3.To provide a social platform for local businesses to actively engage with each other through sporting activities and social activities post tournament and to monitor this engagement between businesses for a minimum of 3 months after the event.#
Oppermann and Chon (1997) suggested that the main reason people attend businesses events are to gain opportunities for social networking. This event may not be categorised as a business event as such, however it does engage with the same audience as a business event would, which is professionals in businesses. Oppermann and Chon therefore identify the businesses' objectives for wanting to participate in this event where there are lots of local businesses that they may gain working relationships with. The event works to facilitate this is many ways, firstly; prior to the event the attendees were invited to a twitter page which allowed them to communicate with one another before the event. New innovative technology and social media sites are instigating more interactive and engaging events, which can be integrated into the event design to generate value for the attendees and host organisation (Foote, 2013). Secondly; the type of event allowed active engagement with all the other participants in the football matches; allowing relationship to be stimulated and communication to flow. The open and causal seating design of the ceremony room manufactured the appropriate environment for networking to take place, allowing the attendees to sit or stand where they want and therefore communicate with who they wished to. The buffet style food table and other activities, including the raffle, encouraged a flow of movement in the room stimulating networking to take place with multiple people. Lasting value was generated after the event for the attendees and charity through the use of social media continuing the social networking opportunities, providing a place for the attendees to communicate with one another after the event and share photos and stories from the event. ostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Praesent dignissim ultrices neque. Aliquam auctor congue nunc sed interdum. Aenean sagittis gravida est, sit amet egestas metus venenatis non. Mauris non leo malesuada orci laoreet eleifend eget mattis ipsum. Nam vehicula lorem erat, a consectetur libero. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed et consectetur lacus.
The official Sheffield World MenCup evaluation survey revealed that 60% of attendee strongly agreed the event design facilitated networking opportunities for the attendee, 30% agreed and 20% neither agreed nor disagreed. This is a satisfactory result for the event with no one disagreeing that the event design facilitated networking opportunities. The reason this result wasn’t better; could have been because not all attendees made use of the online social network sites created for the event. This could have been because not all of the attendees obtained the characteristics of the target profile and they didn’t use social networking sites.
Understandably this would cause barriers to accessing this element of the networking opportunities the event employed. To have avoided this issue market research could have been conducted into the attendee preferred choice of networking. Another reason people didn't use the networking site could have been poor advertising of the networking sites; to improve this around the event there could have been Twitter signs and Facebook signs encouraging people to join the group. The twitter and facebook links were emailed to all the attendee prior to the event, included in the event information material, and on the online marketing material.
To further measure the achievement of this event objective, in three months a survey will be sent out the businesses enquiring whether they are still in touch with anyone they met from the event. This will show what level of the ROI pyramid is being achieved.
To have avoided this issue market research could have been conducted into the attendee preferred choice of networking. Another reason people didn't use the networking site could have been poor advertising of the networking sites; to improve this around the event there could have been Twitter signs and Facebook signs encouraging people to join the group. The twitter and facebook links were emailed to all the attendee prior to the event, included in the event information material, and on the online marketing material.
To further measure the achievement of this event objective, in three months a survey will be sent out the businesses enquiring whether they are still in touch with anyone they met from the event. This will show what level of the ROI pyramid is being achieved.