color blasts and the color rain were predominantly blue and red. The carryout stage involved being exceptionally careful and prepared for the eventualities such as hazards of drunken misbehavior of the youth even though liquor was not allowed inside the venue. The 21

interaction revolved around a popular VJ anchoring the show and except for dancing, there would be hardly anything else actually happening.

EVENT AS A MARKETING TOOL

Management of event has traditionally been alluded to as a post marketing activity and assigned the classic production responsibility as in any manufacturing firm. The term management of events therefore carries a totally different connotation when used in the context of events. Management theory would suggest that marketing is also a part of management. Guess, every industry and its theory had variations! For all practical purposes, I events one should differentiate between marketing and event management in a functional way. Therefore, when we use event management, it is to denote the production of an event. A large number of people with different skills and roles are involved in the execution of an event. There is a complex interaction of people and their responsibilities. The customized nature of events as a whole adds to the difficulty in defining roles of the people involved with the event. A host of decision-making situations is what management of an event is all about. The managers job is to physically reproduce this fit in the event. Therefore, it is critical that event management is not considered as a lesser profession than marketing. Events literally bring products to participants in an innovative and personally involving manner. For example, when Camlin was interested in introducing active school students to its new product line of Artoons sketch pens, in addition to advertising in the expected magazines and TV options, it sponsored drawing competitions at

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premier city schools. It offered product giveaways and demonstrated the product's features and benefits through a huge float and a road show covering most schools in South Bombay in the tour.

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Events can subtly, yet effectively, reinforce the brand image of the product or service in the interest of the consumer through an event association using celebrities, locations and/or acknowledged industry leaders. In 1998, soft drinks manufacturer Coca-Cola India acted as the title sponsor of part of the Asha Bhonsle Live Concert Tour organized by UNIRAPPORT Events, a division of UTV. The concert was an elaborate tour of 10 cities. The audience had the opportunity to watch Asha Bhonsle live in concert. Coke obtained the opportunity to present the event and use tickets for the show as giveaways, thus effectively tying a brand building exercise with increasing customer traffic in its retail outlets as well as a sales promotion campaign. Events therefore offer innumerable opportunities for the sponsors to extract every possible mileage available in the marketing lexicon. Though sponsoring of a big event like a rock show, an Olympic Games or a cricket tournament invariably means sharing the limelight with other companies and other brands, the customizations of events totally serves the communication agenda of a company. of Communication through live media integrates the functions

advertising, sales promotions and public relations.

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DIVERSE MARKETING NEEDS ADDRESSED BY EVENTS

Brand Building:- Events help in brand building by Creating awareness about the launch of new brands/products Presentation of brand description to highlight the added features of product/ service Helping in rejuvenating brands during the different stages of the product life cycle Helping Associating in the communicating brand the of repositioning clients with of the brands/products personality personality of target market Creating and maintaining brand identity Image building Focusing the target market: - events help in focusing the target market by Helping in avoidance of clutter Enabling interactive mode of communication Marketing research: - Events help in conducting marketing research by Helping in creation and sustenance of a panel of consumers Enabling market database assimilation, maintenance and updating Providing instant feedback and opportunity for an authentic and instant market research

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 Implementation of marketing plan: - Events help in carrying out certain marketing activities by Enabling authentic test marketing Enabling focused sales and communication to a captive audience Increasing customer traffic in stores Enabling sales promotion Helping in relationship building and PR activities Enthusing and motivation the sales team Providing an avenue to affirm presence Generate immediate sales Generate instant publicity Recruit new distributors and sales representatives Relationship building:- Events help in relationship building by Giving relationship management a proactive feel Creating a forum for bringing together key corporate influencers, decision makers and businessmen Creating a forum for career match making Creating opportunities for better deals with different media: A single sponsor may find it difficult to network with the different media. The volume generated by one sponsoring firm may not be lucrative enough for the particular media to offer substantial room for negotiation whereas professional event organizers are in touch with the media components daily. This enables negotiation by event organizers to be more fruitful than when as individual company negotiates with the media.

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 Events and the Economy: Over and above the marketing angle, the economic benefit to the region hosting the event is also a positive aspect. Countries like India should be not only investing in information technology but also other communication infrastructure to be ready in this millennium to host similar mega events. The 1982 Asian games held in New Delhi gave an impetus to the Indian economy with the setting up of an Asian Games village for the participants with all modern facilities essentially in transportation and infrastructure. The buses which were introduced during the games to transport athletes are in fact still in operation and or plying between various cities such as Bombay and Pune, 22 years later!

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VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF EVENT MANAGEMENT

1. PLANNING A significant part of event project management is the planning. It is a process of mentally fitting all the components together. It includes foreseeing any problems and solutions. It is more realistic to regard event planning as a method of reducing the number of problems. In this sense the aim of event planning is to plan all the tasks that can be planned so that changes and unforeseen problems can be dealt with in a focused way. Although most aspects of the event can be organized, the fluidity of event preparation means there is always the unexpected. The event starts with an idea or concept, the first question to ask is "Is it feasible? The feasibility is fed back into the concept (iteration) and the concept may need to develop. Once it looks feasible, the event planning can start. The planning may uncover opportunities or risks that need to modify the event concept. Aspects of the plan may be implemented while other areas are still in the planning phase. For example promoting the event may start well before site planning. There are some aspects of shutdown that may well begin during set up. The areas of risk, content and cost as well as the schedule have to be managed. The only certainty is that there will be change. Internal change includes the increase in event staff, the increase in contract management as more suppliers are involved. Internal change may also be unexpected. The event company may take on other events while the one event is being planned. External change could be the all-toocommon change of venue or it could be on a grand scale with the change in overseas currency exchange rate. 28

No matter what change occurs the event will need to work within constraints set by the client - such as making a profit - or by legal and ethical issues. There may be far more subtle constraints implied by the client's working culture - such as the corporate culture. The written event plan can be as short as one page or as long as a book. It depends on the level of detail or scale in the planning. This level of detail will depend on such factors as: Complexity of the event Scale of the event Familiarity of the event management, staff and suppliers with the type of event Legal and stakeholder requirements Time and other resources allocated to the task of planning The process of writing a plan assists in the structuring of the event. It is also a communication tool and a project baseline from which the event can be measured. It is not 'written in stone' and will need revising as the organization of the event life cycle proceeds.

