Abstract
It
is pertinent to say that the objective of the study was to ascertain the
challenges of event management as a new trend in the hospitality industry; but
to aid the completion of the study the researcher set out some sub-objective to
be achieved; to ascertain the challenges faced by event management in Nigeria
hospitality industries, to investigate on how this challenges affect the
hospitality industry and its growth within the economy, to highlight all the
possible means by which the challenges faced in event management can be
overcome or reduce, to address the issues of security and terrorism as it is
one of the challenges of event management in our country Nigeria to the
hospitality industries. To this end adequate hypothesis was formulated to aid
analysis of data collected; in which adequate conclusion and recommendations
was arrived at.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Event
management is an exciting and growing industry, as well as a unique career
opportunity for everyone with a passion for the planning and organizing of
events, such as concerts, conventions, parties, weddings, and other gatherings.
According to Ramsborg, G.C.; B Miller (2008). Event management is the
application of project management to the creation and development of large
scale events such as festivals, conferences, ceremonies, formal parties,
concerts, or conventions. It involves studying the brand, identifying the
target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and
coordinating the technical aspects before actually launching the event.
The
process of planning and co-ordinating the event is usually referred to as event
planning and can include budgeting, scheduling, site selection, acquiring
necessary permits, coordinating transportation and parking, arranging for
speakers or entertainers, arranging decor, event security, catering and
emergency plans.
The events industry now includes events of all sizes from the Olympics down to
business breakfast meetings. Many industries, charitable organizations, and
interest groups hold events in order to market themselves, build business
relationships, raise money or celebrate achievement.
According
to Burns, J. (2010) Event management is considered one of the strategic
marketing and communication tools by companies of all sizes. From product
launches to press conferences, companies create promotional events to help them
communicate with clients and potential clients. A number of elements such as
music, live entertainment or even the particular venue may be used to influence
the tone and atmosphere of an event.
Chen,
J., Sloan, P., and Legrand, W. (2009) said Event managers may also use news
media to target their audience, hoping to generate media coverage which will
reach thousands or millions of people. They can also invite their audience to
their events and reach them at the actual event.
According
to Holleran, J. (2005). Sustainable event management (also known as event
greening) is the process used to produce an event with particular concern for
environmental, economic and social issues.[2] Sustainability in event
management incorporates socially and environmentally responsible decision
making into the planning, organization and implementation of, and participation
in, an event. It involves including sustainable development principles and
practices in all levels of event organization, and aims to ensure that an event
is hosted responsibly. It represents the total package of interventions at an
event, and needs to be done in an integrated manner. Event greening should
start at the inception of the project, and should involve all the key role
players, such as clients, organizers, venues, sub-contractors and suppliers.
The
hospitality industry is changing at a rapid rate due to technological
advancements that will require future professionals to be skilled in technology
while conserving natural resources to sustain our environment. Leisure
professionals will need to exceed guest expectations from a growing clientele
and accommodate their ever-changing needs to stay relevant. Future leaders must
be able to analyze and identify current trends to understand future consumer
behavior by conducting research while maintaining ethical behavior to uphold
integrity within the industry
In
the past several years, Nigerian have experienced unthinkable disasters
resulting from terrorist activity. The September 11 attacks at Abuja on a
peaceful, sunny morning with no warning. War with Boko Haram has made our
country and our people more vulnerable to terrorist activity and, even with the
war at an end, the Department of Homeland Security warns that terrorism remains
a very real threat for the foreseeable future. The bombing of the federal
building in Bauchi and Abuja City was a shocking demonstration of domestic
terror. Natural disasters have taken their toll as well. A massive natural gas
explosion in Bayalsa reduced a strip mall to a huge crater. Businesses and
threatened the tourism industries in those areas.
In
this climate, any organization that runs events should be prepared for anything
that could happen – to protect its exhibitors, speakers, attendees, employees,
and, to the greatest degree possible, the continuity of its events. Inherent in
this is the impact on the organization's reputation. It's entirely possible
that one ruined or badly handled event might mean years of rebuilding
reputation and attendance.
The
likelihood is that the event planner or manager is the person most likely to
have to deal with any disruption to an event. This paper is aimed at helping
those individuals prepare themselves to deal with the threats and hazards that
might befall a conference or exposition and to prevent or, at the very least,
minimize the impact of a disaster.
