How Event Managers Lead: Applying Competency School Theory to Event Management

Abstract

A lack of research into human resource development, managerial skillsets, and leadership practices of event managers has resulted in widespread assumptions about the nature of leadership within events, which is unsupported by primary research. This qualitative research based on semistructured interviews focused on event managers working within the business events industry. Data analysis using thematic analysis and a ranking list establishes six key leadership practices—engaging communication, strategic perspectives, critical analysis and judgement, resource management, emotional resilience, and interpersonal sensitivity. This research argues that these leadership practices are essential for the development of successful event managers. Additionally, this study shows there is tension at the heart of leadership within events—event projects are intangible and temporary in nature, providing only one opportunity to get it right and this results in event managers attempting to control all aspects of the event delivery. However, in order to be successful leaders, they also need to work in teams, motivate and empower others, and develop team members. This then is the challenge for human resource development in event management: How do event managers resolve this tension in order to become successful leaders?

Knowledge Sharing and Power in the Event Workforce

“…These characteristics form a unique structure, and consequently make event leadership and management unique (Abson, 2017;Aisbett & Hoye, 2014;Kim, & Cuskelly, 2017;Stadler et al, 2014). First, the event workforce requires and attracts a highly heterogeneous workforce.…”

Performance of Events Management Service Providers within the Weddings Subsector, in Nairobi County, Kenya

“…A wedding event is a lifetime investment which must prove its worth to the couple as it marks a new chapter in the couple's life (Kukushkina, 2016). Getting everything right the first time is therefore crucial to event management success as the temporary nature of events provide only one opportunity to get it right, and offers few opportunities to redress mistakes -some of which can have far reaching implications which often cannot be corrected (Abson, 2017). Yet although there is a growing realization that event management can no longer be handled in an ad hoc manner (Kimani, 2014;Njoroge, 2018), there is limited application of EMBOK to the study of factors influencing performance of event management service providers in Kenya's fast growing wedding sub-sector.…”

“…national economy. In addition, employment estimates for the industry stand at around 530,000 in the UK, with 15,500 working in business events such as conferences, events, and exhibitions (Abson, 2017).…”

“…Event management business has and continues to gain more attention among scholars owing to the exponential growth witnessed in the events industry in the recent past (Korir, 2018). Commentators like Abson (2017) go as far as asserting that event management is a field of industrial practice, which involves the organization and coordination of the activities required to achieve event objectives. Broadly, the events sector can be seen to consist of the following categories: business or corporate events, leisure events, cultural events and hospitality events.…”

“…Irrespective of the yardstick used to measure performance, attention has been called to the factors that influence performance in the event management industry (Owusu-Mintah & Dacosta, 2017). A myriad of factors may be influencing performance of event management service providers as event management typically involves undertaking projects that are creative, complex, problematic, dynamic and stakeholder reliant (Abson, 2017). Meticulous planning and careful management are identified as the common denominator of all successful events (Owusu-Mintah & Dacosta, 2017).…”