Event Management Assignment Analysing Food exhibition by HKTDC Food Expo

Question

Task: Aim:
The Reflective Report is to enable students to conduct critical reflection on their own experiences while analysing the event, and to develop management strategies based on their critical analysis. Students need to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts discussed in this course by applying them to their discussion. Students will be graded on their ability to observe and analyse the event using disciplinary knowledge, and to make relevant and logical recommendations.

Event Management Assignment Task description:
Congratulations! You are hired as a consultant for an event company organising the chosen event, and you are given the following tasks. As a consultant, your task is to visit, observe and experience the event as a secret shopper, reporting your findings on the following aspects to the event organisers with recommendations. Choose Option 1 or Option 2, depending on when your chosen event was held.

Option 1) if your chosen event was held pre-COVID-19 (between June 2019 and March 2020):
1. The one best thing about how the event managed its capacity 2. The one thing about the event capacity management that you think was not effective Option 2) if your chosen event was/will be held post-COVID:
1. The one best thing about how the event successfully provided a COVID-safe environment
2. The one thing that you think was poorly managed as a COVID-safe event

Answer

Introduction
The report sheds light on the Hong Kong food exhibition campaign that was held at Wanchai, Hong Kong. The food exhibition was held from 28th January to 1st February 2020. The exhibition was, however, has postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic situation. The exhibition was later held from 12th August to 16th August 2021 (Travel, 2021).The food department council of Hong Kong has initiated the campaign to attract a large number of people from around the world. The food expo is one of the leading food events that have been successful in attracting the attention of retailers, the common public, and catering leaders of the food industry. The integrated exhibition program consisted of protruding tastings, which regulate the cooking experience (Tradefairdates. 2021). The food expo is held in combination with the international tea fair Hong Kong and an exhibition of lifestyle and products showcase program. The report aims to evaluate the exhibition program executed by the Hong Kong food expo.The structure of the report provides a brief description of the event is given, and the best part of the event is also included in this report. The vision, mission, and goals of the exhibition are also given.

Brief Description of the event
Type of the event
The event is a food exhibition program that consists of several varieties of foodthat are attracting millions of people around the world. The event is held at 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. The exhibition consists of 1,500 exhibitioners from 22 nations and regions. The event was held for five days, and it was attended by 19,000 buyers in the industry from 60 regions and countries and the program communicated with 450,000 visitors approximately (Klook. 2021). The program was held from August 12 to 16, 2021, from 10 am to 10 pm. The program was, however, is a success to attract people from around the world to fulfil the aim and objectives of the program.

Vision, mission, and goals
A vision of an event management company is to raise response by accumulating huge people in the event (Simge and Ya?ar, 2021). The event program has an integrated vision to regulate the satisfaction of customers and ensure loyalty among the consumers. The event program wanted properly executed the technical, social, aspects and creatively adjusting the objective approach to the project.The mission of event management is to be the leading management program in Hong Kong that will exceed the opportunities of the customers through integrated ideas and execution of innovative services. On the other hand, the event program also has a mission of supporting and emerging partnerships with the customers. The company has a common goal of generating stable relationships between organisation integrity and personal stability. The event also aims to provide exceptional food items in combination with integrated marketing and production.

Key target markets
The event program targets the market of Hong Kong, the people living in Hong Kong. They are generally creating the food according to the needs and preferences of people living in Hong Kong. The food expo consists of public hall and gourmet segment that are targeting both types of customers. The public hall is an open hall that consists of a five-day fair that vitrine the international selection of food products (Hong Kong Means Business. 2021). An organisation needs to identify the potential motivational factors of a region in order to consider it as a target market (Huang et al. 2020). The presence of the event signifies the strength as the integrated trading segment can move through which suppliers of food from around the world can maximise their network of business. The food expo event hasregulated the food price limited so that it can be brought by both middle class and low middle-classpeople. This had, however, have attracted a large range of consumers towards them to buy different food items which they are selling.The event program initially targets buyers from specific industries operating the business on a larger level on an occupational-to-occupational basis (Yim, 2021). Furthermore, the event also targetsthe local market of the country that has helped the event program to regulate integrated and higher market penetration.

Motivations of key target markets
The event program has targeted the market of Hong Kong located at Wanchai. At this place, several people have a keen interest in tasting different types of food. Thus, the event program has decided to initiate the program at the designed location.

