Download Public Relation Notes and more Lecture notes Public Relations in PDF only on Docsity!
Three Characteristics of a Public Relations Campaign
A public relations campaign is a series of activities that are planned in advance and relate to a specific goal. This contrasts with other areas of PR, such as general ongoing publicity tactics, paid advertising, and reacting to events. Ultimately a public relations campaign has three characteristics: identifying an objective, finding the message that will help achieve that objective and communicating that message to the appropriate audience. Specify an Objective A good public relations campaign will have a clear objective. In theory this could simply be to raise awareness of a product, service or brand, but ideally it will be more specific. This could include a company increasing sales of a product or a pressure group changing public or government behavior. A specific objective not only makes it easier to focus the planning and execution of a campaign, but also to quantify its success. For example, an objective to increase positive consumer opinions by 50 percent through the use of social media sets a measurable goal while providing a basic look at a strategic tool that will be utilized to achieve the desired result. Deliver a Message Public relations requires a clear message for the organization to communicate. A good rule of thumb is to make the message as clear and concise as possible without losing precision or risking ambiguity. Ideally the message will not just inform the audience of a particular fact or viewpoint but will spur them into taking a particular action. If your company is using a donation drive to promote goodwill, relate basic goals, such as providing dental services in a community where 25 percent of children receive no dental care. Then include a call to action — For every tube of toothpaste purchased in June, our company will donate $1 to preventative dental care.
Internal vs External Audience
Introduction A saying goes “Don’t cry over the spilt milk”. Prevention is better than cure. Public relations is a professional field to keep the image of a person, company or corporations. Public Relations is the state of the relationship between a company or other organization or a famous person and the public. Public relations professionals work to build long-term relationships among individuals and institutions. Ex. Relationship of Rahul Gandhi with the youth. First of all let us understand the meaning of the concept Public: Publics are the interested audiences that are important in some way to an organization including current and potential customers, current and potential employees and management, investors, vendors and suppliers, media, government, and opinion leaders. They can be internal within an organization or external from an organization.
1. Internal Public of Public Relations An idiom goes “Charity begins at home”. If we want any good things to happen there should be change first from within. Understanding oneself or within is the basis of all transformation. It is in this context that internal public of public relations comes in. Internal publics are people employed by a firm
or members of an organization and they are intimately related with the functioning of the organisation. Internal public relations is a special PR discipline which concentrates on enhancing companies relationships with the employees by facilitating good communication among the management and the employees, boosting their morale and giving them the right information at the right time. Many corporate wizards like Hindustan Lever, Telco, Air India, Standard Chartered Bank, etc. suffered setback due to noncooperation of its internal publics. In case of Hindustan Lever, its employees’ union during their agitation called a press conference and exposed various anti-customer practices of the company. In Telco, after the agitation which was followed by strike and lockout during which many people lost their lives in the police firing, the company launched massive corporate image building advertisements in newspapers and on television, based on team work among its employees, but it failed to achieve it’s purpose. Whether it is employees of the company or its suppliers or shareholders, each one of them has special affinity and attachment with the company. Internal Public of Public Relations includes Shareholders or Investors, Employees, Suppliers, Distributors, Retailers/ Dealers and Other business associations 1.1 Shareholders/owners/investors relations Shareholder is the legal owner of the company. He provides finances to the company either as shareholder or as a long-term or short-term creditor. They are entitled to dividend, rights shares, bonus shares, discount coupons for purchase of companies’ products or concessional usage of its services and gifts on special occasions like annual conference, anniversary or celebration. Shareholders deserve fair treatment, get statutory information, transfer of shares to them, information on change of address or non-receipt of dividend. However we see that most of the time the Company’s PR function seems to be performed only in rebuttal or quick requital after the complaint appears in newspapers. 