SPORTING OR SPECIAL EVENT MANAGEMENT

1. SPORTING OR SPECIAL EVENT MANAGEMENT

2. Competencies of Sporting Events Managers • Maintains effective communications with staff, such as by clearly communicating performance expectations • Designs plans and controls event logistics • Uses good verbal and written communication skills • Utilizes effective time management techniques

3. Planning • Begin planning with sufficient lead time to execute a successful event — this may mean planning over a year in advance of the event • Conduct and evaluate market research • Answer in detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions

4. Facility selection Financial planning Personnel Legal issues, such as permits and licenses Insurance Marketing, including advertising, public relations, and promotions Tickets sales Working with the media Logistical Planning

5. Parking and traffic control Customer services, including for fans with special needs Food services and concessions Merchandise sales Entertainment Medical services Hospitality Security Crisis or emergency management Maintenance Logistical Planning

6. Selecting the Venue • Location, location, location • Analyze the pros and cons of potential venues • Reserve the chosen facility • Negotiate the contract, including cost, personnel, and scope of responsibilities for the facility versus the event

7. 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; donations and in-kind gifts

8. 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 • Supervise appropriately • Compensate equitably and reward outstanding work

9. Legal 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. 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 or • Handle the sale of concessions, merchandise, and programs in-house, if this would result in greater revenues • 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

11. Providing Guest Services • Adequate and trained security personnel • Adequate and trained ushers and crowd management personnel • Adequate and trained medical, emergency, and disaster services • Accurate and informative signage • Helpful personnel • Clean and properly supplied rest rooms

12. Providing Guest Services • Adequate parking and traffic control • Accommodations for individuals with special needs • Entertainment • Food services and concessions • Program vendors • Merchandise vendors

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Event Planning and Management As a recreation specialist in your hometown (or another town of your choice), you have been assigned to plan and manage a community fun run/10K race. This event must be self-supporting with revenues covering costs. Describe everything you must do to plan (in advance) and manage (the actual event) this community fun run/10K race. Be sure to include all aspects of this event from personnel to logistics.