Venue management - Event Perspectives Series

Venue Management

Chris Austin15 October 2014

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What is a venue?


Venues

• Purpose-built• Multi-purpose• Residential conference venues• Educational establishments• Hotels• Unusual and miscellaneous venues

British Conference Market Trends Survey (1999)


Venues

• Increasing number of ‘unusual’ venues, which are outside the realms of ‘conventional, purpose-built venues’• Historic houses• Sport and leisure centres• Museums• Race courses• City centre locations

Swarbrooke and Horner (2002:168)


Venues vs. Event Spaces


Importance of venues

• The venue is…• ‘An obvious part of event success’ Bowdin

(2011:495)

• ‘the scaffolding in which to stage the themed event around and within’ Ferdinand and Kitchin (2012:58)

• ‘essential to an event’s success, in terms of location and layout’ O’Toole (2011:193)


Venues and theming

• Venue to match the theme of the event, or…

• Create the theme within the venue?


The venue experience

• Berridge (2007) refers to the venue as being critical to the perception of the event, which is created by the physicality and stimuli evoked by the event and venue combined.

• Wood and Masterman (2007)…‘seven I’s’… Involvement, interaction, immersion, intensity, individuality, innovation and integrity.


Venue selection

• Allen (2008:145) – ‘Four walls and a roof, a blank canvas onto which the event is painted.’

• ‘Needs to meet the operational requirements of the event’.


How would you select a venue?


Venue selection

• Location• Matching the venue to the theme• Matching the size of the event to

venue capacity• Venue layout including sight lines

and seating configuration• Event history/portfolio and reputation• Availability


Venue selection (cont’d)

• What can the venue provide• Transport links and parking• Access for audience, equipment,

guests, staff, VIPs, disabled• Toilets and welfare facilities• Catering• Power• Communication


Venue selection (cont’d)

• Climate, microclimate and ventilation• Emergency plans and exits• Technology• Price• Destination image• Awards and accreditations

Bowdin et al (2012)


Price vs. Value?


What about relationships?


Destination factors?


Destination selection

• Transport links• Events and attractions• Accommodation• Amenities• Culture• Night time economy• Food• Reputation / image• Geographical location• Venues• Enquiry handling ability


Venue selection trends

• Traditional, purpose-built venues being exceeded by unusual, diversifying and virtual event environments.

• The wider destination and geographical position of the venue is becoming increasingly important.


Venue selection trends (con’t)

• Marketing attitudes have shifted with increasing emphasis on stakeholder engagement, customer perception, service quality and relationships between event and venue managers.

• Emerging themes include the importance of technology and sustainability, and influences on organisational buying behaviour.


Venue management

Venue Manager

Event Manager

Event


Venue management

• Venue design• Venue organisational structure• Event process• Multiple events in venues• Contracts• Pricing• Partnerships


Venue design

• Event spaces• Circulation areas / visitor flow• Parking• Transportation• Ticketing• Toilets and amenities• Food and beverage• Dressing rooms, green rooms, officials

areas


Venue design (cont’d)


Venue organisational structure

Managing Director

Operations

Finance

Marketing and

Communication

Sales Business Services

Catering

Manchester Central…


Event process


Multiple events in venues

• Increased pressures, timing is critical…• Parking• Food and beverage• Visitor flow (inside and to/from venue)


Contracts

• Venue contract would typically include…• Security deposit• Cancellation• Access• Late conclusion (‘running over’)• House seats (reserved tickets for venue)• Additions/alterations• Signage


Pricing

• Venue hire• Equipment• DDR / 24HR DR• Ticketing (inside / outside charges)• Catering (provision, concessions and

corkage)• Parking (consideration for attendees)


Partnerships

• Other venues• Accommodation providers• Destination Management

Organisation (DMO)• Equipment (e.g. AV) suppliers• Caterers• Media


Event management in venues

• Facilities• Roles and responsibilities• Timings• Suppliers and partnerships• Events across multiple venues


Facilities


Roles and responsibilities

• Venue team• Event team• Partners / contractors• Suppliers• Stewards• Specialists (e.g. highways, first aid etc)


Timings

• Arrival• Set-up• Sign-off• Event delivery• De-rig• Depart• Slippage – remember contract!


Events across multiple venues• Delegation• Communication• Safety• Timing


Events across multiple venues


ReferencesAllen, J., O’Toole, W., Harris, R. and McDonnell, I. (2008) Festival and Special Event Management, Fourth Edition, Australia: Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Austin, C (2013) Choice criteria for selecting venues for events: A comparative study, MSc Dissertation, Manchester Metropolitan University

Berridge, G. (2007) Event Design and Experience, USA: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Bowdin, G., Allen, J., O’Toole, W., Harris, R. and McDonnell, I. (2012) Events Management, Third Edition, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Ferdinand, N. and Kitchin, P.J. (2012) Events Management: An International Approach, London: SAGE Publications.

Getz, D. (2010) Event Management & Event Tourism, Second Edition, USA: Cognizant Communication Corporation.


ReferencesSwarbrooke, J. and Horner, S. (2002) Business Travel and Tourism, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

System 3 (1999) British Conference Market Trends Survey 1998, London: BTA.

Wood, E.H. and Masterman, G. (2007) ‘Event Marketing: Experience and Exploitation’. Extra-ordinary Experiences Conference: managing the consumer experience in hospitality, leisure, sport, tourism, retail and events, Bournemouth University, 3-4 September.

Venue management - Event Perspectives Series

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