Setting Clear Objectives
Setting Clear Objectives
The answers to the Who, What, Why, When, Where and How questions may seem obvious to you, but you need to clearly communicate these with your stakeholders to run a successful event and that means getting clear from the start!
Documenting and sharing your plan helps with stakeholder clarity on what needs to happen on the day and gives everyone involved a central point of reference for vital event management information.
Ask yourself these questions to get started:
Who are your event attendees?
Who are the competitors/participants you want to attract to your event?
Are you aiming to attract young or inexperienced riders or is your focus on elite level competition?
Are you seeking to attract spectators beyond the friends and family of participants?
Who do you need in your team to deliver your event? Consider external advisors, event officials, event day workforce, third party suppliers (eg food vendors), paramedics, police.
What approvals, authorities and or affiliations are you likely to need to involve?
Governing Bodies for the Sport or Club affiliations are the most obvious.
You will also need to consider other requirements relevant to your event type or location. There may be regulatory, planning or traffic requirements for the venue or local government area you want to use. You may need separate approval for entertainment or additional equipment/machinery you want to use for your event.
Why do you want to run this event?
Your reason for running the event will influence the way you do things and how you set the event up. For some it may be about the opportunity to spend time with others that have the same interest. Others may be seeking to grow skills through a clinic or training event. The event may be for business reasons, or not for profit. Perhaps you are simply wanting to create a marketing experience toward a larger objective.
Whether it is one or a combination of these for you, be honest and clear on your “why” and this will help bring clarity to many of your decisions moving forward.
When will you hold your event?
Governing bodies of various disciplines will often assist with selection and co-ordination of event dates to avoid clashes and enable competitor availability.
Deconflicting event schedules with similar or local events makes it easier for you to attract competitors and spectators to your event.
Climate can have a big impact on your capability to deliver the event successfully, make sure to check the historical and future weather expectations for the location.
Where is the best geographic location for your event?
The objectives you have already set will help determine the best location for your event. The type of event will largely dictate which venues are best suited for success.
Pony Clubs and others that have regular activity often use their own purpose built venues or have long standing relationships with Showgrounds and sporting grounds.
Large or small, you will need to consider good amenities, quality safe stabling and or yards, access to fresh water supplies, all weather heavy and light vehicle access/parking and for overnight stays powered campsites and showers.
How you can deliver on your objectives is where your vision gets legs.
Your action statement is where you get to ask the how questions.
How will you deliver on each of the goals you have now developed by asking the ‘W’ questions?
This is now your chance for your inspiration to become a schedule with dates and assigned roles.
Delegated responsibilities and project deadlines start to be assigned.
Your action statement becomes your checklist, communicator and motivator. It might cover planning, venue inspection, marketing, nominations and how you will deal with event day activities like arena preparation, marshalling competitors and emptying the garbage.