Setting objectives for an event is easier said than done. It is more difficult to set standards and declaring an event successful after it meets them. To provide tangibility to the problem, the best approach is to begin with definition of the target audience for whom the event has been organized. In the case of commercial events, the audience could be end users who use the company’s products. An event might be conceptualized to achieve different things for different audience.
Once the audience has been defined, the next step is to identify and put on paper what each of the audience is expected to think, feel and do having been to the event that it did not think, feel or do beforehand. This adds an element of tangibility to the evaluation and measurement proceedings.
The number of mega-events has increased dramatically in the past few years and the costs of organizing events have also increased exponentially. The costs of production in major events can be enormous and therefore, in the near future one can expect companies to start asking questions about the effectiveness of their events to see whether their money is being spent prudently.
nicrol.com
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Creativity is derived from the Greek word enthusiasms which literally translates into ‘God, within’. Setting out to evaluate such an effort that is considered to be the work of Gods themselves demands a certain amount of sensitivity during evaluation. Objective evaluation should also take into consideration the nature of the concept and the process of execution of the event in their entirety.
However professional the evaluation, there is scope for error and misjudgment if sensitivity is not adhered to. This is because it takes a creative and sensitive mind to spot wrong questions or situations where asking questions might be the wrong method and observation might be more appropriate. One of the ways of nurturing and encouraging this sensitivity is to place evaluation within the context of a team approach all the way from conceptualization to carrying out of the event.
From experience, it is known that people involved in an event are more open- minded and less committed to any particular course of action before the event occurs. Yet learning is that, if things are shown to be wrong after a decision has been taken, the majority of people involved in the decision-making process may try to wash their hands of the fault. Thus, adding sensitivity to the evaluation process is very important.