Contemporary Issues in Events Management

 

The difference between traditional and non-traditional events - Workshop

Reflecting on personal experiences in planning and organizing should draw on many different perspectives and frameworks. When reflection is used to describe a manner of thinking, it is commonly used to describe the process of thinking back on prior experiences or occurrences. The Integrated Reflective Cycle can be described as one of them. The four-step reflection model is one of the tools that aids in recognizing and summarizing lessons from previous experiences. Thanks to that, everyone can reflect on events that have taken place such as seminars, group work or even workshops. This paradigm has promoted phases and ideas that are also useful for individual experiences (Bassot, 2013). The main reason this model appeals to me is this.

Evaluating effective reflection for experiential learning requires going through many different levels of consideration. These include the ability to self-manage, autonomy, the ability to learn and even openness (Coulson and Harvey, 2013).

The integrated reflective cycle

Our assignment for the first part of the semester was to conduct research, and create, and present a 10-minute individual workshop on a current topic that pertains to the events industry. Fortunately, these subjects are openly selected. Nonetheless, there are rules to follow and management of the lecturer. Since most students were still unfamiliar with the material, throughout the first two to three weeks of the session, nearly every student experienced intense confusion and anxiety. However, after that members with the same topic were paired up and searched for information together. Specifically, I had meetings with members to agree on the content, presentation method, and viewpoints on that topic. After nearly 2 weeks of discussion and effort, I finally completed the structure of my presentation in the most complete way. Every person will have ten minutes to contribute their material during the workshop. I was apprehensive. Still, I finished my assignment satisfactorily using effective time management and thorough material preparation. Specifically, the way of posing the problem as well as leading into the chosen topic are both rated at a good level. Besides, the examples and analysis in the workshop were highly appreciated by some other members of the group. Regarding the comments, I am rated at a good level in flexibly handling the content that needs to be conveyed to listeners. Almost every member of the class understood the content I presented.

Although this is a session to share my views on a specific topic. However, I learned and accumulated a lot of experience from other students. The topics are wide and comprehensive, providing the most comprehensive experience and overview of the event industry. Besides, I also know how to organize and manage a workshop most reasonably and accurately. Furthermore, after observing and paying attention to comments from the lecturer, I learned many new things from content to necessary skills to apply to my future work.

According to some feedback I received from lecturers, besides the strengths mentioned previously, there are still some limitations that need to be overcome. Some spelling or analysis errors have not reached their final destination. I have been so focused on the examples that I forgot to go deeper into each factor of the two traditional and non-traditional fields. In terms of form, what makes me feel dissatisfied is about body language and interactions with my friends around me. Since this was the first time I had a workshop for myself, it made me feel a little confused in the process of presenting the content.

Naturally, the shortcomings and restrictions of this experience will serve as lessons for planning similar workshops in the future. In this way, I will try my best in content management and not waste too much time on accompanying examples. In addition, after the discussion in class, I realized that organising a successful workshop requires self-control and confidence. Furthermore, in times of confusion and pressure, need to regain composure and continue presenting. As a result, I will do my best in terms of content management while avoiding wasting time on examples. Furthermore, the ability to problem-solve and maintain calm under pressure is a valuable lesson that will serve me well in my future work as an event organizer. Two transferable skills essential for all events industry managers are the capacity to remain composed under pressure and the ability to solve problems found in the top 10 event management skills.

Sustainability in Event Management

There is ample evidence to suggest that sustainability has gained traction in various domains of society. Some researchers have argued that there are many benefits to sustainable development (Musgrave and Raj, 2009). According to DeSimone and Popoff (1997), to continue growing and thriving while working with the social, environmental, and economic sectors, sustainable management became necessary. Above all, to incorporate sustainability into event organizations, event managers need to have a solid understanding of it. Although the events industry has expanded to an estimated £11 billion in the UK, it still has easy access to social and environmental resources thanks to the gathered source data (Musgrave and Raj, 2009). Besides, with the outstanding development of technology today, festivals and events will always have an impact on communities and cultures, both positively and negatively.

