Unit 4: Assignment 1 (Learning Aim A: Explore the role of an event organiser)
By: Khadro Mohamed
Date of completion: 22/02/2021
The role of an event organiser, alongside the skills and experience needed, will be discussed in this
study. A skill audit, comparing my skills to an event organiser, will be generated in the second part of
this report. It will close with a conclusion that addresses the inconsistencies between the two audits
and what changes on my part should be made.
A1: Different tasks needed to be completed by an event organiser
To guarantee an event proceeds as planned, event organisers need to follow the seven elements of
an event organisation. These elements consist of the:
- Venue
- Location
- Catering
- Planning and reserving facilities
- Setting up the programme
- Preparing and distributing the documents
- Contracts
Venue: The first part of organising an event is to find the venue where the event is going to take
place. The venue will decide the theme for the type of event that is going to happen and will
influence whether or not people want to attend. Additionally, it will identify the costs that will be
involved. Small venues may be offered without cost, whereas, larger venues may charge fees which
will need to be paid for or recovered through the event.
During the discussion of the venue, event organisers need to consider:
- the type of people coming (this could be business people, students etc)
- the number of people that can be seated or can stand
- the travel method used to get to the location (car, minibus or public transport such as
trains or coaches)
- any ethical or belief considerations, to show you what it means, it would be
inappropriate to have an event for vegetarians in a location where the main focus of
activity is the production or selling of meat or fish.
The size of the venue is going to have a big impact on the event. A large venue can handle greater
number of individuals and could have a broader range of devices, such as restaurants and leisure
facilities. That being said, if less people were to be present, smaller venue can have the benefits of
being able to provide a more comfortable and friendly atmosphere. Several venues, Hotels, for
instance, have a variety of different choices for conference rooms that can host two to a thousand
people. Other sites, such as conference or convention centres, are explicitly built to have thousands
of people.
Location: The location of a venue can impact a business event's performance. The location should be
decided based on the target market. Suppose that an event were to attempt to sell upmarket goods,
it would need to be held in an upmarket region where guests are likely to have higher incomes and
would thus afford to purchase the products. The location, can further be influenced by the existence
of respondents, such as local business people or the public. In the case of local participants, the
event organiser needs to think about the best venue in a specific region.
,Having some knowledge about the type of people that will be attending and the theme of the event
will also influence the suitability of the location. In this case, if the event is focusing on green issues,
it should be at a location with easy access to public transport rather than a venue that can only be
reached by car. If the event is linked to an activity that requires specific facilities, such as water for a
boat trade show, then the location needs to have access to those facilities.
Some business events are organised at tourist destinations, so event participants can combine
visiting the business event with the attractions. Event organisers may even plan afternoon excursions
for participants. With any venue, it is important to consider the ambience of its location.
Catering: Another very important section to look at and analyse is the food. When deciding a
catering service, the catering company should match the size of your event. The particular reason for
this is so that company will be able to accommodate the number of guests that will be at your event.
It’s also a good idea to consider the location of your event. A local caterer might be familiar with the
venue and therefore be less likely to experience delays due to a long journey. The catering service that
an event organiser hires, should fit within the budget of the event. It is best advised to try to find a
caterer with a good mix of value and price. Many venues have a list of caterers they prefer to work with.
Choosing a caterer from their list can not only reduce the risk of misunderstandings, but you might even
get a discount.
However, some event organisers might decide to provide their own catering, for example by making
cakes or other foods to be given away or sold. It is important that any catering provided at events
follows guidelines issued by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to avoid people falling ill. The local
authority environmental health team also gives advice about making sure that food is safe and
investigates complaints if anyone should fall ill after an event. It is essential that event organisers are
clear about their responsibilities.
Planning and reserving facilities: An event organiser must ensure that everything goes to plan so
that the event is a success. Planning does not just include the event itself, but also needs to take into
account other events that are happening at around the same time. Too many similar events
happening in the same week may result in poor attendance at your event
The time of year should be taken into consideration, and the event organiser should think about
whether:
the event needs to be inside or outside – it is usually more appropriate to run outside events
in the summer
the event is linked to a particular festival or tradition – if so, it will need to happen at the
same time
the event depends on other factors such as supplies that are only available at certain
times of year or are cheaper in a particular month.
