The A-Z of event terminology
Ever walked into a meeting feeling confident, only to be thrown off by the industry jargon?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone on this!
There is a ton of industry-specific vocabulary and acronyms with double meanings that get thrown around—and whilst understanding the language in any industry is crucial, remembering the lingo and all the different meanings isn’t always an easy task.
But fear not! Whether you’re just starting your career in the events industry, or you’re a seasoned professional looking for a refresh, when it comes to the events industry, we’ve got you covered with our comprehensive glossary.
Aa
ABM
Account Based Marketing focuses strategic business marketing on key accounts within a market.
Account Director
The person who leads a client account.
Account Manager
The person who is responsible for the day-to-day management of a client relationship.
Activation
An event “activation” involves interactive elements and experiences designed to capture the audience’s attention, generate interest, and leave a lasting impression. This could be anything from a station to decorate cookies, to a sticky note wall, to a machine that customises tote bags.
All-hands
A company-wide gathering where employees and stakeholders gather regularly.
Attrition (employee)
Reduction in staffing through natural progression, where employees are not replaced, such as resignation, termination, death or retirement.
Bb
B-roll
Film footage that is not the “main action”, for example, set-up shots, audience participation, and catering.
B2B
A commercial situation where businesses serve or purchase from other businesses.
B2C
A commercial situation where businesses serve or sell directly to consumers/customers.
BEO
Banquet Event Order is a document that outlines all of the important aspects and order of events, usually in a hotel venue.
BOF Sessions
Birds of a Feather Sessions are when like-minded individuals gather for an informal gathering to discuss a topic without a pre-planned agenda.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of website visitors that leave without taking action—such as clicking on a link or completing a form.
Brand Activation
An event, campaign or interactive activity where people can engage directly with the brand.
Brand Equity
A marketing term that describes a brand’s value based on consumer perception.
Breakdown Silos
Increasing collaboration and communication between different teams or divisions in the business.
Cc
C Suite
C-suite, or C-level, is a widely-used vernacular describing the upper echelons of a corporation’s senior executives and managers.
Cabaret-style Seating
Seating arrangement where the audience is in an arc, facing the stage around round tables.
Category Creators
Category creators identify needs or problems with the status quo and present new solutions.
CEO
Chief Executive Officer—the head of management for an organisation.
CFO
Chief Financial Officer—the head of the organisation’s financial operations.
CISO
Chief Information Security Officer—a senior-level executive who oversees an organisation’s information, cyber, and technology security.
CKO
Company Kick-Off—an event or meeting to discuss the launch of a new company or rebrand.
Classroom-style Seating
A seating arrangement where everybody is facing forward in rows with a point of focus, for example, a stage.
CMO
Chief Marketing Officer—the head of marketing.
COO
Chief Operating Officer—the head of operations within an organisation.
Content
Communications that are created to educate, inspire or inform, such as blogs, videos, emails etc.
Copy
Written material that’s predominantly used in sales and marketing.
Copywriter
Someone who writes copy.
Critical Path
The detail of all tasks that are necessary for project completion.
CRM
Customer Relationship Management—a system that helps manage interactions with customers and prospects.
CSR
Corporate Social Responsibility—the policies and practices put in place in companies to create a more positive impact on the world.
Customer Conference
A conference event for customers of the service or product—often held to launch a new product or service.
Dd
DDR
Day Delegate Rate—the price charged by a venue per delegate, per day which includes elements such as room hire, coffee breaks, lunch etc.
DMC
Destination Management Company—a company that manages a range of aspects of a travel destination, such as products, services and experiences.
Ee
EOD
End of Day.
Event Grader
A tool which helps to collect data to measure the success of the event.
Ff
F&B
Food and Beverage.
Gg
Gamification
A strategic way that enhances systems, services and experiences through engaging activities, such as games.
Ii
ICP
Ideal Customer Profile—something that’s put together to describe the personas within the company’s audiences. Typically includes the environmental and behavioural attributes of people that are most likely to become a company’s most valuable customers.
Inbound Marketing
The method of attracting customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to your audience.
Industry Conference
A conference event for multiple organisations and companies from a particular industry.
Kk
KPI
Key Performance Indicator—the aspects you use to measure success.
Ll
L3s
Lower thirds are a mixture of text and graphics placed in the lower area of a TV screen to provide audiences with more information.
