Events, whether a party, a class, or promotional, have always played a part in connecting people and communities. As technology advances so do the manner in which people plan and host events. This brief history of event management compares the then and now of event planning.
The Evolution of Event Management
The earliest events and gatherings promoted peace and friendship between tribes and clans. The first known event planner was Cleopatra. She hosted fancy over the top meetings in pursuit of lovers. Cleopatra entered one meeting by drifting down the Nile River on a boat filled with candles and perfume in order to impress Mark Anthony. Cleopatra’s events would not have been possible without her servants and free labor. Communication was very limited. Messages were hand delivered and it could take weeks if not months to deliver them.
Elaborate events and parties continued with the Medieval French Royalty. Rich aristocratic women were in charge of event management. The most notable was Madame Pompadour, the mistress to King Louis XV of France and Marie Antoine. Parties were themed with costumes and popular musicians of the day.
The Industrial Revolution created the need for meetings and events to grow and expand beyond parties for the rich and royal. Industrialization provided a stronger economy and increased manufacturing and businesses. It became necessary for people to set up meetings and events in order to collaborate and grow their businesses. People made more money, which meant that they could spend more on hosting events. The expansion of transportation provided options to increase the number of events and meetings. New modes of transportation such as trains permitted a feasible manner for people to travel to and from events.
The introduction of mobile phones and the internet had an enormous impact on event planning. With the use of these electronics, communication can happen at any time of the day and from anywhere in the world. A person can create, find, register, and document an event by using one small portable device.
Then vs. Now
Then: Prior to the 1990s and 2000s, event organizers had to use hand-written registration processes and all documents were physically mailed. It could take days to reach the proper place and it was easy for documents to become lost. Now: Documents can be emailed or uploaded to a dropbox instantly and registration forms can be filled out online.
Then: Before the internet, attendees had to pull out a physical map to find the location of an event, which may have been difficult and stressful. Now: One simply needs to type an address into Google Maps to receive turn by turn directions and even obtain a new route if they get lost or make a wrong turn.
Then: Do you want to know who’s attending an event? You once had to place a telephone call up to your friends or ask them in person. Now: Through social media and event organization websites, attendees can see virtually who is interested in or attending an event.
Advertising and Finding Events
Then: Before the internet, flyers, posters, and word-of-mouth were popular ways to advertise events. Now: People can search for events utilizing websites such as LocalHop and Facebook. Users can type in their location and find hundreds of events they may not have even know existed!
The most considerable change technology has afforded is the availability for an individual or organization to have more control over event management. Software and websites allow people to construction advertisements for events with user-friendly formats that are slick and professional. Ticket sales and registration are organized in one spot. In the fast-paced world of the internet, time is limited and valuable. Event management websites and apps such as LocalHop save people time while providing easy options for creating events.
About us – LocalHop is an Event Management Platform that provides event marketing, web calendars, and registration systems to organizations and small businesses. LocalHop launched in October 2015 and has offices in Pontiac and Kalamazoo, Michigan.