EVENTS MANAGEMENT AS A GENERIC PROMOTIONAL TOOL (CASE STUDY GRAND ARENA, ABAKALIKI, EBONYI STATE)

EVENTS MANAGEMENT AS A GENERIC PROMOTIONAL TOOL (CASE STUDY GRAND ARENA, ABAKALIKI, EBONYI STATE)
BY 
AMADI INYA OGBONNIA
08135146188
sagewonders@gmail.com

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

There is no clear, all-embracing definition of event. Most of the definitions focus            on the characteristics of special events and reasons for them being organized (Trassiopoulous 2005). Events can be described as transient, and every event is a unique blending of its duration, setting, management and people. Event is an occurrence at a given place and time, a special set of circumstance; a noteworthy occurrence (Getz 2007, 18). An event is a live multimedia package carried out with preconceived concept, customized or modified to achieve the clients’ objectives of reaching out and suitably influencing the sharply defined, specially gathered target audience by providing at complete experience and an avenue for two way interaction.

          According to Getz, (2008) events have a beginning and an end. They are always planned and detailed in advance. They have a certain schedule and published to the targeted group beforehand. The location for the events is usually restricted to a particular area. However, in various cases it can just be an open space with a large area. In present scenario, events are prominently considered as one of the most important aspect of tourism development and marketing planning. However, it is a fact that relatively most of the events do not occur for touristic reasons but for competitions, cultural celebration or the need to raise fund for charity (Tassiopoulos, 2005) companies also use it as a strategy for promoting, their brand to the consumers. It also engages individuals by providing them entertainment and providing relaxation during leisure time.

          Event is an important element in tourism development, through event many tourist destinations widen the tourist market, attract tourists to the destination and stimulate the creation of economic benefits (Jago, 2005). With events, local culture, tradition and customs are celebrated, entertainment and recreation complement each other and culture and social advancement is ensured. Events are an important motivator of tourism and they are very present in development plans and tourism development strategies (Hede, 2002). Events can be categorized based on it’s size, form and content. On the basis of sizes, hallmark events and mega events. Similarly, on the basis of form and content, it is divided into three parts i.e cultural events, sports events and business event (Bowdin, 2011)

In human race, events haves have always played a significant role, during the middle ages, there were events and happenings on both small and bigger stages from small events like family gatherings and wedding to professional events than decade ago (Shone, 2010). A special event can be part of a more general campaign for a company wanting to draw attention to their products. A local council may create a festival as a way of promoting their region of community. Promotion is strongly linked to the reputation of the organizing company, sponsors and other stakeholders as well as the event content.

          On 25^th may 2013, the 2013 UEFA champions league final, was played in Wembley stadium in London between two German clubs, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. It attracted a global average of 150 million and projected global reach of 360 million viewers from 200 different countries. London becomes top destination for football fan during the event. This helped to promote Wembley stadium and because of this event, London saw a rise in number of tourists on that week, bringing economic boost to local hotel and restaurants (fcBusiness, 2013)

Event management can be described as planning, organizing and effectively using all the event resources to meet the specific goal and objective of the event. Whether it is a small birthday party hosting ten guests or the Olympic Games, irrespective of the size and scale, they need to be organized well. Strategically, companies consider event management as one of the most effective marketing and promotion tool. This helps them to connect directly or indirectly with their target customers. Event management is a multi-million dollar industry growing rapidly, with mega show and events hosted regularly. Surprisingly, there is no formalized research conducted to check the growth of this industry. The industry includes fields such as the MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) conference and seminars as well as live music and sporting events. On the profession side, event management is a glamorous and exciting profession that demands a lot of hard work and dynamism.

According to Wikipedia, event management is considered one of the strategic marketing and communication tools by companies of all sizes from product launch to press conference, companies create promotional events to help                                            them communicate with clients (and potential clients). Companies might target their audience by using the news media, hoping to generate media coverage which will reach thousands or millions of people. The companies can also invite their audience to their events and reach them at the actual event. Furthermore, using event management as a promotional tool, offers great advantage for companies and in increasing media clutter and hard competition (Behrer and Larsson, 1998). The    greatest advantage of using event for promotion is that the target group is effectively reached in an environment without media noise. This makes it possible for the company to establish a personal relationship with the audience.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE STUDY PROBLEM

Event management is the most intimate form of marketing. It is a controlled activity aimed at the target audience. Events have always been there. In an ever-increasing tourism marketplace, many destinations have turned to event tourism as one way to attract more visitors. As Getz (2008) concludes, events increase a destination’s competitiveness and their importance is evident by the inclusion of events in marketing plans for popular destinations.

