The work involved in planning, organising and conducting a major event can be sufficiently great to require the recruitment of a large team of people. Members of the team may be involved on a full-time, part-time, contractor, casual and voluntary basis. At the head of the team is the Event Director whose job it is to keep everyone working together for a considerable period of time.
The organisation chart below indicates the magnitude and diversity of the team needed to run a major sporting event such as a National or State Championships.
Smaller events will obviously require a much smaller team, and individuals in the team may be able to take on more than one role.
Hover your mouse over key positions in the organisation chart to find out more.
The example organisation chart above has "departments" for Programme, Venue, Equipment, Promotions, Officials, Hospitality and Merchandising.
Furthermore, with small modifications, the same organisation structure could be applicable to running a different type of event such as a conference.
An important aspect of the above model is that each department has a coordinator. As exceptionally important people in the event management team, they should be identified and recruited as early as possible. Coordinators should be a part of the organising committee and collectively they will share in decision making processes with the Event Director.
The selection of coordinators is usually on the basis of knowledge or expertise and sometimes because only one person volunteers for the task. Whether coordinators have expertise or not, Event Directors need to appreciate that sport and recreation depends very considerably on the input of voluntary persons. Therefore systems should be put in place to recognise the contribution of volunteers and to provide non-monetary rewards.
In consultation and close co-operation with members of the Event Team, the Event Director should develop and provide a job description for each coordinator.
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