SPORTING OR SPECIAL EVENT MANAGEMENT

1. SPORTING OR SPECIAL EVENT MANAGEMENT

2. Planning • Begin planning with sufficient lead time to execute a successful event • Conduct and evaluate market research • Answer in detail the who, what , when, where, why, and how questions

3. Selecting the Venue • Location, location, location • Analyze the pros and cons of potential venues • Reserve the chosen facility • Negotiate the contract

4. Financing • Identify potential costs and revenues, develop the budget, and manage finances • Costs—rental fees or facility utilization costs if venue is owned, such as utilities, equipment and supplies; personnel; facility set-up; facility clean-up • Revenues—tickets; vendor fees; media rights fees; sponsorships; naming rights; donations and gifts

5. Teaming with Sponsors • Solicit potential sponsors with a cost-benefit analysis specific to each one • Sign contract with each sponsor with specifics about what each party commits

6. Marketing the Event • Promotions—seek to create attention, maintain interest, arouse desire, and initiate action through the print and electronic media; arrange for give-a-ways as an incentive for attending • Advertising—develop and distribute the specific advertising items, such as posters, radio announcements, billboards, and television endorsements of recognized supporters or sponsors • Public relations—persistently inform, persuade, and remind potential guests of the event

7. Selecting and Working with Vendors • Establish a bid process to select vendors • Contract with selected vendors, who will pay fees for the rights to sales these items at the event • May choose to handle the sale of concessions, merchandise, and programs in-house if this would result in greater revenues—if so, would be responsible for • Purchase, preparation, and sale of food items and associated personnel • Purchase and sale of merchandise and associated personnel • Development, printing, and sale of programs with associated personnel

8. Working with the Media • Make sure all school, college, conference, and team rules are followed • Delegate working with the media to the Sports Information Office (college) or Media Relations (professional team), if possible • Provide timely and accurate information and access to coaches, athletes, or other key personnel for interviews • Meet reasonable requests for access to the facility for equipment staging prior to the event and on-site accommodations for reporting on the event to print and electronic media • Provide refreshments and access to appropriate technologies

9. Legal, Ethical, and Contingency Issues • Ensure that all contracts are approved in advance by legal counsel • Adhere to all federal and state laws, such as dealing with employment, accessibility, and safety • Manage every aspect of the event based on the highest ethical standards, including financial accountability, non-discriminatory treatment of personnel and guests, and principled business practices

10. Managing Personnel • Establish a plan for the number of personnel needed to successfully execute the event • Develop a recruitment and selection process that is non-discriminatory • Clarify job expectations and develop requisite skills needed to complete job responsibilities • Compensate equitably and reward outstanding work

11. Providing for the Teams • Meet the needs of athletes, coaches, officials, and other team personnel • Distribute complimentary tickets in advance • Ensure that locker rooms and training rooms are clean, supplied, and secured • Provide an appropriate location for pre- and post-event media interviews

12. Providing Guest Services • Arrange for security personnel • Arrange for emergency medical personnel as well as provide first aid services • Provide rest rooms and drinking fountains and ensure that they are maintained and supplied • Provide accommodations for individuals with special needs • Schedule entertainment

13. Managing Pre-, Day-of, and Post-Operations • Develop tasks lists that include the personnel responsible for each task for all aspects of the event along with timelines for completion of each task • Conduct pre-event planning sessions periodically to ensure that everything is being completed on schedule • Develop contingency plans for potential emergencies, such as a natural disaster, fire, loss of electricity, medical emergency, or riot of fans that include specific responsibilities for all personnel to ensure everyone’s safety • Monitor closely all features of the event on the day of and throughout the event and have plans developed to immediately address any issues that may arise

14. Evaluating the Event • Prepare a written after-event report • Complete a financial analysis • Analyze all operational to determine any problem areas that would need to be addressed in subsequent events • Evaluate the performance of all personnel