In this research however, it has been discovered that many organizations and tourist destination have not come to the full realization of the relevance of event management as a promotional tool. This is the main focus of this research and it is hoped that by the end of this research, companies and tourist destinations etc will not have any doubt about the importance of event management in promotion.

1.3 STUDY AIM AND OBJECTIVES

1.3.1 AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of this research work is to examine the roles of event management as a promotional tool.

1.3.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

·        To know how event can influence the promotion of tourist destination.

·        To identify the benefits of events to the host community.

·        To examine the strength of events in attracting tourists.

·        To know the importance of event in tourism marketing.

·        To make adequate recommendation that will be helpful and how best event management can be used for promotion.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

·        How can event influence the promotion of tourist destination?

·        What are the benefits of events to the host community?

·        How can events be used as a vehicle for attracting tourist?

·        What are the importance of events in tourism marketing?

·        What could be the possible constraining factor of events in tourism industry?

 1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this research work is confined to the roles of event management as a generic promotional tool. The work will strive to highlight the concept of event management, the process involved in event management, the benefits of event in destination development and also the factors affecting events. The range of this work is also to identify the different types of events and how they can be hosted, planned and organized so as to bring growth and development to a destination.

It covered and evaluates reputable Nkwegu Ugbala Grand Arena, an event center in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. And also recommendations will be given for further research purpose.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Event management is a multi-billion industry, growing rapidly with conferences, meeting, and trade show and special events hosted regularly all over the world, there are millions of events that take place worldwide annually. The entire concept of event management is regarded as one of the most intense or significance form of promotion and marketing. Thus, this study serves to focus attention on the important of event management as a tool for promotion. Moreover, the findings of this study will be of utmost importance to organization, firm, company, tourism outlets such as hotels, resorts, tour operators etc. they will benefit immensely from this work as it will enumerate the best ways through which event management can be employ for a better product marketing and promotion.

Furthermore, it will also be relevance to the students, lecturers and scholars of tourism who may wish to undertake a research on this particular area and might use the work as a reference material. It will also serve as a base for which other further literally work can be developed.

 It will add a body of knowledge and understanding to event planners, the government and non-government organizations will also benefit from this work. And lastly, this project is significant to any interested group or individual who can access the work for a common interest reading and for entertainment.

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The limitation of this study covers only event management although references were made to other related subjects. Other limitations are:

·        Lack of research material: The library which ought to be the domain and disseminate knowledge lacks current journals, textbooks and printed materials needed for research work of this king. This greatly hampered the quality of the research work.

·        Time constraint: Limited time has also hindered the success of this research work. The combination of the research exercise with normal academic work has resulted to shortage of available time for proper and thorough research but most of the data important to the topic being researched were gotten.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

GENERIC: according to Wikitionary, generic is a very comprehensive, pertaining or appropriate to large classes or groups as opposed to specific.

EXHIBITION: is the act of collecting of material which are later showed to the public or tourist

PROMOTION: promotion refers to raising customer’s awareness of a product or brand, generating sales, and creating brand loyalty.

DYNAMISM

MAINSTREAM

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 CONCEPT OF EVENT MANAGEMENT

Event management usually consists of conceptualization, planning, budgeting, and execution of below-the-line activities such as exhibitions, stage shows, fashion or rock shows, music concerts, celebrity appearances, fashion or charity shows, conferences, weddings, product or brand launches, and sports shows to name few. Event management is the application of management of project management to the creation and development of festivals and events? It goes on further stating that event management involves studying the intricacies of the brand, identifying the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and coordinating the technical aspects before actually executing the modalities of the proposed event. In basic terms, event management ensures that all the planned activities in a particular event run accordingly and smoothly without any sort of disturbance and delays. Due to all these factors it has now apparent that most individuals and businesses that plan events use an event manager to manage all the processes involved in the events. Due to this reason, event management has become a particular business area that any individual can practice in the market place.