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2. PRODUCTION PRE-PRODUCTION Following major tasks have to be performed during the pre-production stage: Prepare a detailed schedule prior to production work on site. Detail out role of departments that are likely to be involved in the production. Prepare a detailed checklist of activity heads. Plot a detailed time chart, delivery schedules that would lead to successful execution of the production Preproduction work also includes completion of following tasks: Designing and creation of Set Designing of signages props etc Creation of packaging, which could include creating preproduction computer graphics, animation, television show packaging, background music for entries and presentation, etc. Scripting, designing and allocating the technical production element ON-SITE PRODUCTION This includes actual execution of work on site this could include Construction of Sets Lighting Backstage management and production Coordinating with dancers, artists Cueing and executing the screenplay of the act or performance Shooting and online editing Controlling and managing multi camera setups. 30

POST PRODUCTION Post event production starts with the end of the show, it is the responsibility of the event manager to leave a venue premise restored to its original state as it was handed over to them prior to the commencement of the event. The post production includes Ensuring smooth dismantling of technical gear and the staging. The material/branding pertaining to the sponsor should be neatly packed and handed over to the relevant authorities. Editing of produced footage, packaging it for television In case the show has to be televised then the tapes should be sent to the television director for editing and post production, a designate from the production team should oversee the post production.

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PRODUCTION- THE SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES: From the time the client approves the project and the discussed creative plan is passed on to the production team. The onus comes onto the production to design and execute the idea to perfection. A lot of good production values depend upon drawing detailed checklist, plotting the event map and flow based on time lines and delivery schedules. The first thing that effects good production is drawing a detailed interpretation out of the creative brief, i.e. making a list of requirement that would go in to the event. Starting from the elementariness that make an event like sets, support systems, lighting, audio visuals, staging, backstage and artist, performers, etc. later they need to workout a detailed flow which includes aspects that would make the audience comfortable in the time they intend to spend at our event. This includes aspects of cleanliness, comfortable seating, refreshments and sanitation, etc once the requirements are listed out the production team needs to draw a detailed time lines of the event along with job list of who would be responsible for the execution along with a deadline The master sheet should also include contact numbers of the people involved. There should be a minute-by-minute schedule detailing about the timing that would go into putting up the infrastructure and also the ingress of staffing, artist, etc who will be a part of the show. A separate cue sheet detailing the flow of the show/event listing the timing of the acts, speeches, presentations detailed to include cues for backstage, lighting, P.A operator, audio visual team, etc should be listed as part of the sheet. A separate sheet showing the detailed report of work carried out during the day and progress on daily basis should be submitted to the production or technical manager. 32

3. VENUE AND SITE MANAGEMENT There can be little doubt that the choice of the site or venue of the event is regarded as the most important decision by event managers. It can produce as many problems as it can throw up opportunities. First trying to match aspects of the event to the site, next designing both to complement the event and finally, communicating the eventual layout to the stakeholders. SELECTING THE SITE Site selection is as much a part of marketing the event as it is a part of operations or finance. A checklist for the event should be created so that nothing is left out or forgotten in the excitement of finding a good venue. It may be helpful if you decide what are the fundamental criteria and the changeable criteria. Some of the issues are: External and internal utilities such as power, water and waste removal. Amount of work needed to get the site to a useable state. Availability for the setup and breakdown of the event. Various qualities of the venue or site help in the event planning. This can be vital as so many aspects of the venue will not be obvious in the site inspection. Is the site user-friendly? For example, do the delivery trucks have easy access; is the floor strong enough for a forklift, height of ceilings, physical obstructions such as columns and steps, trees etc? Is the site attendee-friendly? Once again, this will depend on the type of event. For example, some sites are easy to navigate and walk around; others are exposed to wind and sun.

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LAYOUT AND DESIGN To layout an event successfully, you need to consider a number of factors such as: Flow - the movement of the audience, equipment, supplies, at various times. Placement - where all the equipment, tents and other objects will be placed. Fixed facilities and utilities - these will be part of the hire of the venue. You may choose whether to use them or bring in your own. Size of the event - in particular the audience numbers and their expectations. Placement will concern financial issues as well. Food, beverage, merchandise should be placed so as to gain the maximum revenue. The positioning of the stages or entertainment areas will concern such issues as sound spill and proximity to services that the stage requires. These are the practical matters that allow the audience to experience the event. They should be 'invisible' in the sense of not detracting from the theme of the event. However, design is a combination of practicality and aesthetics. The aesthetics of site design is related to the theme of the event and ultimately to the expectations of the attendees. Designing the theme of the event and making it run through all aspects of the event is often called the 'Look of the Event'. The site should reflect the theme - a medieval themed event will still have some very unmedieval aspects such as lights, parking and a sound system. However with careful and creative thinking, they can still be part of the theme or at least not interfere with the theme.

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SITE MAP OR PLAN Perhaps your most effective communication tool for making sure the site is set up as you planned is a good site map. It must be drawn so that it is understood and used by the event team. It can assist in the layout and design of the site. It can also be used as the basic event map for the attendees and put on the posters, invitations or on the web The information on the map would include: Compass direction, i.e. north Pathways and roads Staging areas Access for suppliers, attendees Emergency services and access Facilities-toilets Food and beverage areas Security/police Disabled access Parking and public transport Ticket booths Information booths Telephones and ATMs Lost children and first-aid centers Storage and maintenance areas Administration desk Legend(list of symbols used on the map) Scale Off-limit areas Location

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Along with the deadline, the event site or venue is regarded as the major factor in event operations. You can work the sire and exploit its opportunities or work against it and have problems from day one. Selecting the venue requires careful thought, analyzing the events requirements and matching with the venue. It is rare that you find the perfect sire. It is a matter of give and take. Sire design has two components that need to be considered together- the practical and the aesthetic. Finally, it all needs to be communicated to all the participants via a well designed site map.

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SET DESIGNING Set designing is a concept that is not new in the entertainment industry. Feature films like Mugal-E-Azam, Taj Mahal, Khuda Gawah, Raj Tilak and tele-serials such as Mahabharata, Ramayana, The Sword of Tipu Sultan, Buniyaad are some examples where the highly elaborate sets reflected the concept of the programmes and formed the nucleus of the show/movie/tele-serial. In the recent times all the programmes / concerts / live shows are very much dependent on the sets/stages. An artistic and a gigantic stage or stages with smaller dimensions but with an innovative concept speaks volumes for the event. What is a Set / Stage? Going by the definition, "a provisional construction that transforms a given space, may be outdoor or indoor, to suit the occasion / event and give it a different look or revamp it as per the requirements is called a set / stage". Sets / Stages form the centre point of any event as the performers will be placed on this platform where they carry out the activities (acting, performance, dance, ramp walking, comedy etc.). This platform, irrespective of its position, is the area where the focus of the audience / spectators will be glued to. Hence, this platform i.e. the set / stage is the focal point of any event. Events: Events can be indoor or outdoor. The sets, irrespective of the venue have to be very attractive. In an outdoor show, the stage should look huge in terms of the area and the theme of the event or a set has to be put up.