"Sustainability in any field is linked to social will and is deeply understood in general terms to be able to adapt to different situations (Dresner, 2009; Rogers et al., 2007)."

Regarding the event industry, the concept of sustainability needs to be understood and analyzed based on many different angles and factors.

Economic: As previously mentioned, the "three pillars" principles influence and support one another. Therefore, society must find ways to quickly integrate into the economy to develop in a positive direction. Furthermore, sustainable development must go hand in hand with economic security, an improved environment, and a higher quality of life to aid maximum economic development (Musgrave and Raj, 2009).

Environment: It can be seen that the rapid development of each individual as well as society has negatively affected the environment such as excessive waste in terms of usage as well as weakness in sustainable management. Besides, the current generation in general and event managers, in particular, can ensure that future generations do not regret not acting now by decreasing waste and consuming fewer natural resources in event organizations (Musgrave and Raj, 2009).

Social: It can be demonstrated that simply establishing a steady environmental strategy is insufficient to address societal requirements in the context of sustainability. According to UNCSD (2007), an event's sustainable development is contingent upon methodical strategies that foster the societies. These include providing for the needs of certain groups and promoting equality of rights, and fair access. Moreover, this is even more affirmed when and only when all sectors from individuals to organizations come together to create a common social philosophy, that can sustainability exist (Musgrave and Raj, 2009).

These days, events are organized with human nature directly in mind. This includes the more fundamental elements of social integration, like a sense of identity and belonging, in addition to social and cultural values (Goodland, 2002; Garcia, 2003). As can be easily seen, for sustainability to exist in event organization and management, participation from many different parties is required (Dwyer, et al., 2000). Any framework's scope, particularly for the events industry, should take into account individuals who work in the field, attend events, evaluate social inclusion as a fundamental expansion principle, and inspire interest in everyone (DCMS, 2001; Garcia, 2003). Three key factors about event integration are worth managers' attention. Firstly, managers need to, for instance, be aware of the basic requirements of the participating groups. The second thing it does is draft declarations to establish an environment that is just and equal for all. Lastly, organize staff members to receive coaching and training so they can become self-aware and manage their awareness of equality and justice (DCMS, 2001; Garcia, 2003).
Hediger (2000) suggested that innovation and creativity in society are an indispensable part of the principle of sustainability, especially in the event sector. According to these principles, sustainable event management is an issue that affects every generation and necessitates changes made through four channels (Presbury and Edwards, 2005). Moreover, this requires a marked change in personal perspective; creating enough pressure on the supply chain; a deep awareness of the amount of waste released into the environment; and clarity in product lifecycle management (Presbury and Edwards, 2005).
Meadowcraft (1999, pp. 37) states:

"Every generation has to start over and decide what its goals for development are, where to draw the line between what is desirable and environmentally feasible, and how much it is aware of the demands of social injustice."

There must be supporting factors and motivations in organizing any event, especially a sustainable event with the desire to make a difference in limited financial and time conditions and human resources. Therefore, no matter what stage or job, it is extremely necessary to carefully analyze and review the supply chain as well as the life cycle of the supplied products. To do this well, event managers need to coordinate smoothly in using technology to achieve maximum effectiveness. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure sustainability by planning and preparing a long-term strategy. Furthermore, event managers, before organizing or preparing any event related to sustainability, need to pay attention to all issues surrounding the "three pillars" principles to maximize all resources.

How to make events more sustainable?

As shared in the previous section, sustainability in event management plays an important role. Additionally, sustainability and sustainable development in the event industry need to be considered from a variety of angles, such as economic, environmental, and social (Musgrave and Raj, 2009). It is important that event organizers accurately calculate and judge the long-term development of issues related to culture, society, and the environment in the event venue (Mair, 2019; Getz, 2017). According to Mair and Smith (2021), managers pay more attention to the existing and existing negative effects caused by the event. This means a lot of time needs to be spent researching and planning a tool that promotes event sustainability (Mair and Smith, 2021).