1.2 Employess Relations Employees are the hands and feet of the company. It is through them that the company fulfils its objectives. It needs their cooperation and understanding on a continuous basis in all its activities including the public relations activities. The principle of self-respect, self-determination and self judgment are to be applied when dealing with employees. If the company is able to communicate well with the employees and seek their participation and cooperation, they can act as the best public relations agents of the company while dealing with their friends, relations, neighbours, and business associates. The leadership and management styles of our executives, their values, attitudinal profile, all have undergo a sea-change in order to effectively deal with the situation. 1.3 Suppliers Relations Suppliers are the business associates of the company who provide all types of raw material for the business activities of the company. Suppliers have a direct and crucial role in the functioning and profitability of the company. They have to supply the right quality and quantity of materials for the company. Suppliers need the company and the company need the suppliers. When the good gestures of supplier to the company are not responded with an equally good gesture relationship get strained. (Non-payment or delay of supplier’s bill, high amount of rejection or raw materials, rude treatment). A good company cannot be happy it its suppliers are not happy because they are its business associates and they also have to make profit. Ex. Automobiles co. Like Maruti Udyog, Telco, Eitcher etc. depend heavily on their suppliers. 1.4 Distributors/Dealers/Retailers Relations
2.2 Community Relations Looking after and protecting the interest of the community is the essence of community relations. Community represents that public which stays in the close vicinity of the company, its office, plants and godown, warehouse etc. Therefore it becomes a social and moral obligation of the industry to compensate community for these losses by making its humble contribution. In gratitude to public companies need to provide various types of services like education service, sewage and sanitation facilities, employment facilities and health services and others. Participation in community’s social and cultural functions, making generous contribution towards its success by giving donation and infrastructural support leads to goodwill and longer lasting relations between the company and its community. 2.3 Media Relations Mass media gives mass exposure to company’s activity. It includes Print Media and Electronic Media. With the improvement in transportation system, technology and increase in the literacy rate, newspapers, magazines, story books, comics, weekly newspapers, Radio, TV, and Internet are becoming more and more popular. The wining, dining, or gifting image of public relations practitioners is greatly due to how they interact with media. Mass media have always remain a very strong source of voicing opinion, building propaganda and influencing masses. 2.4 Government Relations In a country like India, all major institutions for control of trade, business and industry are with the government. The purpose of the relationship with government seems to be disappearing because of vested interest of Individual or corporate. From the point of view of public relations government and its machinery can be divided into two categories depending on their characteristics. i.e. politicians and bureaucrats. The public relation professionals have to ensure that without hurting the feelings of either of them and equally balancing their relationship with them, they have to pursue the objectives of their company, department and the profession. Ex. Sugar and cement industry as a whole make substantial donations to political parties to seek favours after elections 2.5 Relationship with Financial Institutions “Finance is the life blood of business”. Financial institutions have very important role in all commercial transactions of the company, commencement of business, its expansion and growth and even in retardation. Visit site and plant of the company, giving details of their projects, technical and financial collaboration and market projection helps the financial institutions to understand the company’s plan better and thus gain more confidence. Timely submission of progress reports, payment of principal and interest amount and keeping financial institution abreast with the latest relevant information further helps the company to strengthen its credibility and goodwill with financial institution. 2.6 Relations with Action Group Action Group is a group of people that work together to try to achieve changes relating to a particular situation or in order to help a particular group of people. The enactment of Consumer Protection Act, 1986, and the framing of the rules in 1987 have been a major milestone in the role of Action group. It is small in number but very high in terms of their potential in building or exposing malpractices or inflict setback to the image and reputation of the company. They have high ego and esteem profile because of power, credibility and ability to influence masses. Relationship with them could be build up by regular dialogue, include them in the PR list and appreciate them. Ex. Tarun Tejpal ruin the image of Tehelka
