Fixed timescale
Events, rather like building projects, run to a fixed timescale, unlike routine activities which can carry on indefinitely. The timescale could be very short, such as for the opening ceremony for a new road, or very long, as with the Paris Exposition noted earlier. where the planning phase took about three years, Even these are not extremes. Many special events are actually composed of a sequence of short bursts activity, With pauses or breaks in between. Constant ceremony, lasting many hours, might become dull and tiring. The example of the coronation of Elizabeth I shows that while the event lasted several days, it was composed of several shorter activities of varying lengths, with breaks, depending on what was going on and why. For those planning special events, this issue of timing must be kept in mind; for an evenl to be successful and striking, it will need to hold people's attention and interest them, and it is better that this is broken up into sections than it takes place all at once, without a respite This is not to say that the fixed timescale cannot be varied. Some events, such as birthday party, may carry on longer than intended because 'It Just happened', other events may even be extended in a planned way, for some special reason, e.g. to recover the costs.