RESEARCH PROCESS DESCRIPTION 1
ResearchProcess Description
ExecutiveSummary
Parameters of the report: The purpose of this report is tocompile and compare different venues in San Francisco for Flair EventDesign and Planning. Flair Event Design and Planning is an eventscompany that specializes in weddings, bar & bat Mitzvahs,milestone, and gala celebrations, and corporate parties. Before Istarted an internship with Flair Event Design and Planning, I did notknow there were many different types of venues to choose from in SanFrancisco. This project allowed me to learn about the various sitesand compile data exclusively for Flair to use for their business.
Description of the problem: The problem for Flair Event Designand Planning was to have the knowledge and a database of venues inSan Francisco for their clients. Flair had to do research on the bestsite suitable for the client`s request, wants and needs. By havingthe knowledge and a database of the different venues in SanFrancisco, Flair employees will be able to make suggestions quicklyto their clients of where their events should be held.
Methodology: For my research project, I compiled and compareddifferent event venues in San Francisco into a small document forFlair Event Design and Planning. I categorized the venues intovarious categories, listed the information about the venues, andanalyzed the advantages and disadvantages about the venue. I havealso compiled an excel find of data which allows Flair to comparevenues side by side quickly, having an excel sheet data will alsoenable Flair to enter keywords for an easier search of data.
Summary of Finding: From the descriptive statistics andobservation in the area, the company can solve its problem by makingsure it has all the information, which can guarantee the chosenvenues in San Francisco. Some of these venues include Alcatraz, theJapanese Garden at the heart of the city, 39 located at Fisherman`sWharf, and hosting from within the Golden Gate Park. For example, theMarriott Union Square is a perfect event venue that is surrounded bylocal restaurants, shopping malls, theater district, and bars. Again,it was found out that the Hilton Hotel located in the heart of SanFrancisco features is approximately 15,000 square feet, and can caterfor many events.
Conclusion: There are many different categories of venues. Forexample, there are hotel venues, bar venues, private venues, historicvenues, landmark venues, and many others. Unfortunately, there weresome data and information about the venues that were hard to gatherand research.
Recommendations: I recommend Flair Event Design and Planningorganizes and save every venue, vendors, and caters that they used indocuments or booklets for future usage. If prospective clients haveany special request for venues and vendors, Flair will be able tofind information quickly for their clients and their reference.
Introduction/Background
Researchprocess requires thoughtful analysis and patience. It is not easy toestablish a way to ascertain that you have exhausted all possibleresources and identified the best one for the research. Researchprocess offers one with the necessary skills and foundations tolocate the right information to complete and establish a researchdescription. For this study, research process focuses the process ofidentifying, compiling of different datasets, and comparing differentevent venues in the city of San Francisco. There are some things toconsider when determining, comparing, and choosing an event venueamid competition from respective venues. According to DiPietro et al.(2008), the process is more than just the budget. For instance, themarket emphasizes a need to know the attendees, their total number,from how far, the necessity of location, and how the availability ofany other potential venue.
The process of identifying the perfect event venue is an issue thatneeds to be addressed. Before I started interning with the FlairEvent Design and Planning, San Francisco, I did not know there wereso many different types of event venues to choose from. This projectallowed me to learn about the different venues and compile dataexclusively for Flair to use for their business. Flair Event Designand Planning is an event company that specializes in weddings, bar &bat Mitzvahs, milestone and gala celebrations, and corporate parties.It is important to note that the industry is competitive. Thecompetitors have designed a process with which they can quicklychoose the perfect event venue amid numerous offers from thecompetitors. In the market, what the competitors are doing is to asksome questions in the process (Cooper & Schindler, 2000). Amongthe questions posed revolve around the sustainability of the venue,location, availability, size, facilities, and costs. The purpose ofthis report is to compile and compare the different venues in SanFrancisco for Flair Event Design and Planning
Statementof the Project/Research Project
The problem for Flair Event Design and Planning was to have theknowledge and a database of venues in San Francisco for theirclients. Flair had to do research on the best venue suitable for theclient`s request, wants, and needs. By having the knowledge and adatabase of the different venues in San Francisco, Flair employeeswill be able to make suggestions quickly to their clients of wheretheir events should be held.
Choosing the event venue is often a problem for event planners andmost importantly the event companies. These companies thus take muchconsideration when solving this problem, first to maintain theirreputation as the business of choice, and secondly, to ensure theclients get value for their money. In this case, any slight mistakewould result in mistrust and loss of revenues in the future. Again,the problem arises when there is no knowledge of venues present in aregion or the database that provides all the information required tochoose an excellent event venue in terms of location, costs,availability, size, and facilities.