As an illustration, consider the following: planning conferences, outdoor events, or workshops are examples of activities that may have unanticipated environmental effects. These include hazardous hygiene brought on by waste discharge into the environment, air pollution, and a major contribution to climate change (EMAS, 2018).

To make events more sustainable, it is necessary to first establish the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (UNDP, 2023). This includes the requirement for leaders and event managers to put in place sustainable policies regarding food, waste, energy use, etc.

Contribution of sustainable events to the SDGs

As an example, take into consideration the International Organization for Standardization's June 2012 release of ISO 20121, a new standard.

"By following the recommendations and best practices offered by ISO 20121, the event manager can better manage event and regulate its social, economic, and environmental impact. Whether it is encouraging people to take public transit or using tap water instead of plastic bottles. Owing to its flexible methodology, ISO 20121 applies to a broad spectrum of events.”

Some international events that have taken place, such as the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games, have had the application of standards in managing sustainability in the event (UNDP, 2023). ISO 20121 aims to make events more sustainable in all criteria of service management, and operations,...The management of sustainable events can be made easier for event managers by planning them using a step-by-step (UNDP, 2023).

The venue: Venues must be planned and selected by managers about sustainability. This includes managers needing to consider locations that are convenient in terms of traffic, waste treatment systems according to 4Rs standards, and accepting and encouraging the organization of events according to the hybrid model (EMAS, 2018).

Minimal sustainability standards for events

Event waste management: Regardless of the event's purpose, organizers should always advocate for the 4Rs principle in waste management (UNDP, 2023).

Event managers who want events to become more sustainable need to use recycled items, which not only helps protect the environment at the event but also in the surrounding community (UNDP, 2023). The application of these measures and actions is extremely urgent and mandatory. Furthermore, it is necessary to specifically recognize the distinction between plastic products and waste in the environment, this will not only help limit waste of resources but also increase sustainability in the event (Grundon, 2022).

In terms of food management, unused food is not only called waste but is also related to soil pollution, the greenhouse effect and, importantly, has a strong impact on the lives of humans (Popoola, 2022).

Besides, reducing food waste in the event is also a prerequisite for achieving sustainability. Furthermore, this requires managers to consider, analyze and monitor to come up with solutions and strategies for handling (European Commission, 2016).

"A zero-waste event cannot be accomplished by any organization with just basic steps, such as adding recycling bins. Creating plans to guarantee that everything used and disposed of is recyclable is the foundation of a zero-waste event." 

4Rs principle

Resource efficiency - water savings: Regarding water resource issues in event venues, in case there is a lack of tools to save water or control water sources, managers need to propose and coordinate with relevant parties. Rigid water-use regulations apply to buildings that have earned the Green Key certification. 

During the 2008 Oracle Corp Annual Software Conference, guests replaced their reusable bottles with 20-litre water containers at refill stations rather than the 500,000 bottles that had been supplied. Furthermore, the event saved nearly $2 million thanks to the above measure (Mcnulty, 2010).

Communication: One of the important steps that cannot be overlooked in any plan is effective communication. Especially improving sustainability in events requires going through many stages from planning to reporting. Therefore, to be able to organize successful sustainable events, there needs to be more change and creativity in educating participants and stakeholders (UNDP, 2023).

About 2,000 attendees of the 2010 European Sustainable Cities and Towns Conference in Dunkirk, France, had a chance to see firsthand the humane and sustainable exhibition that only displays products related to locally grown trees that will later be replanted.

Sustainability criteria will be guaranteed in most events if managers plan, organize and implement clearly. Currently, some event businesses around the world plan regularly once a year including meetings, press conferences, internal meetings, etc. This number may be larger for large-scale and global organizations (UNDP, 2023). Furthermore, planning for event sustainability requires consideration and analysis of issues related to communication with stakeholders. In addition, there should be commitments that should be made by senior managers to have stricter management as well as reach out to a wider audience. Nowadays, to help events become sustainable quickly, managers not only have to implement conventional sustainability criteria but also need to promote sustainability from within. This means it is necessary to discover the causes, mistakes or negatives behind organizing the event step by step. Only then the event become more sustainable in such a complicated time as today.

