Claire Drakeley, Senior Lecturer in Event Management at University of Northampton, tells us about the research she is undertaking through the Event Industry Insights App.
The Power of Events, in collaboration with Claire Drakeley at the University of Northampton, recently announced the deployment of a pioneering pilot research project through the recently launched Events Industry Insight App. The pilot research project will take place fortnightly until mid-July. Each deployment will take less than five minutes to complete, providing industry professionals with an accessible opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research. Users of the app will receive notifications, alerting them to the availability of the research on their app.
The app has been designed to make cross- industry research easier, as Claire explains: “This is very much the first test, so it’s a learning curve for all of us. We will be doing a comparative study; I’ve already had my survey out via traditional methods. We’re trying a very different approach with the app of deploying different scenarios each fortnight and then following up with a little snippet of results.”
The initial focus is on the challenging issue of ad-hoc and subjective decision-making processes prevalent within the event management sphere: “My research is about decision making, which is common across the sector though in different context. We all have to make those difficult, critical decisions at various points, and so part of the reason for using my research to test the app was because of that breadth of reach across the sector.”
Claire feels that snap decision making is something that the industry lacks methodology for: “There are some things where we refer to emergency services models or military decision-making procedures. However, events are a very different context because we’ve got potentially hundreds and thousands of stakeholders who are engaged in that decision and lots of different factors that influence that choice. It’s not just about achieving one objective. So my research looks into how we make that decision.”
This project will hopefully produce a tangible guide which can help event professionals tackle high pressure decisions in the future: “There is a broader strategic element to this research, and that’s where the Power of Events came into play, recognising that this research does have that potential reach and the value and impact it will hopefully have on the sector. We’re engaging people in a topic that is relevant to everybody and has longer term value. And will, in 18 months, hopefully result in something tangible and useful.”
The app isn’t only for long term research topics either: “For example, the app gives Power of Events the opportunity to be able to ask questions of the industry about relevant current topics. It doesn’t have to be a full research paper, it can be preparation for a whitepaper, or simply an area of interest we want to provoke discussion about. It’s about bringing the events industry and academia closer together.”
Download the app at Thepowerofevents.org/industry-insight-app