Flair Event Design and Planning is faced with the same problem thelack knowledge and database showing all the venues in the city of SanFrancisco. The problem is worth my attention because being an internfor one of the event and planning companies (Flair Event Design andPlanning), it is important that I understand the need to have all thenecessary information before choosing the right venue for an event.Among event companies, event planners, and the overall industry, theproblem is prevalent, is considered important, and influential, intheir quest to attract and keep their clients. This is because thereare many grievances from customers who are directed at the plannersfor failure to meet their (clients) standards and tastes regardingchoosing the right event venue.
It is thus important to note that a chosen event venue can make orbreak the feel and look of an event, be it a corporate gathering,wedding, or any other event. The reason why it is popular is that itis something that the event planners are already aware of andconsider it a problem to be solved every time they are at work(Cooper & Schindler, 2000). The problem often occurs because theevent planners find it difficult to identify the right, affordable,convenient, and easily accessible venues to choose from.
Methodology
For this research project, I will compile and compare some eventvenues in San Francisco into a small document for the Flair EventDesign and Planning, an event company I interned in. I will alsogroup the venues into different categories, lists the informationabout the venues, and analyze the advantages and disadvantages aboutthe event venue to be chosen. I will also compile an excel kind ofdata form which will allow Flair Event Design and Planning to comparevenues side by side comfortably in a comparable manner. Having anexcel sheet data will also enable the company to enter keywords foran easier search of data.
Before this, acting as an event planner for Flair Event Design andPlanning, I was tasked with visiting all the potential event venuesaround San Francisco and then keying in the findings. According toFawzy & Samra (2008), limited research characterizes the processof choosing event venues in general, which involve differentperceptions of the site selection process. To gather the rightfoundational process of descriptive studies, I went about solving theproblem mentioned above by using a quantitative approach.Quantitative research assisted in determining the importance andvalidity in the criteria of site selection.
I also used a questionnaire with which I went about different eventvenues in San Francisco, inviting potential respondents toparticipate in filling the questionnaire about the number of eventvenues they were aware of. The survey consisted of open-endedquestions will require the correspondents to fill in any venue theyhave been to or have read it somewhere. However, one of thelimitations was that many of the questionnaires I distributed aroundthe city ended up being disqualified. This was because they weredisqualified because they did not represent a part of the targetpopulation and also it failed to answer the right research questionsabout event venues (Fawzy & Samra, 2008). In total, there were 35respondents whose questionnaires were used to fill in the small exceldocument. After carrying out quantitative research and filling outquestionnaires, I also applied descriptive statistics in analyzing myfindings.
Findings
From thisresearch study, I used descriptive statistical data in the analysisof the collected data. The data statistics allowed the ability toestablish general information about the problem by recognizingpatterns from past analysis. According to Fawzy (2008), when alimited research is done within the events industry, the mostsuitable method is descriptive statistics to gain secure information.Flair Event Design and Planning is presented with a problem of nothaving enough knowledge and the database of venues in San Franciscothe study was carried out, and the following factual information wasrecorded about the problem stated above in providing solutions.
The informationacquired from the questionnaire and descriptive statistics indicatedthat event venues in San Francisco are situated within the citybecause of the city`s cable cars, fresh seafood, historical, and thepresence of international neighborhoods. The reasons given by therespondents regarding the location is because they tend to appeal toeven planners when choosing the right venue for hosting an event(Fawzy, 2008). The correspondents stated that choose the best venueto host a particular event, venues in San Francisco werecharacterized by a wider range of sites, from luxurious open parks toboutique hotels that have characterized the city for a while, barvenues, and historic venues.
From myobservation and after carrying out descriptive statistics on thecity, Flair Event Design and Planning can solve the problem at handby having the right information that can ensure event venues chosencan afford client the opportunity to experience what San Franciscocan offer. These venues include Alcatraz, the Japanese Garden at theheart of the city, 39 located at Fisherman`s Wharf, and hosting fromwithin the Golden Gate Park. Flair Event Design and Planning canupdate its database with the information acquired by the respondents.
For instance,San Francisco Marriott Union Square Hotel is a perfect event venuesurrounded by the city`s world-class shopping mall, localrestaurants, bars, and theater districts. Flair Event Design andPlanning can document it for purposes of seeking solutions toservices such as hosting either social events or meetings in one ofthe 11 board room meetings. There is also the Hilton San FranciscoFinancial District, which features approximately 15,000 square feetmeeting space. The venue is characterized by ambient, warm, andnatural light with diverse space options, which will guaranteeeverything Flair Event Design and Planning plans for its clients willbe flawless.
The datacollected also show another event venue that Flair Event Design andPlanning has to have in its database for future reference. This eventvenue is the PARC 55 San Francisco, which is a Hilton Hotel situatedat the center of the city`s dinner, shopping, and theater districts.The venue will be an excellent location for events such as weddings,get-togethers, and corporate meetings. From the data collected, thehotel has an award-winning features and event facilities because ofits 30,000 square foot space.
