ABSTRACT
The sport facility event planning process involves the development of the event from conceptualization through activation to implementation and eventual evaluation by event managers. However, a part of the process that is often not described is that sport facility management and ownership go through a similar process in preparation for events coming to the sport facility. Hence the sport facility event planning process will mirror the sport event planning process, but with some intricate differences. This first section of the chapter will discuss the planning process from setting objectives and developing conceptualizations to contract signing and moving forward towards implementation of the event. The first step in the event planning process is setting objectives. All sport facility managers and owners need to make some decision as to what type of events they want their facility to host. Often, these decisions go back to the philosophy, mission, and vision (PMV) of the sport facility. For instance, if this is a community-based recreation facility, the types of events to be hosted would need to be focused on community building and the needs of that local municipality. In contrast, a large, commercial-focused stadium or arena is seeking to maximize revenues through high attendance rates at high profile events. However, there will always be questions at this stage, especially for commercially focused sport facilities – but not immune to community-based sport facilities – about events that may be beneficial socially or financially, but are contrary to the mission of the sport facility. These may include events that may be politically (ranging from a local politician speaking engagement to a political convention), culturally (religious ceremonies), or socially (events such as an arts and crafts show) motivated, and may cause questions in the community. In addition, certain sporting events, depending on the jurisdiction, may not be considered appropriate – the most common sport this occurs with today is mixed martial arts (MMA). In general, when setting objectives for determining what events will be held in a sport facility, there will be a general list of accepted events, but there also needs to be flexibility to consider other options that may be financially and socially viable. Some of the questions that should be answered to set these objectives include:
■ What does the sport facility management ownership want to achieve by hosting the event?