Larger events might need a lot more planning and facilities. These may include:
- cash machines (available for a charge if the event organisers want people to buy goods
during the event)
- first aid facilities (in case anyone requires medical attention)
- special assistance (for example for anyone who uses a wheelchair or has other mobility
needs)
- baby changing facilities (if large numbers of parents are expected with young children)
- policing or stewarding to control large numbers of people
- facilities for animals
, - power
- signs or banners showing people where to go and that the event is happening
- bunting or other decorative materials to highlight where the event is happening
- arrangements for parking, if needed
- facilities for rubbish collection during and after the event
- refreshments including drinking water, where necessary
- cleaning companies or volunteers for after the event has finished.
Setting up the programme: The programme is the list of what will happen at the event and the order
in which it will happen. It guides the organisation of the event and will be used by attendees. The
programme’s quality and content will help to guide people’s interest as well as give them an outline
of what is going to happen during the day. The programme will also give details of any special guests,
speeches, entertainment, prize-giving or free gifts that might be part of the event. Sometimes,
having a guest speaker may encourage more people to attend which will need to be highlighted in
the programme.
There are several different types of programme that may be used for an event. These may include
programmes that have various activities that attendees can choose from or programmes where
everyone is following the same structure for the event.
The length of time for the event will also influence the programme. All-day events need more time
for people to travel to the event and for coffee and lunch breaks. Events that take place over a few
days may require arrangements for accommodation, including breakfast.
Preparing and distributing the documents: The majority of events include some form of hard copy
or soft copy documentation that can be circulated before, during or even after the event. Soft copies
are also preferred for environmental reasons and cost reasons. Documents may sometimes be
issued on a USB stick or in a free wallet or pocket that the event organiser is giving away.
Alternatively, with passwords given to users, they can be uploaded to a website or other protected
online storage area where they can be accessed.
A number of different documents may be needed to support an event. These may be more
traditional paper documents or other methods that organisations are increasingly using to distribute
information about events, such as websites with a secure username and password, email or social
networking websites.
The main documents needed for an event are:
- Background documents: this include the events whole purpose, the target audience, the
cost of attending the event and any discounts that might be available, other details of
how much tickets are and where they can be purchased, if required. Lastly, any
permission or authorisation needed to hold the event from the local authority, police or
other agencies.
- Agenda/schedule: includes information about what is happening and the times involved.
May also include the deadline for submitting any papers or items that people want to
put forward for discussion at the event.
- Event papers: (Minutes of previous meetings, biographies of previous speakers, and
information about organisations involved with the event).
By: Khadro Mohamed
Date of completion: 22/02/2021
The role of an event organiser, alongside the skills and experience needed, will be discussed in this
study. A skill audit, comparing my skills to an event organiser, will be generated in the second part of
this report. It will close with a conclusion that addresses the inconsistencies between the two audits
and what changes on my part should be made.
A1: Different tasks needed to be completed by an event organiser
To guarantee an event proceeds as planned, event organisers need to follow the seven elements of
an event organisation. These elements consist of the:
- Venue
- Location
- Catering
- Planning and reserving facilities
- Setting up the programme
- Preparing and distributing the documents
- Contracts
Venue: The first part of organising an event is to find the venue where the event is going to take
place. The venue will decide the theme for the type of event that is going to happen and will
influence whether or not people want to attend. Additionally, it will identify the costs that will be
involved. Small venues may be offered without cost, whereas, larger venues may charge fees which
will need to be paid for or recovered through the event.
During the discussion of the venue, event organisers need to consider:
- the type of people coming (this could be business people, students etc)
- the number of people that can be seated or can stand
- the travel method used to get to the location (car, minibus or public transport such as
trains or coaches)
- any ethical or belief considerations, to show you what it means, it would be
inappropriate to have an event for vegetarians in a location where the main focus of
activity is the production or selling of meat or fish.
The size of the venue is going to have a big impact on the event. A large venue can handle greater
number of individuals and could have a broader range of devices, such as restaurants and leisure
facilities. That being said, if less people were to be present, smaller venue can have the benefits of
being able to provide a more comfortable and friendly atmosphere. Several venues, Hotels, for
instance, have a variety of different choices for conference rooms that can host two to a thousand
people. Other sites, such as conference or convention centres, are explicitly built to have thousands
of people.
Location: The location of a venue can impact a business event's performance. The location should be
decided based on the target market. Suppose that an event were to attempt to sell upmarket goods,
it would need to be held in an upmarket region where guests are likely to have higher incomes and
would thus afford to purchase the products. The location, can further be influenced by the existence
of respondents, such as local business people or the public. In the case of local participants, the
event organiser needs to think about the best venue in a specific region.
