Human resource management for events - Lynn Van der Wagen

Human Resource Management for Events is the first text to cover management of human resources in the event environment. Linking theory, research and application it covers the differing and various types of event in which human resource management is key, such as:

* Business Events - a vast sector including events people who manage conferences, exhibitions, incentive trips and individual business travel.
* Sporting Events - this sector includes sporting events ranging from the Olympic Games, Rugby World Cup, Soccer World Cup, Tour de France, Grand Prix to many smaller, local sporting events.
* Arts and Entertainment - the logistics, risk and financial issues facing entertainment events are leading to the development of more sophisticated operational skills for this sector. Music festivals are increasingly popular.
* Public Events - civic ceremonies, parades, celebrations, festivals and protests all fall within the scope of public events. Planning, approval and risk management are increasingly on the agenda for all levels of government.

The particular challenges provided by such events are varied. The size of the workforce explodes at the time of the event to include the event management team, many paid staff, hundreds of volunteers and multiple contractors, such as food vendors and cleaning teams. Everyone working on the site comes into the scope of the event workforce. Little time is available for training and motivation plays a key role in retention and customer service. Decision making occurs on the run and the event is over before anyone can think about performance appraisal. The environment is further characterised by a fast pace, high stress levels and many workers are fatigued by the bump in period before the event audience pours through the gates to add yet another level of pressure. These features of the human resources environment are quite different to those of the traditional workforce.

Human Resource Management for Events is vital reading for both students and practitioners involved in this crucially important aspect of event management.