Game day Management
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9781284142167_SLID_CH13.pptxChapter 13
Event Management
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Introduction
Sport event management
All functions related to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a sport event
Requires: Finance/budgeting, risk management, tournament operations, registration, volunteer management, and event marketing
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History
Late 1800s: Focus turned to the professional aspects of managing sport events because of a desire to increase profits (Albert Spalding)
Barnstorming tours: The touring of star athletes and teams to promote the popularity of a particular sport
Emergence of sport management/marketing agencies (i.e., IMG) initially established to represent the legal and marketing interests of athletes
Agencies are businesses that act on behalf of a sport property (i.e., a person, company, event, team, or place)
Agencies have expanded to incorporate myriads of functions beyond representing athletes
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Agency Functions (1 of 2)
Client representation: Acting on behalf of a client in contract negotiations
Client marketing: Locating appropriate endorsement opportunities, booking appearances, and developing entertainment extensions
Event development and management
Meeting increased demand for television production and development work
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Agency Functions (2 of 2)
Soliciting corporate sponsorships
Hospitality services
Developing/marketing grassroots programs
Evaluating the success of events and initiatives through market research: Implementing mail surveys, focus groups, on-site surveys, and sponsorship/economic impact surveys
Financial planning
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Types of Agencies
Full-service agencies perform the complete set of agency functions (e.g., IMG, Octagon)
Specialized agencies limit either the scope of services performed or the type of clients serviced (e.g., Redmandarin)
In-house agencies are formations of separate departments or divisions dealing with event management within major corporations
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Event Management Functions
Nearly all event managers must oversee the following critical functions:
Finance/budgeting
Risk management
Tournament operations
Registration
Volunteer management
Event marketing
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Event Management Functions: Finance/Budgeting
Critical to successful sport event management
Budgeting attempts to predict revenues and expenses for a particular event
Zero-base budgeting: Review of all activities and related costs of an event as if it were the first time
Cash-flow budgeting: Accounting for the receipt and timing of all sources and expenditures of cash
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Event Management Functions: Risk Management
Protecting the organization from anything that could possibly go wrong and lead to a loss, such as financial loss, equipment or property damage, loss of goodwill, and loss of market share
DIM process: Developing, implementing, and managing the risk management plan
Waiver and release of liability: Form signed by participants and volunteers that releases venue and event managers from negligence
Purchasing insurance: Provides security to an event regarding potential financial losses
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Event Management Functions: Tournament Operations
The nuts and bolts of an event
Divided into pre-event, actual event, and post-event
Pre-event: Determine type of event and the event’s goals
Script: Specific, detailed, minute-by-minute schedule of activities throughout the event
The time of day and what is taking place
The operational needs (equipment and setup surrounding each activity)
The event person(s) in charge of each activity
Post-event: Activities surrounding completion of event
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Event Management Functions: Tournament Operations – Planning (1 of 2)
Venue plan and layout
Equipment and facility needs
Schedule of activities
Sponsorship needs
Signage commitments and locations
Food and beverages
Merchandise sales
Media concerns
Promotional activities and needs
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Event Management Functions: Tournament Operations – Planning (2 of 2)
Transportation concerns
Housing of athletes
Staff communication
Personnel responsibilities
Lines of authority
Security issues
Americans with Disabilities Act requirements
Policies to address other legal concerns such as alcohol use
Crowd control
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Event Management Functions: Registration
First time event staff members come into contact with participants
Registration system: Crucial for making a good first impression on clientele
Determining information that needs to be collected and disseminated during the registration process
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Registration Considerations
Number of participants who will be registering
Information that needs to be collected from or disseminated to the participants (e.g., waiver forms, codes for sportsmanship conduct, inclement weather policy, event schedule)
Registration fees that must be collected
Determine whether identification is needed (e.g., regarding age limitations)
Collect information manually or via a computer system
Determine whether the event involves minors who require the signature of a parent or guardian on a waiver form
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Event Management Functions: Volunteer Management
Events from local races to the Olympic Games rely on volunteer help
Volunteer management staff supervise the volunteers involved with an event
Working with event organizers and staff to determine the areas in which volunteers are needed and the quantity needed
Soliciting, training, and managing the volunteers
How to keep volunteers happy?