Important Factors for Business Organize Sustainable Events

According to a recent study, some cities in the UK have been developing community-inspired event-led sustainable destination management strategies. This comes from the benefits behind it such as opportunities for entertainment, education and community values in life (SQW Ltd and TNS, 2004). For example, many destinations have comparable advantages (Ritchie and Crouch, 2005), and a diverse event calendar can give a destination a competitive edge by making it stand out.

For example, some cities, like Manchester, Glasgow, and Glasgow, have successfully implemented regeneration initiatives that focus on sustainable management techniques (BTP, 2004; Smith, 2006). It can be easily recognized that sustainable programs have more or less created many common points in history, culture, and people (Ritchie and Crouch, 2005). Effective managers use the nation's natural resources to produce remarkable products to create long-term competition in the tourism industry. For example, the Commonwealth Games has positively contributed to upgrading infrastructure and urban areas in Manchester (Smith and Fox, 2007). In some developed countries around the world, to ensure that the events created are highly sustainable, efforts have been made as well as long-term strategies have been implemented in advance (Haven-Tang and Jones, 2009).

Haven Tang et al (2007) developed a model that identifies seven crucial success factors for business tourism destinations: leadership; networking; branding; competencies; ambassadors; infrastructure; and bidding.

Leadership: Leadership is one of the key components of event-led sustainable destination management strategies. For managers with long-term thinking and strategies as well as foresight, they can be classified as having high leadership ability. In addition, there is a particular need for the successful implementation of a sustainable destination strategy (Pernecky, 2015). Besides, to secure a sustainable events calendar and optimize the advantages of heightened tourism, the events team collaborates with community event organizers to achieve enduring event sustainability. Additionally, Monmouthshire event managers have the opportunity to apply for a Promotion and Marketing Fund. This is considered a fund established to provide maximum support in increasing scale and positively impacting the strategy to build a sustainable event portfolio (Haven-Tang and Jones, 2009).

Networking: The sustainable destination network plays an important role as a bridge of market information. That is because global and long-standing events do not always take place in the same locations (Haven-Tang, et al., 2007). Moreover, Manchester, Newcastle, and Glasgow Gateshead are among the three critical members of the International Trade Association who have contributed and cooperated with many different parties to improve the level, which is urgent for meeting the set goals. To enhance networking, the event manager's presence needs to be present in each different region (Haven-Tang and Jones, 2009).

Branding: The brand image of any event is a perfect measure in today's developed tourism market, this is also considered the basic foundation for linking sustainability to the destination (An and Yamashita, 2022). Both Glasgow's Scotland with Style and Manchester's Original Modern City have had positive impacts on stakeholders as well as attracted outside attention (Haven-Tang, et al., 2007). Furthermore, the NewcastleGateshead Initiative has a destination brand toolkit to support rival brands, create awareness of the activity and gain encouragement and cooperation from local event businesses (Haven-Tang and Jones, 2009).

Competences: The requirement for the appropriate competency, which can distinguish between competitive and comparative advantage, is prioritized by all sustainable destinations (Haven-Tang, et al., 2007). For example, Monmouthshire has planned to organize special training courses for event organizers to grow stronger in the economic sector. Meanwhile, in Manchester, the focus is on professionalism in ensuring sustainability in the event (Haven-Tang and Jones, 2009). Additionally, a volunteer database remains one of the legacies of the 2002 Commonwealth Games (Smith and Fox, 2007). These instances show how capacity building for events can be carried out at a sustainable destination level (Haven-Tang and Jones, 2009).

Infrastructure: To help businesses develop sustainable event tourism successfully, the ability to integrate convenience into the destination's transportation system is a factor that cannot be ignored (Haven-Tang, et al., 2007). In this regard, regional backing for route development to enhance and broaden air access for foreign clients is crucial (Haven-Tang and Jones, 2009).