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For an indoor event, the magnitude of the set can range from small to medium but sometimes can also be a gigantic stage. The sets are always tailor-made suiting the event theme, the product or the client. Road shows which make use of canters also involve the usage of small- medium or large props. This is dependent on the size of the canter, the magnitude of the road show and finally and most importantly, the product. Example: Indoor 1. Star Yaar Pariwar Awards - NCPA, Mumbai 2. MTV Lycra Style Awards - NCPA, Mumbai. 3. Ceat Cricket Rating Awards - Hotel Taj Mahal. Outdoor 1. Femina Miss India MMRDA Grounds 2. Filmfare Awards MMRDA Grounds 3. Independence rock Rang Bhavan Road Shows 1. Star Trek 2. Launch of Cult the energy drink

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DESIGNING PROCEDURE: The first step is to identify the genre of event. Categorize the event based on its nature i.e. is it a corporate event, trade fair, exhibition, award function, educative event, live show etc. Once the type of the event if identified, ask the client (can be the event management company or the client directly) about his requirements and the coverage he desires with respect to the stage. The next logical step is to brainstorm and discuss the client needs with the creative team. The production department also needs to be actively involved as the feasibility, costing and the lead time are aspects of utmost importance. Once a couple of ideas are confirmed by the creative

department, they are required to be filtered through various technical considerations i.e. the dimensions, the lead time, the output, the effect, the cost, the theme etc. Once these aspects, i.e. the commercial and the technical angles are considered, the idea is now ready for presentation to the client. The idea is presented not only on the power point but also miniatures of the same are built. The ideas are presented to the client with minor inputs from the client and one of the designs is approved. After this, a proper miniature is prepared with proper scales (definitely on the lower side) with the areas of entry and exits, the podiums, the areas where branding for the client could be done and other aspects. Finally, the production department, in constant reference to the creative to the stage design, starts the execution of the stage.

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5. COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION The sum and substance of events as a whole revolves around interpersonal skills. The need for achieving synergy among individual efforts so that the team goal is reached is the main aim of coordination. The overall coordinators need to be leaders with fantastic people skills. They are continually required to motivate the labour and other junior coordinators to work real hard given the physical nature of job, the time constraints involved and the one-off nature of the event. The overall coordinators also should be able to guide the marketing and project managers and this may even mean that the experience and expertise of past event need to be passed on to relative new comers given the shortage of professional event managers. Thus, great communication skills and patience without letting too many errors happen as well as knowing how to use the carrot and the stick in a balanced manner are the basic characteristics of the overall coordinator. From the figure below you will realize the level of communication and coordination a site manager is responsible for to make the show a success. The char is a simplified structural representation of the stage managers relationship to all others working on an event. The stage manager/ show producer is in the middle and there is a circle of people and teams to whom he is responsible and with whom he interacts to make the event possible. He has to balance the artistic vision of the creative team, with the budgets of the client, the compulsions of shop floor labor and the constraints imposed by the administrative and finance team and at the same time juggle with the demands of the other members of the circle.

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CLIENT
BUSINESS TEAM: Event manager team, Clint servicing team,

CREATIVE TEAM

BACK STAGE TEAM

STAGE MANAGER/ SHOW PRODUCER

SITE MANAGER/ STAFF

Suppliers of Raw Materials

Shop floor Labour, Carpenters, Electrician, etc

PRODUCTIO N SERVICES TEAM

He has the responsibility to execute the event in a myriad of constraints and has to be sufficiently adjustable to the requirements of everybody. He has to be an adaptable communicator. At the venue or the site, all of them will pressurize the stage manager with their requirements and within the limited time span he has to fulfill all the responsibilities.

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6. TECHNICAL PRODUCTION Technical production has always been the whats that factor for event managers. Knowledge of technical production has so far been the domain of few and very few event managers have tried to dare and know it all for the success of event because technically sound event can make the most ludicrous concepts look creative, fabulous and opulent if treated to perfection. It is easy to hire a production or technical manager and rely on this expertise to deliver the goods. But if you dont have knowledge about the technical world you cant tell if its good for you or not What makes a great technical production? A detailed insight into technical gear knowledge of different application of technical gear, how does one distinguish gear and/or equipment for the right event? Selecting technicians is done as per show and budgetary requirements of the client. Having a through knowledge of the show requirements and look and feel that is required for the show, the design of the set, the seating plan of the audience and the format of the show Technical world at glance 1. Lighting 2. Sound reinforcement 3. Audiovisuals 4. SFX 5. Trussing and Scaffolding 6. Lasers 7. Televised Coverage/ Broadcasting 8. Venue construction 43

Lighting: Architectural Lighting Theater Lighting Special Effect Lighting Venue construction: On Ground venue arrangement Drinking Water Canteen during Set-up days Barricading Toilets Green rooms Meter rooms Cabling General lighting Gates Parking arrangements Venue cleaning and maintenance

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Tips for Technical Manager: Always plan for the worst case scenario. Keep enough back ups for power, mixing controls. Keep a Swiss knife and a torch handy while on set. Rubber soled shoes for protection against electric shocks. Never handle live wires with bare hands, make sure all wires, joints are well insulated. While ordering projectors, always insist on asking for a projector with a bright bulb if not brand new. Same goes for scanners and follow spots too. Prepare a detailed technical rider of all equipment using separate sheets for each department, 1st out performance, playback equipment separately. If audio-visuals presentation is to be made in any format e.g. in the form of DAT, audio cassette, CD, VCD, MD, BETA, UMAT, VHS, etc then ensure that the software required to play the presentation is included in the software head of the rider and make sure you hand over a copy of this rider to each department head along with the relevant software and make sure to take it back after the show.

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7. SPEAKERS AND OTHER PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS Who are the people on the program? A program requires a variety of types of people-speakers, moderators, interviewers, workshop leaders, trainers, discussion leaders, panelist, expert witness, and summarizers Scrapping the term speakers is a fairly easy way to make a dramatic difference in the quality of programs offered. The challenge is to see how many different types of people the manager can use to communicate the required information without having them read speeches. Successful professional speakers learn very quickly that reading speech is not good for business. They talk to their audience; they usually move off the stage, walk around, and look the audience squarely in the eyes. Wireless microphones encourage movement. Theses speakers are often looked upon as entertainers, and there is nothing wrong with speakers being entertainers. In fact, the problem arises when a speaker is not entertaining. Event coordinators must be more selective more demanding and more detailed with speakers. They have got to learn how to bring out the best in poor speakers who happen to be recognized expert in the field. Most speakers would not welcome guidance on the subjects desired focus as well as the type of attendees and the level of their knowledge is unimaginable.