Other findingsshowed that San Francisco has facilities which complement and addvalue to the event something that Flair Event Design and Planningshould have it its database for future reference. For example, thereare event facilities characterized by meeting rooms constructed withaudiovisuals and spa services. From the research study, some of thefacilities with these characteristics are Hyatt Centric Fisherman`sWharf, Serrano Hotel, Hotel Kabuki, Clift Gardens, and HotelIntercontinental. These services will assist to solve the problemfaced by Flair Event Design and Planning when choosing an event.
Discussion
The studysurveyed information around San Francisco focused on exploringperceptions people have between selecting sites and success ofevents. Questions in the questionnaire were designed to establish thesimilarities and differences between a selection of locations andevent success. The majority of the respondents in the study werefemales because of their involvement with development activities(DiPietro et al., 2008). From the respondents, it was found out thatbecause of the growth of the games industry over the past decade, theevent planners, for example, Flair Event Design and Planning, fallwithin the age ranges young enough to embrace change.
The study indicates similar industry research with the majority ofthe event planners having the same knowledge. The about the siteselection process, approximately 80.5% of the respondents showed thatselecting a perfect event venue is important when establishing itssuccess. From the respondents stated above, zero respondents surveyedbelieved that the event venues presented no impact on the success ofplanning. Only 21.1% of the respondents thought that the high placesin San Francisco did not represent the success of the event (Cooper &Schindler, 2000). Although most of the interviewees showed thesignificance of proper venue selection for the success of the event,13% of the planners, including Flair Event Design and Planning,rarely use a site inspection checklist. Again, of those that chooseto use a database, all the respondents agreed that they filled in thedatabase for reference.
Conclusions
As statedearlier, the problem facing Flair Event Design and Planning is aboutits inability to have enough information about the event venues inSan Francisco on their database. The event company had to carry out aresearch study by visiting San Francisco to identify the best venuesaccording to the clients` requests, needs, and wants. It is importantto note that by having the right knowledge about the different venuesin San Francisco, the event company, Flair Event Design, andPlanning, will be in a better position to use the report to makerelevant suggestions to their clients and where the events best suitthe venue. All these information will then be fed into the company`sdatabase.
From the study, it was found out the above is as a result of failureto carry out due diligence, something that Flair Event Design andPlanning should take seriously. Having all the information about thevenues around San Francisco will be crucial towards solving theproblem in question. For instance, it was found out from therespondents that in San Francisco, there are many event venues whichoffer a wide choice of selection. These venues are categorized intohotel venues, private venues, bar venues, historic venues, conferencehalls, and landmark venues. When all these documents into Flair EventDesign and Planning`s database, the company will be in a betterposition to solve its problems. Additionally, the study offered anopportunity to document all the event venues in San Francisco to berecorded for future reference, and also to solve the problem at hand.
Recommendations
Following theresults of the research study, I would first recommend that thecompany I intern with, Flair Event Design and Planning shouldorganize and document all the venues in San Francisco, event vendors,and event caters, which they would then put it in a database orbooklets to be used in the future. However, if future clients`request to have alternatives about venues caters, vendors, FlairEvent Design and Planning will be in a better position to find theright information for all clients and their reference.
Secondly, theserecommendations go to Flair Event Design and Planning in that forfuture reference to venue selection it is important that the companyincludes wider criteria to allow other undocumented sites to make theclients` taste are met. There is a likelihood other aspects may playa role in the inclusion of venue, which the event planners view it assignificant. To determine desirable criteria for special venueselection, there will be a need to undertake a qualitative research.In methodology section, quantitative research was used was used, butfor future use, the qualitative research ought to include personalinterviews with different event planners in San Francisco to discoverthe kind of criteria used (Cooper & Schindler, 2000).Additionally, it would also include carrying out the content analysisby taking checklists examinations.
Finally, FlairEvent Design and Planning should study the location of every event todelineate further to ascertain the right venue selection criteria.This should be viewed from a location perspective or the type ofvenue a client might recommend, for example, having all theinformation separately about resorts and hotels. This will assistFlair Event Design and Planning in determining perfect criteria tohandle special events in the right location in San Francisco. FlairEvent Design and Planning should also have all the information aboutevent management. Whether its planning team is educated or not aboutevent management, it will change the clients` responses given.
References
Cooper, D.R. & Schindler, P.S. (2000). Business ResearchMethods (7th ed). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
DiPietro, R.B., Breiter, D., Rompf, P. & Godlewska, M. (2008). An exploratory study of differences among meeting and exhibitionplanners in their destination site selection criteria. Journal ofConvention & Event Tourism, 9(4), 258-276.
Fawzy, A. (2008). Site selection criteria for meetings on cruiseships: The View of Corporate Meeting Planners. Journal ofConvention and Event Tourism, 9(1), 81-94.
Fawzy, A. & Samra, Y. (2008). A conceptual model forunderstanding associations’ site selection processes: anorganizational buyer behavior perspective. Journal ofConvention & Event Management, 9(2), 119-136.