Are there standards specifically for event project management?

There is no single ISO standard exclusively for events. ISO 20121:2012 covers event sustainability management systems, and ISO 21502:2020 covers project management generally — most event teams adapt project management standards (PMBOK, ISO 21502) and ITIL service-management practices to their context.

Does this mean email should never be used for event coordination?

No. Email remains effective for one-to-one communication, external announcements, and informal follow-up. The argument is that the system of record for status, dependencies, and deadlines should sit in a workflow tool — email becomes a notification channel, not the workflow itself.

Is there research on email's cost as a coordination tool?

Yes. Notable work includes Gloria Mark's research at UC Irvine on interruption costs (e.g., CHI 2008, 'The Cost of Interrupted Work'), Leslie Perlow's research on email norms (Harvard Business Review, multiple articles), and Microsoft's 'Work Trend Index' reports (2021–2024). All point to high coordination overhead when email substitutes for a workflow system.

Why Event Operations Become Fragile When Coordination Lives in Email

An insight on why event operations become fragile when coordination lives in email from CodeCraft Enterprise.