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Locating People: Thinking about program participants actually begins in the program design phase, because this is where the manager decides what he wants plan to communicate and how he will do it. As the manger selects the topic and a format, He must ask if he can locate or recruit qualified people at a price he can afford. Once the event manager knows the boundaries of who he needs and what he has to offer, he can begin researching, brainstorming, asking knowledgeable people in the field or his colleagues with related and respected experience. Dont automatically use the staff, board of directors, congressperson, and friends as key presenters. Not only may they not be the best, it may be harder to keep them focused on the goals and the audiences interest in the subject. Besides, how does a manager tell his congressperson or the chairman of the board that the fifteen minutes are up? Clarifying roles: While the manager is researching his resources, he should begin to define in writing what he wants each person to do. What role does this person play in the conference? What does that role mean to him? Will the participant automatically understand what he expects? Probably not, so the manager should write a description a short paragraph explaining exactly what is expected of each program participant.

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Developing content guidelines: The next step is to develop a written list of points or questions the manager would like to have included in the speech, discussion or workshop. Then communicate these points to his program participants in writing, through briefing meetings, or in reviews of their plans. This is also a good time to go over the schedule and the importance of adhering to it on site a key aspect of managing program participants. Some topics are so broad it would be pure luck if the speaker/leader touched on them without guidance. The question the manger may ask is: why tell the experts? The answer is that the experts usually have no way of knowing what has been covered in past events, and they may not know the level of audiences knowledge or its current interest in the subject. All speakers have favorite aspects of a subject, areas in which they are most comfortable and require the least preparation. Without guidance, speakers head straight in that direction and the manager will have given them a license to do what they want rather than what he or the audience wants. They arent wrong the manager is for abdicating his responsibility. Research takes time and requires the manager to become a three minute expert in a variety of subject areas. It offers the opportunity to learn about so many different subjects. If the manager has to delegate dont give the job away without explaining what he wants, indicating why he wants it and supervising the product to keep it on target.

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8. SELLING SPONSORSHIPS Sponsorship has become an established communication tool for building brand awareness, brand image and corporate image. It is important to write a good sponsorship proposal and sell it in the most effective and efficient manner: A good sponsorship proposal must include: A) Title of the event: The sponsor shall be entitled to have the event named after the brand nominated by the sponsor. B) Background of the organizers and the events C) Types of Sponsorship available D) Details of benefits to various sponsors This is the most important point, which is the backbone of the proposal, and the sponsor will only be given based on the benefits, which a sponsor receives. For example: Logo on advertising the sponsor shall receive logos on all advertising related to the event, including all press advertisements, all posters, banners and hoardings which is of great benefit as the buyer now visualizes the media as described above and is more inclined to the event.

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An excellent way of obtaining resources or help for planning an event is not only in-kind arrangement possible (prizes for a raffle); sponsors can also offer cash, discounted leasing of Premises (room hire discount) and networks and contact to use. Example of these includes: Having a radio station or relevant magazine as a sponsor; Distributing press releases to obtain publicity promoting the event Involving universities, which may set creation of advertising material for the event as A course assignment Sponsorship for printing company who would then be featured on the promotional Material (sponsors should be featured on all the promotional material); and Featuring the event in all free classified section like Whats on, community Notice boards, listing in club and school newspapers and special interest magazines, Interviews with the event coordinators etc.

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9. BUDGETING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT The budget is the real event shaper; it puts all the theory into perspective. The manager will find out what is really important to his CEOs, members, or clients. It doesn't have to be an extravagant budget; actually, there are very few of those. The interesting point is where the money is spent, specifically when compared with the stated goals. The coordinator can't talk about expenditures without an evaluation of potential revenues. The manager needs some idea of revenues before he tackles the expenditures. This ceiling or range becomes a major management and planning tool for the coordinator. The history is important to the budget process as staff resources are to planning schedule. If the manager doesnt have a group history, he can, at a minimum, seek out trends for similar, programs or evaluate the general economic outlook. Normally, in good times, attendance is higher and supplier costs are less negotiable. Correspondingly, bad times mean fewer attendees and greater flexibility in negotiations. But this is not always true, so check the implications for the event. An event that emphasizes selling skills or employment opportunities may be better attended in tough times. Also in the trends area, event publications survey readers and publish results that tell the firm how money from corporate versus association events is being spent. Our industry's trends, suppliers, respected colleagues, and the event firms files are the most obvious sources. All too often, the budgeting process is seen as purely mathematical, while it is really an intellectual process in a mathematical format. 51

The budget as a document is an important planning tool, but the true value is in the degree to which the manager uses it and in the accuracy and thoughtfulness of the preparation process. The planning schedule reduces all the manager knows to people, risk, and deadlines. It is this combination that determines the road the event will take. The goals are the foundation; the planning tools are the supporting beams. Add a healthy dose of creativity in the interior design (program, speakers, food and beverages), this empty structure for the energy that only the attendees can provide. Ultimately, it is this combination that determines whether the result will be success, mediocrity, or failure. The event coordinator's role in establishing the budget varies, depending on the organization's structure. In some companies or associations, the budget process is closely guarded and the coordinator is involved only in the area of his or her responsibility. In other cases, a budget would never be prepared if the coordinator didn't force the issue.

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Format The beginning point in preparing a budget is research. Research can be in the form of bids, the economy in the host city, past financial reports on the same or a similar meeting, seasonal advantages or disadvantages, or national economic trends, such as the price of gasoline. The manager doesnt need to be an economist but needs to observe, make notes and view it from a holistic point of view. The coordinator must take apart financially the event he is planning. There are many ways to divide the event into general categories that may or may not relate to the internal accounting system. If the event has only one account code, the manager will have a lot of flexibility in formatting his budget. If he is required to bill a variety of costs to a variety of accounts, prepare to work closely with the accounting office in the beginning. That aspect of budgeting is most difficult when government contracts are involved or when direct, indirect, overhead, and general and administrative costs must be broken out The point is not that he understands the mathematical formulas for organization's accounting, but that the manager interfaces with the system for efficiency and accuracy. Now that the coordinator has all that information, he must organize the budget into categories. These are divides into income items and expenditures. Other schemes include organization by day, by fixed and variable costs, by profit centers (such as children's or spouse programs exhibits, or events with add-on fees), or by internal

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accounting codes. What ever be the requirements the manager must at all times list every possible expense item and the estimated cost.

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He must then explain exactly how he arrived at each cost figurefor example 2,000 four color, eight-page advance program announcements; or 200 lunches at Rs. 150 plus 25 percent tax and gratuity times three days. This explanation will be valuable in the monitoring and final accounting. Clearly, some areas are easier to budget than others, such as signs, furniture, office equipment and any of those areas directly controlled by the coordinator. Audiovisual is one of those areas not easily controlled by the coordinator, especially if he leaves all options open to speakers. Always the manager should go by the budget he might want the world but can the budget carry it all the way. Budget for "unanticipated extras" but also give staff and speakers deadlines for additions to the budget which the manager is on a tight budget, additions may also mean cuts. The video monitors may cut into food and beverages or decoration. A quick trip back to the purpose (goals and objectives) may provide guidance in additions and cuts. Once the budget has been prepared and approved; attach a page for explanations of budget adjustments, with additional space for dates, changes, and approval signatures.

