SMA Conference Event Planning: Venue, Budget & Risk

Introduction

The Sport Marketing Association (SMA) holds a conference every year in an effort to bring together sports marketing practitioners, scholars, and students throughout the U.S. The conference, a three-day event, is held in November and is often hosted by the sport marketing or a related department of a top university in the country. The event provides an ideal opportunity for sharing knowledge as well as business and social networking. This paper provides a plan for preparing for the 2018 SMA conference. It specifically addresses the following aspects: hotel identification, income and expense determination, Day 2 and Day 3 evening reception options, potential risks, planning timeline, and possible schedule changes.

Hotel Selection

Selecting the venue or location to host the event is generally an important aspect of the event planning process. It is important for the event planner to choose a location that is suitable for the event and convenient for the attendees. Choosing the event venue is often guided by factors such as the nature of the event, number of attendees, characteristics of the attendees, logistics, accessibility, and the availability of hospitality services (Fenich, 2015). These aspects will be taken into consideration when determining an appropriate hotel for the conference.

The conference will have 120 attendees, who will use approximately 255 room nights. The attendees — who include sports marketing professionals, academicians, and students — will come from colleges and universities around the U.S. It is important to choose a hotel that is appealing and convenient for this demographic group. Since the event will be hosted by the university, the conference will be held in Philadelphia, the university's main location. As the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia offers a suitable setting for the conference. The city has two major airports as well as an extensive road and rail transportation system, which will make the venue easily accessible.

There are several hotels in Philadelphia, and settling on one can be a daunting task. With the internet, however, one can easily compare different hotels before making a final choice. Popular sites that can be used include Tripadvisor.com, Cvent.com, and Uniquevenues.com. These sites provide detailed information about the locations, sizes, services, facilities, and ratings of different hotels. Extensive comparisons will be made to arrive at a choice that meets the needs and expectations of the attendees. Contact via phone calls and emails will also be made to seek clarifications when needed. As some information — such as site flexibility and the availability of facilities for people with disabilities — may not appear on websites, requesting further information by call or email is advisable.

It will not be sufficient to rely solely on internet comparisons. Websites tend to be marketing-oriented, and there may be discrepancies between the information presented online and the actual service offered. It is therefore crucial to conduct a site inspection. From the websites, a list of the three best hotels meeting the event's requirements and specifications will be compiled. The event planner will then physically visit each of the three sites to evaluate their appropriateness for the conference. The evaluation will focus on aspects such as room size and features, conference facilities, and layout and seating arrangements. Following the evaluation, the best option will be selected. The event planner will then engage in negotiations with the hotel management to secure favorable terms, including potential discounts.

Income and Expenses

Budgeting is an important aspect of event planning. It is important for the event planner to understand the revenue and expenses associated with the event (Fenich, 2015). The first step is to determine the sources of revenue. The major sources of income for the SMA conference include registration fees and ticket sales. Registration fees generally vary by attendee type: SMA members, SMA non-members, SMA student members, and SMA student non-members are all charged at different rates. In addition, attendees can purchase tickets for the various conference happenings, including the opening reception, the president's luncheon, special events, the SMA awards luncheon, and night social networking. Given the expected attendance, the anticipated total revenue can be readily estimated.

Understanding expected revenue is essential for determining appropriate expenditure. Prudent financial management requires that spending remain within available or anticipated resources. The first step in determining expenses is to list all possible costs. Typical event costs arise in areas such as personnel, logistics, accommodation, food and catering, telecommunications, exhibition, facilities, administration, marketing and promotion, registration, programming, and licenses and permits.

Not all of these items will be relevant for the SMA conference. The major expense items will include accommodation and facilities, marketing and promotion, registration costs, programming expenses, and personnel, travel, and logistics. Accommodation and facilities is a broad category, encompassing components such as food and beverages and telecommunications equipment such as sound systems and projectors. These aspects will be considered during hotel selection. Marketing and promotion will be important for raising event awareness, involving both conventional techniques such as posters and online techniques such as the university's website, email, and social media platforms.

Registration costs will cover expenses incurred in enrolling attendees, including online and on-site registration systems as well as tickets, ribbons, and badges. Programming expenses must also be budgeted; an event of this nature requires a master of ceremonies and keynote speakers, both of which carry associated costs. Personnel costs include expenses incurred by the event team during planning and on-site management. Transportation costs — for example, transferring attendees to off-site reception venues — must also be accounted for. Any additional minor costs not captured in the main categories will be covered through a miscellaneous budget allowance.

Conclusion

Overall, as the university's School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management prepares to host the 2018 SMA conference, several key issues must be addressed. These relate to venue selection, budgeting, evening reception programming, and risk management. It will be important to select a venue that is convenient, accessible, and appealing to the expected attendees. The activities associated with the event must be thoroughly identified to ensure accurate income and expenditure planning. Suitable evening reception options should be considered to maximize opportunities for social and professional networking, which is central to the conference's mission of connecting sports marketing practitioners, scholars, and students. Potential risks must be systematically identified and appropriate mitigation strategies developed. The five most significant risks are technical failures, food and beverage hazards, theft, insecurity, and cancellation of attendance. Finally, the event planner should seek to deliver a more unique and engaging experience by incorporating collaborative activities into the program schedule. With careful and thorough planning, the event planner can deliver an unforgettable conference.

Reference

Fenich, G. (2015). Planning and management of meetings, expositions, events, and conventions. Boston: Pearson.