Practical Events
Management
Lecture Eleven: Event Evaluation
Lecture Overview
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What is event evaluation?
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The event management process
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When to evaluate events
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How to evaluate events
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Methods of primary research
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Questionnaires
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What to evaluate?
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Reporting
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The individual report
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Referencing
Defining Event Evaluation
“event evaluation is the process of critically observing,
measuring and monitoring the implementation of an event
in order to assess its outcomes accurately”
(Bowdin, et al, 2006:413)
The Event Management Process
Planning
Implementation
Evaluation
When to Evaluate Events?
 The process of evaluation takes place throughout the
event management cycle
 The key stages of evaluation are:
 Pre event (feasibility)
 During the event (event monitoring)
 Post event (did it reach its mission and objectives?)
 Reporting to stakeholders
How to Evaluate Events
 Secondary research
 Previous event reports
 Research organisations, e.g. Mintel
 Internet
 Primary research
 What data is needed?
 How, when and by whom it is to be gathered?
 How is it to be analysed?
 What format is to be used in the final report?
Methods of Primary Research
 Observation
 You will gain more accurate data if staff are trained to observe and are given a
reporting format
 Feedback meetings
 Venue
 Local council
 Sponsors
 Vendors
 Police
 First aid
 Questionnaires and surveys
Questionnaires
 Provide an ideal way to gain feedback from event stakeholders
 When designing a survey you need to think about:
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Purpose
Survey design
Size of sample
Randomness
Support data
 Incentives to participate
What to Evaluate
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Events have both tangible and intangible impacts
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Questionnaires tend to measure tangible impacts
 Marketing
 Human Resources
 Pricing
 Programming
 Venue
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Also important to evaluate intangible aspects
 Event experience
 Communication during event
Reporting
Data collection
+
Observation
+
Feedback
+
Surveys
=
Final report
Finally…
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To conclude the event management process you must:
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Hold a de-brief meeting
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Settle accounts
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Ensure all contractual and statutory obligations have been fulfilled
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Prepare and distribute to all key stakeholders a full report of event outcomes
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Make recommendations for future requirements/improvements to the event
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Thank everyone who has been involved
The Individual Report
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Students are required to prepare a management report based upon the event that
they have staged. This report should detail the processes which the group
followed in planning and executing their event as well as reflecting on the
successes and failures of these planning techniques and the event itself. A
statement of profit and loss must be included in this report including hidden costs
and an analysis of achievement in relation to the group report submitted in week
6.
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This should be an individual management report that draws theory into practice.
It should critically reflect upon the management process by which end goals were
reached and should be written in the third person.
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The word count is 2000-2500.
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This report should be submitted to W108 by 12 noon on Wednesday 17th April 2013
The Individual Report
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Introduction
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The Evaluation Process
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Definition of events
Role of events in society
Overview of the events industry
Introduction to your event – what was it, what type of event, purpose of the event
Purpose of the report and structure
Definition of evaluation
Why evaluation is important for managers in general and events managers in particular
Overall evaluation of your event – what was good/bad, what would you do differently
What were the aims and objectives of your event and were they met?
Human Resources
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Definition of HRM
Why HRM is important – particularly for events and specifically your event
Evaluate HRM of your group
(you might want to look at roles, organisational structure, leadership, communication, etc)
The Individual Report
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Event Planning
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Control and Budgeting
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Definition of planning
Why is planning important – particularly for events and specifically your event
What planning methods were used
Evaluate the planning processes utilised by your group
(reflect on your SWOT and PEST analyses, what difficulties did you come across, how were these dealt with, what implications did they have for the
event)
Definition of control and budgeting
Why control and budgeting is important - particularly for events and specifically your event
Full accounts for your event
Evaluation of these accounts
(were your predictions accurate, did you stick to your budget, cash flow, etc)
Marketing and Sponsorship
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Definition of marketing and sponsorship
Why marketing and sponsorship is important - particularly for events and specifically your event
Overview of the marketing and sponsorship activities carried out
Evaluation of marketing and sponsorship
(think about market research, 4 P’s, etc)
You may also want to include similar sections on topics such as venue, entertainment, etc – depending on your event.
The Individual Report
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Stakeholders
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Operations and Logistics (on the day)
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Definition of stakeholders
What is the impact of stakeholders on an event and your in particular
Evaluation – did you deliver what you promised, were stakeholders happy, stakeholder feedback
Definition of operations and logistics
Why are they important for events
What were the main logistical and operational issues for your event
How were these dealt with before, during and after the event
Evaluation of the day of the event – did things run smoothly, any issues, what did everyone do, who was
responsible for what
Conclusion
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Summary of report
What were the main lessons learnt from organising your event, what would you do differently in the
future
Concluding remarks on event
Top Tips
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This report should be written in the third person
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It should not simply repeat the group report
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You MUST include theory (and reference it properly)
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Focus on the key things that went well/did not go so well
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Don’t be afraid to say what you think could have been improved upon
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Reflect on how well the group worked together but don’t make it too personal!!
Referencing – Direct Quotes
 In the text
 “The de-industrialisation of cities has created a situation where policy
makers have, in the words of Miles (2005:913) “desperately sought to
explore the possibilities for a post-industrial future”
 Surname (year: page number)
 Where there are more than three authors do not list all of the surnames,
put the first surname, followed by ‘et al’
 For example, Bowdin, et al (2006:67)
Referencing - Paraphrasing
 In the text
 In recent years cultural regeneration has developed
from an alternative to urban development policy into a
core strategy for many regions and cities throughout
the world (Garcia, 2005)
 Surname, Year
The Reference List
 Books:
 Bowdin, G.A.J., Allen, J., O'Toole, W., Harris, R. and
McDonnell, I. (2006). Events Management. 2nd edn.
Oxford, Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann.
 Journals:
 Garcia, B. (2005) Deconstructing the City of Culture: the
long term cultural legacies of Glasgow 1990. Urban
Studies, Vol. 42 (5), pp. 841-868.