Any event needs proper organizing. For starters, whether is a corporate event or not, proper organization would be the key to satisfy your clients as well the people who come for those events. In the organizing stage, you will clearly have to identify the nature of the event and then it would be your duty to find a proper location for the event to be held. Discussion with the clients regarding the budges that is allocated for the particular event would also be helpful in delivering a better service. Apart from those, the number of people that are invited to the event, other facilities such as audio and video, music, heating and lighting, seating arrangements, decorations, food, etc will also have to be arranged with proper suppliers in the market.

http://www.bizymoms.com/publicrelations/event-management.html

Event management is the most intimate form of marketing. It is a controlled activity aimed at the target audience. Events have always been there. In the past meeting, organizing and project planning were the form of event management as a profession. Today it is much more professional and more organized sector than, a decade ago. Getz (1998) Event management started, the moment multinationals started pouring in, when our markets liberalized in the 80s. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when event management broke away from mainstream course and started carving a niche for itself in the industry. Maybe it was around 1996 that it rapidly gained importance as a professionally managed niche of marketing.

Companies realize that through events they can reach out to customers more closely, more intimately and it is cheaper than mainstream or conventional forms of communication, say television or print. It can be called as 'experiential marketing', or niche marketing, where the environment is controlled to suit the needs of the product.

An event is a niche communication medium that allows companies to reach their target audience directly with tangible outcomes, which are not possible through conventional forms of advertisement. Through events, we can select and reach out directly to our target audience, we can control our budgets and at the end of the event tangibly analyze if the event was a success or not. This is quite difficult, in mainstream communications, where the results are intangible and we are not sure who is seeing it and whom the communication reaches out to.

2.1.1 EVENT MANAGEMENT AS A MARKETING TOOL

Event management is considered one of the strategic marketing and communication tools by companies of all sizes. From product launches to press conferences, companies create promotional events to help them communicate with clients (and potential clients). They might target their audience by using the news media, hoping to generate media coverage which will reach thousands or millions of people. They can also invite their audience to their events and reach them at the actual event.

Providing a Plethora of Services

Companies approach event managers with a vague idea and a budget in mind. It is then entirely up to the event manager to develop and improvise and turn the idea into a success. Once the idea and the budget are settled, event managers begin coordinating with sponsors and performers, arranging travel, security, and accommodation for the stars if there is a show. They also have to supervise ticket and stage design, arrange music, sound and lights, and look into those numerous details that go into making an event successful. Security is another big issue that is dealt with by event managers. Event managers have to ensure that events conclude on time, and in case they stretch beyond the permitted hours, they have to handle the police and the local bureaucracy.

Bad security could ruin an otherwise well-organized event. Unwanted guests, stampedes, fights, and harassment of performers are a few things event managers have to tackle during public events. Event management companies service a variety of areas including corporate events (product launches, press conferences, corporate meetings and conferences), marketing programs (road shows, grand opening events), and special events like concerts, award ceremonies, film premieres, launch/release parties, fashion shows, private (personal) events such as weddings. Clients hire event management companies to handle a specific scope of services for the given event, which at its maximum may include all creative, technical and logistical elements of the event. (Or just a subset of these, depending on the client’s need, expertise and budget).

2.1.2 EVENT MANAGER

The Event Manager is the person who plans and executes the event. Event managers and their teams are often behind-the-scenes running the event. Event managers may also be involved in more than just the planning and execution of the event, but also brand building, marketing and communication strategy. The event manager; is an expert at the creative, technical and logistical elements that help an event succeed. This includes event design, audiovisual production, scriptwriting, logistics, budgeting, negotiation and, of course, client service. It is a multidimensional profession.

2.1.3 EVENT MANAGEMENT PROCESS

There are 2 stages of event management process namely, Event planning and Event control.