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Event Management Functions: Event Marketing
Integrated marketing approach: Corporate sponsorship, advertising, public relations, hospitality, ticket sales, broadcasting, website development, licensing/merchandising, fundraising
Integrated marketing entails long-term strategic planning to manage the nine main functions in a consistent manner
ED: Removed boldface and ending period, closed up fund-raising
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Event Management Functions: Corporate Sponsorship
Increase in number of events has led to an increase in competition for sponsors
Events have become increasingly reliant on sponsorship
Either sold by the event (in-house) or by an outside sport marketing agency (IOC)
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Event Management Functions: Advertising
Advertising expenditures are a very minor portion of an event’s expenses
Advertising sought through one of two means: (1) media sponsors or (2) attachment to corporate sponsor advertisements
Nearly all successful events sell sponsorships to media outlets
In-kind sponsorships: Event provides the typical sponsorship benefits in exchange for a specified amount of free advertising space
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Event Management Functions: Public Relations
Generating free publicity is important
Must develop a good working relationship with the members of the media (e.g., through hospitality)
Event must be creative to attract interest
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Event Management Functions: Hospitality
Providing a satisfying experience for all stakeholders of the event, including participants, spectators, media, and sponsors is one way of improving event loyalty
Sport sponsors use hospitality to:
Reward and build relationships with current customers
Generate business from new customers
Reward employees for good performance
Reward suppliers for excellent sales
Hospitality is one of the 10 most common functions of a sport agency
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Event Management Functions: Ticket Sales
Sporting events rely on ticket sales to varying degrees
For medium-sized and smaller events, ticket sales are a less effective way to generate revenues
Ability to charge admission is dependent on where the event occurs and how easily the event manager can control entry to the event (e.g., golf)
Impact of technology
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Event Management Functions: Broadcasting
A wide variety of broadcast outlets are available for sporting events
Radio/television broadcasts add credibility to an event and provide increased exposure, benefiting sponsors
If a broadcast outlet does not feel an event will be attractive to a large audience, limiting the ability to sell advertising time, then the outlet will not be willing to pay a rights fee to televise or broadcast that event
Sport organization have begun to look at online sites (MLB.com, YouTube, etc.)
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Event Management Functions: Website Development
Imperative that any event, no matter the size, has a website to provide important information and promote the event
Website’s URL should be the name of the event or something that is very close to the name of the event
Website should provide basic event details: When/where the event is occurring, how tickets can be purchased for the event, online ticket purchase option, news releases, and so forth
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Event Management Functions: Licensing/Merchandising
Sale of items that display an event’s name or logo: Usually only beneficial for large, televised, multiday events
Beneficial in a number of ways, including advertising and brand recognition of the event as well as a potential revenue source through sales generated
To cover the costs of inventory, staffing, and space allocation, significant sales must be achieved for the event to make a profit
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Event Management Functions: Fundraising
Not-for-profit events can use fundraising as a means of revenue generation
Most often, not-for-profit events center around raising money for some charitable enterprise
Cause-related marketing efforts by corporations are another instance in which fundraising may be appropriate
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Career Opportunities
The event management field offers one of the most fertile areas for career opportunities
To be successful in event management, one must be prepared to work long and typically inconvenient hours
Careers in event management involve working with one of three types of organizations: sport management/marketing agencies, events, and charities
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Key Skills
Education: Sport management programs with marketing, event management, business, finance
Internships: Usually need internships for experience and companies hire new workers from intern pool
Volunteer and paid opportunities exist in any university community: Athletic department, intramural department, community recreation programs, and charity events
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Current Issues: Event Security
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there was a heightened security presence at sporting events and facilities
Event security has escalated to an even higher level of importance and scrutiny after the bombing during the 2013 Boston Marathon, which claimed three lives and injured hundreds more, predominantly spectators attending the event
Hiring more security is an increasing trend, but often the security staff has insufficient training
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Current Issues: Social and Political Concerns
In 2016, North Carolina legislature passed HB2—the “bathroom bill”—which required transgender people to use restrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificate rather than their gender identity
Passage of this bill led to protest, including the withdrawal of tournament games hosted in the state by the NCAA and the NBA
The law was repealed in March 2017, with the protests ending in response, but there is still much debate in this and other states that may impact sporting events in the future
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Current Issues: Niche Sports
Niche sports are unique and appeal to a distinct segment of the market, whether defined by age, such as the Millennial Generation or Generation Y (the teenagers and 20-somethings of today), or socioeconomic class
The most popular niche sport today may be UFC MMA, or Ultimate Fighting Championship Mixed Martial Arts
With the exception of the action sports, many of these niche sports suffer from a lack of exposure and corporate support beyond their small demographic cohort
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Summary
Sport event management offers a wide variety of career opportunities for young sport managers
Most of these opportunities exist within sport management/marketing agencies, the entities that most often organize, manage, and market sport events
With the proliferation of made-for-TV events, opportunities for sport managers in event management will continue to grow
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