LOI
Letter of Intent.
Mm
MD
Managing Director—the person responsible for the daily operations of an organisation.
MICE
Also known as Business Tourism or Business Events, MICE stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions.
Mission Critical
Any factor in an organisation, project or system that is vital to the business.
MPS
Master Production Schedule. An overview of what the company expects to produce and purchase, the MPS translates customer demand into a production plan.
MQL
Marketing Qualified Lead—a lead that has engaged with marketing content but is not yet a customer.
Nn
Net Income
The amount of profit a company makes.
North of Funnel
At the beginning of the funnel or sales cycle.
Oo
OOO
Out of Office.
Org Chart
An organisational chart which demonstrates the organisational ranks, roles and relationships in an organisation.
Outbound Marketing
Marketing that focuses on proactively reaching out to consumers and prospects to interest them with a product or service.
Pp
PAF
Project Acceptance Form—essentially a payment schedule for the event, produced in Procim.
PAX
Per passenger or per person.
PCN
Project Change Notice—a document required to bring any amendments to a scope of work.
Permalancer
A freelancer who works as a team implant, rather than on specific project contracts.
Pipeline (Sales)
A tool for converting leads into sales and tracking their progress.
PKO
This stands for Product Kick-Off and whilst the scale of these events may vary between a Zoom meeting to a large event, the purpose is essentially the same: to align the team and stakeholders on the development of a new product. It is not the same as a product launch, which showcases the finished product.
POA
Plan of Action.
PO
Purchase Order—an instruction to a supplier or contractor on what is expected of them in terms of service or goods provided.
Producer
Someone who is involved with the production of an event.
Production Schedule
The programme of the event for the production element.
Proprietary Event
An event focused on promotion, awareness and sales of the organisation or company.
PSA
Most commonly used as a public service announcement, a PSA can also be a Professional Services Agreement which forms the overarching contract with clients and is for the duration of the relationship.
PTO
Personal Time Off or Paid Time Off.
Rr
Rehearsal Schedule
An overview of what will be covered in the rehearsal.
Revenue
The amount of income generated by the sale of particular goods or services—also known as gross sales or the top line.
RFI
Request for Information—a formal process for gathering information from potential suppliers of a good or service.
RFP
Request for Proposal—a document posted to invite formal responses (bids) from potential vendors or agencies.
Roadshow
A series of events in various locations.
ROI
Return on Investment—calculated by dividing the profit earned by the cost invested.
ROS
Run of Show—the order in which things are occurring in an event.
Rounds / Half-round Style Seating
Seating arrangement where people sit around a round table or are seated around only half of the table, similar to cabaret-style.
Ss
SaaS
Software as a Service—a company that hosts an application/software and makes it available over the internet.
Senior Producer
Someone who oversees the production of an event.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization—the process of optimising a website’s technical configuration and content relevance to boost visibility and help increase rank positioning.
Shift Left
An approach to testing earlier in the software development lifecycle.
SKO
Sales Kick-Off—an event to bring the sales team together, to ensure the alignment of vision and goals.
Silos (organisational)
Departments or divisions in a business that operate relatively independently from one another.
SOP
Standard Operating Procedure—a set of detailed instructions/directions that lays out the required steps to complete a specific task or process.
SOW
Statement of Work—a document that details the promise of delivery of work.
Speaker Kit
An information pack on a speaker, including details, bio, photo and possibly also links to previous material.
SPIF
Sales Performance Incentive Fund—a short-term incentive used to drive sales.
SQL
Sales Qualified Lead—a lead that the sales team has deemed to be a potential customer.
Sticker Shock
Price tag shock
Storyboard
A sequence of images or illustrations used to plan animation and video.
SWAG
Stuff We All Get—otherwise known as freebies at events.
Tt
Talent
The guest speakers or performers that are featured at an event.
Theatre-style Seating
The style reflects the seating arrangement found in a theatre or cinema with chairs aligned in consecutive straight rows.
Third-Party Event
An event organised by a third party.
Top of Funnel
At the beginning of the funnel/sales cycle.
Vv
Value Proposition
A company’s value proposition is the benefits and value that it promises to deliver to current and future customers who will buy its products and/or services.
VOG
Voice of God is a role that falls somewhere in between the host and announcer.
Ww
White-glove
To provide a premium or executive service, one with meticulous care and attention.