 Welcome to Event Leadership: The Roots and Wings of Celebration In This Chapter You Will Learn How To: * Understand and appreciate the historic roots of celebration * Recognize and understand the demographic changes affecting the global events industry * Utilize the psychographic changes affecting event length, purpose, and outcomes to improve performance * Identify new and emerging career opportunities * Understand why education has become the most important factor in Event Leadership growth * Identify industry certification programs * Advance your career throughout the twenty-first century * Develop new ways to sustain your career The professional Event Leadership host knows that the word Welcome! is an essential part of the guest experience at any event. Therefore, I warmly welcome you to the fifth edition of Special Events. However, in the global spirit of the fifth edition, allow me to add: * Beruchim Habaim! (Hebrew) * Benvenuto! (Italian) * Bien venue! (French) * Bienvenidos! (Spanish) * Dobre doshli! (Bulgarian) * Dobro pozhalovat! (Russian) * Fun ying! (Cantonese Chinese) * G'day! (Australian English) * Hos geldin! (Turkish) * Huan ying! (Mandarin Chinese) * Kali meta! (Greek) * Kwaribu! (Swahili) * Laipni ludzam! (Latvian) * Sabah al kher! (Arabic) * Tusanyuse Kulamba! (Bugandan) * Urakasa neza! (Kinyarwandan) * Urseo oh se yo! (Korean) * Velkomst! (Danish) * Willkommen! (German) * Yokoso! (Japanese) With the rapid development of the Internet, the world as we once knew it has rapidly changed. For example, to learn how to say "welcome" in over 325 different languages, visit www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/welcome.htm. The local or regional nature of the Event Leadership business was replaced with lightning speed by global connections throughout the world. I discovered this while seated at my home computer receiving e-mail messages from distant lands. "Thanks for your excellent book-it changed my perspective about the profession," wrote one industry member from the Far East. These types of messages were quickly followed by requests for information and, ultimately, offers to fly me to lands that I had only read about. Indeed, the Internet has had the same (or perhaps a greater) influence as that of Gutenberg's printing press. The World Wide Web has woven the Event Leadership profession together into a new global community. As a result of this new "web," each of us now has far greater opportunities for career and business development than we previously imagined or aspired to. During the past two decades (since the first edition of Special Events), the field of Event Leadership has seen numerous changes, and Figure 1.1 summarizes these paradigm shifts. These six aspects of the profession reflect how the Event Leadership field has experienced sweeping changes in the past decade. The letters above the massive doors to the National Archives in Washington, DC, announce "Where past is prologue." And so it is with our profession of Event Leadership. To go forward, we must first reflect on the historical roots of a field of study. From Roots to Wings The term special events may have first been used at what is often described as the "happiest place on earth." In 1955, when Walt Disney opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California, he turned to one of his imagineers, Robert Jani, and asked him to help solve a big problem. Each day at 5:00 P.M., thousands of people, in fact almost 90 percent of the guests, would leave the park. The problem with this mass exodus was that Walt's happiest place on earth remained open until 10:00 P.M. This meant that he had to support a payroll of thousands of workers, utilities, and other expenses for five hours each day with no income. To correct this problem, Robert Jani, then director of public relations for Disneyland and later the owner of one of the most successful Event Leadership production companies in the world, Robert F. Jani Productions, proposed the creation of a nightly parade that he dubbed the "Main Street Electric Parade." Dozens of floats with thousands of miniature lights would nightly glide down Main Street, delighting thousands of guests who remained to enjoy the spectacle. This technique is used today in all Disney parks, with perhaps the best example at Epcot, where a major spectacular is staged every night. According to the producers, this spectacle results in millions of dollars of increased spending annually. One of the members of the media turned to Robert Jani during the early days of the Main Street Electric Parade and asked, "What do you call that program?" Jani replied, "A special event." "A special event-what's that?" the reporter asked. Jani thoughtfully answered with what may be the simplest and best definition: A special event is that which is different from a normal day of living. According to Jani, nowhere on earth does a parade appear on the main street every night of the year. Only at Disneyland, where special events are researched, designed, planned, managed, coordinated, and evaluated, does this seemingly spontaneous program take place every night. Jani, who would later produce National Football League Super Bowl half-time spectaculars as well as the legendary Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show, among many other unique events, was a man whose motto was "Dream big dreams and aim high." Anthropological Beginnings Some 35 years later, in the first edition of this book, I defined special event as a unique moment in time celebrated with ceremony and ritual to satisfy specific needs. My definition emerged from that of anthropologist Victor Turner, who wrote: "Every human society celebrates with ceremony and ritual its joys, sorrows, and triumphs." According to Turner and other researchers whom I had studied in my exploration of anthropology, ceremony and ritual were important factors in the design, planning, management, and coordination of special events. The term event is derived from the Latin term e-venire, which means "outcome." Therefore, every event is in fact an outcome produced by a team that is led by the Event Leader. After interviewing thousands of experts in special event leadership for the past five editions of Special Events, I have discovered that, while special events may represent many professions, one person is always at the helm of this large vessel. That person is the Event Leader. Growth Opportunities Only six decades ago, when an orchestra was needed to provide music for a wedding or social event, one consulted an orchestra leader. Very often, the orchestra leader would provide references for additional talent to enhance the event. Mike Lanin, of Howard Lanin Productions of New York City, tells the story of a meeting his father, Howard Lanin, the renowned society maestro, had with a client in Philadelphia during the late 1920s. Having already asked Lanin to provide music for her daughter's coming-out party being held at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel (now the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue), the client asked that he provide decor as well. When Lanin asked how much the client would like to spend, the client replied, "Just make it lovely, Howard-just make it lovely." Lanin immediately realized that making this huge ballroom "lovely" might require an investment of five figures. With inflation, the cost of such an undertaking today would well exceed six figures. But Lanin was fortunate to have earned his client's total trust. Without further discussion, the orchestra leader and decorator went to work. Few clients of any era would offer such an unlimited budget. But more and more often, special events professionals