2.7 Relationship with General Public General public is the ultimate judge of all the activities of the company, based on which it will survive or die. They are the largest of all the external publics of a company and probably the most tolerant of all the public’s. Interaction with general public is through Radio, Television, exhibitions, banners, hoardings, leaflets etc. is very important because they are the ones who will buy the product of the company. Companies need to show interest on social issues such as illiteracy, environment protection, pollution control to improve the quality of life of public and not just their ‘Product or Brand’ Most of the consumer goods companies whether it is Parle Beverages Ltd., or Cadbury India Ltd., have suffered massive setbacks whenever they got involved in some controversies. What should External Public of Public Relations do? External publics need to determine target outlets. Consider what local newspapers, Web sites, newsletters, radio stations, cable outlets and television stations provide news in your community. Make a list of these top outlets and find contact information (usually available on their Web site) for each one. Build relationships, Prepare PR tools like fact sheet of the organisation or company, its background and its plans for the year. Enjoy news release success, Evaluates the and consider your audience. Summary The internal publics of an organisation are part of that core group which has very intimate relationship and a stake in the company. Company need to win their loyalty, confidence, trust them and provide them facilities. Lukewarm attitude to them exposes the company to high risk. They include Shareholders or Investors, Employees, Suppliers, Distributors, Retailers/ Dealers, Other business associations. The external publics of a company consist of its External Publics of Public Relations includes Consumers/Customers, Community, Mass Media, Government, Financial Institutions, Action Groups and General Publics. It is the image and credibility that it enjoys in the minds of external publics which makes an organisation successful. Conclusion The public relations activities of the company are confined to its internal and external publics. If internal publics respect the company and hold it in high esteem, directly and indirectly, they create a favourable environment for the company to approach external publics. Communication with external publics is the lifeline of the organisation as it gives identity, image, reputation and credibility and based on which a company will get their support. Good internal and external public relations are like the blood in the human body. As long as it circulates, the man is hale and hearty and the moment it stops it causes to human life like heart attack, cancer, stroke and so on. Companies have to design specific and special communication channels with each group of publics to enjoy their continued support and patronage.
Public opinion
Public opinion , an aggregate of the individual views, attitudes, and beliefs about a particular topic, expressed by a significant proportion of a community. Some scholars treat the aggregate as a synthesis of the views of all or a certain segment of society; others regard it as a collection of many differing or opposing views. Writing in 1918, the American sociologist Charles Horton Cooleyemphasized public opinion as a process of interaction and mutual influence rather than a state of broad agreement. The American political scientist V.O. Key defined public opinion in 1961 as
THE 12 STAGES OF PLANNING
To expand on the above, we can look at a sequence of planning steps that will ensure an effective programme (an ongoing employee relations programme or individual campaign) is put together:
- Analysis
- Aims
- Objectives
- Stakeholders and publics
- Content;
- Strategy
- Tactics
- Timescales
- Resources
- Monitoring
- Evaluation
- Review
Importance of Research in Public Relations Management
Public relations professionals often find themselves in the position of having to convince management to fund research, or to describe the importance of research as a crucial part of a departmental or project budget. Research is an essential part of public relations management. Here is a closer look at why scholars argued that conducting both formative and evaluative research is vital in modern public relations management:
- Research makes communication two-way by collecting information from publics rather than one-way, which is a simple dissemination of information. Research allows us to engage in dialogue with publics, understanding their beliefs and values, and working to build understanding on their part of the internal workings and policies of the organization. Scholars
find that two-way communication is generally more effective than one-way communication, especially in instances in which the organization is heavily regulated by government or confronts a turbulent environment in the form of changing industry trends or of activist groups.See, for example, Grunig (1984), pp. 6–29; Grunig (1992a; 2001); Grunig, Grunig, and Dozier (2002); Grunig and Repper (1992).
- Research makes public relations activities strategic by ensuring that communication is specifically targeted to publics who want, need, or care about the information.Ehling and Dozier (1992). Without conducting research, public relations is based on experience or instinct, neither of which play large roles in strategic management. This type of research prevents us from wasting money on communications that are not reaching intended publics or not doing the job that we had designed them to do.
