Mandy Rutgers, head of ChilliBush Events, says, "The necessity for governmental departments and organisations to host events has risen in tandem with the overall industry growth. At the same time, the need to outsource such functions has also increased, giving rise in turn to the need for event management companies that are well versed in the special requirements of government, for example, in terms of protocol."
As the industry matures, it is also becoming increasingly regulated. This is good news for the providers of event management services as it affords both protection and operational guidelines. The establishment of the TPSA (Technical Production Services Association) is one such regulatory body, and Disaster Management in South Africa, formed as a result of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002, currently encompasses some 26 sections of legislation, ranging from acts of parliament to SABS directives.
Rutgers continues, "Eventing in South Africa has evolved from merely covering 'cocktail party functions' to huge-scale, world-class events that range from product launches, through to celebrations and transition communication, to hosting foreign dignitaries and emissaries. This has necessitated the raising of the bar in terms of the standards of event management services available to corporates and government. As such, events are now required to incorporate a strategy which encapsulates all of the communication and marketing elements that are involved in the launch, networking event, celebration and so on. Eventing companies today are expected to play a project management role that involves taking the business idea and objectives and then conceptualising, planning and executing a suitable event to meet these objectives."
Implementation can include everything from obtaining permission to hold a gathering, checking health and safety requirements and standards - of both structures and food - organising signage, doing crowd control, putting evacuation plans in place, checking fire safety standards and monitoring noise levels, to obtaining a temporary liquor licence and handling security issues like VIP protection, protocol and accreditation. The project management skills needed to be able to effectively address all of these implementation issues are not yet the norm in South Africa's eventing industry.
Those needing to procure the services of an event management company should be aware that there is a vast range of companies offering these services, not all of which are correctly qualified for the task at hand. With the line between advertising and public relations becoming blurred, it is becoming fairly common for advertising agencies to restructure their offerings to provide a total marketing mix solution that includes public relations and event management. Dale Hefer, founding director of ChilliBush, says that this is often the case when agencies want to make up for losses in advertising spending in the past few years with the move away from purely using advertising to build brands.
She says, "Companies are tightening their advertising belts and are now trying to leverage more editorial content through their public relations and eventing, or networking, activities. There are currently more than 300 eventing companies listed on a popular industry website, many of which have low barriers to entry. We believe that this can be attributed to the fact that event management as a profession has not developed clear professional standards. As a result, no specific qualification is deemed as preferable for consideration by clients. This makes it simple for new players to enter the market, even if they do not necessarily have the right level of skills and experience. For the eventing industry as a whole, this can be detrimental. If companies win accounts for which they do not really have the correct credentials, the end result is likely to be an unhappy client."
Rutgers reinforces this, concluding, "Government departments looking to outsource event management need to look further than just ensuring that the relevant BEE credentials are being met by the prospective supplier. Rather, it is essential to check the agency's experience with regards to handling protocol and safety and security, as well as the more obvious areas of understanding of objectives, strategic and creative recommendations, capacity and capability. Taking the time to thoroughly check all of these criteria will save significant time and trouble at the end of the day, which goes a long way to ensuring a successful event."
ChilliBush offers advertising, media, public relations and event management. For more information on ChilliBush, visit www.chillibush.co.za
