Why does your business needs events? How much developed is the event business in Ukraine? Why do you need an event agency’s services? What is the value of the event managers’ expertise? How to choose an efficient event agency? We are going to tell you about specifics of the event managers’ work, and about the methodology used by the ARENA CS event agency. We will advise you on where your company can train its own event organization specialists: we will tell you about the Great Event School – the ARENA CS’s educational project.
ARENA CS event agency: who is an event manager and why do you need him?
An event manager is a specialist engaged in preparing an event – from the first meeting with a client to dispatch of reporting documentation concerning the event held. A competent specialist always knows the way the project objective should be tackled, how to communicate with the client, what should be offered, and how to implement the manager’s ideas with the best hit of the client’s target to be achieved by the project.
What is important to us is that our event managers should have a proactive stand. They need to influence what they can influence in the project, and to ask themselves more questions: what is this event for? What goal should be achieved? How should this goal by achieved in the most efficient way? They should act, not waiting for a client’s kick or for questions on how the project is proceeding.
The event managers employed in the ARENA CS event agency regularly undertake in-house training, and many of them already teach at our corporate school, the Great Event School. Moreover, the managers regularly attend exhibitions, conferences and events to exchange experience with their foreign colleagues: Las Vegas, Turkey, Frankfurt, Vilnius – these are international-level exhibitions visited by our managers. One cannot be effective and arrange creative projects here in Ukraine without acquiring knowledge in the external market.
Event management: how to create effective events and attain business goals using events
An event is a special activity organized by specialists to achieve key or auxiliary business goals. Our ARENA CS event agency has been entrusted by international organizations, government structures, and business entities with holding of mass, corporate and other events for 15 years now.
The ARENA CS event agency team consists of 70 event managers who know how to deliver an event in such a way that everyone, from the event customers to the event guests, remain satisfied. Our company’s formula for success is that we work according to a special event creation methodology. Our methodology helps do everything to understand an event’s actual goal and to attain that goal in cooperation the customer. Nowadays, events are a strong tool to achieve business goals. Most companies realize how this tool can be used to create a star-studded team, to communicate information about the company’s new strategy, and to train their staff through involvement and gamification. However, for using the events systemically as a business tool, one needs to have a one-year-ahead event holding strategy, be able to involve staff and guests in events, use a creative input as intended, and arrange events in a way that every guest understand the meeting objective and be able to say at the end: “our events are something that really needs to be seen”, “they are impressions the words can’t do justice”.
Event business development level in Ukraine: can you entrust an event to agencies?
The business of corporate party and event organization in Ukraine has been expanding rapidly, with new agencies emerging on the map and offering event preparation services. This is due to the fact that the demand for event organization among clients is growing, which, accordingly, entails the increase in offers from companies.
Does it mean that all the agencies are professionals in their business? It certainly doesn’t. Just like in any other field, there are experts who can be entrusted with global, large-scale projects, but there are also dilettantes unable to cope even with elementary tasks. There is only one chance for delivering a successful event, so choose those who are capable of meeting any challenges, achieving all the goals set, and surprising all the event participants with quality of the work done.
Event management: ask your event manager what trade exhibitions he attends
Exhibitions and international conferences are one of the most efficient ways of improving one’s skills. At this kind of events, not only experience is shared among peers but also new trends and world novelties, popular among clients, are discussed. Furthermore, it is such events and meetings from which our event managers “bring home” new technologies and ideas that help make an event stunning, unforgettable, and effective.
An event manager never stops learning and never rests on laurels because this industry must generate new content and introduce innovations constantly. Every event must be a unique one. One concept may not be sold to different customers, otherwise the client company’s sense of work and reputation can suffer. It is for a reason that many corporations change their event agency every 2 or 3 years, to gain unique experience and proposals more often. In such situations, the ARENA CS event agency offers an in-house team replacement for working with the customer. Should that be the case, the customer does not have to re-explain the company procedures to a new agency because we transfer knowledge from one team to another. On the other hand, new ideas and a creative approach from a new ARENA CS team are guaranteed.
