It is hard to be an event organizer or to be an event manager. The number of details you have to remember, the many suppliers you have to coordinate, the layers of departments and staff you have to command, and many more are like rocks that you carry on your shoulder while walking in a very slim patch of road on the side of a cliff – one wrong move your dead.

Therefore, event managers and event organizers have to be reminded of the following to survive and thrive in this very fluid and competitive industry.

1.    Dedication

You have to be dedicated to the craft. I saw a lot of talents fell in the wayside of this industry. They got talent but they lack dedication. This spell doom for their career.

Dedication is also called commitment. If you are committed to something there is no way that you will not triumph. All the time, I will go for people that are committed versus talented people. 

Committed people deliver results.

2.    Discipline

If you do not have discipline in this industry then you are dead. Discipline allows you to be consistent. A committed person without discipline is nothing. Discipline allows you to perform the tasks in order. Discipline allows you to have the strength to follow rules. On the other hand, if you are an event manager or event organizer, creating a disciplined staff is critical to success. 

Often times, things become more chaotic because of lack of discipline.I usually visualize the movie “300” - disciplined Spartan warriors were able to hold and defeat, for a period of time, the invading Persians. Their secret is their discipline.

3.    Determination

Determination is the firmness of character. A determined event manager or event organizer is unstoppable. In the midst of the many failures and risks an event or expo has, a determined event manager can overcome all of these.

In fact, risks and failures are breakfast of a determined event manager.

There are a lot of Philippines cases and stories about event manager and event organizer that are determined to win versus a very big challenge. Guess what, the won.

The event manager’s secret? Their determination.

4.    Desire

Every event managers and event organizers have mark of wounds that they display as a badge of honour. In this industry filled with unpredictable events, to fail is part of the job. But to bounce back and get better is the exciting part.

What makes every event manager and event organizer stay in this industry? If this industry is full of difficult situations why stay? Why not get a new career?

The answer lies in the word desire.  Desire is the fire in the belly. It makes you wake-up and embrace the morning, go to work and perform your function.

Event managers and event organizers with strong desire to their work and events industry are people that have found their passion.

Desire is the strongest among the four D’s listed here. One reason is that is the very deep in the emotional realm.

Event Management and Expo Management are not for the weak of hearts. Event Managers and Event Organizer that have these 4D’s will outperform and outlast the competition – guaranteed!

In creating an event it is very critical to go back to the basics. The basics will keep you steady as the event develops and bloom into one of THE EVENTS (if you get my drift).

Here are the three E’s of Event Management. If you keep these in mind definitely you will always create a better if not a great event for your target audience.

1.    Experience

What experience will your event provide to the audience or event visitors? This is important because your event will be judged a success or a failure on this metric alone.

If your event is a conference, your event should provide a stimulating learning experience. If your event is an expo, your event should provide a business ambience to foster trade and business matching. If your event is a brand event, your event must provide a clear message of what the brand is all about.

We can talk about Experience endlessly and we must because this is very important. If you ignore this basic E, then brace yourself to suffer the consequence.

2.    Entertainment

All events must entertain. Yes you hear me loud and clear. Even the conference and convention must have an entertainment value. You have heard about the conference fatigue, this is very true. The mind can only absorb information for thirty minutes after that it flies elsewhere.

In exhibition, trade buyers can only stay as much in the trade floor but if there are entertainments sprinkled around the show floor, the buyers will remain in the show floor. If you have observed, the most visited exhibit booths are those booths that provide entertainment to the trade buyers.

More so, in corporate events, I do not need to elaborate the importance of entertainment in this type of events. I just want to point one thing, if you want to create lasting relationships – ENTERTAIN!

3.    Enterprise

An event is a marketing tool with costs. Therefore, we must always be reminded that the costs must have a return on investment. This is what I mean about enterprise. If all event managers will take this to heart they will be conscious about the costs and adamant that the event objectives must be met at all costs (pun intended).

Event is a great business tool. Even if there is a widespread inclination to go online, hey we are humans, our nature is to socialize face-to-face. We can never run away with this nature.

To end this, let me say go back to the basics of creating an event and do not forget the three E’s because this will guide you on how to shape successfully your events.

