Managing Events: Real Challenges, Real Outcomes

Combining the practical and academic aspects of event management this text presents an industry perspective, with real-life event examples and contemporary and relevant case studies.  It provides lecturers with a useful platform to integrate key event topics into the learning environment. The book discusses the management process throughout the ‘event cycle’, from the pre-event planning stage; on-site delivery to the post event stage. The book is divided into 4 distinct phases, which are: The Event cycle; Before the event; Throughout the event and Beyond the event.  Within each of these 4 sections, there are 2 or 3 separate chapters, each with their own objectives. The book discusses practical and operational elements, such as project management, marketing, sponsorship deals and risk assessment, that need to be put in place both before and during the event. The final section: Beyond the event, examines current and future event trends and issues, and discusses the various career paths that exist and the skills and qualifications required to gain employment and start a successful career in events.   Each chapter profiles someone currently working within the events industry, and presents a scenario of a real event challenge they have faced in their work role, relevant to the chapter. Further viewpoints from a second event practitioner and academic are included, before the final outcome is presented, showing us in each case, how real life situations develop and are resolved in practice within the events industry.   The feature Event Ethics explores a topical issue that should encourage lively discussion and the Did you know? section reveals an interesting and chapter-specific event fact. At the end of every chapter students can revise and extend their event knowledge with the list of Chapter Summary Questions, which help consolidate the learning outcomes. Additionally the Key Terms section explains any terminology used within the chapter. Each chapter concludes with a section called For the Classroom, featuring discussion points and activities based around the chapter content, as well as reference sources and suggested reading. Some of the forms and inserts used to contextualise the learning, will appear as weblinks for the students to download and use throughout.  

Table of Contents:
Part I: The Event Cycle Chapter 1: The Planning Phase Chapter 2: The Event Delivery Phase Chapter 3: The Post Event and Evaluation Phase Part II: Before the Event Chapter 4: Event Research, Feasibility and Impact Analysis Chapter 5: Event Conception and Bidding Part III: Throughout the Event Chapter 6: Event Operations, Logistics and Marketing Chapter 7: Event Finance, Online Payment Solutions & Budgeting Chapter 8: Event Design and Production Part IV: Beyond Events Chapter 9: Event Trends and Issues Chapter 10: Event Careers, Human Resources and Consultancy

About the Author :
Liz Quick graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London with a BA Honours degree in German and Drama. She began her career working for Lufthansa German Airlines, working as a Ticketing and Passenger Services agent at London Heathrow Airport and undergoing regular training courses at Seeheim in Frankfurt, Germany. She then made the move into the events industry, initially joining GL Travel Incentives, a UK-based Incentive Travel agency. Here she operated a number of overseas incentive trips on behalf of their clients, to amongst other destinations: Kenya, Hawaii, San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro and Monaco. Following this she moved to Talking Point Ltd, where she operated a number of international conferences and incentives for various blue chip corporations. During this time Liz helped set up the first UK event implant office, at the then SmithKline Beecham in Brentford, London, working in a Business Development role. This was the first time event spend had been consolidated through a sole agency and Liz was instrumental in setting this up and liaising with key clients within the Research & Development and Consumer Healthcare divisions of this major pharmaceutical company and securing the re-tender for sole supplier with the organisation for a number of years. She later joined Plus Two Communications Ltd, then TMB Marketing Communications in Dorking, where she worked as Account Director on a number of key accounts, including Bristol Myers Squibb, Olswang, Johnson & Johnson and Wella UK. Liz also worked as a freelancer for some years and set up her own event management business. She worked with a key sponsor and partner on the London 2012 Olympics and regularly volunteers at festivals such as Glastonbury, Cornbury and many others. In 2006 through a chance meeting with a previous colleague at a conference she got the opportunity to start lecturing on a freelance basis. In 2010 she graduated from the University of West London with an MA in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. She now brings her industry experience as a Senior Lecturer at the University of West London and over the last decade has gained extensive experience in course development and leadership, teaching on both undergraduate and postgraduate event management programmes. Liz is passionate about blending both the academic and more practical elements of the event management course she teaches, so that students can ‘hit the ground running’ when they graduate and enter the industry, which is the key motivation for writing this book.