ARENA CS event agency: a list of effective exhibitions for an event manager
The ARENA CS company representatives regularly attend various exhibitions held in the United States of America and in European countries. Such activities enable them to not only communicate with leading world specialists in event management but also to get acquainted with new, interesting people, find out about innovations, and learn something new. Here are some popular exhibitions:
- IMEX America – an exhibition that stands out among others for the largest booth of innovations, from novel advanced equipment to cool mobile apps and ERP systems for event managers;
- IMEX Frankfurt – the same exhibition as in the United States of America, organized by specialists in Germany. Interestingly, technological novelties find their way to Europe most often only a year after having been piloted in the USA;
- IBTM World – an exhibition that our event managers regard as a place for meetings and communication with old friends and partners. The key audience at the exhibition consists of the companies specializing in reception of, and services to, foreign delegations. IBTM World allows picking up information about novelties in this field and looking at how various countries position themselves as tourist brands;
- ACE of M.I.C.E. – an exhibition that, in addition to its conventional agenda, includes a special awarding ceremony in a number of categories. The exhibition allows one to see specific examples and solutions that can be used in event preparation;
- BEA World – a festival of event projects gathering the most interesting cases of the year;
- EVENTEX – a large-scale “Oscar” in the event industry.
In addition to new knowledge required to hold high-quality events, visiting these exhibitions enables one to get acquainted with American and European cultures, see a purely businesslike approach in action, appraise ideas of the leading specialists in event business, and take part in discussions.
The event industry: no money – no innovations?
In Ukraine, the industry’s breakthrough development is somewhat inhibited by the country’s economic situation: sometimes clients simply don’t have enough budget to implement technological and innovative schticks. However, it’s good news that the clients’ demand for such novelties and trends is growing.
Clients dealing with the ARENA CS event agency say that our event organizers always offer the most progressive solutions based on the customer’s wishes and financial capacity. Importantly, one not always needs to spend big money to involve the public in an event and to achieve a wow effect. This is exactly where a manager’s creative input and experience are needed.
Are Ukraine’s event managers behind their foreign counterparts?
An event manager in Ukraine and one in foreign countries are two absolutely different specialists. Whereas in Europe, an event organizer is an “experienced” manager, often older than 50, in our country it is a young ambitious person aged 20-30 who is just gaining experience but already has big ambitions and self-confidence. Interestingly, event managers in European countries are no less knowledgeable in new technologies than young event managers, learning all the time, improving themselves, keeping abreast of the times, and an intergenerational conflict in terms of technology expertise is quite unnoticeable.
If speaking a professional language of human resource specialists and psychologists, the Ukrainian event market is dominated by Y and X generation specialists whereas the European market is dominated by those of X and Y generations. Are Ukrainian professionals inferior to their European or American peers in terms of competencies? If we talk about those managers who have a system elaborated and processes up and running, then no, they are not.
The event business: X, Y and Z generation specialists seized power in their profession
Surveys by consulting companies showed that the Y and Z generation specialists will prevail at the event market by 2025 whereas the number of the X generation staff will decline almost twice. The ARENA CS event agency experts completely disagree with conclusions like that because they are sure that the results apply solely to the global rather than Ukrainian event market. These findings are confirmed rather simply: in 2019, the Y generation event managers already make up about 95% of those employed in the Ukrainian event industry. So, the question arises: why do different staff generations prevail in the event industry abroad and in Ukraine? To find out an answer, we offer a brief profile of each of the generations:
- The X generation is workers aged 35 and older. The key qualities of such workers include responsibility, aspiration for stability, and hard work.
- The Y generation is workers aged between 25 and 35. Those belonging to this generation try to live a life of pleasure and enjoy life in all of its aspects. Such workers also often show creativity and inventiveness, owing to which they climb a career ladder faster.
- The Z generation is workers aged between 18 and 25. They resemble the Y generation in terms of demands. Such workers often demonstrate a desire of getting everything at once, which sometimes hinders proper fulfilment of assigned tasks. Such workers accept criticism more easily and learn quickly, including from their own mistakes, which is what managers like.