,Having some knowledge about the type of people that will be attending and the theme of the event
will also influence the suitability of the location. In this case, if the event is focusing on green issues,
it should be at a location with easy access to public transport rather than a venue that can only be
reached by car. If the event is linked to an activity that requires specific facilities, such as water for a
boat trade show, then the location needs to have access to those facilities.
Some business events are organised at tourist destinations, so event participants can combine
visiting the business event with the attractions. Event organisers may even plan afternoon excursions
for participants. With any venue, it is important to consider the ambience of its location.
Catering: Another very important section to look at and analyse is the food. When deciding a
catering service, the catering company should match the size of your event. The particular reason for
this is so that company will be able to accommodate the number of guests that will be at your event.
It’s also a good idea to consider the location of your event. A local caterer might be familiar with the
venue and therefore be less likely to experience delays due to a long journey. The catering service that
an event organiser hires, should fit within the budget of the event. It is best advised to try to find a
caterer with a good mix of value and price. Many venues have a list of caterers they prefer to work with.
Choosing a caterer from their list can not only reduce the risk of misunderstandings, but you might even
get a discount.
However, some event organisers might decide to provide their own catering, for example by making
cakes or other foods to be given away or sold. It is important that any catering provided at events
follows guidelines issued by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to avoid people falling ill. The local
authority environmental health team also gives advice about making sure that food is safe and
investigates complaints if anyone should fall ill after an event. It is essential that event organisers are
clear about their responsibilities.
Planning and reserving facilities: An event organiser must ensure that everything goes to plan so
that the event is a success. Planning does not just include the event itself, but also needs to take into
account other events that are happening at around the same time. Too many similar events
happening in the same week may result in poor attendance at your event
The time of year should be taken into consideration, and the event organiser should think about
whether:
the event needs to be inside or outside – it is usually more appropriate to run outside events
in the summer
the event is linked to a particular festival or tradition – if so, it will need to happen at the
same time
the event depends on other factors such as supplies that are only available at certain
times of year or are cheaper in a particular month.
Larger events might need a lot more planning and facilities. These may include:
- cash machines (available for a charge if the event organisers want people to buy goods
during the event)
- first aid facilities (in case anyone requires medical attention)
- special assistance (for example for anyone who uses a wheelchair or has other mobility
needs)
- baby changing facilities (if large numbers of parents are expected with young children)
- policing or stewarding to control large numbers of people
- facilities for animals
, - power
- signs or banners showing people where to go and that the event is happening
- bunting or other decorative materials to highlight where the event is happening
- arrangements for parking, if needed
- facilities for rubbish collection during and after the event
- refreshments including drinking water, where necessary
- cleaning companies or volunteers for after the event has finished.
Setting up the programme: The programme is the list of what will happen at the event and the order
in which it will happen. It guides the organisation of the event and will be used by attendees. The
programme’s quality and content will help to guide people’s interest as well as give them an outline
of what is going to happen during the day. The programme will also give details of any special guests,
speeches, entertainment, prize-giving or free gifts that might be part of the event. Sometimes,
having a guest speaker may encourage more people to attend which will need to be highlighted in
the programme.
There are several different types of programme that may be used for an event. These may include
programmes that have various activities that attendees can choose from or programmes where
everyone is following the same structure for the event.
The length of time for the event will also influence the programme. All-day events need more time
for people to travel to the event and for coffee and lunch breaks. Events that take place over a few
days may require arrangements for accommodation, including breakfast.
Preparing and distributing the documents: The majority of events include some form of hard copy
or soft copy documentation that can be circulated before, during or even after the event. Soft copies
are also preferred for environmental reasons and cost reasons. Documents may sometimes be
issued on a USB stick or in a free wallet or pocket that the event organiser is giving away.
Alternatively, with passwords given to users, they can be uploaded to a website or other protected
online storage area where they can be accessed.
A number of different documents may be needed to support an event. These may be more
traditional paper documents or other methods that organisations are increasingly using to distribute
information about events, such as websites with a secure username and password, email or social
networking websites.
The main documents needed for an event are:
- Background documents: this include the events whole purpose, the target audience, the
cost of attending the event and any discounts that might be available, other details of
how much tickets are and where they can be purchased, if required. Lastly, any
permission or authorisation needed to hold the event from the local authority, police or
other agencies.
- Agenda/schedule: includes information about what is happening and the times involved.
May also include the deadline for submitting any papers or items that people want to
put forward for discussion at the event.
- Event papers: (Minutes of previous meetings, biographies of previous speakers, and
information about organisations involved with the event).
