Day One:
The role of events in Public Relations (PR) or Marketing strategy
- An overview of PR and how events fit in
- Events and the PR transfer process
- Strengths and weaknesses of events as a form of communication
- A review of the different types of event available
- Understand what event management is and what it involves
- The Six Point PR Plan and its application to event management
Stage Management, Dining and Entertainment. Health and safety
- “Stage management” of the event
- Entertainment and music at your event
- Entertainment and music at your event
- Sets and staging
- Corporate identity on display
- Food can be part of the message
- Managing entertainers at events
- Addressing risk areas at events
- Ensuring the event is on message and on brand
- Welcome desk – set up and management
- Different types of dining for different events and practical implications
- Dining protocol – formal dinner, informal eating
- Choosing catering suppliers – in house with venue or external
- Staying safe – Risk assessment and events
Day Two:
Managing the Media at your Events
ASSESSMENT
Following attendance on the programme you are required to complete an assignment:
- Develop a plan for an event (real or theoretical) demonstrating what you have covered on the programme.
- In particular the plan should include a full rationale for the event, a long-term planning schedule, a detailed programme or running order and outline what factors you have taken into consideration as regards key aspects of your event such as venue choice, catering and media involvement etc.
Invitations, VIPs & Bringing It All Together
- Design an invitation
- Compile a guest list
- Invitation protocols
- Know how to make speaker arrangements
- Send invites and collate responses
- Getting your audience there
- Order of precedence
- Seating strategies
- Application of seating strategies
- Keeping your objectives in mind
- Is it a media event – what’s in it for them?
- Generating news through an event
- The press pack and gif
- Managing filming on site
- Photography at your event
- Involving your in-house media
- Inviting the media – invitations and press releases
- The press office – Staffing, setting up and running it
- Conducting interviews and briefing interviewees
DAY THREE:
Event planning, the theory and practice
- Size – capacity
- Type
- Access
- Budget control
- Managing suppliers
- Venue considerations
- Accommodation
- Scheduling – the long term plan
- Suitability for event – support for the message
- Event running order – timing of an event
- Layout for different events – Seating etc
Arrange Event Logistics, Health & Safety
- Know how to compile a menu taking into account the type and number of guests.
- Know how to draw up menus for a cocktail party, formal dinner and informal dinner
- Know how to make parking, accommodation and travel arrangements
- Compile a venue checklist to ensure all resources are available in time
- Draw up and use a venue checklist to ensure venue is prepared for the event
- Ceremonies: sequencing, structure and types
- Staying safe - Risk assessment and events
- Managing entertainers at events
- Flags, anthems and logos
- Addressing risk areas at events
- Draw up a seating plan
Evaluate the Event
- Review the event to determine if anything went wrong and understand why certain things went wrong and why
- Hold debriefing sessions with the events committee to establish what can be done better in the future
- Ensure communications lines with the committee are open at all times
- Evaluate the success of the event against the success criteria
- Draw up a formal report on the event and present it to the client in order to build credibility and gain more business
On-the-day Considerations
- Checking the availability of airport transfers to and from point of arrival
- Ensuring the continuous confirmation of all reservations
- Continuous confirmation that each leg has been completed successfully and without a Hitch
Day Four:
Travel Management
- Know how to compile your traveller’s profiles
- Draw up checklists and timelines for the trip and compile an itinerary
- Book flights and understand the various classes and options
- Know how to buy tickets on the Internet and what precautions to take
- Book transfers and car hire and establish the best options
- Find the best accommodation options
- Know what to do on the travel day, what travel documentation to have prepared, what to check & what information to provide to your traveller
- Know what to do post the trip – obtain feedback from your traveller so that you can improve on future arrangements
- Know how to work with travel agents
- Understand the 4 steps to finding the best travel agent
Post Travel Management
- Documenting performance service providers and developing a long-term relationship with them
- Following up on traveling executive’s travel experience
Identifying the challenging areas of travel management & overcoming them
- Identify common pitfalls in travel arrangements
- Putting methods to alleviate mistakes in place
- Cross city and border measures to tackle travelling difficulties
- Sure-fire procedures to put in place to mitigate these unforeseen circumstances
Practical international travel considerations that you should keep in mind
- Documentation you should prepare for your manager
- Business cards
- Cultural customs and traditions
Day Five:
Protocol & Diplomacy
- Introduction to Protocol and Diplomacy
- Why the importance
- Basics of Diplomacy
- Difference Constitution of various African Countries
Applies to Protocol Matters
- Introduction to the Use of National Symbols of Different
- Countries
- National Flag National
- Coat of Arms National
- Anthem
Precedence or Seniority
- Importance
- International Government Systems
- Official Table of Precedence of different countries
- Practical application at the office
Official Forms of Address and Titles
- Introduction
- Verbal use of forms of address and titles
- Written use of forms of address and titles
Social Etiquette
- Background to etiquette
- Professionalism
- Telephone, e-mail and voice mail etiquette
- Business lunch etiquette
- International etiquette
- Etiquette with the physically handicapped
- Table etiquette
- Business card etiquette