The situation in Ukraine: organization of events is a young people’s business
The Ukrainian event agencies generally and ARENA CS in particular are dominated by specialists aged 18-35, i.e. the Y and Z generation event organizers. How can this situation be explained? It just happened that the workers representing these generations are much more quickly and easily integrated in technologies, new projects, and communications. They are not afraid of trying something new and experimenting, they readily generate ideas, and readily translate them into reality.
Does it mean that the event business needs no X generation staff? It certainly does not. Specialists of that generation are excellent top managers. This is explained by the fact that the X generation members simply have no match in terms of responsibility, control, systematicity, business ethics, and adherence to details.
ARENA CS event agency: what is a smart event manager supposed to be?
It has long since been proven that competition is the best impulse for development because it is exactly competition that “wakens” the desire of working on oneself, improving oneself, grasping new knowledge, and conquering new peaks. Our company selects the best event managers for its team, setting certain requirements to each candidate, meeting which is compulsory for each aspirant.
The event agency top managers are sure that an ideal candidate for an event organizer position must combine the following qualities:
- Marketing specialist. Every event manager willing to become a professional in his field must be able to assess the event from the viewpoint of not only the customer but also of the guests and event participants. The main challenge is that these people have different perceptions, hence the manager needs to be able to offer different solutions for participants and clients.
- An event manager of ARENA CS must be able to organize the work and interaction among contractors, partners and company staff in an effective way. Sound management is the best way to avoid a great number of unnecessary problems.
- An event manager must be able to achieve main and secondary goals at minimal financial and physical expenditures. Event management is not about how to spend all the client’s money but about how to accomplish all tasks, generate a wow effect, and surprise all the event participants with the available funds.
- An event manager must be able to generate creative ideas and translate them into reality quickly. It will allow the event organizer to not only attain goals but also elicit the most outstanding and bright positive emotions in the holiday guests and client.
Are there candidates meeting all the requirements advanced by our company, or is such an aspirant just an elusive dream of the event organizing companies? Of course, there are, but only few of them are aware of their potential and capabilities.
ARENA CS event agency: how to act to avoid being ashamed of one’s staff before clients?
Event management is a business that won’t tolerate tardiness from anyone: be it a new entrant company or leaders of the Ukrainian event agency rating. However, an agency’s success is its team, and no material assets will help an event agency be successful.
The company leaders, top managers willing to make the agency competitive in the Ukrainian and global event markets must strike the happy medium and balance its staff’s competencies, skills and motivations. It will allow them to not only highlight the company’s strengths but also to make them dominating in business.
So, what steps can and should be undertaken to strike that kind of balance?
Our company, ARENA CS, has achieved much but is not going to remain complacent and satisfied with the attained result. Here are a few steps already taken by our agency:
- micro-training;
- burden sharing;
- freedom of thinking and acting;
- responsibility
Due to these solutions, our company demonstrates stable service and sustainable business outcomes.
The ARENA CS event agency’s corporate culture is founded on the entrepreneurial spirit aroused by Yana Matviychuk, the company’s talented founder.
Event organization: problems in the event business paradise
The event business is a sector that has it all, from stormy life in regular business trips, creative ideas, wide opportunities and personal growth to demand for event organization services and to profits. Many young people dream of becoming an event manager.
Event management is a sector that gives no-one an easy time and demands full work engagement from every event manager. It is important to solve event management problems by filling the Ukrainian market with high-class specialists instead of persistent, hard-working, active but dilletante persons.
However attractive the event management might be, event agencies face the following problems in every season:
- persistent myths about event managers in society. The most widespread myth states that the event organizer does nothing, engages with stars, relaxes at corporate parties, but earns just cosmic sums of money;
- staff shortage in the event manager market. Most professional event organizers resigned from their previous jobs after having decided to start their own business and thereby created a multitude of “one-man” agencies;
- lack of the event management field-specific education in Ukraine. A specialist knowing all aspects of his job is a basis for a high-quality service delivery;
- difficult retraining of the event managers already having some event holding experience. It is much promising to recruit personnel not experienced in the event organization field but having necessary skills and values.
