Chapter 3: Putting
on an Event

What is an event? .

I suppose we should start off by defining what we mean by an event. For the purpose of this book I shall define an event as "A group of people gathering together for a specific purpose."

How many people ? Lets say from 20 - 20,000

What sort of Group ? Corporate,, government, professional, community, social, sporting or private.

What purpose ? A conference, product launch, fashion show, breakfast, lunch or dinner presentation, press conference, sporting event, celebration, awards night, concert, opening or closing ceremony, wedding, or just a party for people to have fun.

Formula for success

Whatever the group or the purpose of the event there are certain laws, like the laws of physics that determine if the event will ‘work’ or be successful or achieve it’s objective or give the guests a great time, or be a great experience or whatever phrase you choose to measure the events overall success by.

If you are involved in running an event either on a one off basis or as part of your daily life then this book is designed to give you some ideas that will help you achieve your objective.

If you have to build an event space then this book is designed to help you understand the facilities that are needed for creative, effective staging.

The Components of an event

For convenience sake I have broken down the components of events into 3 main headings

• The Content

Run Sheets

The content of an event is like the sheet music in a concert or the script of a play.

In an event the content should be found in a run sheet. The run sheet should contain what time people are doing what.. From the run sheet those making it happen can produce their own details.

The head waiter can see when food and drink is to be served and when the area should be free from waiters so guests can focus on the entertainment or speeches without interruption. .

Those speaking or performing at the event can see ‘when they are on’ and who is on before and after them so they can prepare accordingly.

The staging team can see who is doing what and find out what technical support is required for each segment.

Sounds so obvious and so necessary but I reckon in 30 years of staging events only 10% of clients have handed me a run sheet when I have requested one. The other 90% ask me if I have a pen and some paper.

As the event takes shape all the details of the segments contained in the run sheets can be combined into a run book so those making the event happen can just turn pages. Those details can include the words to be spoken, the pre recorded segments to be shown, the music to be played and the menu to be served.

Suitability

The content at each type of event obviously varies but the rules remain very similar to achieve the objective.

Is the content relevant to those attending

EXAMPLES - Is there a technical emphasis for a technical audience and a benefits emphasis for sales people. Is the music suitable for the type of event and those attending

Does the choice and mix of content help the event achieve it’s objective

EXAMPLES - If the objective is to impress then a well known outside presenter to open the event can add weight. If the objective is to entertain then the entertainment should be selected with the audience in mind.

A great act for some events can be a failure at others.

Will the content mix keep people interested, surprised, excited, informed and not bored.

Is there smooth continuity between segments

EXAMPLE - Use music or videos between presentations to vary the mood and to calm, or excite the guests at relevant points. Use an MC between presenters or a solo musician between large acts to keep the event flowing
smoothly and help the audience re focus their attention for the next segment.

Is the length of the event suitable to the objective and attendeesEXAMPLE If the group you’ve invited are used to leaving at 5pm in the afternoon don’t design the programme to finish at 6pm - Half the audience will leave anyway.

If you can put over your points in 2 hours then don’t spread out the event to a whole day.

At most events somebody speaks. There are a few basic rules which have almost become cliches.

There is the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stupid. The more complicated the presentation the more chance there is of losing your audience’s attention. One way of testing the KISS principle is to read a paragraph and ask yourself ‘ What does that mean’ If the words in your answer are more simple to understand than the words in the paragraph then change the paragraph.

There is also the old adage ȁTell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em - Tell ‘em - Then Tell ‘em what you’ve told em.

By structuring a speech or presentation in this way the audience knows what to expect, feels involved and are more likely to retain the information because they have heard the main points 3 times.

Once again tailoring the words to the audiences interest and understanding makes them more receptive to the message the presenter is trying to put across.


Delivering the Contents

History is boring, History is exciting. History is History neither exciting or boring. The way history is presented is either boring or exciting. There are many ways to present history and the subject matter of your event. Through film, video, stage productions, music, interactive programmes, or with a live presenter using slides, overheads or computer graphics to bring the presentation alive.

You most likely won’t have history as the subject matter for the contents of your event but you do have the choice of using all the presentation methods available today to make each segment of your event exciting for those attending.

Deciding what presentation method is right for each segment comes under the heading of production.

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