1.2
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Before
you begin any kind of planning or assessment, it is important to determine
risk… to decide on what potential disruptions to concentrate what are usually
limited resources. It's not possible to be prepared for every possible
disruption; you have to concentrate on what is most likely to occur. This
universally accepted risk management equation will help with this effort: Risk
= Probability + Consequence
Probability,
quite logically, refers to the likelihood of something happening, while
consequence refers to its impact. For example, the probability of a meteorite
hitting your event facility is likely quite small, although the consequences
from such an event would be huge. The risks on which you want to concentrate
are those in which both the likelihood of occurrence and the potential
consequences are in the medium to high range. Keep this in mind as you go
through the emergency management process.
Most
of all, keep things in perspective. Any consequence that involves potential
critical injury or loss of life must take precedence over less critical
outcomes. It's important, therefore, to prioritize the risks as well as
identifying the ones to focus on.
1.3
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The main focal point and idea of this research work is centered on the
challenges of event management as a trends in hospitality industry. Other
objective the research will cover in this work are:
i.
To ascertain the challenges faced by event management in Nigeria hospitality
industries.
ii.
To investigate on how this challenges affect the hospitality industry and its
growth within the economy.
iii.
To highlight all the possible means by which the challenges faced in event
management can be overcome or reduce.
iv.
To address the issues of security and terrorism as it is one of the challenges
of event management in our country Nigeria to the hospitality industries.
1.4
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
study will be significant in various ways to various sectors, as will be seen
below;
It
will present in a precise manner, the importance of event management as regard
to human security and terrorist and how to manage events in a safe guide manner
and atmosphere.
To
event managers and potential managers, the findings of the research, suggestion
and recommendations based on the findings will be a good guide for future
management of resources, allocation, security threats and challenges facing the
industry. The research report will also serve as a reference material to
students of hospitality industry and tourism management, especially those with
a bias in event management.
The
research will also be beneficial to the researcher. This is because the study
will expose the researcher to so many related areas in the course of carrying
out his research. This will enhance the researcher’s experience, knowledge and
understanding of event management.
Finally,
this study is intended to unveil those factors that are responsible for the
challenges within the industry in event management and planning while also
highlighting the control mechanisms required for a successful event management.
1.5
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
For
a better understanding and comprehension of this research work the researcher
went on to formulate some research hypotheses which will aid the completion of
the study
H0:
hospitality industries do not faced any challenges in event management.
H1: hospitality
industry does faced challenges in event management
H02: The
challenge faced by hospitality industries in event management does not affect
the growth of the hospitality industry.
H2: The
challenge faced by hospitality industries in event management does affect the
growth of the industry
1.6
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The research is intended to cover the event management within the hospitality
industry, its control measures and productivity/growth within the country.
However, due to the diverse nature and scope of the country and the time frame
required for the report of the research , the research has been scaled down to
a case study of Bauchi State Nigeria.
1.7
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
During
the course of performing/researching this project work, the researcher
encountered a lot of challenges as well as opposition which ranges from
financial constraints, time factor, sourcing of material etc. this factors in
their own ways, slowed down the speedy progress of this work that resulted to
the researcher not being able to finish the research work on time as is
required
1.8
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Hotel:
An establishment held out by the proprietor to offer food and drinks, and if so
required sleeping accommodation to anybody who is in a fit state to receive the
services.
Hospitality
Products and Services: They are things produced by the
hospitality industry to meet the need of customers in return of their money.
They include foods, drinks, accommodation, entertainment and other services
like cyber café, car hire and so on.
Event
management: is the application of project management
to the creation and development of large scale events such as festivals,
conferences, ceremonies, formal parties, concerts, or conventions. It involves
studying the brand, identifying the target audience, devising the event
concept, planning the logistics and coordinating the technical aspects before
actually launching the event
The
hospitality industry is
a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging,
event planning, theme parks, transportation, cruise line, and additional fields
within the tourism industry.
Event
planners coordinate
and manage conferences, meetings and parties. Some planners exclusively
organize a specific type of event, such as those who specialize in wedding
planning