Event 101: What the F is a Functional Area?

Thanks for joining the first series: Event 101. We're back to basics.

If you're new to the event world you might hear professionals talk about event functional areas and wonder what those are. These are the building blocks used to create an event. Here's what's important: every event has functional areas. Yep, from the biggest world events (like the Olympics) to a birthday party. Each event is made up a specific group of functional areas, organized and operationally planned in a specific way to create your event. Have a new event? Look at it, consider what building blocks you need, reorganize and operationally plan how it will work and you're well on your way to a successful event.

Examples you might be familiar with are:

• Decor

• Marketing

• Permitting

• Registration

• RSVP and guest management

• Safety and security

• Transportation and parking operations

What's the takeaway? Building your event involves deciding what functional areas are relevant and how they need to be organized.

Next time we'll dive into operational planning. This is the good stuff.