Module 1 Know your customer and market 4 hAnalyse
Every sound business in event organization and management begins with one clear customer and one clear problem. In São Paulo and the wider state, demand is real but crowded, so a small, well-described customer group wins before a broad one.
- In event organization and management: Clarify purpose, guest list, budget and date before anything else.
- Write the customer in one sentence: a client and guests. Add the place, the moment of need and what they use today.
- List five rivals or substitutes within reach. For each, record price, strength, weakness and how people reach it.
- Interview at least eight real customers with open questions. Record exact words, not your summary.
- Count the market in units: how many events could one area buy in a month? Use two public sources and your own count, then take the lower figure.
- Choose one first segment and say why the others wait.
Worked example. Weak: 'Everyone needs a planned and run event.' Strong: 'Our first customer is a client and guests within 8 km of the centre, who today pays R$ 15.400 per event and complains about delay. We target 3 events a month by month three.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: ten customers are interviewed for event organization and management. Seven say price, two say speed, one says trust. Question: which first message do you write, and which interview record backs it? Model answer: lead with the event price and speed promise, keep trust proof as the second line, and cite the seven price answers by date.
Activity. Write the one-sentence customer, a five-row rival table and eight interview records. Share them with a peer for a challenge round.
Standard to meet. Define a specific customer, build a rival table with prices, and trace every claim to an interview or a source.
Module 2 Rules, registration and data duties in Brazil 4 hUnderstand
Brazil asks every trader to be visible and accountable. Know which register, tax regime and sector rules apply before the first sale, and check each against the current official text.
- In event organization and management: Events need venue permits, fire approval, music and security rules where applicable.
- Choose a legal form: micro-entrepreneur (MEI) only if your activity appears on the official MEI list, or a company registered with a CNPJ. Regulated activities need their sector authorisation first. Check the current limits and lists on the official portal.
- Learn the tax regime that fits your size and write down which taxes you will collect and pay, and when.
- Find the sector rules for event organization and management: licences, inspections, professional registers. List each with the office that issues it and the renewal date.
- Personal data of customers falls under Brazil's data protection law (LGPD). Collect only what you need, say why, keep it safe, and name who answers questions.
- Consumer law gives buyers clear rights on information, returns and complaints. Put your terms in plain Portuguese.
Worked example. Checklist for a new event organization and management trader: 1) legal form (CNPJ, or MEI only if your activity is on the official list); 2) city operating licence; 3) sector licence or register; 4) tax set-up; 5) privacy notice; 6) written terms. Each has an owner and a date.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a neighbour says registration can wait until the first R$ 70.000 of sales. Question: what do you do? Model answer: do not delay; write the compliance table first, confirm the register, tax and sector licence with the official office, and start only where the table shows no open blocker.
Activity. Build your own six-line compliance table for your first location. Mark what is done, what is pending and who confirms it.
Standard to meet. Cite an official source for every line, assume nothing, and date every pending item. Local law always wins over this course.
Module 3 Design the offer 4 hCreate
An offer states what the customer gets, how well, by when and at what price. For a planned and run event, the offer must make the quality visible and the next step easy.
- In event organization and management: Offer a plan with a run sheet and a supplier list.
- Describe the core offer in three lines: what is delivered (a planned and run event), the standard it meets, and the time it takes.
- Add one proof for each promise: a sample, a test result, a guarantee or a customer record.
- Price from cost upward and from customer value downward, then pick a price inside both.
- Write a simple one-page terms sheet: what is included, what is extra, how to cancel.
- Create two options at most, so choice stays easy.
Worked example. Offer: 'A planned and run event, delivered within agreed time, checked against a written standard, price R$ 14.000 per event. Proof: a dated record the customer can check and sign. Changes or cancellation by written agreement before work begins.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a customer asks for a discount from R$ 14.000 to R$ 12.600 per event. Question: decide with numbers. Model answer: contribution falls from R$ 5.500 to R$ 4.100 per event; offer an extra of value (for example faster service) before cutting price, and accept only if the lower contribution still clears break-even.
Longer notes. Define one standard event you can run well, such as a corporate lunch for 80 guests, and list what is included: venue search, caterer, sound, decor, staff and a run-of-show. State what is excluded, such as extra hours. Build the price from supplier quotes and a contingency line, then add your own work. Ask for a deposit and write the cancellation terms. Confirm venue permits, crowd limits and music rules before you sign any supplier contract. Visit the venue at the same hour as the event and note light, noise, loading access and the distance from kitchen to tables. A site visit often reveals extra hire or staff you would otherwise pay for on the day.
