Chapter 16 Summary Book Notes - Hospitality Management | HFT 3003, Study notes of Hospitality and Tourism

Download Chapter 16 Summary Book Notes - Hospitality Management | HFT 3003 and more Study notes Hospitality and Tourism in PDF only on Docsity! CHAPTER 16 SUMMARY BOOK NOTES Chapter 16 focuses on another section of meeting & events planning – specifically what happens in special events. Previously, we called these types of people “meeting planners”. More recently, we’ve diversified and realize that not everyone is planning a meeting – some people plan special events. So, now you’ll hear the term event planning used almost more frequently. Event planning is a general term that refers to the career path of those who primarily plan events: festivals, weddings, mitzvahs, sporting events, parades, conventions, conferences, etc. The title event planner (as stated above) is fairly new and was introduced by large hotels and convention centers to replace “meeting” planners when appropriate. Event planners are responsible for: Planning the event from start to finish – concept, design, layout, style, décor, choosing a venue, staffing, etc. Advertising and marketing of the event so that attendance is sufficient Arranging for speakers, lighting, stage design, and you name it! In order to be an effect event planner, you must be detail oriented, but able to multi- task, have good human relations skills, be able to conceptualize so you can “see” the finished product in your head, etc. You need a variety of skills and talents for this type of role. Some events must pay for themselves, so event planners are very involved in advertising and marketing of the event. We often look for sponsors so that these companies or individuals can have their names on our collateral, our menus, on banners, throughout the convention center, etc. By “sponsoring” a part of the event or a dinner within the event, this helps us with costs. Say, an event planner is planning a Home Show in Palm Beach, he or she will need to make sure that there are enough attendees paying admission, enough exhibitors purchasing trade show displays, etc. so that all costs are covered. Sponsorships help bring in more money for the events and give these organizations the ability to promote their business names and their products. Event planners also need knowledge of contracts. The contracts that you will sign with major arenas, stadiums, convention centers, hotels, or conference centers can be very tedious to read, highly detailed, and have a lot of “legal-eze”. Those of you who will minor or major in hospitality management at FAU can take both a hospitality law class and a meetings & events class (HFT 3603 and HFT 3741). When planning an event, the first step is to research the goals and objectives of the meeting. Then design a plan for the event including budgeting, how you’re going to get attendance, layout, set-up, venue, etc. You then plan and coordinate the event. And, afterward, you evaluate its success by following up with attendees and exhibitors to see how they rated the effectiveness of the event. During the research stage the planner asks questions such as: Why should the event be held? Who should hold it or organize it? Where should it be held? What do we want the attendees to learn/experience by attending this event? What outcomes will we expect after the event? During the design stage the event planner is free to look at venues, analyze different décor arrangements, look at different unique styles of setting up the event, different climates/times of year, etc. The planner designs the event around the expectations and outcomes decided during the research stage in order to make the event successful. During the planning stage the craziness and busy-ness takes over. The event planner handles a million and one things including: Budgeting Choosing the actual venue Choosing accommodations for those who stay overnight (if applicable) Making transportation arrangements on the ground for those who arrive Making transportation by air or other means for those coming in from elsewhere Arranging catering and audio visual Arranging entertainment and speakers Hiring part-time staff to work the event for registration and other needs Negotiating pricing and reviewing contracts/signing contracts Preparing collateral for the meeting (brochure, program, directory), creating a web site or other means for registration and to help market the program Knowledge of contracts and their legal content Ability to read legal contracts Enthusiasm Ability to lead and mentor others toward a common goal For those of you seriously interested in special events, I encourage you to explore two organizations: One is ISES – the International Special Events Society. It’s an organization made up of special event planners. They do have a student membership and they have a South Florida chapter. Their web site for the international organization is: www.ises.com And, the South Florida chapter site is: www. ises -sflc.com/ Another organization is the International Festivals & Events Association. Their web site is: www.ifea.com For general meeting planners, that also includes event planners, MANY students join the “overall” organization for meeting industry professionals. That organization is MPI, Meeting Professionals International. Their main web site is: www.mpiweb.org and their South Florida chapter web site is: www.sfmpi.org The first two above (ISES and IFEA) are both specific to event planners whereas MPI deals with anything related to meetings & events so it includes meeting & corporate planners, association planners, as well as event planners. Many planners utilize the resources of a DMO – destination marketing organization which is an organization that helps you gather information about a specific destination: hotel availability and styles, what venues are there for parties or off-site activities, what’s the climate, what restaurants are available, etc. In the meeting & events class we look more closely at the DMOs. A specific type of a DMO is a Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB). In South Florida we have three CVBs – Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami – all available to assist meeting and leisure travelers with information on coming ot the destination. These organizations encourage groups to hold meetings or event in their city and to bring in the revenues and tax dollars associated with these events. They assist groups with meeting preparations and destination information, but they do not actually “plan” the meetings or events for you. How do you start getting your “feet wet” in the field of event planning? My suggestion is to work as a coordinator or other entry-level role in any of the following: Hotel catering & sales office A DMC (Destination Management Company) A CVB (convention & visitors bureau) Any other type of DMO (Destination Marketing Organization) For a large company that employs meeting & event planners on staff In the convention services department of a large hotel (i.e., The Breakers, the Boca Raton Resort & Club, the Westin Diplomat, the Loews Miami Beach, etc.) For a meetings & events company that organizes events as an intern