Can all the market’s painful problems be eliminated to make life easier to the customers looking for a professional event agency?
ARENA CS event agency: developing the Ukrainian event market
ARENA CS is an event industry leader that organizes events at the highest level, works with professionals in their business, and knows not only how to cause a furor with its events but also how to attain desired goals. It is due to the agency’s experience that we very much wanted to change Ukraine’s event market, so we created a special educational project, the Great Event School, aimed to deliver training in event management to all those who want to master this profession.
The project seeks giving the students an opportunity of not just learning event management in theory but also of “probing” and learning everything in practice. ARENA CS established the event management courses in a way that every aspirant studying at the school can attend real events as an intern.
Great Event School: micro-dosing training as a new trend in the world
Micro-training is a new trend gaining popularity in the world. It has long been known that not the amount of education once acquired but rather an ability to learn something new, retrain quickly and change qualification will become one of the most important skills in the future. The Great Event School is a school that will allow every aspirant to learn everything necessary about event management within the shortest possible time.
The school’s target audience is diverse, including various categories of people who need knowledge about event management for certain purposes. For example, they are:
- students and graduates of higher educational institutions who have not chosen their future profession yet. Such trainees are potential aspirants who want to try something new and master skills in the event manager profession;
- company employees and interns not directly connected with the holiday organization sector. This category of trainees want to enhance their efficiency to better plan and arrange events for their firm’s staff;
- aspirants who decided to change profession and leave their previous job. Such trainees come to our school for the event management courses purposefully, to get a job in ARENA CS event agency or find employment in other company providing event management services after the training;
- experienced event managers. For these trainees, the courses are an excellent opportunity of improving their skills, acquiring new knowledge, and learn about trends and novelties.
The event management courses in the Great Event School are one of their kind because the school was established to give every student group just what they need – knowledge and skills for subsequent work – within only three study weeks (only at weekends).
Teaching at the Great Event School: practitioners instead of inspiring speakers
It’s fashionable now to motivate from the stage and inspire people with loud calls to something great. However, nothing remains in our head after such a lecture when we leave the conference hall. Just an emotion, but it will also fade away by morning. Setting goals needs motivation but turning your goal into reality needs knowledge-skills-practice. That’s why the school’s teachers are real professional practitioners who organized many various events during their career. The goal of the Great Event School is to provide concentrated practical information, train in professional standards and develop skills rather than to deliver motivating speeches by well-known persons.
Teaching at the school are practical workers, top managers of the ARENA CS event agency. Owing to the star-studded teaching team of our school, the trainees learn how to carry out preparation of an event, write its scenario, think over its concept, and set main and additional goals for the event. The teachers will help to understand how one should correctly communicate with customers, how to come to terms with contractors about the best conditions, and about other details without which becoming a professional event manager is impossible.
As a specific feature of our event management courses, training is delivered to small groups, at most 10-15 persons each. It is done to let every trainee receive all the information and master necessary skills, without having a chance to just sit out at the sessions to obtain a certificate upon completion of the training.
ARENA CS event agency: «Aren’t you afraid that you will train your workers and they will leave? – I am afraid that I will not train them and they will stay!”
The Great Event School is a project the key goal of which is to create professional event managers. The question asks itself: why does the agency being Ukraine’s leader in event organization need to “rear” competitors with its own hands? Actually everything is simple. We are not afraid of competition, we are seeking it!
We are sure that competition will allow removing incompetent event managers, dilettantes unable to do their job perfectly, from the event business scene, and will enable to “fill” the Ukrainian event market with smart aspirants. Competition will allow not only the ARENA CS event agency but also other companies to expand their event manager team and reach a new level.
ARENA CS event agency: western competitors should beware of our specialists!
There is a misperception in our society that Ukrainian specialists are often inferior to their European counterparts in terms of experience, skills and qualification, but it’s not so! The event managers generally, and the staff of ARENA CS event organization company in particular, are able to be strong competitors to every American and European specialist.
That’s why, when clients want something special and unforgettable, they contact the ARENA CS event agency. You will be proud of an event you will hold with ARENA CS. ARENA CS events are worth seeing!