PLANNING THE EVENT

A significant part of event management is the planning. It is a process of mentally fitting all the components together. It includes foreseeing any problems and solutions. However, to see all the problems is impossibility. It is more realistic to regard event planning as a method of reducing the number of problems.  In this sense, the aim of event planning is to plan all the tasks that can be planned so that changes and unforeseen problems can be dealt with in a focused way. Although most aspects of the event can be organized, the fluidity of event preparation means there is always the unexpected. To plan an event we must consider the following areas of an event, viz, feasibility, promotion, site choice/design, staging, shutdown, site map, event proposal.

EVENT CONTROL

To control an event we must look on the following areas logistics, negotiations, costing & cash flow, event manual, I.T, decision making and change, risk management.

2.2 TYPES OF EVENT

As we have observed, different events provide potential revenues resulting from those attending it and also offer an opportunity for leisure, social interaction and entertainment for the community and visitors. Usually, events managers aim mainly to boost tourism in order to obtain economic returns for the region, arguing that these events produce monetary benefits as visitors spend money in local businesses, thus supporting the host community economy. However, it should also be taken into account the revenue resulting from the investment required to set up the event (Shanka, 2008). The most important types of events are deeply analyzed below.

RELIGIOUS EVENTS

Travel to attend religious events has increased worldwide, currently different types of religious celebrations each year attracts a growing number of people, religious events such as pilgrim, temples, church, Easter celebration etc.

          Religious tourism can be defined as those trips that are motivated partly or exclusively on religion factors (Rinschede, 1992), where tourist  cater to a diverse typology of religious celebrations in terms of behaviour and spending patterns just to pray or simply to express their cultural values in respect to that specific religious event. Alongside, religious events have become a major tourist attraction, generally joining the promotional offer of several major destinations as a way to strengthen the competitiveness (Francis et al, 2008).

NATURE EVENTS

The main motivation for travel to visit the natural environment is to be in close contact with nature and wildlife and at the same time relax and unwind, escaping from the everyday routine to enjoy the natural landscape, traditions and other resources that as a whole make the attractiveness of the natural environment. Thus, nature tourism can be defined as travel motivated to be in touch with unpolluted natural areas where travelers expect to admire, study and enjoy the scenery and also the flora and /or fauna (Ceballos-Lascutrain, 1991).

GASTRONOMIC EVENTS

Gastronomic tourism is becoming an area of rapid growth within the tourism literature, as food-related activities add value to place by the providing attractions to visitors such as new and unique testing experience at the destination. Hall and Mitchell (2001) suggest that gastronomic tourism usually involves visiting to food producers, food festivals, restaurants and specific locations where the testing experience represents the first reason of travelling. Quan and Wang (2004), states that gastronomy can transmit a unique experience for the enjoyment of visitors, improve the overall experience and be the most memorable part of the trip.

CULTURAL EVENTS

In cultural events there is an important and strong relationship between the culture and the place. In this type of events, architectural heritage and cultural sites are the main ingredients, aimed to attract tourists by emphasizing the cultural identity of the destinations, by making use of well-designed and focused promotional campaigns (Evans, 2003). Getz, (1991) defines a cultural event as a public celebration that may include dance, movies, theater, music, art and crafts, among others.

          The uniqueness of a cultural event may lies upon several factors, such as location, the participation of renewed actors in the field. Most of these events bring together differences and exhibitions throughout it’s programme (Getz, 1997).

SPORTS EVENTS

Hosting small sport events provide an economic value to the area due to tourist’s expenditures (Veltri et al 2009). In most cases the economic benefits outweight the costs given the pre-existence of facilities used and because it attracts people who would not have visited the destination if the sports event did not take place. This is the fastest growing segment in terms of both individual and collective sports due to its potential to attract visitors, for getting media attention and its economic impact too.

MEGA EVENTS

The mega events can be defined as short-term events, but with long lasting consequences of various types, and attracting a large number of international tourists (Roche, 2008). The size and special nature of event transcends the entire economy of a city or region or even on a single country. In this category can be included the Olympic Games, world cup, universal exhibitions or festivals of great impact as some carnivals. Such events hold a strong economic impact in the host community; they have the potential to attract a large number of visitor and benefit from the global media coverage.