Extra worked example. One event is sold for R$ 14.000. Variable cost is R$ 5.200 for venue and catering, R$ 1.800 for sound and decor, R$ 1.000 for staff and R$ 500 for transport and contingency. That is R$ 5.200 + R$ 1.800 + R$ 1.000 + R$ 500 = R$ 8.500. Margin is R$ 5.500, or 39,3 percent. Fixed cost is R$ 8.000 a month, so break-even is 8.000 / 5.500 = 1,45, rounded up to 2 events. Cost items here are illustrative, not market data. Five lunches leave R$ 19.500 after office and coordinator.
Activity. Write the offer card, the proof list and the terms sheet. Test them with three customers and note every point where they hesitated.
Standard to meet. Check that promise, proof and price are consistent, fit the terms on one page, and record three customer reactions.
Module 4 Run the work step by step 5 hApply
Good operations make results repeatable. For event organization and management, write each step so a new person could follow it on their first day, and measure each step.
- In event organization and management: Timeline from 12 weeks out: book, brief, confirm, rehearse, run, close.
- Map the process from first contact to paid and closed. Typical stages: enquiry, quote, preparation, delivery of the event, check, payment, follow-up.
- Name the key resource at each stage: a run sheet and a risk plan. Note what happens if it is missing.
- Write a one-page standard procedure per stage: who, what, tool, time, record.
- Choose three measures: speed, quality (errors per 100) and customer rating. Review them every week.
- Fix the cause of a defect, not the symptom. Ask 'why' five times and record the answer.
Worked example. Stage record: 'Prepare. Owner: lead. Time: 30 min. Tool: checklist. Record: signed sheet. Defect found on 1 of 2 events last week; cause: missing check on a run sheet and a risk plan; fix: add check at start, review next Friday.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: of 5 events last month, 1 had a defect traced to a run sheet and a risk plan. Question: what is the defect rate and what is your first action? Model answer: about 20 defects per 100; stop the cause (add a check at the start), correct affected customers, log the cause, and re-measure next week.
Activity. Draw the process map and write procedures for the two riskiest stages. Run each once and time it.
Standard to meet. Write procedures a stranger can follow, record weekly numbers for each measure, and trace one defect to a root cause.
Module 5 Safety, quality and risk 4 hEvaluate
The most serious risk in this field is an unsafe crowd or a missed supplier. A calm, written risk routine protects people first and the business second.
- In event organization and management: Crowd safety, power and weather are key risks; plan exits and backups.
- List ten things that could go wrong. Score each for how likely (1 to 5) and how serious (1 to 5). Multiply and sort.
- For the top five, choose a control: remove the hazard, replace it, guard it, train people, or use protective gear, in that order of preference.
- Write who does what in an emergency, and rehearse it once a quarter.
- Keep an incident and near-miss log. Near-misses are free lessons.
- Check that insurance and legal duties match the risk you actually carry.
Worked example. Risk row: 'Hazard: an unsafe crowd or a missed supplier. Likelihood 3, severity 5, score 15. Control: written check before each event, trained staff, log sheet. Owner: site lead. Review monthly.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a near-miss occurs: an unsafe crowd or a missed supplier nearly happened but no one was hurt. Question: what do you do in the next 24 hours? Model answer: make safe, record the event, ask the five whys, add or tighten one control, brief the team, and set a review date; near-misses count as lessons, not blame.
Activity. Build a ten-row risk register and a one-page emergency plan. Run a ten-minute drill with a peer and note two improvements.
Standard to meet. Rank controls by preference for the top risks, run the drill, and start the log. Where a regulation applies, follow the official rule.
Module 6 People, skills and service 4 hApply
People deliver the promise. Define roles, train to a standard and give feedback in the open.
- In event organization and management: Train the team to run to the script and radio calls.
- Write a role card for each person: purpose, five tasks, the standard for each, and who to ask for help.
- Train by showing, doing with support, then doing alone with a check. Record sign-off per task.
- Set service rules for answering customers: reply times, tone, how to apologise and fix.
- Hold a ten-minute team check each day: yesterday's problem, today's plan, one risk.
- Build a growth path: what a new person can do in week 1, month 3 and month 12.
Worked example. Training record: 'Task: process a complaint. Shown 2 May; done with support 4 May; done alone 8 May, checked: apology, fix, follow-up call. Signed by lead.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a new hire completes training but a customer complaint shows a skipped step. Question: whose gap is it? Model answer: first the system: check the role card, the training sign-off and the checklist; then coach the person and fix the document so the step cannot be skipped.
