Each of the entities existing on the market should function according to the developed business strategy. One of its inseparable elements is public relations activity. They aim to carry out external communication and build relations with clients, business partners, media or influencers. In this type of activity, more and more often events are used, the organization of which is outsourced to specialized agencies.
There have always been many ways of advertising specific products. It started with calls from traders at marketplaces. Later there were press advertisements, and then those broadcast on TV. Over the years, these methods have been supplemented by activities carried out on the Internet. The omnipresence of attacking content telling consumers that they need something new over time has caused so-called “banner blindness” among them (with banner blindness). It consists in ignoring all content resembling ads. Today’s clients focus on experiencing and experiencing because the acquisition of goods is no longer unique to them. That is why events combined with the promotion of the brand are gaining in popularity. They create an opportunity to make new acquaintances and, most importantly, to get to know the brand empirically. This is where the need for event management arises – planning, managing and coordinating events, as well as implementing the marketing strategy of a given brand through them. The strategy, through its actions, must reach demanding, potential clients. Therefore, you can bet on a business meeting, artistic event or sporting event. The form of event marketing is free. It aims to increase brand recognition, work on customer loyalty or launch a new offer on the market.
It is the content of the contract for the organization of the event that determines the later possibilities of operation of the parties that conclude it. The subject of this contract is a specific object, which is the organization and conduct of the event. It is impossible to create a universal formula, as it is necessary to analyze the objectives of the contracting parties each time. The final version of the document depends mainly on this. The basic issues that must be borne in mind by the parties to the agreement are the conclusion of the agreement in writing, a detailed indication of the subject matter and rights and obligations of the parties, precise specification of the time frame of the event and the deadlines provided for the implementation of its stages, the value of the subject matter of the agreement (its payment should be divided into at least two tranches – the deposit and the remaining amount due), taking into account contractual penalties, supplementing the content with a confidentiality clause, as well as specification of actions in case of unforeseen situations (e.g. cancellation or change of date of the event). Depending on – each time analyzed – the intention of the parties, the subject of the agreement and the manner of its execution, it may be necessary to enrich the document with further provisions. The issue of copyrights can be given as an example. Their regulation may turn out to be necessary in case when stars will appear during the event.
It is known that every entity doing creative work wants to be able to demonstrate its effects, as it can make a real contribution to establishing another cooperation with it. In such a case, a reference to the publication of reports from a particular event must be also included in the content of the concluded contract. It should be specified in what form and where the event company will be able to make possible materials available. Photos (and sometimes also videos) appear e.g. on its website in the portfolio tab. This allows the agency to have the documentation of the orders executed in one place. Such documentation makes it much easier for both the agency and the clients in the process of further orders and communication. It may also happen that an entity commissioning the preparation and conduct of an event will want the event company to participate in its promotion. However, the type of such activities and their execution must also be included in the contract. The event company may not conduct any marketing activities concerning the event it prepares on its own. It is the commissioning entity that decides about the promotion.
Building a portfolio by an event company – although much needed and facilitate further activities – is connected with taking pictures or films, and thus using the image of people recorded on such materials. People are an important (if not the most important) part of every event. For the purposes of this article, let’s assume that the event company is also responsible for the report from a particular event (if it subcontracts it to a professional photographer and cameraman, it would be necessary to conclude contracts with them and include a relevant provision in the contract with the main client). The image is one of the basic personal rights whose protection is guaranteed by the provisions of Article 23 of the Civil Code and Article 81 of the Act on Copyright and Related Rights. Dissemination of the image may take place only after obtaining permission of the person whose image has been recorded on the photo/video.
As far as the organization and realization of events are concerned, there are unlikely to be any exceptions in which you do not need to have permission to distribute your image. The first one refers to the situation in which a person has been paid for posing. The second situation is that of a well-known person whose image has been established in connection with his or her public, political or professional functions. The above also applies to a person who is only a detail of the whole, e.g. taking part in a mass event. In the case of the realization of events, it will be problematic (or even impossible) to conclude each time permission to record and disseminate the image of people photographed during the event. A solution may be to send a mailing to people who have confirmed their participation in the event in advance. This, however, raises an additional problem related to their personal data. It is the party ordering party that would have to make the mailing, because – as an administrator – it cannot make the mailing lists available to unauthorized entities within the meaning of the Personal Data Protection Act. A reasonable solution will be to use the possibility for individuals to give their consent to the recording and dissemination (to a certain extent) of their personal image implicitly. This is easiest for events for which invitations are sent or for which only those with a ticket have access. A clause should be placed on the document with which the guest comes, informing that the course of the event will be recorded and then disseminated, by, for example, posting photos on the organizer’s and event agency’s website. Arriving at such an event will be tantamount to consent to the recording and distribution of the image.
Representatives of the event industry have to face many challenges, including legal ones. It is important that they do not forget that when creating a professional enterprise, they should act in a multi-faceted way. On the one hand, it is necessary to construct contracts properly, and on the other hand, it is necessary to create an opportunity to present the completed projects to potential clients.
The article was published in the magazine “Think MICE”. – https://www.thinkmice.pl/news/prawo/2524-event-management-chwal-sie-zrealizowanymi-projektami