- Research allows us to show results, to measure impact, and to refocus our efforts based on those numbers.Dozier and Ehling (1992). For example, if an initiative is not working with a certain public we can show that ineffectiveness statistically, and the communication can be redesigned or eliminated. Thus, we can direct funds toward more successful elements of the public relations initiative.
Without research, public relations would not be a true management function. It would not be strategic or a part of executive strategic planning, but would regress to the days of simple press agentry, following hunches and instinct to create publicity. As a true management function, public relations uses research to identify issues and engage in problem solving, to prevent and manage crises, to make organizations responsive and responsible to their publics, to create better organizational policy, and to build and maintain long-term relationships with publics. A thorough knowledge of research methods and extensive analyses of data also allow public relations practitioners a seat in the dominant coalition and a way to illustrate the value and worth of their activities. In this manner, research is the strategic foundation of modern public relations management.Stacks and Michaelson (in press).
8.2 Purpose and Forms of Research
The purpose of research is to allow us to develop strategy in public relations in order to (a) conduct our campaigns with specific purpose and targeted goals, (b) operate as a part of the overall strategic management function in an organization, and (c) measure the effectiveness of public relations efforts. By conducting research before we communicate, we revise our own thinking to include the views of publics. We can segment those publics, tailor communications for unique publics, send different messages to specifically targeted publics, and build relationships by communicating with publics who have an interest in our message. This type of planning research is called formative researchbecause it helps us form our public relations campaign.Stacks (2002). Formative research is conducted so that we can understand what publics know, believe, or value and what they need or desire to know before we began communicating. Thereby, public relations does not waste effort or money communicating with those that have no interest in our message.
Research also allows public relations professionals to show the impact made through their communication efforts after a public relations campaign. This type of research is called evaluation research. Using both forms of research in public relations allows us to communicate strategically and to demonstrate our effectiveness. For example, formative research can be used to determine the
publics, the values and activities of activist groups, the innovations of competitors, and so on. Informal research methods are usually nonnumerical and are not generalizable to a larger population, but they yield a great deal of useful information. The data yielded from informal research can be used to examine or revise organizational policy, to craft messages in the phraseology of publics, to respond to trends in an industry, to include the values or priorities of publics in new initiatives, and numerous other derivations.
8.3 Types of Research
Research in public relations management requires the use of specialized terminology. The termprimary research is used to designate when we collect unique data in normally proprietary information, firsthand and specifically relevant to a certain client or campaign.Stacks (2002). Primary research, because it is unique to your organization and research questions, is often the most expensive type of data to collect. Secondary research refers to research that is normally a part of public domain but is applicable to our client, organization, or industry, and can be used to round out and support the conclusions drawn from our primary research.Stacks (2002); Stacks and Michaelson (in press). Secondary research is normally accessed through the Internet or available at libraries or from industry and trade associations. Reference books, encyclopedias, and trade press publications provide a wealth of free or inexpensive secondary research. Managers often use secondary research as an exploratory base from which to decide what type of primary research needs to be conducted.
Quantitative Research
When we speak of research in public relations, we are normally referring to primary research, such as public opinion studies based on surveys and polling. (The following lists quantitative research methods commonly employed in public relations.) Surveys are synonymous with public opinion polls, and are one example of quantitative research. Quantitative research is based on statistical generalization. It allows us to make numerical observations such as “85% of Infiniti owners say that they would purchase an Infiniti again.” Statistical observations allow us to know exactly where we need to improve relationships with certain publics, and we can then measure how much those relationships have ultimately improved (or degraded) at the end of a public relations initiative. For example, a strategic report in public relations management for the automobile maker Infiniti might include a statement such as “11% of new car buyers were familiar with the G35 all-wheel-drive option 3 months ago, and after our campaign 28% of new car buyers were familiar with this option, meaning that we created a 17% increase in awareness among the new car buyer public.” Other data gathered might report on purchasing intentions, important features of a new vehicle to that public, brand reputation variables, and so on. Quantitative research allows us to have a before and after snapshot to compare the numbers in each group, therefore allowing us to say how much change was evidenced as a result of public relations’ efforts.