For events managers and exhibition organizers reading this piece, it is just a review. One thing that betrays us professional event organizers and managers is our too much familiarity on the basics.

They call that familiarity a blind spot. A blind spot that deprives us of, guess what, checking the basics.

I am excited about a book that was two years in the making. It is a book that will hit all the universities in the country. It is a book that is simple but not simplistic. It is a book that will make events planning easier for the uninitiated. It will also be a book that will act as a review for veteran events manager and events organizer.

The book was born out of a discussion to offer resource materials for people and students who find it difficult to have one in our bookstores that are made by Filipinos.

I know the feeling of looking for a book with local authors in a particular subject matter. I scour heaven and earth during those moments to find one but, alas, my effort is like a journey taken by the early merchants in finding the promise land – it is like a quixotic journey.

So I also know the joy or hubris, if you may allow my indulgence, in finding a book that you are looking for. It is like winning lotto! The feeling is so great that you can hardly breathe because of extreme happiness.

The book I am talking about is for M.I.C.E. organizers and planners – a very select group who took upon their shoulders to slug it out with other countries in this very competitive industry. I remember Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Department of Tourism, saying that “our advantage in MICE is not on the physical structures but the excellent service our people provide”. I strongly agree.

Although I am hoping that our excellent service or people can be combined with excellent physical structures so that we can generate a compelling result in the MICE Industry. I want our country to produce a MICE result that will not only put a dent in the world but will cut a large chunk of the cake of this multibillion industry.

I want to be a proud MICE player (do not be mistaken, I am a proud Filipino MICE Player) with a country that has world class MICE products and services. I know that we will be there. Hopefully, I am still part of this industry when we reach that stature.

Anyways, I am getting ahead of myself. Going back the book, it is not only for upcoming MICE players but also for upcoming event managers, event organizer, exhibition managers, exhibition organizers, conference managers and conference organizers.

This is the book that is just a start of the many local books that will be produced on the MICE and Event Management Industry by PRACTITIONERS (this is the key selling point of this book!).

The book is entitled “ The Events Planning Manual” an apt title, produced by the Philippine Association of Convention and Exhibition Suppliers and Organizers (PACEOS) which I am part and a current board of director.

If you want to have a copy, you may contact me. You will only need to invest P295.00 for this easy to read and actionable book. A real bargain this I promise!

Event Technology will change and improve but there are timeless and unchangeable things in event management that all event managers and event organizers should keep into heart. These timeless gems are:

1.    Passion

It is hard to be an event manager, for that matter run an event management company. I should know it. We have been running a twelve year old company. If you do not have a big PASSION for this industry you will not stay long and your company will not stay long. Passion is what will keep you going. Any big problem is nothing because you have the resistance to overcome it because you have a big fire in your heart that is called Passion.

2.    Competence

If you do not have competence in this field your clients and potential clients will desert you. Competence is what makes other people calling your phone, asking you to work with them. Competence is what keeps the word of mouth marketing machine from spreading your company from potential clients.

3.    Creativity

The event management industry, the exhibition industry and convention industry is all about creativity. Creativity in content, execution, in generating buyers and other things that will make your event FRESH and act like a MAGNET for clients and potential clients. Your idea even if others argue that is similar to their ideas will always be DIFFERENT. You know why, it is because GOD IS IN THE DETAILS. The execution of the idea will always be different if placed to different hands.

4.    Efficiency

You must be efficient. Event Managers and Event Organizers must be like a Swiss watch in terms of efficiency. Yes, there is no excuse. Clients expect us to be efficient. If you are forgetting we called ourselves event organizer and event manager, we have no choice therefore but to be organized and great in management – in other words efficient.

5.    Resourcefulness

Even if we plan, Murphy’s Law will always catch up on us event organizers and event managers. The only way to counter this is to be resourceful. I have lots of stories about event organizers and event managers acting spontaneously because of the situation and their decisions proved brilliant in solving a problem. Example, in one of the event stories I am privileged to listened into, the dancers of the event failed to show up and there part in the program is about to start. The event organizer was able to gather available event staff and craft a simple dance number. The audience have no idea that people dancing in the stage are not the supposed dancers – the performance is clean and good and the event staff turned dancers generated a loud applause of appreciation.

