Organising an Event Using Radio Communications
Tips for Organising a Public event
Organising an event. A critical consideration when organising an event is how to effectively manage your staff. We have the solution from £10 per unit.
Project management of an event involves several steps:
Define the event’s goals and objectives: Clearly define what you want to achieve with the event and how you will measure success.
Create a project plan: This should include a detailed timeline, tasks, and a list of resources (e.g. personnel, equipment) required to execute the event.
Build a budget: Determine the cost of the event and secure funding.
Assemble a team: Identify and assemble the team members who will help plan and execute the event.
Coordinate logistics: Arrange for the venue, catering, equipment, and other logistics required for the event.
Plan and design event elements: Design the overall look and feel of the event, including themes, decor, and lighting.
Promotion and marketing: Develop a strategy for promoting the event and reach the target audience.
Execution: Execute the event according to plan.
Evaluation: Measure the success of the event against the goals and objectives defined in step 1, and gather feedback from attendees.
Follow-up: Follow up with attendees, sponsors, and vendors after the event.
It’s important to keep communication among the team clear and open, prioritize the critical path of the event and also having risk management plan in place before an event would minimize the chance of the unexpected event that might happen during the event.
While using mobile phones & shouting may be adequate at the pre event setup stage, problems can occur during the event. We speed up communications with instant response solutions.
Another problem is the noise levels that can be generated during the event, which we have a solution for. Earpieces allow the user to hear conversations better, as the speaker effectively sits in the ear, rather than on the radio.
Live music events present a particular challenge, as it can be hard to hear a mobile phone ring.
It is also hard to hear what is being said by the caller.
A hand-held, or hand-portable , two-way radio can utilise accessories , such as noise canceling headsets.
Another benefit of using two-way radio for management of events, is speed.
In an emergency situation, such as an accident, two-way radio allows the emergency message to be sent straight away.
By contrast, a mobile phone would require you to select the correct number, then dial and wait for an answer.
In an emergency situation, time can make all the difference.
Once you have decided to us radio communications at your event, you have further considerations.
What some people do at this point is Google it, and then look for the cheapest price.
Once a website has been selected to click on, the questions start.
Are you sure whether a VHF or UHF system will work best?
The answer is it could be one or the other, or both, or none!
Let me explain,
Generally a VHF system will give better communication range in Open Country.
As most events are outside, you may decide this is what you want, and need.
But wait! Will you also be operating inside metal framed buildings, or multi-storey buildings, or forested areas? If this is the case, then a UHF based system might be for you.?
The best way is to have a company come out to you and properly assess and radio test the event site before the event.
This way, any ‘black spots’ in coverage can be ‘engineered out’ by making the correct equipment choices. In collaboration with your radio communications engineer, problems can be eliminated before the event.
Sometimes whether you choose VHF or UHF, neither provide acceptable radio coverage & range.
This situation demands a radio engineering approach involving a device called a radio repeater.
A radio repeater is a device that boosts the range of a radio signal.
This is done by receiving & then re-transmitting the radio signal.
The repeater is connected to a high (usually mast mounted) aerial or antenna, via a low loss coaxial cable.
Having an antenna (aerial) mounted high on a mast helps with the radio communication range.
This is because radio waves at VHF & UHF frequencies are normally ‘line of sight’.
Therefore height helps with range.
Some of the discount two-way radio hire companies will hire you a repeater, with a couple ‘clip on’ antenna.
This in theory can work, as one antenna receives the signal, and the second antenna re-transmits the signal.
However, the repeater can become ‘DE-sensitised’ if the transmit & receive antennas are not enough apart.
From what I have seen on the discount radio hire websites selling this option, the antennas do not have enough length of coaxial cable to adequately space them apart.
A DE-sensitised repeater will give poorer range.
A cheap solution therefore will not give you maximum range.
The ‘proper’ way of using a repeater is to use only one single antenna, a suitable erected mast, and a device called a ‘duplexer’.
The duplexer allows one antenna to both receive and transmit at the same time.
This clever device (duplexer) provides better range & performance than the two antenna ‘cheaper’ systems, as less likely to suffer from DE-sensitisation.
You may also be given the option to choose between Digital, and Analogue systems.
Feel free to ask about the difference.
Finally, who needs to speak to who?
For example car park attendants, first aid staff, or organisers / management.
A range of sophisticated options and channels can be programmed into the radio equipment.
There is a new two-way radio technology called POC.
POC stands for ‘Push to Talk Over Cellular’, and combines the instant communication (no numbers to dial) of traditional two-way radio, with the wide area coverage of a mobile phone.
POC uses the data service of the mobile phone network to transmit and receive voice communications.
Whilst POC is great for many business cases, there are potentially some things to consider, when using for an event.
The main issue with using POC for a large events such as concerts, is mobile phone system overload.
As POC uses the same cellular data network, as all the audience, it can become overloaded.
Imagine all those concert goers uploading photos and videos to social media at the same time, it can cause issues, if not considered.
Again, feel free to ask for help.
Our phone number is (01522) 740818, and we are based in Lincoln, but can travel to your event site.
We always recommend a proper site survey as part of organising an event, to ensure maximum radio performance, and therefore event safety.