Different event – different emphasis

Working through this book, you will investigate and eventually arrange all of the requirements for your event, but every event is unique, so this book can only be a guide. The emphasis of different aspects of the investigation and arrangements will be different for everyone and I will remind you of that fact at appropriate places in this book.

To illustrate that point, you will accept that there is nothing complex about ‘first aid’ as a subject, but the effort needed to organise first aid cover for a primary school fete will be insignificant compared to the effort required to organise first aid cover for a Formula 1 car race. This shows that though both events require and organise ‘first aid cover’, at the primary school it will probably be a teacher with first aid skills and a small first aid box, for the Formula 1 race it involves several doctors, ambulances, on standby, paramedics and a helicopter for medical evacuation. Though all event managers will be looking at the same subjects, the content and delivery of their event will heavily influence how they organise, plan and manage those arrangements.

While working through this book, you must therefore be prepared to tailor the approach, amend the lists and vary the depth and scope of your investigation, to match your unique requirements. You will be helped in that as you work through by talking to and taking advice from local authorities, the emergency services and any other relevant groups or governing bodies. In some areas, these authorities have come together to form Safety Advisory Groups.

If you don’t know how to approach the organisation and delivery of an event I suggest that you work through the chapters (stages) in this guide in numerical sequence. When you understand the concepts and issues involved, you might want to amend the sequence of your work to suit your event.

Your unique event might even lead you to change the order of some elements of your investigation and preparation. For example, there are two approaches to organising attractions – it depends on your starting point.

If, when you start, you have a specific attraction available, perhaps a steam engine, as the basis for your event, you will have to work towards attracting an audience that likes steam engines. Alternately, if your starting point is that you have an audience (members of your club), you could take the reverse approach and want to find and book attractions that your audience want to see and will find interesting. This illustrates the fact that you may wish to take a different path through your preparations. For example, in this case you may choose to change the order of your work in the areas of Chapter 8 ‘Defining your target audience’ and Chapter 11 ‘Event attractions’ – depending on your starting point. You can change the order to suit your needs, as long as you perform all of the stages.

You should also remember that some outside agencies might have jurisdiction over your event. For example, at higher levels of some sports the governing body may impose various rules and limitations. Government agencies may have some jurisdiction as well. For example, the Environment Agency may impose rules and restrictions on a fishing contest!