6.    Values

No matter how good the event manager or organizers if they do not have values that are worth emulating then the event management company or exhibition company they are running are useless. No doubt about it, an event management company that do not have values and built only to make money will be short lived. Values are like compass, it will serve as a direction to the leaders of the event management companies. Values serves as a unique selling point (USP), clients love event management companies that embody values they can identify with.

7.    Relationships

In order to make a successful event management company or exhibition company, all members of the organization must value internal professional relationships and client relationships. Again, if we nurture staff and client relationships money will come. If we do not nurture staff and client relationships say goodbye to your event management company or exhibition company. The business of events is all about creating strong relationships with your people and clients.

8.    Trust

In event management and exhibition management, competence builds trust. Trust is what we must aspire to generate from our clients. If clients trust us then it is easy doing business with them. Clients will allow us to create events for them if they know we can be trusted. Clients will join or sponsor our exhibition if they know we can be trusted in delivering the results we promised.

We can still add from these eight attributes but for me these are the bedrock where we all can strengthen our event management companies.

Exlinkevents CMO bags two recognition awards in the recent Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) first monthly meetings held last January 30, 2012 at Tower Club, Paseo De Roxas, Makati City.

Michelle De Ocampo Ballesteros, Chief Marketing Officer, Exlinkevents was recognized for having PERFECT ATTENDANCE and PROFITABLE PROJECT. The Perfect Attendance Award is given to PMA members who have complete attendance in all PMA monthly meetings and activities. On the other hand, Profitable Project is given to members who have contributed net profits to the organization.

Last year, the Asiannovation Exhibition in Glorietta contributed a huge profit to PMA. Mitch Ballesteros and Exlinkevents helped PMA market and manage the particular project.

Exlinkevents under the leadership of Mitch Ballesteros is a consistent PMA member awardee and active in helping PMA forward its goals and objectives as an association.

Exlinkevents also helped in the marketing of Asiannovation Conference last year – an event that is very successful and one of the best conferences in the country.

Other awards given by PMA in the past years to Exlinkevents and Michelle Ballesteros are Haligi Awards, and Presidential Awards.

Michelle Ballesteros is active contributor in PMA’s Monthly General Meetings, Agora Awards, National Marketing Conference and other related activities. She was also a past board of directors of the association.

The Philippine Marketing Association is one of the oldest associations in the country. It is the leading marketing association in the country and contributed so much in the development and progress of the marketing industry.

On the other hand, Exlinkevents is one of the leading professional exhibition and congress organizer in the country (PEO and PCO). It organizes and manages an average of 20 to 30 events a year. Among the bigger exhibition events it organizes are MegaBalikbayan OFW Expo - now on its 10^th year, and International Beauty, Health and Wellness Expo (IBHWEX). As for conferences, last year it staged the first Loyalty and Rewards Conference – a very successful conference for retailers, banks and finance companies.

This year Exlinkevents is staging another ground breaking conferences: the Telemarketers Summit and Data Conference. The Telemarketers Summit is the first conference that aims to improve and increase the productivity of telemarketers of the companies. Data Conference is a conference aim at providing companies the right tools on how to read data and help them in making correct decisions.

Exlinkevents is also an active member of the Tourism Congress, PACEOS, PMAP, MAP, ASAP and PCCI.

These affiliations allow Exlinkevents to be an effective event management company in the Philippines. The affiliations also allow Exlinkevents to partner with other event management companies in the country and, most especially, in international arena. 

Last year, the event sector of the Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines agreed to implement this year 2013 the Intellectual Property Rights Cover Page.

This cover page is a milestone. This simple but meaningful cover page informs the clients that all materials presented by ASAP members are their properties and may not, except with our expressed written permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other physical form or in other forms of electronic retrieval systems.

The Philippines Intellectual Property Code is one of the best laws in Asia. In fact, in one of the forums I have attended it was revealed that some countries use our law as benchmarks in crafting and improving their own Intellectual Property Code.

Since ASAP members are one of the best producers of creative concepts, its members are also the first to experience violation of their intellectual property rights.