Bidding: The bidding process is significant because it may raise awareness of a sustainable destination. For example, the effort to bid on the 2008 European Capital of Culture has attracted media attention (Haven-Tang and Jones, 2009). Competition in bidding is something that deserves attention from event managers, especially for international and regional sustainable events (Getz, 2004).

To maintain and maximize effectiveness in sustainable destination management, there needs to be a long-term framework or vision that is well-funded and coordinated in addressing issues related to brand, leadership or infrastructure. Comprehensive approaches and transformational models are needed to ensure successful sustainable event organization (Haven-Tang, et al., 2007). In addition, event managers need to absorb and apply different approaches to destination management. This may include using its comparative advantage to ensure effective competition in sustainable destinations. Furthermore, there needs to be support from internal resources within the business as well as the external environment to compete most proactively. This requires managers to plan and prepare mentally to face difficulties and challenges.

The Event's Financial Evaluation from a Business Perspective

In several recent studies, every aspect related to sustainability, especially the event industry, is deeply influenced and influenced by the unique context for that effort (Festa, et al., 2009). Furthermore, event managers in today's era need to consider financial issues in producing sustainability. That is because it can be viewed from many different perspectives. For example, regarding the environment, it is necessary to set up a separate fund for each event to meet the fullest needs. It can be seen that major events such as the World Cup have tended to divert investments to achieve beneficial purposes in maintaining employment levels, specifically significantly increasing employment (Festa, et al., 2009).

Currently, with the severe scarcity of natural resources, this is considered a key point to motivate event managers to organize events in a more sustainable way (Festa, et al., 2009). Moreover, this is also shown more clearly in strategies and communication campaigns about direct investment in society and the community (Guatri, et al., 2003). Nonetheless, the expense would unavoidably be a direct or indirect "return cost"— this means that the above provisions are intended to meet the development of that country. Given the disadvantages, it stands to reason that event entrepreneurs are interested in contributing to the event's sustainability as part of a more strategic and operationally focused corporate social responsibility (CSR) could profit from the following:

(CSR) is conveyed to stakeholders utilizing, among other things, funding regional events and associated recreational activities. (Scheinbaum and Lacey, 2015). CSR is, by definition, an organization's commitment to mitigating adverse impacts and optimizing enduring positive societal influence.

The first thing that can be mentioned is linking social connections in the region together to enhance status (Festa, et al., 2009). Consequently, an organization's triple bottom line is ultimately enhanced by event sustainability (Fredline, et al., 2004). Thus, the minimal need for firms in general and managers, in particular, to take part in the event is to forfeit a percentage of the value created, as opposed to making a "non-value" donation, which would essentially be an extra expense (Coyte, et al., 2021). The event's value will add to the overall value generated by the business's ongoing operations (Guatri, et al., 2003). For marketing, events are considered an indispensable part of every company (Guatri, et al., 2003). Thus, it can be affirmed that events are considered a tool for mixed marketing (Išoraitė, 2016). It is easy to assume that sustainable budgeting plays an additional role (Coyte, et al., 2021).

Evaluating the financial situation of a sustainable event is extremely important and necessary because it can bring economic advantages and creativity as well as maximum financial limitations (Festa, et al., 2009). It follows that public relations undoubtedly acts as a bridge between events. Sustainability is considered an important key in strategic marketing in every event business, companies must continuously pique public interest (Kerin, et al., 2007).

It is clear that evaluating and determining finances in the event industry in general, and sustainable events in particular, are challenges that managers must face and overcome. Besides, to make it easier to manage and evaluate sustainability, output and consumption sources must be carefully analyzed. Furthermore, as previously stated, if managers want all indicators to become more accurate and authentic, criteria and reference frames must be established. However, it should be noted that these recommendations become meaningless if event managers do not have support and help from senior leaders, other departments or even the related parties. Therefore, to be optimal, every member involved in a sustainable event business needs to participate in this evaluation phase.