Date of Award

1995

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Leadership Studies

Abstract

During the past fouryearsit seems as if I have always been in charge of something, and looking back that "thing" has always been an event. Whether it was Freshman Tree Planting Ceremony, Junior Ring Dance, or Sorority Rush the events have been a culmination of my creativity, organization, and leadership abilities. It is not everyone who wantsto,orwould be able to plan an event for a client (or even their friends) and be proud of the end results. It is stressful,time consuming, and done for other people. It is a test of leadership in a traditional way through personal and interpersonal skills but at the same tests in a way completely its own. The field demands creativity and relationships, relationship building and detail, pleasing the clients and promoting the community. Throughout my experiences and the insight I have gained during the past semester of research I have found that events planning is a field in which leadership and its theories very much exist, although quite often with a twist.

Events planning is a relatively new field which benefits all types of organizations. Roughly $35 billion dollars are spent on corporate events each year, and the market is continuing to grow. The event planner's job is to create something that will capture the imagination, then coordinate the endless array of details involved in making it happen. It is a field which crosses the boundaries of context; it is beneficial to businesses, communities, and the political arena. By studying the leadership of both events planners and the events planning business we are able to see traditional leadership in a new light through their unique approaches to situations, people, and ideas.

The study of the events planning field is valuable to the understanding of leadership because it shows a unique combination of previous findings. We are able to see the impact of contexts as well as individuals on an field which is intrinsically creative. The personal qualities which these individuals share when placed in environments desiring differing results show a leader's response to outside forces as well as the flexibility of these outside influences to change. Perhaps it is because the field of events planning is new or its creative nature which allows for personal influence upon the context. Perhaps it is the dynamic personalities which create the open structure in the traditionally formal business world. Perhaps, but most likely it is a combination of these with leadership aspects from each side which allow for both personal satisfaction and successful business practices. Whatever the reason, seeing traditional theories in a new light gives reason to believe that leadership cannot be bound by context or individual, nor can it be bound by any one theory.

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