Push Motivations:
The behaviour and attitude of people are mainly the end product of several influences. The behaviour and attitude can be developed within several years and are strongly engrained over time (Thensmc. 2021). The event has analysed the behaviour o people living near Wanchai and has concluded that the people are extremely foodie.

Pull Motivations:
On the other hand, they are also interested in seeing and tasting delicious Chinese food within the area. The event program alsohas initiated several marketing strategies to understand the needs and preferences of the consumer. The food expo has operated at Wanchai, and they are successful in getting a huge number of audiences from around the world.

SWOT analysis
A swot analysis helps to identify the strengths, weaknesses including the threats and opportunities of the internal operational environment that helps to formulate strategies that can help to sustain the business (Teoli, Sanvictores and An, 2019).

Table 1: SWOT analysis
Source: (Developed by the author)

The best part of the event
The best thing
I can seek different information that which type of products are present in the event, and these are the best thing in the event according to me form this event. Furthermore, the decoration and lighting of the stalls are also a striking aspect in events that are successful in gaining maximum customers from outside the event. The manners of the retailers were also excellent, which is very provocative to attract people towards them.The event also consists of high-quality food products with full hygiene that guarantee health safety. The price of the food products was affordable, which was another important feature of the event program management. I have also tasted the food and have concluded that it was the best food I have eaten in any other events.I have sought information about the style of the program, which has helped me in getting the internal program of the food expo.

Reason for the best thing
I think the event was best because it had enormous menus of different items present around the world. I have also observed that the event had initiated a taste program event where they are giving food items to many people that were free of cost. I have also participated in the program, and I have found out that the foods were very delicious. Many visitors and exhibitors also have participated in the program so that they can get a review of the products. I have tested it, and I have found that the food was very tasty to be eaten. I think that the event program was the best part of the program because it provided us with detailed information about the products that are available in the program. On the other hand, the public hall was also a striking aspect of the organisation that attracts customers globally.

How the thing worked well in the event
In my opinion, the public hall, exhibit categories, and the tasting program was the best part of the event because it had, however, have entertained the exhibitors that have increased their loyalty. In the exhibit categories, the beverage and food products include several food items, and that is the best part of the program. According to my, it has worked better for the event as the people can seek information regarding the menus of the event. I have gained information about the food categories, and I think that the foods were very delicious and hygienic. The technological zone in the event program was another best part of the event program, and that is making the event one of the most unique. The food was, however, prepared there with developed machinery tools and technological items. The transport and logistics services are implemented along with integrated packaging. In the public hall, there are integrated brands that are offering heavy discounts on premium food products.The trade hall was another striking place in the event, and that consisted of halal food segment.

Importance to patrons and management
The event program was a huge success for the external and internal stakeholders present during the program. The stakeholders include consumers, employees, investors, manufacturers, and the owner. As it was a success, the stakeholders were satisfied with the effort and stability that they have implemented in the event. I have observed that the event managers, along with other staff, have worked very hard to achieve the common goal and objectives of the program. The event program also hascollected huge revenue by executing the program. The staff members include the retail managers, cooks, and other members. However, have exercised their function to achieve the objectives of the event program. Repute retail managers, suppliers, and manufacturers had firmly worked for the fulfilment of the event program.

According to my viewpoint, the management plays a dominant role in executing the program and employees involved in the program. I think that without the management, the event could not achieve huge success. Furthermore, the management provides a stable way for the events to all the external and internal stakeholders present in the event. On the other hand, the management regulates as a booster tool to enable essential elements within the organisation.

I think the importance of the management in these events are:
• Food safety.
• Proper Budget planning and implementation to avoid financial constraints.
• Proper management of customers.
• Operation management that includes proper execution of the exhibition, high quality service providence, etc.

Things did not work well
The poor thing
The event program had no clear target customers in thought, and they have, however, have targeted the wrong people. In the event, people have come at a huge number, but many people did not taste food, nor they have participated in any event shows. However there are no specific target group or audiences are focused. This was the major constraints. From my point of view, the event could have been thought better so that they could focus on specific target audiences. The program could have executed child shows and programs to attract children. Attracting children could have been an effective strategy to make the event a huge success. Common people have come in a low number and which represents that the show did not attract the emotions of the people.

The reason behind the lacking
I think that the management should be more careful during the initial stage of the event program.Poor management and poor thinking have an impact negatively on the event program.The management did not analyse the interests, needs, and preferences of the people living in Hong Kong. I also think that they have poorly accomplished digital media promotion to reach a larger number of audiences. The management could have implemented stable social media marketing of their event so larger people could know about the event.