Methods of Quantitative Data Collection
- Internet-based surveys
- Telephone surveys
- Mail surveys
- Content analysis (usually of media coverage)
- Comment cards and feedback forms
- Warranty cards (usually demographic information on buyers)
- Frequent shopper program tracking (purchasing data)
In quantitative research, the entire public you wish to understand or make statements about is called the population. The population might be women over 40, Democrats, Republicans, purchasers of a competitor’s product, or any other group that you would like to study. From that population, you would select a sample to actually contact with questions. Probability samples can be randomly drawn from a list of the population, which gives you the strongest statistical measures of generalizability. A random sample means that participants are drawn randomly and have an equal chance of being selected. You know some variants in your population exists, but a random sample should account for all opinions in that population. The larger the sample size (number of respondents), the smaller the margin of error and the more confident the researcher can be that the sample is an accurate reflection of the entire population.
There are also other sampling methods, known as nonprobability samples, that do not allow for generalization but meet the requirement of the problem or project. A convenience sample, for instance, is drawn from those who are convenient to study, such as having visitors to a shopping mall fill out a survey. Another approach is a snowball sample in which the researcher asks someone completing a survey to recommend the next potential respondent to complete the survey. Apurposive sample is when you seek out a certain group of people. These methods allow no generalizability to the larger population, but they are often less expensive than random sample methods and still may generate the type of data that answers your research question.
Quantitative research has the major strength of allowing you to understand who your publics are, where they get their information, how many believe certain viewpoints, and which communications create the strongest resonance with their beliefs. Demographic variables are used to very specifically segment publics. Demographics are generally gender, education, race, profession, geographic location, annual household income, political affiliation, religious affiliation, and size of family or household. Once these data are collected, it is easy to spot trends by cross-tabulating the data with opinion and attitude variables. Such cross-tabulations result in very specific publics who can be targeted with future messages in the channels and the language that they prefer. For example, in conducting public relations research for a health insurance company, cross-tabulating data with survey demographics might yield a public who are White males, are highly educated and professional, live in the southeastern United States, have an annual household income above $125,000, usually vote conservatively and have some religious beliefs, have an average household size of 3.8 people, and strongly agree with the following message: “Health insurance should be an individual choice, not the responsibility of government.” In that example, you would have identified a voting public to whom you could reach out for support of individualized health insurance.
Segmenting publics in this manner is an everyday occurrence in public relations management. Through their segmentation, public relations managers have an idea of who will support their organization, who will oppose the organization, and what communications—messages and values—resonate with each public. After using research to identify these groups, public relations professionals can then build
Another reason to use qualitative research is that it can provide data that researchers did not know they needed. For instance, a focus group may take an unexpected turn and the discussion may yield statements that the researcher had not thought to include on a survey questionnaire. Sometimes unknown information or unfamiliar perspectives arise through qualitative studies that are ultimately extremely valuable to public relations’ understanding of the issues impacting publics.
Qualitative research also allows for participants to speak for themselves rather than to use the terminology provided by researchers. This benefit can often yield a greater understanding that results in far more effective messages than when public relations practitioners attempt to construct views of publics based on quantitative research alone. Using the representative language of members of a certain public often allows public relations to build a more respectful relationship with that public. For instance, animal rights activists often use the term “companion animal” instead of the term “pet”—that information could be extremely important to organizations such as Purina or to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Mixed Methods/Triangulation
Clearly, both quantitative and qualitative research have complementary and unique strengths. These two research methodologies should be used in conjunction whenever possible in public relations management so that both publics and issues can be fully understood. Using both of these research methods together is called mixed method research, and scholars generally agree that mixing methods yields the most reliable research results.Tashakkori and Teddlie (1998). It is best to combine as many methods as is feasible to understand important issues. Combining multiple focus groups from various cities with interviews of important leaders and a quantitative survey of publics is an example of mixed method research because it includes both quantitative and qualitative methodology. Using two or more methods of study is sometimes called triangulation, meaning using multiple research methods to triangulate upon the underlying truth of how publics view an issue.See Stacks (2002); Hickson (2003).