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10. EVENT LAW Recent research has shown that there is a need for about 400 to 500 small sized Event Companies in Mumbai alone to look after a huge amount of small events like parties, weddings, dealer meets, corporate events, kitty parties, small conventions, conferences, promotions, road shows, competitions etc. Other cities like Delhi and Bangalore could do with a few hundred and about 100 each are needed in Calcutta, Pune, Jamshedpur and Hyderabad. The capital requirement for forming a event company would be very less; only an office set up, say a rented office, a telephone, a computer, few necessary office equipment and office stationary. Costs would be incurred for company brochure, letterheads and visiting cards, and a bit of marketing cost, but the returns are phenomenal. Each event done could bring in about Rs. 5000 as fees and one could easily do 1 to 2 events initially and go up to five per month.

The legal aspects of the Event company formation: 1. Registration under Shops and Establishment Act. It is simple, go with the papers of the proof of ownership of the office premises whether it is purchased, leased or rented, to the nearest municipal ward office and submit them with a form obtained from the Shop and Establishment Department. The charge is Rs. 600 p.a; you can pay Rs. 1800 for 3 years in advance. An inspector will visit to verify the premises and then the license is issued. It is compulsory to have this license.

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2. Register for Service Tax The Service Tax on event management is 10.2% and registration is to be filed with the Director General of Service Tax, office of the Commissioner of Central Excise. Head office is opposite Churchgate station, at Bandra-Kurla Complex and branches are at various places. This is compulsory. 3. Optional- You may require Municipal license for storage if you store equipment. 4. One pays lease tax on hire of equipment if equipment hire is the main factor and not the skill of the person handling it. 5. One should also know about important Labour laws. Contract Act, Food and Beverages Act and about various police permissions. 6. One should be aware of the Income Tax rules. It is better to file returns, have your PAN number as it smoothens your path. 7. Cut T.D.S on various items as directed by Income Tax rules.

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OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION Various Permissions required for holding an Event (A) General Details The various permissions required for holding an event are as follows: Civic Permission: This includes much permission as listed below: 1. Police Permission. It is necessary for the event organizers to contact the local police station in order to get permission for a loudspeaker. If loudspeakers are required after 10 pm then an application letter has to be sent to the Mantralaya. 2. Deputy Commissioner of Police The DCP of the local area has to be informed so that he can organize a 'bandobast'. Police permission and permission from the DCP have to be forwarded to the Commissioner of Police for his approval. In addition to this, the Cultural Desks No.9 has to be applied to, to get approval for any performance that is scheduled to take place during the event. Moreover, an application is also to be submitted to the Law and Order desk office No. 11 for holding the event. 3. Traffic Police The traffic police of the local area as well as the Assistant Commissioner of Police have to be contacted at either the Lokhandwala or Worli Office. In the case of a road show, details on how many vehicles will be used, the names of the drivers, the routes and timings of the road show etc. have also to be submitted.

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4. Ambulance The need for an Ambulance depends on the nature of the event. It may or may not be necessary. 5. Fire Brigade This is imperative for an outdoor event. The blueprint showing the entrance and exit points have to be submitted to the Chief Fire Officer at either the Byculla or the Marol office. 6. Municipal Corporation of Mumbai There are 3 departments that have to be approached. They are: a) Estate department The event organizer has to approach this department in order to get a NOC to permit the event. b) Building and factories department of the ward office Event organizers have to apply to this department for keeping panels and other temporary enclosures during the event for which a prescribed amount of fees has to be paid to them. c) Food and beverages department The Medical officer of the health department of the concerned ward has to be notified. For liquor permit, the office of the collector of the Central Excise Department has to be approached and an application has to be sent to them.

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Indian Performing Rights (IPRS) It is an NGO. Depending on the size of the venue, a ticketed event will be charged Rs. 10 per head and a non-ticketed event will be charged Rs. 5 per head. Phonographic Performing License (PPL) It's an association of the music industry. This license is required for film music, pop music etc., to be played at an event. Entertainment Tax It is necessary to pay entertainment tax for a ticketed event. The tax is to be paid to the Collector of Mumbai at his offices situated at central Mumbai or Bandra East. If no sale of ticket is there, a NOC from the collector is to be obtained. (B) Permissions for Open Ground Events 1. Submit ground blue print and NOC from Ground Owners or Rent receipts. 2. BSES, Health Dept. and PWD NOCS. 3. Police NOC's License) CP Office (NOC for Tickets or Passes) Local Police (Bandobast) Local Police (Loudspeaker) Local Police/ ACP (performance License) Local Police (Sale of Food and Beverages) 4. Fire Brigade NOC 5. Traffic NOC Also IPRS and PPL if it applies. 6. Foreign Artist. GAD license (Home Dept Govt of Mah.) CP Office (Law and Order) a1so DCP's office CP Office (theatre DepartmentPremises

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(C) Auditorium Show 1. Commissioner of Police (Ticket selling permission). 2. ACP (performance license). 3. 4. BMC - pay a theatre tax of Rs. 12.50 per show. IPRS and PPL if it applies.

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11. CATERING Food, beverages and celebrations are inextricably connected. From social life-cycle events to giant hallmark events, the relationship between food and frivolity has been a close one. This is not to suggest that it is not serious business as well. The event-catering field has grown in even greater proportions than other segments of the overall industry. While there is no official statistics on how many individuals have entered the catering profession, I am confident that if they were published, they would be astonishing. It seems the only regulation imposed is by the local health department. The sheer numbers of individuals who have entered the event catering business in recent years make it impossible to adequately control the field. Among the problems are uneven food quality and service as well as immature business skills, which often result in difficult business relations with fellow event professionals. On the positive side of this complex field, much of the creativity, not to mention the actual business, which is generated in Event Management, stems from catering professionals To fully understand the modem catering field, the event manager must recognize two distinct features that distinguish catering from other professions. First, traditional food operations are confined to fixed locations and provide a relatively fixed menu to a known market. Caterers, by contrast, may inhabit a temporary location that may or may not be unusual and challenging. Second, although all food professionals must work with certain time constraints, the caterer must serve his or her product within a specified period of time working closely with the band leader, decorator, and entertainment coordinator as well as the event manager. 62