Recommendations
Recommendations for improving enhancing best practices
The following recommendations can be adopted to improve the event management process: Setting clearly defined goals can increase the efficiency of the overall process of an event (Burke et al. 2019). Managing an event can be complex if the itineraries are not scheduled. Clear goals can enable the organisers to make quick decisions and assess the progress of the works. The employees will also have a clear understanding of their responsibilities. The goals should be set within a timeline so that it takes less time to complete.
Efforts must be taken to make the event management process efficient. There are several project management tools that will give the organisers greater power to control the project. These resources should be utilised to optimise productivity. Project management tools can help the organisers to make an outline of the event and stick to it. It will also help them to mobilise the resource and allocate the tasks to other employees.
A customer-oriented approach should be adopted to provide maximum value to the customers (Rahimi et al. 2017). The events are organised to serve customers, and their comfort should be the topmost priority. Customer-centric strategies will grow the business and reach out to more customers.

Recommendations for enhancing the lacking
There are several lacking in event management, and it was not effectively managed. Foolproof preparation should be made to make the event a success. The failings can be resolved by the following methods:

Managing an event requires huge human resources. There is a multitude of tasks that need to be completed. The workforce in the event management process was not experienced to handle disruptive situations. To overcome this, the employees need to have proper training and development (Medium, 2021). The employees need to have some practical experience so that they can handle any situation.

Technology can be leveraged to make the event management process faster and efficient. This event did not use technology to achieve greater productivity. Using social media platforms and other digital methods can help to increase the efficiency of the process.

The details of the event were not planned, and it created disruptions in the process. The employees had conflicting ideas about the event. It is important to shape an outline of the project to ensure that all the employees are well-informed about their job roles. Also, the managers need to chalk down every detail to avoid any problems later. They need to focus on the finance and available resources and have strategies to mobilise them efficiently to provide maximum benefits to the customers.

Time management was a serious issue in the event. The employees had no proper schedule. Planning and execution took long hours, and it was chaotic in the end due to less time. Preparation of the event was not sound since it had to be completed faster. To mitigate this, a definite structure needs to be planned. There can be a checklist of all the necessary itineraries, which should be arranged based on their significance. Prioritising works can help in proper execution.

Conclusion
Event management requires planning and workforce to get executed. Without competent strategies and planning, it can be not easy to manage an event. In the present report, the type of event and its nature is described. All the pertinent information such as location and timing, number of guests are mentioned. The objectives of the event are also explained briefly. The target markets are explored, and the reasons for targeting the particular markets are also enlisted. A SWOT analysis is conducted to determine the strengths and limitations of the event. The positive aspects of the event are specified. What factors worked for the events are explained. The event was organised tastefully, and it showed the expertise of the managers to plan and implement the strategies properly. It was best since the managers were equipped with the right resources so that every itinerary could be cohesively followed. The event management did an exceptional job to serve the customers and ensure they had a good time. However, there were lackings since the employees were not trained to perform multiple tasks. Technology was also not used on a large scale to execute this massive event. Finally, recommendations are provided so that the management team can incorporate them into their management practices.

References
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Huang, H., Zhong, W., Lai, Q., Qiu, Y. and Jiang, H., 2020. The Spatial Distribution, Influencing Factors, and Development Path of Inbound Tourism in China—An Empirical Analysis of Market Segments Based on Travel Motivation. Sustainability, 12(6), p.2508.

Klook. 2021. [online] Available at: [Accessed 27 November 2021].

Medium. 2021. 7 Major Event Planning Problems and How to Solve Them. [online] Available at: [Accessed 27 November 2021].

Rahimi, R., Köseoglu, M.A., Ersoy, A.B. and Okumus, F., 2017. Customer relationship management research in tourism and hospitality: a state-of-the-art. Tourism Review.

Simge, Ü.N.L.Ü. and Yaar, L., 2021. Online Event Management on Twitter in the Covid-19 Pandemic Process: The Example of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Event management assignment Erciyes letiim Dergisi, 8(2), pp.517-534. Teoli, D., Sanvictores, T. and An, J., 2019. SWOT analysis.

Thensmc. 2021. Identify what moves and motivates your audience | The NSMC. [online] Available at: [Accessed 27 November 2021]. Tradefairdates. 2021. Food Expo Hong Kong 2022. [online] Available at: [Accessed 27 November 2021]. Travel, K., 2021. Hong Kong Food Expo 2021. [online] Klook Travel. Available at: [Accessed 27 November 2021].

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