Supply Chain
Supply Chain Event Logistics
By Michael Nzule
Coming fresh out of the festive and holiday season, many great and fun times have been experienced. It is common too, that disappointments happened. Last minute success is in most cases just a chance outcome. With last minute and chancing, disappointments are almost a sure outcome.
And just before we proceed, we can remind ourselves about the difference between supply chain and logistics. Supply chain management is the overall strategy function, that has a long-term view, while logistics is a subset of it. Logistics drives execution of strategic choices made at the supply chain level. But for the purpose of this discourse, let us be micro and focus on application of the execution principles at household and company levels, especially around events.
Typical and unavoidable events include holidays, weddings, funerals, household parties, whose success or failure leaves behind extended emotions, ranging from satisfaction to discontentment. At corporate level, similar events range from board meetings, product launch, corporate and product milestones, conferences, trade shows, road shows etc.
Supply chain event logistics is the process of managing the supply chain for an event, including planning, sourcing, and execution. Critical tasks include coordinating sourcing of materials required, transportation, staff required, security, catering and on-the-ground management of the work. Event planning therefore covers all aspects of the event from the idea, timetable, actual execution and after-event logistics.
Planning is vital as events include multiple stakeholders and service providers. This requires bookings, communication, reservations and payments. Time spans can be short and challenging. Therefore, contingency planning and redundancies are necessary to have required flexibility, should any failure happen. Event planning ensures an event happens in line with the expectations of the event owner and delivers great experience to all. Planning is the cornerstone for successful events; indeed, the anchor of event planning is the application of supply chain principles.
Supply chain management is essential
Events may never be perfect. It is well to pick lessons, learn and grow for better experiences in the next one. With deployment of sound supply chain management and logistics guidelines, it is possible to deliver seamless and memorable events over time. Last minute chances do not help.
for event planning. It ensures that all supplies including materials for the event are delivered within budget and on time. A well-managed supply chain will ensure that all the components of the event are delivered in a coordinated manner. From planning point of view, the event can be broken into project work plan or schedule, with critical milestones, resources and responsibilities defined. This makes it easier to track progress of each component and to identify any potential bottlenecks for ease of execution. Planning ahead ensures that all contingency plans are considered.
The next consideration for event logistics is vendor sourcing. This gives the event owner time to explore appropriated vendors for each component of the event. The vendors are then evaluated based on experience, suitability or even referrals. This has a direct impact on the prices that will be contracted and impact the event budget. Vendor selection further allows for quality review and even sampling the vendors ahead of any contractual commitments being done. At this stage, quality and delivery schedules can be tested. This can be achieved through methods like vendor mockups, drills, presentations and all sorts of event simulations to deliver the desired outcomes. Some events may require high levels of confidentiality. Background checks are therefore necessary. This may be tested as well in advance. The guide here is quality, service, prices, and dependability to deliver the promise.
Closely related to the choice of vendors is vendor relationship management. This starts with creating vendor profiles for all service providers. Having established relationships with suppliers supports delivery of quality event materials and services on time and on competitive
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