Event Planning & Event Branding

In the study of philosophy, events are known as timeless entities in both time and instantiation of universal properties in unchanging objects. On some philosophers’ views, only discrete changes in the shape of acquiring or dropping a property to one or another is sufficient to constitute an event, such as that of the earth’s getting wet or its being made hot. For these philosophers, event may take the form of a modification of the universal structure of reality, the timeless object. For example, the appearance of a stone on a table transforms it from its ordinary cold appearance to the hot appearance of a gemstone. But for some philosophers, even the reappearance of a numinous substance on the surface of water or on fire does not constitute an event, because the change is neither a modification nor a transformation, but merely the appearance of the thing on the surface of water or fire.

Philosophers have provided explanations for all sorts of apparent changes. They have made sense of rain, lightning, clouds, and fog. Nowadays, with more sophisticated technologies, computer applications, and the Internet, philosophers are often called upon to discuss technological events. The Internet, for example, has led to the occurrence of social media events. A group of individuals can organize a website, blog, or My Space page, and have it appear in web search results, and then be seen by hundreds, thousands, or millions of attendees, each of whom must have paid to view the site.

A new example of philosophical inquiry into event planning and its impacts on philosophy is that of Google’s “Google Jam.” This event pitted business owners against each other to devise the best branding strategy. Businesses were required to submit logos, outlines of their business plans, and samples of their work to the Google team responsible for branding the event. The “Google Jam” participants were then judged based upon the extent to which they met the branding challenge, as well as upon their ability to create and promote a brand. Google hopes this event will stimulate new ways to promote the event branding.

Another way that philosophers might study event branding is with the help of an event planning and branding company. These companies usually work in conjunction with planners or event planners who manage the corporate event, but they do not plan, execute, manage, or oversee it. Instead, these companies work with the individual project manager to identify the business problem, as well as to identify the most appropriate approach and venue for resolving that problem. After the project manager identifies the problems, he/she then identifies the appropriate solution(s), which are business solutions that focus on solving those particular problems, rather than general solutions that can solve many problems.

The project manager may then draft a business plan that explains why the solution is needed at every event, which creates a story for the sponsor(s) to follow. That is just one way that event planning and event branding companies work together. Other methods of identification, such as brand creation, product branding, event promotion and scheduling are usually done separately or in parallel with the event planning. The purpose of all of these activities is to create an environment within which sponsors feel comfortable advertising their products and services, while also providing a support system for the event, its production, and its staff. Event branding involves every aspect of the event – its design, its location, its organizing, its sponsors, its staffing, and its program management.

Event marketers and event planners are two sides of the same coin. Event planning is responsible for creating the atmosphere for the next event, while the marketing team sells the product and the services to sponsors and attendees. Event planners need to understand the balance among event marketing, event branding, and social media marketing. While some of these aspects overlap, for the most part they are separate endeavors, though when they do work together it can create a powerful combination that benefits the future success of the upcoming event.