Evaluation Techniques Used in PR
To effectively evaluate public relations programs, PR professionals and company management should agree on PR goals. Those who work in PR typically have backgrounds steeped in writing, while management is concerned about numbers. Presenting your evaluation to company executives using numbers and percentages, with charts and graphs, can bridge the disconnect between management and PR. It also forces PR people to evaluate objectively rather than instinctively or ambiguously.
Surveys
Use surveys to gauge awareness and perceptions of your company and public attitudes about it. It’s important that surveys be done prior to your PR program so you have a baseline measurement -- that is, what awareness, perceptions and attitudes existed prior to your program, and then conduct a post- program survey. Also use survey results to measure important program messages. For example, if “Acme Company is the #1 builder of environmental homes” is a key message, design a survey that measures the recall of this message.
Media Content Anlysis
Media content analysis measures the volume of press coverage you received, covering print, broadcast and online media outlets. You should count the number of mentions of key issues about your industry and mentions of your competitors. You want to see how you stack up against overall industry messages. Count how many of your key messages -- those messages that you purposely incorporated into your PR activities so people would remember them -- made it into the press coverage. Finally, use circulation numbers to calculate how many opportunities people had to read or view your coverage, and then the actual number of readers or viewers. Get these numbers from the media outlets.
Online Metrics
Obtain website analytics from your webmaster to evaluate site visits prior to your PR program, during and after. You can see what pages people visited the most, and what got their attention, such as corporate news and product announcements. Include social media sites, as well; you can get updates on visits and reach from sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Evaluate comments for positive and negative messages as well as trends; for example, whether the comments started out slow and then increased, or if the tone turned increasingly positive as your program progressed.
Expectations
Analyze what happened at the end of your PR program compared with your objectives and expectations and those of company executives. If your CEO expected a front-page story in The Wall Street Journal and your biggest success was a feature article in an environmental magazine, you need to manage expectations and set mutual goals prior to your next PR program. Point to concrete numbers, such as how many people can recall your company slogan compared to before your campaign started, and an uptick in requests for information you received through your website. Determine whether your planning objectives were too ambitious or not ambitious enough.
Key Components of Crisis Management Public Relations
Crisis management public relations can make or break your company during a crisis event. Whether you know it or not, your business is vulnerable to a diverse range of unexpected threats, any one of which can severely damage your reputation and have a potentially devastating effect on revenue, customer acquisition, loyalty, and other important business outcomes.
The key to successfully navigating a crisis is preparation—and that’s where crisis management public relations enters the picture. By working with an experienced PR firm before an event occurs, you can substantially improve your ability to minimize the impact of negative publicity on your business.
The Need for Crisis Management Public Relations
Although PR crises aren’t inevitable, they can be unavoidable. Through no fault of your own, it’s possible that your business will suddenly experience an event that generates negative press, publicity and social media mentions.
Output = Proposal Research historical data, feasibility, and constraints Specify concept, scope, and expected outcomes Prepare proposal and acquire acceptance
Planning Output = Project Plan
Assess resource requirements Develop standards specifications Determine tactics Establish modification policies and procedures
Implementation Output = Action Plan
Acquire goods, services, and human resources Coordinate logistical and spatial requirements Establish communications infrastructure Monitor and control scope, schedule, costs, quality, and risks
The Event Output = Event Production
Inspect and monitor service delivery Direct on-site logistical operations React to changes and problems Implement contingency plans as necessary
Closure Output = Event Report
Supervise event shutdown and obligation fulfillment Collect data and feedback Analyze and evaluate outcomes Compile final report
Every event project has a lifecycle. It starts with an idea or a need and ends with concluding the event and reviewing its results, which are then integrated into the next event project. There is a linear progression in every event regardless of type, scale, or complexity. This sequence is necessary to ensure important factors are properly considered and decisions are based on sound reasoning.
