Whenever a major festival, concert, conference, convention or other public event is underway, issues arise surrounding the management of the events. Event management is an overarching term referring to the techniques and actions used in the research, planning, preparation and execution of an event. There are event management teams and individual event managers that oversee these events from start to finish, ensuring that the event runs smoothly and hits as few setbacks as possible.

Those overseeing events are responsible for abiding by certain legal obligations that ensure the safety and fair treatment of all those individuals involved with the event. A huge portion of the legal issues entwined with event management involve property damage and preservation. Event managers must not cause any physical damage to the location of the event; at the same time, they must also monitor actions taken by others to preserve the integrity of the location. If any damage is caused to the event’s location as a result of the event manager orders or someone under the event manager’s direction, the manager can be held responsible for the price of those damages. The same goes for a prolonged event that may alter the surrounding environment, such as a weeklong music festival in a park. Event managers are required by law to leave the premise as they found it; to clean up trash, clear away tents or other objects and restore any severely altered natural property. In essence, event managers are widely responsible for properly maintaining the grounds on which the event occurs.

Event managers will also be responsible for important legal aspects well before the event occurs. Any event at any location is likely to require special legal permission. For example, in order to hold a wine-tasting festival at a local farm, the purveyors must possess the appropriate alcohol permits prior to promoting the festival. When it comes to promotions, event managers also hold major responsibility. Not only are they key components during the initial advertising process, but they are also fundamental in determining how, where and when their advertisements can be displayed. Event managers also ensure that no laws are broken regarding copyright protected content or brand infringement.

Security and safety is one of the other enormous issues that event managers will have to face during events. They must abide by legal protocols when it comes to food safety, general health safety and public safety. Security perimeters should be established and the event should pass health and safety regulations before commencing. Overall, there are many legal concerns for event managers that extend into many different areas, and all of them should be carefully considered and reviewed prior to the event.