such as the Lanins are being asked to provide more diversified services. And although orchestra leaders may have been comfortable recommending decorations and other services and products for social events three decades ago, they and others with specific areas of expertise found that, when it came to events designed for advertising and public relations opportunities, they required specialized assistance. Public relations is a proud ancestor of the celebrations industry. Less than 50 years ago, the modern profession of public relations and advertising became an accepted tool in American commerce. When a corporation wished to introduce a new product, increase sales, or motivate its employees, its corporate leaders turned to public relations and advertising professionals to design a plan. Today, the celebrations industry includes tens of thousands of hardworking professionals, who, for the first time in the industry's history, are truly working together to offer their clients the excellent services and products they deserve. As an example of the growth of Event Leadership in the public relations field, consider this comment from the first person in the United States to receive a master's degree in public relations, Carol Hills, now a professor at Boston University: "My students are extremely interested in events. They recognize that public relations and events are inseparable. Event leadership is certainly a growth area in public relations practice." According to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) in New York, marketing directors who produce events for local and regional shopping centers can earn in the high five figures. Marketing professionals have recognized the need for specialized training and the benefits of certification within their industry. Events help attract and influence consumers to purchase specific products and services from small retail stores up to major regional shopping centers with hundreds of shops. In this age of entrepreneurship, the creation of new business is far greater than the growth of established firms. With each new business created, there is a new opportunity to celebrate through a grand opening or other special event. There are over 1 million new businesses created annually in the United States that may require an event leader to produce an opening celebration. The 2005 convention of the International Amusement Parks and Attractions revealed even more changes occurring in the leisure field. According to recent studies, the newest lifestyle trends bear watching. Fifty percent of the new so-called baby boomer or limbo generation have discretionary income. Due to longevity and what is defined as vacation starvation, they are spending this income on leisure products. Many of these individuals are described as "wanderlust singletons" because most are indeed single adults. They are socially aware and environmentally sensitive, support fair trade, and desire nature-based tourism experiences. They have a strong need to escape a working environment that is increasingly stressful and therefore seek experiences in the great outdoors, where there is a greater opportunity for controlled risk through activities such as whitewater rafting with an experienced guide. One final psychographic change identified at this meeting was the development of "tribing" and mass customization. Affinity or special interest groups, where individuals can bond with people of similar interests and experience levels, and the need to customize experiences are both growing in importance. Therefore, the ability to satisfy both needs, tribal as well as individual activities, will determine in the future which Event Leaders will succeed and which may fail. Demographers believe that India and China will soon emerge as the major exporters of tourists due to the population density and the rising average income. However, in developed countries such as the United States, a new group nicknamed "SKIN" is developing. SKIN means "spending kids' inheritance now." As adults find new ways to extend their lives as well as the quality of their lives, leisure, through special events, will become even more popular. An Event Leader historically was a person responsible for researching, designing, planning, coordinating, and evaluating events. You will learn about each of these phases in the pages to come. However, the logical question one may ask is: What is the Event Leadership profession? The Event Leadership Profession Event Leadership is a profession that requires public assembly for the purpose of celebration, education, marketing, and reunion. Each of these overarching activities is encompassed by the profession of Event Leadership. Although it can be argued that, like tourism, Event Leadership is actually comprised of many industries, increasingly, as data are gathered and scientific tests conducted, it becomes more apparent that Event Leadership represents a unique body of knowledge. According to experts in the field of professional certification, all professions are represented by three unique characteristics: (1) the profession must have a unique body of knowledge, (2) the profession typically has voluntary standards that often result in certification, and (3) the profession has an accepted code of conduct or ethics. The profession of Event Leadership meets each of these qualifications. Let us explore further the definition of Event Leadership. The term public assembly means events managed by professionals who typically bring people together for a purpose. Although one person can certainly hold an event by him- or herself, arguably it will not have the complexities of an event with 10 or 10,000 people. Therefore, the size and type of group will determine the level of skills required by a professional Event Leader. The next key word is purpose. In daily lives, events take place spontaneously and, as a result, are sometimes not orderly, effective, or on schedule. However, professional Event Leaders begin with a specific purpose in mind and direct all activities toward achieving this purpose. Event Leaders are purposeful about their work. The third and final key component consists of the four activities that represent these purposes: celebration, education, marketing, and reunion. Celebration Celebration is characterized by festivities ranging from fairs and festivals to social life-cycle events. Although the term celebration can also be applied to education, marketing, and reunion events, it serves to encompass all aspects of human life where events are held for the purpose of celebration. When one hears the word celebration, typically one has an image of fireworks or other festivities. In fact, the word celebration is derived from the Latin word celebro, meaning "to honor." Another commonly accepted definition is "to perform," as in a ritual. Therefore, celebrations usually refer to official or festive functions such as parades, civic events, festivals, religious observances, political events, bar and bas mitzvahs, weddings, anniversaries, and other events tied to a person's or organization's life cycle or of historical importance. Education From the first event in preschool or kindergarten to meetings and conferences where many adults receive continuing education throughout their entire adult lives, educational events mark, deliver, test, and support growth for all human beings. This growth may be social, such as the high school prom, or it may be professional, such as a certification program. Regardless of the purpose, a school public assembly may be primarily or secondarily educationally related. (Continues...) | 
The Daily Reckoning U.S. Edition
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