Make Them Work For It

An idea for marketing managers - thinking of sponsoring an event on a one-off basis this summer? Turn the notion of the "sponsorship fee" on its head, and make the property/agency work a bit for your marketing dollars. Propose setting the sponsorship fee based on a base charge (say, half of their normal "package" cost), with an incremental charge based on attendance (maybe $100 per 1000 guests). After all, why should you pay fixed fee when the goods you're buying (i.e. impressions) can vary so widely? Shouldn't the risk be shared?

You'll likely get a bit of push-back - everything from accounting concerns to the typical "we just don't do it that way". But I urge you to hold firm. Remind them that if they're confident in the product they're selling, they stand to make more than they would under the traditional model. If they walk away from the table, so be it. That's a sure sign that you'd be wasting your money anyway.

Don't simply hand over your money - make them work for it.

A Great Resource Tip

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a great online course on special event contingency planning. Although geared towards public-sector agencies, the concepts it covers are more than applicable to private sector event planning.

Special Event Contingency Planning

They also have dozens of additional courses on everything from emergency response to livestock in disasters (really!). I highly recommend checking any them out - they're packed with information, and completely free!

Who do you run to?

A few notes on event staff management :

• Make sure that your event management structure is clearly defined and known by ALL staff (not just the supervisors) – this should be addressed in your pre-event meetings, and again at the beginning of the event. This is not to discourage cross-functional teamwork, but to ensure that in the heat of battle, valuable time isn't lost seeking answers. A great idea is to create an index card-sized laminate for all staff, detailing supervisors, responsibilities, and contact information.

• Assign a #2 that has full authority to act on you behalf if you're unavailable (and make sure you're comfortable with them doing so). The last thing you want is for critical action to be delayed while you're attending to other matters. If something will require your full attention for longer than a few minutes, have your #2 assume full control. Don't even attempt to do it all.

• Build your team organization based on what you're comfortable with them controlling. If you're reticent to release any particular piece of the production (no matter how trivial), it's better to hold on to that function and delegate something else. If you're worried about something getting done, you'll never really “let it go” anyway. Better yet, identify these items of concern early and pay special time and attention to their delegation.

• Make sure you let your supervisors see the “big picture”. For example, it can be uncomfortable letting subordinates know the financial aspects of the event. However, doing so will often contextualize for them many of the decisions you make throughout the course of the event.

• Work within a reasonable span of control (SOC) – ideally, I like to work within the parameters of the Incident Command System (ICS) structure, which dictates an SOC of between 3 and 7 team members per supervisor. If more than 7 persons are to be allocated to a particular function, they should be split into two (or more) teams. Allocations of less that three persons should be combined with other functions. This is obviously not practical for all situations, but its a great guide to ensure you're not over (or under) supervising your event staff.

Looking for more ideas on how to develop and manage your event team, contact Sytelabs to schedule your initial consultation.