RE: [xmca] Re: Events: Assistance requested

["Justo, Armando" <ArmandoJ@iadb.org>]

Dear Mike,

Years ago I conducted the profiling of technical competencies for one organization that has the position of "event planners". Their job encompassed four key areas: (i) knowledge of norms and regulations, (ii) events management , (iii) contract services management, and (i) budget management. 

Below are the responsibilities of this position.  I hope it helps,

Best regards,

Armando Justo

________

Event Planning and Production includes staff who are responsible for the organization, coordination and execution of various events. Their responsibilities encompass the coordination and supervision of all protocol, ceremonial, and logistic aspects of these events applying appropriate norms and regulations.

(i) Norms and Regulations
. Defines logistical and physical event requirements, making recommendations based on client needs, cost benefits and protocol standards.
. Defines event strategies and establishes order of precedence based on analysis of agenda, list of attendees and cultural sensitivities.
. Guides staff on protocol matters, both written and procedural, and guest criteria.
. Conducts quality control, evaluating the performance and quality of services provided by vendors and facilities.
. Drafts recommendations for implementation of new protocol norms and procedures, based on identification of best market practices.
. Provides guidance on application of proper protocol procedures for official events.
. Anticipates potential complex and/or high visibility protocol issues, using sound judgment to identify and implement corrective solutions.

(ii) Events Management
. Advises involved players on logistical and protocol concerns and needs, providing strategic information regarding participant requirements and/or agenda issues.
. Initiates and coordinates corrective measures in response to issues identified regarding the planning and execution of events.
. Conducts quality assurance for processing and approval of required documentation, ensuring that requests for all necessary equipment and logistical requirements are complete and accurate.
. Defines critical success factors to be considered for execution and evaluation of event management.
. Defines criteria for identification of new facilities and resources, guiding staff in assessing factors to be considered, ensuring compliance with established procedures and maximization of financial resources.
. Guides staff, providing information and answering inquiries on best utilization of available resources and/or need for additional resources.

(iii) Contract Services Management
. Monitors work performed by consultants and contractors, ensuring satisfactory delivery of services in compliance with contract specifications and schedules, identifying any corrective actions necessary.
. Develop contractual agreements that maximize protection and value for the organization, and meet the business requirements.
. Negotiates and/or renegotiates contract terms and conditions, ensuring best cost value while maintaining quality of service.
. Educates external providers on conference or audio-visual norms and guidelines, monitoring their work to ensure successful event organization and/or services consistent with internal standards and procedures.
. Develops work programs and schedules according to upcoming event requirements, and analysis of specific needs, optimizing the use of financial and human resources.
. Establishes contract requirements, applying knowledge of market conditions in the selection and hiring of consultants and service providers.
. In conjunction with the legal department, identifies legal implications of user or vendor requests, to reduce potential liability to the organization.

(iv) Budget Administration
. Analyzes and determines needed budget for events maximizing cost savings and efficiency.


-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of "Engeström, Yrjö H M"
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 1:34 PM
To: lchcmike@gmail.com; eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: Re: [xmca] Re: Events: Assistance requested

MIke, the historian/historical sociologist William H. Sewell, Jr. has built much of his theory of history on the concept of event. See for example:

-Sewell, W. H., Jr. (1996). Historical events as transformations of structures: Inventing revolution at the Bastille. Theory and Soecity, 25(6), 841-881.

-Sewell, W. H., Jr. (1996). Three temporalities: Toward and eventful sociology. In T. J. McDonald (Ed.), The historic turn in the human sciences. University of Michigan Press.

Cheers,

Yrjö





On Feb 13, 2013, at 7:26 PM, mike cole wrote:

> This is all very helpful. I recommend that stanford encyclopedia entry 
> for a way to think about the span of levels and range of phenomena to 
> which we apply the term, event.
> 
> Note that in Pepper's "world hypotheses" view, "the event" is the unit 
> of analysis of contextualism.
> 
> hmmmm
> mike
> 
> On Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 8:40 AM, Helena Worthen <helenaworthen@gmail.com>wrote:
> 
>> Mike-
>> 
>> One form of "event planning," which I assume includes everything from 
>> kid's birthday parties to a ride at Disneyland to political 
>> conventions, is theater production. From the job description point of 
>> view, the person listed as "producer" for a play is responsible for 
>> everything from raising the money, writing the budget, choosing the 
>> play and publicizing it, hiring the director and other technical 
>> staff and shaping how it is interpreted by the media and finally 
>> deciding when it closes and paying off (or apologizing) to the 
>> investors. As Jim Mackenzie, who was Producer at ACT in San Francisco 
>> once said, "Sometimes all you have to do is say 'Let's do it' and sometimes you're sewing on the zippers."
>> 
>> When I googled "theater production", however, I saw that theater 
>> departments who teach production focus on what goes on backstage -- 
>> costumes, wigs, makeup, set design, lighting. That's much narrower 
>> than what a producer does. No useful book showed up.
>> 
>> Nonetheless, theater might be a good way to talk about event planning 
>> because of a key feature of  both: they are both bounded by the 
>> audience's or the participant's, encounter with them. They require 
>> taking the audience's perspective from the first awareness 
>> (pre-publicity) all the way through to the memory of the event.
>> 
>> I found this perspective useful when producing the annual conferences 
>> for labor educators, which were very successful and drew increasing 
>> numbers of participants over the four years I was doing it.
>> 
>> Helena Worthen
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 2/12/13 3:57 PM, "mike cole" <lchcmike@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Ah! Well, I started to send this note to all of you, then decided to 
>>> send to daughter, but ended up sending to all of you after all, so 
>>> here is the problem. Delete if this is an intrusion on your time.
>>> 
>>> I am teaching a class where students are interest in an activity 
>>> called "event planning" for which people are sometime paid enough to 
>>> make a living. The difficulty is that the students do not appear to 
>>> have been taught anything they can remember about events and this is 
>>> a senior class. So I am doing some digging with them, and now with 
>>> you.
>>> 
>>> The dictionary is of limited use:
>>> * *
>>> *a. * Something that takes place; an occurrence.
>>> *b. * A significant occurrence or happening. See Synonyms at 
>>> occurrence<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/occurrence>
>>> .
>>> *c. * A social gathering or activity.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> A philosophical dictionary lays out the problem territory in greater
>>> detail: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/events/#EveVsObj
>>> 
>>> For events of type c, which the students are most concerned with of 
>>> course, my thought was to turn to the work of Turner, Goffman..... 
>>> but I cannot use an entire book.
>>> 
>>> I would appreciate suggestions for sources that would help me and my 
>>> students to think about events, especially as they relate to a 
>>> process called communication.
>>> 
>>> mike
>>> __________________________________________
>>> _____
>>> xmca mailing list
>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>> 
>> 
>> 
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