2.3 FORCES AND TRENDS AFFECTING EVENTS

v POLITICAL FORCES

This force field encompasses political and legal matters that could influence events. By its very nature political forces will vary a lot between countries and at different levels (e.g. national, state and local governments). How much public money and effort is spent on events or event tourism is of course, a political issue. Many communities are aggressive in their support, while many politicians have other spending priorities and the event sector is left to its own.

The world has generally become a safer place in terms of reduced super-power tensions, but terrorism has emerged as the new enemy of peace, safety and travel security. Since September 11, 2001, planned events have been forced to pay much closer attention to the threat of a terrorist attack, resulting in heightened security at all events and event venues. The presence or even the threat of communicable diseases quickly takes on political dimensions, as observed with regard to the SARS scare in 2002 and EBOLA 2014 in Nigeria. Travel in particular, is disrupted and reduced, causing governments to react. Events are likely to be cancelled, as they present the opportunity for dispersal of germs, but ironically are also used to help a country or city fight back. For example, Toronto held a Rolling Stones super-concert to attract favorable publicity after its tourism industry was decimated by SARS.

v ECONOMIC FORCES

Consequently, we witness a set of festivals and events for the rich and another for the poor. Arts events in particular are susceptible to escalating production costs, and even with government subsidies they are sometimes priced beyond the reach of lower and even middle income groups. This problem has forced them to become more interested in tourist markets. Government agencies, particularly those involved in community sports and recreation, community development and popular culture are most involved in creating free and inexpensive special events for the public.

v TECHNOLOGY FORCES

New technology leads to new leisure pursuits, and has created the entire computer-based game sector. Technological innovations affect managers directly, especially to increase productivity and competitive advantages. In the events sector, technology also affects consumers – both in terms of their expectations for high-tech services and their interest in technology itself. For example, ticketing at events is increasingly becoming computerized, enabling better control and detailed accounting of sales. Use of "smart cards" (similar to direct debit cards from banks) is being introduced, potentially resulting in the cashless event. Consumers expect to be able to make bookings online.

Observers such as Laermer (2002) believe that television, home entertainment in general, and computers with internet in particular, are resulting in less and less interaction among people and thereby causing social and psychological disfunctioning. People need to interact at the micro and macro scales. Events are ways in which people have always got together to share, and that is more important now than ever.

v HEALTH ISSUES

Worry about disease and personal safety while attending events and traveling has increased dramatically in recent years. Consequently, events must be made safer and customers must perceive them to be refuges from the troubling world of everyday life. Places which offer safe events will become more attractive.

v ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES

Although people are now more environmentally aware than ever. It is clear that industrialized societies are not engaging in sustainable development.  All events must become environmentally responsible and practice “green management”. And also minimize environmental impacts like pollution (noise) etc.

2.4 CRITERIA TO CONSIDER BEFORE SELECTING A SPECIFIC EVENT

As tourist destination or any company set objectives of what it wants to achieve with event marketing, the selection of a specific event can be done. When selecting a specific event, it is of great importance to thoroughly evaluate how the event is perceived by the target audience. The proposed event should be examined against certain relevant criteria, so that it represents a rational choice. The following are some of the criteria to consider before selecting event.

v ABILITY OF THE EVENT TO FULFILL SET OBJECTIVES

A very important and overall criterion when selecting an event is the event’s ability to fulfill stated objectives. Events are recognized to have a capacity to fulfill more than just one objective. In the case of multiple objectives, these should be ranked in hierarchical order. It is however important not to ignore the complex interplay between the different objectives. Meenaghan (1983) the objective can be to promote destination image and increase awareness.

v THE FUNDING REQUIREMENT

Meenaghan (1983) States that, if the tourist destination has a limited budget, then the selection of an event will be dependent on the event expenditure not exceeding the destination budget. It is necessary that the budget is sufficient, so that the event can be undertaken properly. Otherwise, there is a risk that the destination image may be impaired and that the public establishes an unfavourable perception. The cost of the event must also be considered in terms of physical resources, staff time and staff talent.

v TARGET AUDIENCE COVERAGE.

