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The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an event as “something that happens, or a planned occasion or activity such as a social gathering”. Getz (2008:6) described an event as “An opportunity for leisure, social or cultural experience outside the normal range of choices, beyond everyday experience.
Furthermore, Getz classified events into three groups: in group one are events such as cultural celebrations, political events and art and entertainment events.
The second group consists of commercial, educational and scientific events, while in the third group are sports, recreational activities and special events (Getz,N 2008:403).
Goldblatt (2005:6) says an event is “A unique moment in time celebrated with ceremony and rituals to satisfy specific needs”, adding that there are four purposes for hosting events:
The purposes are: “The celebration of human life, for education, for marketing and awareness creation and for reuniting people” (Goldblatt, 2005:8). Events are thus, an important part of the lives and activities of people.
Allen (2009) says event planning and coordination is a comprehensive process, saying event professionals use a sequential process to plan and produce events. First, they determine guests’ expectations by answering the basic information: “who, what, when, where, and why?” Secondly, they put together an overall picture of the final event, to be able to incorporate the necessary elements, logistics, and operations into the overall plan.
Changing event management landscape
The global event management landscape has become progressively dynamic and this can be attributed to globalization pressures. Event management firms in Ghana are not only seeking to survive the turbulent business environment, but they are in search of opportunities for growth. Punctuality in recent years has proven to be a cancer in the event management industry. In light of this, industry players are employing pragmatic approaches to dealing with the situation. To eradicate this cancer, Claude Akrong, a Business Development Manager at Luxlife Experience Limited, a Ghanaian company which is an expert in Interior designing with primary focus on stage designing, stage lighting and event planning setups, believes event management firms should have a good communication network and plan properly prior to the event.
Challenges are bound to arise in every facet in the event management industry. Some of these challenges can be dealt with within a short period of time but the unforeseen challenges are a pain in the neck. Not having a backup plan for bad weather, overspending, having more guests than expected, failing to capture valuable information on attendees and delegating responsibilities to team members are among the many challenges event managers face in bringing their events to life.
The Event management industry in Ghana has grown enormously in recent years and as such profit in this industry continues to rise.
With good branding and marketing, event managers could secure lucrative deals and the more services event managers deliver the more beef they have on their plates. The lucrative nature of this industry attracts the interest of many individuals. If you are entering the profession of event management, there is a lucrative market awaiting you on many fronts. Having a proper understanding and knowing what goes into event management is all an individual will need to penetrate the industry, says Mr. Akrong.
Event management services are highly patronized in Ghana. Individuals often find they lack the expertise and time to plan events and know the stress they will go through before, during and after organizing the event. Event planning and management is demanding, therefore individuals patronize the services of independent planners to step in and give the event the attention it deserves, he said.