ABSTRACT
Every event manager wants to produce a quality event. While this seems a fairly
simple and straightforward concept, you must remember that most events have
at least four different sets of stakeholders: the participant performers or athletes,
the staff and volunteers, the sponsors, and the spectators or tourists. Each set of
stakeholders will emphasize different criteria when analyzing the quality of the
event. For example, the performers may indicate quality is based on the equip-
ment, staging, and the amenities in the locker room. To the volunteers, a qual-
ity event may involve obtaining experience that advances their personal skills
and provides them with event clothing. The sponsors may indicate that qual-
ity involves having unlimited product sampling opportunities or being able to
mingle with clients in a hospitality area. The spectators may want short lines for
quick access into the venue, for food and beverages and excellent sight lines from
their seats. Can an event manager meet all of these quality requirements? Within
each of the four stakeholder groups, quality is a relative concept. Each person
involved in an event will have a personally determined idea as to what quality
means. This fact challenges event managers.