Initiation Creating a new event, or deciding to purchase an existing event production, involves a lot of time, money, people, and other resources. You can not reasonably go forward with an event project without the ability or authority to commit these resources. Gaining that commitment from either an individual or an organization depends on having a clear vision of the scope, needs, and expected outcomes of the event. In other words, one must be able to describe the mission, nature, and merits of the event project.
This requires establishing and communicating a shared vision of the event and its expected outcomes from the perspective of each stakeholder. The vision incorporates and expresses the role of the event, determines the scope of the event, and defines the success of the event. Without clearly defining the purpose of the event, the criteria for what success will “look like,” and the constraints that will be imposed on the project, it will be nearly impossible to effectively develop an event plan. Making decisions at the very inception of the event will limit the investment of time, effort, and money if the project is abandoned, and increases the possibility for influencing its success if it proceeds.
Determine mission, goals, and objectives Every event has a purpose – a reason it should take place. It might be to address a social, organizational, or economic need, to satisfy a market demand or personal request, or to fulfill a business or legal requirement. This is the basis for the mission statement, which is the foundation of the strategic plan for an event. The event manager needs to know why the event is happening to successfully determine how to meet the mission, goals and objectives.
Goal statements should be developed that illustrate how the event will accomplish its mission. These goal statements reflect the overall intent and expected outcomes of the event project and should be expressed in terms of behavior and purpose. Objectives define the specific and measureable outcomes needed to achieve these goals. These objectives will then be translated into specific tactics during the planning phase.
Research historical data, feasibility, and constraints Conducting research into the history of previous or comparable events and determining the feasibility of producing an event that will meet its goals and objectives often proves to be the most important activity. Historical or comparable data can include evaluations and final reports from a previous event; observations or reviews of similar or competitive events; published reports or articles on emerging trends or economic impacts; and discussions with previous hosting organizations, suppliers, and other resources. Look for facts and figures as well as strengths and weaknesses that can contribute to this event project’s performance expectations.
The feasibility study examines the resources required and available to produce the event project to determine its success potential. It will take into consideration the quality, quantity, and flexibility of the timeline and the human, financial, technological, and operational resources to determine the project’s viability. It will also consider the legal, political, social, economic, and operational constraints that could pose difficulties.
Resources can often be augmented and constraints or obstacles overcome, but at times the feasibility study will indicate that the event project is not practical or does not have the potential for accomplishing what was envisioned. The goals and objectives might be out of reach based on an imbalance of needs, resources, and obstacles. In this case the outcome expectations could be adjusted accordingly or the event might be abandoned altogether.
Specify concept, scope, and expected outcomes Clear and specific descriptions need to be developed that stipulate the concept of event envisioned, its scope, and its expected outcomes. This information is developed by conducting the needs assessment , which includes who the event will be for, what it will include, when it will take place, where it will take place, and why it should take place. Keep in mind that there are various perspectives regarding the purpose and expectations for an event, which should be reflected in the strategic plan.
- The client hosting an event often expects some return on investment such as attendance, charitable contributions, membership recruitment, revenues, or publicity.
- The customer purchasing a ticket to an event has done so to gain something – recreation, enrichment, adventure, or entertainment.
- The delegate registering for a conference has paid the registration fee expecting to gain knowledge, build relationships with colleagues, or advance a career.
- The invited guest at a wedding or other life-cycle event arrives with eager anticipation for the celebration and reunion with family and friends.
Prepare proposal and acquire acceptance
This is when the event team considers questions about every facet of the event and its components. The needs assessment and scope of the project should be verified and thoroughly itemized. It is often when the linkages, interdependencies, and project milestones are clarified from an administrative, design, marketing, operational, and risk management standpoint. Involving key stakeholders in this process often improves the process and facilitates shared ownership of the event project and its success.