Meenaghan (1983) implies that, target audience coverage is a valuable event selection criterion, which is supported by Head (1998). A precise definition of the target audience will facilitate the event selection and increase the effectiveness of the event investment. Sport tourists will be best reached by sports tourism events. It is important, when selecting a specific event, to consider the events ability to reach the target audience.

v EVENT TYPE

To create a new event or to sponsor an existing one is also a selection criterion that Behrer and Larsson (1998) consider of great importance. A new event, takes longer time to establish than an already established event. Larsson (1998), note that sponsoring an existing event is better than creating a new one. The authors base this statement on the time it takes to establish an event. Furthermore, it is more expensive to create a new event than to sponsor an already existing event, according to the authors. Behrer and Larsson establish that along with increased control, a new event also brings increased risk.

Secondly, Meenaghan (1983), mention regarding the type of event, if the event should be a one-time activity or a long-term commitment. A main benefit associated with one-time events is the publicity it creates for the destination. Especially if the event is newly created, extra publicity can be gained because of the novelty value. One-time events have a great ability to improve a destination and brand awareness. Also to be seen as a benefit of one-time events is the avoidance of the financial commitment that long-term events involve. The drawbacks of one-time events are the doubts as to their effectiveness and the suggestions that one-time event involvement is rarely cost-effective. The long-term sponsorship can lead to repeated publicity, more durable recognition and the possibility of nurturing “big things from small beginnings”. On the other hand, market interest in long-term sponsorship is more likely to decline than for one-time sponsorships and as a result the long-term sponsorship may suffer a reduction in impact.

2.6 THE ROLE OF EVENT IN DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT AND IMAGE

Hosting special events has become an important element in cities and regions strategy, in order to attract visitors and investments also provide a major boost to the tourism sector. Events are special celebration that are planned and organized in a place by different pubic institution or private organizations and may contain a number of activities.

          The organization of tourist events has positive impacts on a destination or a region by generating economic profit based on the income from the sale of products and services connected to the event, by increasing the tourist turnover which improves the quality of restaurants and infrastructure. As it has been described, events have become a basic element on distinctive strategies for tourism development in many areas, regions or even countries, being considered in many cases as a major and unique competitive advantage (Getz and Smith, 1994). Thus, the knowledge on events and on the evolution of their impacts on the tourism destination development is essential in many cases, to survive in an increasingly competitive market where the costs of planning and organizing such event are considerable. Hosting events that meet the needs of tourists and promoting them through the most effective media should constitute a primary objective for all organizations involved in order to maximize the benefits of tourism (Getz, 2008)

          Hall (1992) identify a variety of advantages to the destination that hosts an event, which included: improve infrastructures, increased sense of pride for residents, increased trade relations, higher levels of external recognition, increased experience in the management of masses and increased development in the area of influence. (Getz, 2007) states that events are very helpful for the destination mainly for three interrelated reasons:

1.     Their capacity to attract tourists and generate economic benefits

2.     The development of infrastructure and services and

3.     The creation or strengthening of a brand image for the site.

The success of an event depends largely on the quality of the integration of different agents in order to achieve good results.

2.6.1 EVENTS AND DESTINATION IMAGE

The image of a destination is valued on the basis of a set attributes that attract visitors voluntarily, such as activities, experiences and landscapes (Lew, 1987). In this context, events can act as image makers due to the attention devoted by the media, the marketing and promotional campaigns set up by the organization to attract visitor (Getz, 1997).

          Events can improve the image of a city or region, facilitate business networking and improve the pride of its citizens and at the same time provide social and cultural benefits, creating forums for education and facilitate technology transfer. In fact, hosting events can enrich the image of the area and of its hosting community and increase the number of visitors both at short-term and long-term (Lee et al, 2005). It should be remember as stated by Balogu and Mangaloglu (2001) that destinations currently compete primarily through the image perceived by consumers, meaning t hat the communication and promotion of event are key elements in the development of any competitive strategy.

          Despite having a strong economic impact (Simeon and Buonincontri, 2011), event-based tourism is also increasingly important within the context of destination branding. Branding can contribute to the enhancement of the image of the area and community hosting the event and concurrently increase the number of visitors at short and long term (Lee, et al 2005).   

