Page 59 - DMGT304_EVENT_MANAGEMENT

Event Management

Notes 2.8.4 Transportation and Parking Factors

The venue may or may not provide easy vehicle ingress. Therefore, well in advance you must
locate the proper door for load-in of your equipment, the times the dock is available for your
deliveries, and other critical factors that will govern your ability to transport equipment and park
your vehicles. Another consideration for transportation relates to approved routes for trucks and
other vehicles. Once again, confer well in advance with transportation and venue officials to
determine the most efficient route. Whether you are parking your vehicles in a marshaling facility
or on the street, security must be considered as well as easy access. Some venues may not be
located in the safest of neighborhoods, and therefore securing your vehicles and providing safe
and fast access to them are important. Well-lit fenced-in areas are best for parking; however, the
proximity of the vehicles to the loading area of the venue is the prime concern.
You may think that transportation and parking have little to do with creating a proper event
environment, but these two considerations should be given significant attention. Many events
have started late or suffered in quality due to late or lost vehicles and inefficient load-in operations.
Remember, you may design the most incredible event environment, but until it is shipped,
loaded in, and installed properly, it is only your idea. Proper transportation and installation
will turn your idea into a dynamic event environment.

2.8.5 Manage the event Environment and they will Come Back

Understanding the basic needs of the guest is of paramount importance, especially when you are
working with a smaller budget than you would like. In circumstances where the budget is
severely restricted, there are ways, using your imagination, to stretch limited funds. Use your
budget to enhance the beginning and the end, as these are what the guest will most remember.
Following are some considerations for managing the design of an event environment.

2.8.6 Entrances and Reception Areas

The event manager must immediately establish the theme of the event with environmental design.
The use of proper signs, bearing the group’s name or logo, and appropriate decor will reassure
guests that they are in the right place. Consider the arrival process from the guests’ point of view.
They received the invitation some time ago and probably did not bring it with them to the event.
Therefore, they are relying on memory to guide them to the right building and the right room.
Once they have located parking, they ask the attendant to direct them to XYZ event.

The attendant is rushed, having to park several hundred cars for perhaps as many as six different
functions and cannot recall the exact location of the affair. Should the guests stumble upon your
site and not recognize it because the logo is absent or the entrance does not communicate the
theme of the party, they will become confused and lost. Providing your own personnel in costume
or professional wardrobe will help guests locate your event, as will proper signage. Upon arrival,
guests should have an “Ah-ha!” experience, knowing that they have arrived at the right place at the
right time. You can offer guests this experience and create a positive impression by proper design
of the reception area at which they are greeted. When guests must wait in long lines, they often
begin to resent the event or its hosts. You must plan for these delays and offer solutions.
2.8.7 Function Areas

The reception area may create the first impression, but the main function area will determine
the effectiveness of the overall design. This is the area in which guests will spend the most time,
and this is the area where your principal message must be communicated to guests in a memorable
manner. Traditional space designs are currently being rethought by meeting planners as well as
psychologists to develop a more productive environment.

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