The planning assessment is often when adjustments must be made to the original project proposal or business plan due to an imbalance of resources or unrealistic assumptions. This is why it is important to have prioritized objectives so that these decisions can be made before significant investments of time, money, or effort are made. This is also when certain activities or elements are classified as mission-critical and given the highest priority.
Develop standards specifications Every roadmap needs markers to indicate the plan is on track, therefore targets or milestones must be established for time, cost, quality, and effort within the project plan so that controls can be devised. These standards indicators should be integrated into the timeline, budget, and procurement and staffing plans so that if and/or when deficiencies or performance shortfalls occur they can be dealt with in a timely and cost effective manner.
Performance evaluation needs to be incorporated throughout the project plan. Deadlines must be established, cost ceilings must be set, and levels of quality and quantity must be defined for work output and goods and services to be procured. The methods for collecting and disseminating this information vary depending on the type and scope of event and event organization, but often include scheduled status reports from those responsible for the various functional areas or tasks associated with the project.
It is imperative that monitoring these performance indicators be mandatory and assigned to specific personnel. There are always choices that can be made to respond to these issues, but they will be more effective if made early, and far more costly the longer they remain unaddressed. In addition, carefully consider potential alternatives or contingency plans for key elements in the project plan when defining the deliverables.
Determine tactics Goals lead to measurable objectives, which lead to strategies, which lead to tactics – the specific methods to be used for achieving expected outcomes. Tactics are also required to meet the functional needs associated with bringing people together at a specific time and place. These are all included in the roadmap that enumerates the goods, services, and resources required to meet needs and expectations.
Just as there is a reason for every event, there is a reason for every action, element, and expenditure included in an event plan. Examining these reasons identifies the various options, helps recognize
obligations and potential obstacles, and facilitates better choices. It also influences decisions about quality and priority, and helps justify the choices made.
The project plan should illustrate what is to be done, what it will take to do it, how resources will be allocated, and how efforts will be organized. It is the culmination of the outputs from the 35 management areas discussed in this book, including the tasks identified in the work breakdown structure, the timeline and schedules, and the people, money, and materials needed.
Establish modification policies and procedures The planning phase is when policies and procedures regarding decision making and change management should be established. The larger the scope and complexity of the event project or event organization, the more important it is to clearly define responsibilities and authorization systems. These will be based on the impact decisions and changes would have on the project plan.
Policies govern actions by defining the desired or required behavior and the constraints associated with that behavior. They typically address specific requirements related to legal, ethical, and operational principles and obligations. Procedures define the sequence of steps necessary to accomplish a task or implement an established policy. Implementation Once the event project plan has been devised, the work begins to accomplish the activities specified. This phase focuses on verifying, supervising, and controlling the scope, schedule, costs, quality, communications, procurement, and risks to make certain the event project is progressing according to plan. It should result in a detailed action plan for bringing the event to life and managing it throughout its duration.
Work authorization and procurement systems are put in place to issue task assignments, job orders, and contracts. Human resources (particularly volunteers) are recruited, assigned, and provided with the necessary training. Bids and pricing from the various suppliers and vendors required for the event project are secured, and contracts are executed or orders are placed. Contingency plans are devised for any variations or situations that might emerge.
It is important to obtain the various logistical specifications and requirements from each vendor or provider so these can be incorporated into the action plan for the event. This will include delivery and installation requirements, spatial requirements, specifications, and terms of payment. The varying logistics are integrated, and preventative and corrective actions are employed to ensure the time, cost, and quality criteria are met.
All this activity converges in the production of the event. Comprehensive, meticulous, and systematic attention to detail will facilitate effective and efficient operations once the event begins.
Acquire goods, services, and human resources Establish the purchasing policies and procedures for procuring goods and services for the event, including the range of cost and quantity, expenditure authorizations, and bidding or contractual
