Event Management Plan: Planning, Organizing, and Implementing the Ideal Event

Learning Outcomes

This assessment addresses the following module learning outcomes:

• Explain event industry structures and sector dynamics
• Discuss how public policy affects events and how events contribute to broader policies and agendas
• Describe the particularities of events experiences and compare/contrast customer needs in different sector contexts
• Examine selected topics of event operations including quality, environmental sustainability/CSR, innovation and human resources
• Apply theory and information from industry sources to create an event management plan which includes a site plan and risk assessment

This is an individual assignment, worth 100% of the overall module mark.  It consists of an electronically produced site plan (300 words), a written risk assessment (900 words) and a written event management plan (1,800 words).  Although practically focused, it also requires an academic underpinning and you are expected to integrate theory from the module and from your own reading, as well as information from industry sources, to substantiate the points in your event management plan.  As well as using the information in the brief to develop your assignment, you should conduct your own research, using appropriate secondary sources.  You must not, however, conduct any primary research nor should you contact any organisation directly.  It is essential that you reference all books, journals, websites, and other sources used within your event management plan.  

This is a fictional brief relating to a real area of parkland in Bristol.  You should imagine you work for a local event management company and have been contracted by Bristol City Council (BCC) to organise four community events on the Blaise Castle Estate.  You must select one of the fictional events listed below to be the focus of your assignment:

1. ‘Under 18s Fun Run Charity Event’
2. ‘Best of the West Food & Drink Festival’
3. ‘Gettin’ Jiggy With It! 90s Tribute Concert’
4. ‘Halloween Spooktacular’

A specification for each event can be found in Appendices A-D, and further information about Blaise Castle Estate can be found in Appendix E and Appendix F.  This assignment does NOT require you to consider the feasibility, financing or marketing of your chosen event, just the organisational and safety aspects related to it.  This assignment also does NOT require you to include any arrangements relating to SARS-CoV-2, for example, social distancing or extra hygiene measures.

Using the event specification, you should create an event management plan for your event.  This should be presented as an A4 Word document.  The word limit for the event management plan is 1,800 words so you will need to communicate clearly and concisely.  Your event management plan should include the following (and you may wish to use these as headings):

• Cover Page– You should include your student number, the module name and module code, the title of the document and for whom it was produced, the date and the total word count.  Although the Cover Page is not included within the word count, it will be considered in the marks given for Communication, Presentation and Referencing.

• Table of Contents– This should include a list of the section headings, sub-section headings and page numbers.  Sections and sub-sections should be numbered throughout the document.  For example, ‘Introduction’ should be numbered 1.0, and any sub-sections thereafter should be 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc.  Although not included within the word count, the Table of Contents will be considered in the marks given for Communication, Presentation and Referencing.

• Introduction– You should provide a brief overview of the event and explain BCC’s motivation to fund it.  With reference to academic sources, your explanation should present the arguments for and against public sector intervention in, and support for, the type of event you have chosen.  You should also briefly describe the target audience(s) for the event, explaining the outcomes they are seeking from attending it.  Again, this discussion should be substantiated with reference to academic sources.

• Event Organisation & Safety– You should describe the organisational and safety plans for your event in relation to the following FIVE topics (referred to as ‘compulsory topics’ in the marking criteria):

1. Roles & Responsibilities– Include event staff and volunteers, cover set up and breakdown as well as the delivery of the event itself, and outline reporting links to external agencies, e.g., BCC, emergency services etc.  You should present an organisation structure chart as an appendix to this topic.
2. Contingency & Emergency Planning– Describe the situations that would require evacuation of the site and explain the steps in the evacuation process.
3. Fire Safety– Describe the fire-related hazards associated with the event, explain the precautions taken to mitigate the risk of fire and the equipment/resources needed on site.
4. Medical – Explain the level of medical cover to be provided and the equipment/ facilities/resources needed on site.
5. Waste Management – Describe the waste-related hazards associated with the event, and explain the arrangements for waste disposal, rubbish bins, recycling and litter collection.

You should also describe the organisational and safety plans for a further THREE topics from the list below (referred to as ‘optional topics’ in the marking criteria).  You should use your judgement to prioritise which topics are most important given the nature of your event, the site and its audience:

1. Amusements
2. Animal Welfare
3. Barriers & Fencing
4. Communication
5. Crowd Management
6. Coping with the Weather
7. Electrical & Lighting
8. Fireworks
9. Food, Drink & Water Provision
10. Information & Welfare
11. Insurance
12. Noise
13. Safeguarding Children & Young People
14. Sanitation
15. Special Effects
16. Staff Welfare
17. Temporary Demountable Structures
18. Transport Management
19. Working at Height

You are advised to use The Purple Guide when writing your event management plan, but you may also wish to use guidance from other industry sources, for example, the Health and Safety Executive or trade bodies such as NCASS to underpin your plans.  You must include citations for each of your eight event organisation and safety topics, but these may be included at the end of each individual topic rather than dispersed within your writing.

The following criteria will be used in evaluating this assessment.  These criteria are also used as the basis for the marking grid shown at the end of this brief.

Evaluated against the following criteria:

• The relevance of the information provided within the overviewof the event
• The level of knowledge and understanding demonstrated in the arguments for and against public sector support for community events, and the extent to which the arguments are substantiated with reference to suitably academic sources
• The level of knowledge and understanding demonstrated in the description of the target audience(s) and the outcomes sought, and the extent to which the description is substantiated with reference to suitably academic sources

Evaluated against the following criteria:

• The level of knowledge and understanding demonstrated in the organisational and safety plans for the compulsory topics
• The extent to which the points made are substantiated with reference to suitably academic sources

Evaluated against the following criteria:

• The level of insight demonstrated in the selection of the three optional organisational and safety topics
• The level of knowledge and understanding demonstrated in the organisational and safety plans for the optional topics
• The extent to which the points made are substantiated with reference to suitably academic sources

Evaluated against the following criteria:

• The level of insight demonstrated in the selection of the elements included within the site plan
• The level of knowledge and understanding demonstrated in the configuration of the event
• The level of detail provided in the site plan
• The extent to which the site plan is informed by the specification, the event management plan and the risk assessment

Evaluated against the following criteria:

• The level of insight demonstrated in the selection of the potential risks included within the risk assessment
• The level of knowledge and understanding demonstrated in the plans for mitigating the identified risks
• The level of detail provided in the risk assessment
• The extent to which the risk assessment is informed by the specification, the event management plan and the site plan

Evaluated against the following criteria:

• The standards of spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure
• The appropriateness of the writing style
• The standard of presentation (i.e., professional layout, cover page, table of contents page, page numbering, effective use of headings, bullet points and numbering)