Longer notes. Write a run-of-show with times, names and phone numbers, and brief the whole crew an hour before doors open. Assign one lead for each area: registration, food, sound and guest care. Rehearse a late supplier, a power cut and a medical call. Agree overtime rules and pay in writing before the day. Collect feedback from the crew afterwards, and confirm the rules for temporary staff and the maximum crowd on the night. Give every supplier a one-page contact and arrival sheet with parking and load-in times. Late deliveries are the most common cause of delay, and a clear sheet makes each supplier responsible for their slot.
Extra worked example. Without a written run-of-show, setup ran late and overtime cost 6 staff x 2 hours x R$ 50 = R$ 600 per event. A one-hour briefing costs 6 x R$ 40 = R$ 240. Net saving per event is R$ 600 - R$ 240 = R$ 360. Treat the rates and counts as a worked example, not market data. Across 5 events the gain is 5 x R$ 360 = R$ 1.800 a month.
Activity. Write two role cards and a training plan for one new hire. Role-play a hard customer conversation twice and review.
Standard to meet. Write role cards with measurable standards, show the sign-off steps in training, and write the service rules in plain words.
Module 7 Money: cost, price and break-even 5 hAnalyse
A business lives or dies on a few numbers. Know your contribution per unit, your fixed costs and the volume you need.
- In event organization and management: Budget lines with 10% contingency; pay suppliers on agreed dates.
- Contribution per event = price minus variable cost. Fixed costs are paid whether you sell or not.
- Break-even units = fixed cost divided by contribution. Plan to pass it by a safe margin.
- Make a 12-month cash plan. Cash timing matters as much as profit: customers may pay late, suppliers may want money first.
- Keep money for business and money for the owner apart.
- Test the plan: what if sales fall by a quarter, or cost rises by a tenth?
Worked example. Worked example, all figures in reais: price R$ 14.000, variable cost R$ 8.500, contribution R$ 5.500 per event. Fixed cost R$ 8.000 a month. Break-even = R$ 8.000 / R$ 5.500 = 1,45, so 2 events a month. At 5 events a month, profit = R$ 5.500 x 5 - R$ 8.000 = R$ 19.500. These are teaching figures that belong to this example only; later examples and the case study use their own figures. Use your own.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: sales fall to 3 events a month. Question: what is the monthly result? Model answer: R$ 5.500 x 3 - R$ 8.000 = R$ 8.500; compare with break-even of 2 events and decide whether to cut fixed cost or raise volume first. Teaching figures only.
Activity. Build your own table: price, variable cost, contribution, fixed cost, break-even and a downside case at 75% of sales. Show it to a peer or mentor.
Standard to meet. Calculate correctly, give every figure a source or mark it as an assumption, and show a downside case.
Module 8 Grow, measure and renew 4 hEvaluate
Growth should follow proof. Measure, learn, then add; and keep returning to the customer.
- In event organization and management: Grow by showing past events and client feedback.
- Pick one growth lever at a time: new customers, a higher repeat rate, a better price, or a new offer.
- Set one measurable target for 90 days, such as 'raise repeat customers from 20% to 30%'.
- Ask each customer how they found you, and record it. Spend more where the record shows results.
- Review monthly: numbers, defects, complaints, cash. Write three decisions each time.
- Plan the renewal of licences, equipment and skills a year ahead.
Worked example. 90-day plan: 'Lever: repeat customers. Action: follow-up call after every event. Target: repeat rate from 20% to 30%. Check: weekly count. Review date: day 45 and day 90.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: you can add 2 events a month by one of two levers: a follow-up call to past customers or a price rise of R$ 1.400 to R$ 15.400. Question: how do you choose? Model answer: test the cheaper reversible lever first (the call), measure for 30 days, and only then try the price change, so you can tell which one worked.
Longer notes. Keep an event file with brief, quote, final budget, guest numbers and client comments. Compare quoted and real costs and find the lines that overran. Track enquiries, quotes and wins. Ask every client for a testimonial and a referral, and offer a repeat discount only on a booked date. Visit venues and caterers outside peak season to learn rates. Review the file before every new quote. Send a short thank-you note and a feedback form within two days, and record the answers beside the budget. Clients who feel heard are the ones who book again and recommend you to friends.
Extra worked example. You had 15 enquiries and booked 5 events, so the win rate is 33,3 percent. Revenue is 5 x R$ 14.000 = R$ 70.000 and variable cost is 5 x R$ 8.500 = R$ 42.500. After R$ 8.000 fixed cost, profit is R$ 19.500. The what-if numbers are illustrative, not market data. A sixth booking from a repeat client brings profit to 6 x R$ 5.500 - R$ 8.000 = R$ 25.000, which is R$ 5.500 more.
Activity. Write a 90-day plan with one target, three actions and a review date. Present it in five minutes and take questions.
Standard to meet. Set a measurable, dated target, break the actions down small enough to start this week, and put the review date in the calendar.