Logistical Considerations Proper and efficient guest flow as well as effective methods for ensuring the timely deliveries of food and beverage is essential considerations for the catered event. The event caterer may have substantial experience working in a permanent venue but when asked to provide service off-premise he or she may not be aware of the additional rigor required to survive in the jungle. To survive and thrive, one must know the basic laws of the event jungle. Figure outlines these important considerations. Logistics Laws for Effective Catered Events: Determine in advance the goals and objectives of the catered event and match the logistical requirements to these objectives. For example, a brief networking event should use fewer chairs and tables to allow time to the guests to mix and mingle with numerous individuals. Determine the ages and types of guests and match the requirements to their needs. For example, if the guests are older, more chairs may be needed to provide additional comfort during an extended reception. Identify the food preparation and other staging areas and ensure that there is a clear passageway to the consumption area. Check the floors to make sure they are free of debris and allow the service staff to move quickly. Whenever possible use a double buffet style. The double buffet not only serves twice as many guests but also allows the guests to further interact with one another as they receive their food. Do not place food stations in areas that are difficult to replenish. Large crowds of guests may prevent services personnel from efficiently replenishing food station.

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ADVANTAGES OFFERED BY EVENTS

As is clear from the preceding section, use of events as a marketing communication tool not only takes care of the problems associated with traditional media but also offer certain advantages because of which events are gaining importance over them. Some of these advantages are detailed below: Events have the ability to bring together sharply defined participants since the capacity for a particular event is usually limited. A specific number of the target audience could be invited or enticed to buy tickets for a show specially created for a particular profile of the target audience. Since the audience is actively targeted, the option of controlled reach can be exercised and ideal audiences for narrow-casting of information can be gathered. This leads to lowering of the media networking budgets and focused communication with the specially gathered audience. The audience that has been specially invited invariably is an ideal audience. An event carried out professionally and cleanly is invariably a memorable experience. The word-of-mouth publicity that this generates is an advantage that lingers on a long time after the event has actually been carried out. This provides an advantage of a higher brand recall to the client. The involvement of all the senses in experiencing the event is one of the greatest advantages that events can offer. Events can be designed such that the audience is actively involved in every part of the event and made to feel good. Thus, events as a live media offer a certain amount of immediacy to the experience-of being there while it's happening. For the audience, it is undoubtedly a thrilling situation.

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 Live media also enables interactive communication. Live media scores over conventional advertising in terms of reach, impact and tangible immediacy of measurement. Live media communication is a complete sensual experience as compared to a press advertisement or TV/Radio commercial. This is so because a press ad is basically a flat piece of paper and a commercial is just an audiovisual experience. The high recall value of live media communication is also a major factor. No other media can boast of the ability to provide such massive collection of feedback instantly as events. Being a live media, it is possible to feel and deduce the reactions of the audience to the aim or objective that the event was conceived for. The easily customizable nature of events, mean that specific traits of the local inhabitants can be incorporated in the big picture to ensure that the event is socially and culturally in tune with the local culture. Thus, the localization of events is very easy. The advantage- in terms of post-event publicity that events can offer over and above the paid or bartered media is the benefit associated with reports of the event in the newspapers and news on the electronic media. For such reports there is no extra cost to be borne-neither by the sponsor nor by the event organizer. This is a double edged sword because, in case the event is not up to the mark or is dogged by controversies, then, the same is also reported impartially.

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RISK MANAGEMENT
Our industry is based on risk. By this we mean uncertainty about the future creates risk. An event is a unique combination of elements i.e. suppliers, attendees, clients and therefore has a degree of uncertainty. Most of the event manager's time is spent on reducing that uncertainty. The job of risk management is to discover the areas of uncertainty and reduce them. But this alone is not enough for the modem event managers; they must be able to demonstrate how this is done. The first myth to dispel is that risk management only concerns safety or security. These are important parts of risk management - but they are only parts of it. If the event manager concentrates only on safety issues, then they may miss other areas of risk that impinge on safety. For example, not having enough funds to hire the right number of security staff because a sponsor has pulled out. In this case the primary risk is the withdrawal of a sponsor. The secondary risk is the security issues. The advantage event managers have is they are very conscious of safety risk. People are our events. When a person lands on the moon and the world is watching this makes it a special event - not just an engineering feat. The event manager understands the basic process to do a full risk management plan. They already do this when they walk the site, looking for problems, such as electrical leads that are not taped down or stairs that are not well lit in white light.

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The risk analysis process used is: Identify the risk. Assess the likelihood of the risk occurring Assess the impact of the risk occurring (severity) Produce a strategy to minimize the risk Assign the task to minimize the risk with a time frame Monitor the risk Reassess the risk for further action It all sounds technical - but if you observe what you do when you ask the caterer for a sample of their food, you are beginning your risk management of this element of the event. Your assessment of the risk may conclude that it is a good idea to take photos of the plate of food so that the caterer knows what you expect on the night of the event, thereby minimizing the likelihood that they make a mistake at a time when it would be impossible to correct, i.e. just before it is served to the guests. Hopefully, this example illustrates that the technical risk

management process is second nature to the event manager, it is almost intuitive. The next step is to look at all the elements of the event and apply the same process. But there is a problem - how do you identify all these elements? If you leave one out you are not doing a full risk management: This IS why risk management is based on project management. The 'elements' are found in the work breakdown structure (WBS). That is, the list of work that needs to be done to get the event organized and finalized.

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Tools and techniques from project management that can be used, these include: 1. Stakeholder analysis - Many of the risks arise from the requirements of the stakeholders. Therefore a stakeholder management plan is a first step in risk management. 2. Fault trees - This technique is used to assist in identifying risk and allow the staff to be consulted and become part of the risk management process. Getting the staff and suppliers involved in risk analysis is an important step. 3. Documentation proof of risk management is not just an incident free, successful event; it is the documents that recorded the risks and were an integral part of management of events. These include incident report sheets and a risk register. They make up the risk management planning document. Such documentation is the basis of project management. 4. Terminology project risk management gives the event company a list of accurate terms that can describe risk. These are the standards used across all industries. As well the staff has a language to describe the possible problems at the same time as analyze them. 5. Risk Audit the risk audit is related competency and maturity models outlined in so named conference paper. The aim of the risk audit is to allow the event organization to know where they are in respect to the standard in the industry. It helps to identify the gaps. Risk management planning is increasingly being demanded by event stakeholders such as the government and their agencies, insurance companies, sponsors and the courts. As a practicing event manager, one already knows the process and risk management will give you the language to describe it.

