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The role of ceremonial and protocol in the organization of events

The ceremonial and protocol is conformed as an event management technology that serves to maintain and strengthen relationships between the public.

Throughout history, and within the social organization framework of each era, societies have sought and promoted methodologies that allow them to create, maintain and develop formal relationships, within and outside their own culture.

The ceremonial, protocol and etiquette origin from customs, manners and social habits, and have, over-time, established rules for precedents and guidelines for interrelations and public action.

At present, the enormous growth of organizations at the global and regional levels requires more and more the use of norms and rules that dictate the relationships between the different extended communities.

That is why the advice of professionals who can coordinate ceremonies and events in dissimilar areas such as the government or the business world.

The ceremonial and protocol professional must show initiative and skills to solve obstacles on the spot, so it is essential to have a genuine vocation for service and deep professional training, combining flexibility and dynamism with creativity and innovation.

The most relevant aspects of ceremonial, protocol and etiquette are described below:

CEREMONIAL

It is the development of a sequence of steps to follow in an event of public or private nature.

The ceremonial focuses on all aspects and forms related to the organization of an act or ceremony. Establishes guidelines for behavior and treatment of those who must act. It is based on the uses and customs, current legislation or common sense.

The ceremonial carries the tools for the organization of the protocol.

PROTOCOL

It is a set of rules, laws, uses and customs necessary for the optimal organization of an event.

The protocol establishes the rules, decrees and regulations to be observed in the ceremonial, and is the least similar to a direct or blind application of the rules, since it requires a lot of creativity to carry out each of its applications.

Principles of the protocol

The application of the protocol rules have two principles that guide their implementation:

- Hierarchy principle: This principle refers to the proper location of both people and elements. For people, the precedence of the participants must be taken into account, while the hierarchy of elements or materials can be viewed according to the location of the flags or other symbols.

- Organization principle: for the purposes of organizing, coordinating and scheduling an event, the nature of the event must be known in advance, as it will not be the same as a private, public or official event.

Norms for governing the protocol

- Legal norms: Laws or norms issued and dictated by the State, International Community or competent authority. In addition, they also include other criteria that may not be explicit in the legal regulations but are applied in events in which different authorities intervene.

- Social norms: Rules or norms of each society that vary over time. They refer to socially established conventions and uses.

- Moral norms: They are those that are based on good education and respect. They are determined by the existence of a moral duty.

Application uses

The protocol can be implemented with greater or less rigor depending on the scope of application and nature of the act and the people to whom the protocol is directed:

- Civil: It is the rule and regulations implemented for public and diplomatic acts of the State, which determine the ranking of civil personalities.

- Diplomatic: these are rules and formalities that are carried out concerning diplomatic ceremonies between state authorities.

- Military: they are rules that determine the order of hierarchy, in all those acts of history, military or official.

- Ecclesiastical: These are the regulations that govern liturgical acts and celebrations.

- Business: Set of rules by which private companies regulate their actions. It is based on official and social protocols, although companies establish their own codes of conduct.

- Social: Rules based on the official protocol and on the “know-how”, which are not mandatory, and are usually applied at social events.

Orders of precedence

Precedence refers to the ordering of individuals according to their official rank, which is assigned by law, tradition or use. Establishes the order and location based on the real importance that they have in society.

In this sense, it is possible to differentiate those personalities that have their pre-established place for official reasons and those that do not. Likewise, this concept of precedence can be applied, not only to people but also to states, flags, anthems, institutions, etc. Taking into account this differentiation, it is possible to order an official act or an event with greater efficiency.

These application criteria have been regulated through the centuries at the national and international level, and are regulated by laws and conventions.

The basis for establishing precedence is the regulation from the official level. However, it is an instrument for support and guidance that can be applied to all the activities carried out in the private and institutional sphere.

At the official level, the order of precedence is regulated by legal regulations. On the other hand, in the private sphere, for example a company, it is determined by its organizational structure, that is, according to the position or hierarchy of each person within the organization chart of the company. In turn, the host will be able to resolve the locations in relation to their adopted criteria. If no criteria are established, the alphabetical order is used.

The precedents in acts must be analyzed and planned with the maximum detail, since an error can condition the success of the event.

Main criteria for determining precedence

The elements elements that provide a basis to establish a correct and adequate order in each act, whether of a public or private nature, or in any kind of event that requires planning (congresses, seminars, inaugurations, conferences, fairs, exhibitions, etc. ) can be determined as the following:

- Seniority: On certain occasions it may happen that two official personalities of equal rank attend an act or event. In that case, one of the ways to determine your priority is by considering the seniority of the position to assign precedence.

- Alphabetical order: Generally it is the most implemented and it is very useful in case personalities from different countries intervene, since it would be very problematic to establish an order of importance based on other parameters. In this way, you choose to order the countries based on the alphabetical order of the country.

- Jurisdiction: This criteria determines that when an act is celebrated within a certain jurisdiction, the highest authority representing that territory has the most important provenance.

- Alternation: This criteria arises from Public International Law, International Institutions and the signing of Bilateral Treaties. It is based on the premise that if in a given agreement country A signs to the left and country B to the right, in the next agreement it is done in reverse, that is, country A signs to the right and B to the left.

- Representativeness: Representativeness supposes that before the possibility of taking part in an act or event two people of equal rank, one belonging to the public sector and the other to the private sector, the former will have preeminence over the latter. What predominates is what the individual represents and not his hierarchical rank.

- Responsibility: On some occasions, certain events are planned and coordinated by a person in charge of an organism, entity or institution. Therefore, out of courtesy, that person can occupy the place of honor.

Likewise, it is important to note that in all types of official or private acts, as well as in all events, it is necessary to be guided by a dose of common sense for the ordination of authorities. It is necessary to take into account who is organizing the event, where it is taking place and what is the reason for its celebration. This determines that on certain occasions, a person must be placed in a certain position considering what he represents for that particular circumstance, regardless of the hierarchy that he occupies in relation to the other members of the event.

ETIQUETTE

The etiquette represents the socially accepted principles of education, dress and apparel.

Etiquette is related to knowing how to be in any situation, and although it does not always include in the protocol, on the other hand, every act of protocol does require compliance with the rules of etiquette.

It is about the ceremonial of styles, habits and customs that must be observed in all acts and public and solemn ceremonies, as well as in the external manifestations of social life.

We can also define the netiquette or internet etiquette as the set of rules that seeks to regulate the behavior of users on the internet to maintain healthy behaviours in digital environments. In other words, it is the etiquette of daily and face-to-face life transferred to virtuality.

Currently, ceremonial, protocol and etiquette are key elements in the organization of events that are characterized by taking into account cognitive processes and informality in official relations.

Finally, it is important to note that the value of an agile approach is increasing, fundamentally because we find ourselves in an increasingly changing world that rejects pomposity or uselessness and, on the contrary, seeks the practical, simple and schematic.

"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude

Zig Ziglar