In order to minimize and improve this situation, the Intellectual Property Rights Cover Page will be a standard staple in all presentations of ASAP members.

The Intellectual Property Rights Cover is hoped to act as one of the powerful means to educate and inform clients of the intellectual property rights of their partner suppliers. It is hoped that by including this cover page in presentations to all bidding materials of ASAP members violations committed by clients knowingly and unknowingly on this particular critical area will be lessened, or at best eliminated.

The Philippines is a nation of creative people. All over the world we are recognized and tapped for our creativity. This gift must be protected and respected; most especially, inside our country and in our industry.

There are two theories that come along with this action of ASAP in implementing the Intellectual Property Rights Cover Page. One is the “Broken Windows Theory” – this theory is popular in New York under Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

During Mayor Giuliani’s term they found out that by repairing and preventing people in the ghetto in breaking the glass of windows in their community, they were able to eliminate crimes in that particular area. In addition, when the safety and security condition of that particular ghetto (a place where the highest number of crimes was recorded) improved, the nearby areas safety and security condition also improved.

This leads me to my second theory the “Butterfly Effect” which means that a butterfly that flaps its wings can alter the direction of the wind and, even, cause a major storm in another part of the world.

The second theory is akin to a ripple effect. The ASAP Intellectual Property Rights Cover Page if whole heartedly practiced by the members can create a healthy condition for our concepts, ideas and other things related to the creative process; and be given importance and respected by our clients.

We can even be the best case study on how Intellectual Property Rights are valued, but this is getting ahead of myself and the challenges our sector and ASAP members face in realizing this critical goal.

Last January 31, 2013 the Philippine Tourism Congress was held gathering all members of the industry. This is the second time the tourism congress was held. Compared last year where it is beset by problems on how to maximize this tool, the Tourism Congress this year is full of positive reports. 

In addition, the Tourism Congress is a forum where members, as far as Mindanao region, were able to voice their concerns.

The event’s theme “Philippine Tourism Towards Global Competitiveness and Sustainability” is very evident in the roster of speakers and the updates presented to the congress.

The Tourism Congress was attended by Hon. Ramon Jimenez, Sec. of the Department of Tourism, Under Secretary Daniel Corpuz, Tourism Planning and Promotions, Under Secretary Ma. Victoria Jasmin, Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation, Hon. Domingo Ramon Enerio III, COO, Tourism Promotions Board, Hon. Lorenzo Formoso, COO, Duty Free Philippines, Hon. Mark Lapid, COO, TIEZA.

All official gave positive reports that energize the congress. One of the positive news these officials shared is the breaching of 4 Million visitors that was achieved last year. Also, another thing to rejoice is the approved infrastructure projects that will definitely impact the progress of the industry.

I also wanted to give special mention to the emphasis place by Hon. Enerio about the emphasis on MICE Development and Promotion. However, I wish that besides promoting the country as a MICE destination, the government should have mentioned programs and incentives for MICE Players – I hope my ear is just weak but I did not hear anything on this aspect.

Important topics that were discussed in the event are: Philippine Tourism Towards Global Competitiveness by Mr. Grant Govertsen, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Union Gaming Research; Hospitality and Service Excellence for Global Competitiveness by Mr. Sean Mahoney, ADB Consultant on Skills Development Program for the Philippine Tourism Industry; Sustainable Tourism: Striking a Balance Between the Visitor – Experience, Natural Asset Protection and Direct Community Benefit.

The Davao delegation invitation for delegates to attend the MICECON 2013 is also a fresh sight in the event. The invitation is simple yet creative. Kudos, Davao and right now I know MICECON 2013 is successful because of the very hardworking and responsible Davao team.

The event is also allowed me to reconnect to old acquaintances and partners. Everybody is in a jovial mood. All the people I talked with are messengers of good news. No doubt, the Tourism Industry is on the upswing.

Right now, the country is the Darling of ASEAN. The economic indicators and the thumbs up we are receiving from financial analysts support this fact. But the challenge is to make this growth meaningful to our countrymen and sustainable – this is a challenge all players must join hands to realize.

However, for now what happened and what was accomplished will suffice.

Again, congratulations to a very meaningful tourism congress and let us all go back to buckle down to work.