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THE 10 BIGGEST MISTAKES MOST EVENT PLANNERS MAKE...AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Mistake #1 FAILING TO IDENTIFY MEETING OBJECTIVES This is a very common mistake. Be sure to know one hundred percent what your management expects from this meeting. Examples: education, recruiting, awards presentations, new product roll-out, awareness etc. Mistake #2 FAILING TO BUDGET PROPERLY Many planners make this mistake by overlooking some very costly items. Specifically travel, audio/visual, programme handouts, shipping charges, decorations, security and afternoon breaks. Don't overlook these costs! Mistake #3 FAILING TO SELECT THE RIGHT FACILITY This mistake can destroy the best event. Things to consider when planning your event: Location, location, location! Depending on the locale of your attendees, proximity to the airport, sleeping room costs, freeways, major thorough fares and traffic patterns are critical. Meeting room location, meeting room size and parking fees, all affect your attendance. Mistake #4 FAILING TO HIRE THE RIGHT SPEAKER/ENTERTAINER

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Every planner's worst nightmare is a "flop". Be sure to use a reputed, skilled speaker or entertainer whom you have personally seen or whose references you have checked.

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Mistake #5 FAILING TO IDENTIFY AND SECURE A PROSPECT LIST IN ADVANCE. There are many times when events fail because of this one factor. Secure your entire list before securing your date in writing. Be sure your list has all names, titles, mailing addresses, fax numbers and e-mail addresses. Your attendees can't register if you can't reach them. Mistake #6 FAILING TO PREPARE A MARKETING PLAN This definitely ranks in the top three with regards to importance when planning an event. Be sure to layout your timelines. Get in touch with your contacts by your target dates. Plan your contacts by mail, email, telephone and fax by the week. This will insure maximum contact in a timely manner and will drive your attendance.

Mistake #7 FAILING TO SECURE STRONG CONTRACTS Here's where you can really run into trouble. Do NOT promote your event without legible and signed contracts for everything including your speaker, facility, other contractors, entertainer, performer etc.

Mistake #8 FAILING TO CREATE THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT With the hundreds of details we put into every meeting, don't overlook your meeting environment. audio, Lighting, visual, seating, location of room the temperature, music, decorations,

bathrooms and telephones are all important. 71

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Mistake #9 FAILURE TO SECURE THE RIGHT AUDIOIVISUAL A client spent over Rs. 2, 00,000 for audio/visual equipment but the headlining speaker went on stage and looked dumbstruck because the event company had ordered the wrong equipment! A powerful lesson. Get it in writing! Request a written list of audio/visual needs from every presenter and feed them back to your staging set up.

Mistake #10 FAILURE TO MARKET THE EVENT PROPERLY Once you've created your marketing plan, stick to it! Once your event is booked, it's critical all of your marketing contacts go as planned. Remember; use every means to reach your attendees. One method alone' doesn't reach everyone because we are-all different. Use every means available to you. Don't forget e-mail and better yet, your sponsors' Good Luck!

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I HAVE WORKED WITH ALL THE WELL KNOWN EVENT MANAGERS IN THE COUNTRY AND MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST - GIVEN YOUR ABILITY TO CONCEPTUALIZE AND EXECUTE EQUALLY WELL. KRISHNAN CHATTERJEE MARKETING SERVICES MANAGER, ITC LTD.

SEVENTY boasts a unique, creative track record of helping major brands build their businesses through perfectly managed events and promotions. The 70 approach to the events & entertainment business is a time tested and proven one, reflected in long standing client relationships maintained over many years. BUSINESS Operating since 1997, SEVENTY boasts a unique, creative track record of helping major brands build their businesses through carefully planned and perfectly managed events and promotions. WHY 70? Because we listen. Because of our excellent track record. Because we're creative, experienced and accountable. Because SEVENTY is the ultimate single point contact for the delivery of focused, unique, highly effective, cost efficient Entertainment and BTL solutions for your brand.

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ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE: Seventy is based in Mumbai and Bangalore with staff strength of 60 of the industry's most experienced professionals. PAN INDIA OPERATIONS SEVENTY functions through a network of Affiliate Offices in: Kolkata Chennai Pune Bangalore Hyderabad Cochin Ahmedabad Indore Lucknow Chandigarh Baroda CAPABILITES As one of Indias foremost integrated event and BTL marketing companies, SEVENTY provides WORLD CLASS solutions to your brand requirements. Our approach integrates all aspects of the marketing mix to give you the creative advantage you need.

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70 HAS A PROVEN TRACK RECORD IN: Event Management Entertainment & Event Marketing Solutions Brand Launches Road Shows Sampling Events Sales Conferences and Incentive Programs Sales Promotions Brand Celebrity Endorsements Artist & Event Promotion Marketing Private Parties Functions Wedding Planning

Television Award Shows and Stadium Concert Design Wedding Set Design Television And Film Set Design Special Event Stage And Set Design Corporate Launch Events and Exhibition Stand Design Interior And Furniture Design Festival And Ambient Space Design

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CLIENTS AMERICAN EXPRESS BANK AXN HSBC THE GRAND HYATT MUMBAI GEM AND JEWELLERY EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL FOSTERS INDIA LTD. EVEREST DEVELOPERS DELOITTE BPL 555 STANDARD CHARTERED BANK STANDARD FURUKAWA TURNER INTERNATIONAL UDV (GUINNESS) VIJAY DIMON GROUP WILLS LIFESTYLE MATTEL TOYS SONY ENTERTAINMENT TV (SET MAX) SHAW WALLACE SATYAM INFO PMG ITC WELCOMGROUP HOTELS LOWE LINTAS LIVING MEDIA GROUP (93.5 RED FM) K P SANGHVI GROUP JWT JOHN PLAYERS HEINZ INDIA LTD., ITC INTEL INDO AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IMAGES FASHION HINDUSTAN LEVER LTD., EXIDE HEINZ INDIA LTD G M PENS (REYNOLDS) FRANKLIN TEMPLETON INVESTMENTS FORD INDIA LTD THE BRITISH COUNCIL ENERGIZER BATTERIES COCA-COLA INDIA BENSON & HEDGES

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EVENTS MANAGED BY SEVENTY

1. JAN- FEB 2001 POWAPURI RAJASTHAN Launch of Jain temple constructed by K. P. Sanghvi Chartable Trust in Powapuri, Rajasthan. Devotees from 300 villages were invited to visit the temple and take part n the inaugural festivities. 4 months of planning and nearly 2 months of on-site production management went into the project that lasted 10 days. SEVENTY planned and executed the event from start to finish. A total of approximately 1.2 million people visited the temple site over the course of the event. 1.4 million sq. ft. of VIP, General, Artist, Religious Official, Entertainment, Dinning area tenting. 2000 toilets each cleaned 3 times a day to accommodate 85000 people daily.2 lakh liters of drinking water organized each day. 12 dinning halls of 18000 sq. ft. each, 25 buses to pick up and drop guests from neighboring villages, 175 supply trucks a day. An 80000 sq. ft. museum, a 4 km. long religious procession with 9 bands, 9 elephants, 46 horses and 20 camels. 20 managers, 70 Supervisors and 700 laborers worked round the clock for 10 days to manage this remarkable project.

