1. Festive Event Management
Subject Code: CEM4103
Lecture 8
Onsite logistics & crisis
management
Developed & Presented by :
Roy Ying Note: Pictures used in this
power point file is for academic
Purpose only

2. Table of Content
• Elements of event logistics
• Crisis management
• Case studies sharing

3. Resources - talent
• What should event manager be good at?
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VTC 職業訓練局

4. 4
A good event manager must be
good at supplier management
• Audio visual production house • Modeling agencies
• Designers • Travel agencies
• MC & performers • Translation agencies
• Transportation companies • Web 2.0 software developers
• Securities • Audit firm
• Part-time staffing agencies • Market research companies
• PR agencies • Team building agencies
• Marketing service providers • Charitable organizations
• Database rental companies • Insurance companies
• Website developer • Airport VIP access service
• Photographers & video crew • Telecommunication service
• Media agencies • Others…….
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5. Elements of festive event logistics

6. Prior to onsite
• Supplier management is the key
• It’s more important than just issuing RFPs
• They become an extension of your service
• Every PCO should have
a system to qualify
their suppliers

7. Ticketing
• Marketing of tickets should happen prior to
the festival, but if tickets are sold onsite,
queuing should be considered

8. Transportation
• When thousands of people leaving at the
same time, special arrangements should
be made

9. Flow of audience, VIP & crew
• Where do audience enter the venue?
• Where do VIPs come in?

10. Communications
• Contact list
• Radio / walkie-talkie
• Telephone cards
• Signage
• Runners
• AV Cues

11. Amenities and consumables
• Depends on events, but should at least
include:
• Petty cash
• Stationeries and office supplies
• Electricity adaptors, extension cables
• F&B (or at least take-out menu)
• Contact lists prepared by everyone
• Personally, I’d always have my overnight
kit with me on “move-in” day

12. Check List for Festive Event Manager
• Event Brief • Media Reception Plan
• Contact List
• Staff and Volunteers
• Registration List
• VIP Reception Plan
• Venue Floor Plan
• Entertainment • AV & Production
• Catering Menu • Task Delegation Chart
• Transportation & Logistics
• Event Rundown (for yourself)
• Sponsors Entitlement

13. Festive Event Crisis Management
• What can go wrong?
– Macro
– Micro

14. MACRO
Political vs
Political vs
Business
Business Financial
Financial
Protocol
Protocol constraint
constraint
Too many
Too many Who (not)
Who (not)
bosses
bosses to invite?
to invite? Cross border
Cross border
communication
communication
Supplier
Supplier Expectation
deadlines Expectation
deadlines unmatched
unmatched No clear
No clear
direction
direction

15. MICRO
Too many possibilities
Venue Media Security
Design & Speakers / Registration /
Production performers crowd control
Program Technical Partnership
Audience Marketing Traveling

16. Examples of “flagged items”
• When your festival has the following circumstances, be
prepared that things will go wrong
1. Large numbers of attendees
2. Use of volunteers and inadequately trained staff
3. Untried (new) venues and sites
4. Complex and specialist activity
5. Newly formed corporate event management agency
6. The high-risk period just prior to the start of an event
7. Subcontractors and suppliers who are not influenced
by the promise of possible work in the future.

17. How do you plan for crisis?
• Part of the knowledge gained by a person with event
experience is the ability to identify when crisis will occur.
• Asking those people with the most experience to provide
input about potential crisis.
• Other common sense crisis management tools include:
1. Meeting with event stakeholders
2. Employing risk management experts
3. Raising the issue at staff and volunteer meetings
4. Consulting the local authorities, including the fire and police
5. Asking the emergency service suppliers

18. Crisis Expectation – risk level
• Depending on the type of events, there are
certain crisis that you can expect to see
from time to time.
– For events in Summer, plan for bad weather
– For events with celebrities, plan for delay
– For events involving live audience interaction,
plan for poor response
– For business development events, plan for a
discouraging guest registration list

19. Crisis Expectation
Bad Weather

20. Crisis Expectation
Celebrities
• Contract with production house or PR firm
who supplies you the artist
• Rehearsal planning
• MC selection
• Venue access and flexibility

21. Crisis Expectation
Live Audience
• Plant your own audience
• Conduct rehearsal with the “extra”
together with the script
• Alert MC
• Back-up logistics
• Media relations

22. Example – extreme urgent case
• Investment forum from Brazilian Consulate
1st telephone
call to enquire
my service
Event date -
expect full
house
attendance
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23. What have I done?
• I was a PCO. There was no strategic goal.
My tactical goal is to deliver full house.
• Made sure client knew what kind of
nightmare they had got themselves into.
• Evaluated the job based on 5W and 1 H.
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24. 5W + 1H
• What – Invest in Brazil
• Why – Emerging market / BRIC concept
• When – Sorry, no choice
• Where – I even get to pick
• Who – Investors, private equity,
accountants, consultants
• How……..in 3.5 working day?
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25. How….think of “who”
• Only 3 tools I could use:
– Direct mail (database)
– Telemarketing
– Online advertising
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26. Back up? Contingency?
• Using the Consulate’s name, I managed to
solicited support from HKGCC
• Usually when Brazilian minister comes to HK,
the business community from Macau would be
interested
• Hired temp. staff to hand out event flyer at
investment fund retail outlets in Central that offer
BRIC products
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27. Results & lessons learned
• I promised 40 attendees. 90 showed up. It’s
just expectation management.
• Use the 5W1H framework
• Project manager must be experienced and
resourceful
• Don’t do it all by yourself. Try to strike strategic
alliance as much as possible.
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28. Unexpected Crisis
• Sometimes, crisis would catch you totally
off-guarded. You just have to find a way to
deal with it.
1. Don’t Panic! Approach the situation with a clear head
2. Seeking advice from your senior
3. Teamwork, surround yourself with a council of genuine
knowledge of the situation – your not alone
4. Make decisions based on fact – not opinion
5. Play safe, don’t gamble, if your unsure then choose the safe
option
6. Take your time – don’t be rushed into making someone else’s
mistake
7. Recording …. If necessary
•

29. Example – how to turn hopeless
events into a job “well done”
• New designer. His dad paid for a fashion
parade to be held at Grand Hyatt.
Page No.
VTC 職業訓練局

30. Client wanted fashion buyers
• A fundamental change to the event was required
• Using the 5W1H model, client was willing to
adjust “What”, “When” and “How”
• Buyers will not attend because of his collection,
but will come to a fun party with celebrities
• PR agent was contracted
• Extra space was created to cater for paparazzi
• The timing of the fashion parade was pushed
back because of the availability of the artists
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31. Buyers, retailers and media ended up coming
because it’s now an interesting event
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32. Unexpected Crisis
• Event documentation becomes crucial
– Contact List
– Guest List, VIP List
– Seating Plan / Photo Shooting Plan
– Gantt Chart
– Rehearsal Schedule
– Rundown / Itinerary
– Site Map

33. Legal Issues in
Crisis Management
• Contract terms
• Liability issues
• Payment collection

34. Legal Issues
Case Sharing
• The organizer of an art festival went
bankrupt
• Liquidator wanted all revenue we as PCO
collected on behalf of the organizer be
returned
• Legally, all ticket holders would not get
refund unless they file claims to liquidator