CHAPTER THREE

3.1 STUDY AREA

Grand Arena (also known as Nkwegu Ugbala Grand Arena) is situated at 198 old Enugu road, mile 50 Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. Grand Arena was established in 2010 but was officially open on 4^th February by the managing director Arc. Edward Nkwegu (KSJ). There are four subsidiary tents at Grand Arena such as love tent, peace tent, faith tent and hope tent. All this tents are mainly used for events hosting. Grand Arena has other sections apart from the event section such as food section for both continental and African dishes. The restaurant section is used for serving food of all kind. The bar section is where alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages are sold.

          Grand Arena, host most of the events in the state and other international events every year. Many events like concerts, conference, wedding, birthday party and other special events with thousands of visitors, organizers and exhibitors gather at the event center to take the advantage of functional and flexible spaces available for them. Grand Arena is one of the most suitable space providers for every event.

Grand Arena has been a destination when it comes to hosting of different kinds of events considering size, form and content. There have been events which attract both local and international tourists. Many of these events take place all year round. It is a well known fact that the success of any event greatly depends on the host community. Both events like small concerts and widely attended events, especially by international tourists such summits, conference etc takes place at the event center.

3.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Methodology is specification of procedures to help solve the problem at hand. In the course of this research attempts are made to give detailed outlook of the various methods and procedures adopted while gathering information and collecting data. This chapter describing the methodology adopted in the course of making all the findings related to the topic being studied. It will strive to explore all the efforts made by the researcher in order to assemble relevant information to make the research work a unique one

3.2.1.  RESEARCH DESIGN

This is the plan structure and strategy operated by the researcher in other that the research question can be properly answered. This research work will be carried out using descriptive research approach. According to Polit and Hungler (1999) descriptive research involves the collection of data that will provide an account or description of individual, group or situation.   

3.2.2 SOURCES OF DATA

The main sources of data for this study are primary and secondary sources.

Primary source

Data from this source relied on information that will be collected from Grand Arena staff, their customers and the indigenes of the event center, through questionnaire, personal interview and field observation. 

Secondary sources

Relevant information will also be collected from publications on Grand Arena, internet browsing, textbooks and journals.

3.2.3 POPULATION OF THE STUDY

The target population for this study, defined to include the staff, customers of grand and host community. Oswala E. C (2005) refers to population as the number of persons or objects covered by the study or with which the study is concerned. In this research the population include 30 (thirty) staff of Grand Arena, 50 (fifty) customers and 20 (twenty) indigenes, where the establishment is located. The total population gives 100 (One hundred).

3.2.4 SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

Krejcie and Morgan, (1970) sample size table was used to select a total number of 80 respondents.

3.2.5 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS

The data collection instruments used by the researcher in order to collect reliable and accurate information include;

v QUESTIONNAIRE:

A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents.  In this request for relevant and accurate information, the researcher designed some questions relevant to the topic being researched. The questionnaires will be distributed by the researcher to the respondents.

v INTERVIEW

This method involves open discussion with respondents relating to the topic of the study. The researcher will contact people face to face to sample their view, feelings, opinions and ideas which help to carry out this work successfully.

3.2.6 ADMINISTRATION OF DATA INSTRUMENT

The researcher intends to administer the questionnaire to the respondents personally.  Thirty (30) questionnaires will be distributed to the staff of the Grand Arena, fifty (50) questionnaire to the customers of grand arena and twenty (20) questionnaires to the indigenes, where the event centre is located. The questionnaire will be retrieved, analyzed and several findings will be recorded, as well as conclusion will be drawn. The interview will be used to obtain other information that questionnaire would not provide.

3.2.7 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS

After collecting relevant data on the subject matter, the data must be analyzed. Data analysis refers to the process of dissecting the collected and organized data for the purpose of establishing the interrelationship among the variable covered by the research study. Data analysis generally involves the segregation of data and determining appropriate combination in order to make research study meaningful. The technique of the data analysis to be used by the researcher will be descriptive data analysis technique which is a simple percentage analysis technique. This will be done in a tabular form according to the respondents answer. Pie chart and bar chart will also be used to analyze some of the questions for more clarification.

REFERENCE

Behrer, M., & Larsson, Å., (1998). Event Marketing – att använda evenemang som

        strategisk resursimarknadsföringen. Novrums grafiska AB, Göteborg.

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