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2. NOV DEC 1999, UDAIPUR K. P. SANGHVI WEDDING 12 events across 3 days. 2500 guests from across the world. 300 cars. 4 chartered flights. 15 palace hotels. Custom Hospitality arrangements in-flight and at hotels. Entertainment including Daler Mehendi, Falguni Pathak, a tailor made percussion show Drums of India, traditional dancers and an International sound and light show at 4 Palaces.

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3. GEM & JEWELLERY EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL OF INDIA EXHIBITION MAY 2006

IIJS 2006, Indias largest Jewellery show was managed for the third year in a row by SEVENTY. This event was held at NSE Complex, Goregaon, Mumbai like every year This year the event was held in May instead of June or July like every year. The working on this project started 2 months ago, with the creative team coming up with brilliant ideas to make the show look elegant and truly international. The work on the site started in the month of April. There was a lot of cleaning to be done, but everything was taken care of by the house keeping team well in advance.

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 The no. of staff working on the project increased as the days came closer. Seventys team worked day and night to make this exhibition a big hit. They made sure that each and every facility was made available to the clients, customers and also to the staff of seventy which was working so hard. There was a proper supply of water, canteen was kept clean and hygienic, toilets were cleaned regularly and there was some problem with the load shedding due to which the power was cut-off, but seventys team was well prepared for it and the show went on without any stoppage and any complaints The event saw over 2000 international delegations, buyers and over 1500 exhibiting companies 4,50,000 sq ft of air-conditioned space, over 35,000 registered visitors, 500 + hotel rooms, over 600 Gem and Jewellery exhibition stalls, Inauguration ceremonies, networking meetings over 5 busy days and India 's best new Jewellery on display. Some of the exhibitors had brought their brand ambassadors which included KARISHMA KAPOOR and LATA MANGESHKAR to promote their stall. SEVENTY had provided separate entry and exit facility for the celebrities coming to witness the show. Seventy yet again made sure the event was a perfect success.

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4. SMIRNOFF EXPERIENCE 2005

A rocking show over three days featuring international acts like DJ Sasha, DJ Ryan Shaw, Mechanical Fracture and a host of Indian talent like DJ Ivan, DJ Mukul, DJ Pearl and DJ Steve. Over 4,000 people experienced life the Smirnoff way at the City Studio in Kamala Mills, Mumbai. This event is also going to be held at 10 different cities across India viz., Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Indore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, etc The production work included setting up of stage, designing it according to the layout. Then coordinating with different departments including security, dcor team, the setup-team, ticketing etc. To host a grand show like this and get international artist there are various permission, duties and taxes to be paid. Some of them are Excise, Liquor, Performance license, NOC from cop station etc.

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5. FUN DAY OUT- 29TH OCT 2006

FUN DAY OUT event was targeted at children below 14 yrs and was held at City Park in Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai This event was coordinated by Cartoon Network and Pogo and was executed by the Seventys team. The sponsors for this event were McDonalds, HDFC, Milton, Bashon Lomb lenses, Pedigree etc. The main attraction of the event were the toon characters like Dexter, Dee, Popeye, Johnny Bravo, Power puff girls etc. It was a 3-hr event which had two shifts, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Around 4000 people had come to visit their favorite toon character. The event had games like Jig-saw puzzle, bay-blade, Shoot the stars, High flyers, etc. with attractive prizes like cartoon characters tattoos, labels, keychains, pencil-box with note pad of their favorite cartoon character, etc. Kids got a chance to dance with favorite cartoon stars. The kids were thoroughly enjoying their time with their favorite toon star.

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 The event went on smoothly and was a big hit.

KEY ISSUES PLAGUING THE INDUSTRY

1. Withholding tax on foreign artists remunerations: As per existing regulation the event manager is liable to deduct 30.6% tax from the remuneration paid to an international artist. In most cases artist will always refuse to take this burden on themselves and expect the event management to bare the tax. As a result of this most event become a non-starter from the beginning itself. 2. Regulatory clearance for event: There are several clearances requires for an event especially if it is an international event. At the local level, an average of about 22 clearances are required for staging an event and for an international event; numerous clearances are required to be taken from various agencies. 3. Lack of infrastructure: There is lack of infrastructure in India for staging live events here. Globally events are held in arenas. There is a lack of adequate exhibition infrastructure in India for staging of event. Events are still held in open grounds, sport stadiums and university auditoriums, which are not meant for this purpose. 4. Establishment of industry forum: Unlike in the US, the Indian event management industry does not have a forum or a self-regulatory body.

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5. Entertainment tax The entertainment tax in India is much higher as compared to any other Asian country. Besides, the level and nature of taxation also differs from state to state. 6. Income tax: India has complicated income tax regulation for international artist. 7. Duties on imports: The duty on the imports of equipment pertaining to certain events is still charge at normal rates, there is no special subsidy or waiver for the import of world class equipment to support event in India.

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FUTURE PROSPECTS
Live Entertainment Current size: Rs 800 crore Projected size by 2010: Rs 1800 crore CAGR: 18% This segment of the entertainment industry, also known as event management, is growing at a fast and steady rate. While this industry is still evolving, Indian event managers have clearly demonstrated their capabilities in successfully managing several mega national and international events over the past few years. In fact, event managers are also developing properties around events. The growing numbers of corporate awards, television and sports events are helping this sector. With rising incomes, people are also spending more on wedding, parties and other personal functions. However, issues like high entertainment taxes in certain states, lack of world-class infrastructure and the unorganized nature of most event management companies, continue to somewhat check the potential growth in this segment of the industry.

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CONCLUSION
From a fledging industry, live entertainment is becoming big business. Large corporates are sponsoring events, and are using the opportunity to market their brands to a focused audience. The future is expected to see more events, especially international events, drawing larger crowds and leading to higher ticket sales. Television channels, in their relentless quest for viewer ship, are expected to commission more events and also buy telecast rights of events. Revenue sources such as merchandising rights and internet rights, hitherto untapped, also hold out significant potential for event managers. High entertainment tax in certain states, high withholding tax on foreign artist payments, the proposed service tax, cumbersome clearance procedures at the local level and lack of exhibition infrastructure are the chief stumbling blocks to growth. Government of India and the state governments should address and resolve these issues as they stand to benefit considerably from the industrys growth.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Books Event Management and Marketing by Sanjaya gaur and Sanjay Saggere The Indian Entertainment Industry by Ernst & Young Festival & Special Event Management by Johnny Allen 2. Interview: Neha Misra for info regarding the company SEVENTY 3. Websites www.ficci.com www.pwc.com

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