THE PHILIPPINES, SEPTEMBER 10, 2012 – Organizing events takes passion, commitment, and a lot of planning. Although those words may seem abstract, last week’s ‘Events Asia 2012: Unfolding Experience’ was all about breaking down the art and science of events-planning.
Events Asia, which took place last September 5 to 7, emulated an events school as workshops, along with the usual conference fare, were also offered.
One of the classes adobo Magazine attended was ‘Flip the Switch, Running a Profitable Event Business’ by Lena Malouf, former world president of International Special Events Society (ISES).
Running a profitable events business takes time, money and effort but at the end of the day, “do what you say you’re going to do,” Malouf stressed. Execute your ideas properly and deliver on what you promised. And of you don’t execute your ideas well, “there is no second chance at a first impression,” she added.
She also discussed the nitty gritty that comes with planning events – paperwork, design, budget planning. One of the aspects where most events organizers fail is in the design of the place. “Take into consideration how big the room is, what color the walls are and take it from there,” she said.
The Philippines’ events industry has boomed over the recent years and a lot of people are setting up shop to cater to the industry. But one of the important points in events planning is “apply best business practices – it simply means running business according to a code of ethics and do the absolute correct thing. It would also be good to have a very good knowledge of management know-how and knowing the budget needed for all sorts of events, whether corporate or public."
