THT3119 Implementation of Event Project Assignment Sample

Project and Event Management

Executive Summary of Implementation of Event Project

The report consists of an in-detail plan of the execution of the Mid-Autumn Festival 2021. The report starts with a brief introduction about the theme and the aim behind the festival, further moving into the stakeholder management plan, the marketing and logistics plan, budget and risk management plan. The report follows a step-by-step plan of how the particular festival will be executed. Various steps have been taking to ensure that the festival is as risk-free as possible with maximum planning and detailing. This report should be followed rigorously by all the planning and executing team members. It is essential that this detail in discussed in depth before finalizing the proposed plan.

Table of content

Introduction

Project Scope

Stakeholder Management plan

Marketing

Logistics

Project Budget

Work Breakdown Structure

Gantt Chart

Risk Management Plan

Conclusion

References

Introduction to Implementation of Event Project

The Mid-Autumn festival is an event that is being planned for the year 2021 in Sydney. The festival will present an opportunity for the citizens, local and visiting, to interact with one another within Sydney’s community and engage in fun conversations and activities. This event is focused at improving the cultural profile of Sydney and attract various tourists and other visitors. This event will take place in the month of September, when the weather in Sydney will be pleasant with a tinge of westerly winds (NSW, 2020). The Mid-Autumn festival is inspired from the Chinese Autumn Moon festival, and will mirror a few details of the same. This will not only pay respect to Asian cultures but also promote interactions and formation of bonds amongst various cultures. The festival will be a place for exciting collaboration between various cultural organizations. The festival will not only promote harmony but also celebrate diversity and the right of people to believe in different beliefs. The festival will focus at inspiring people to study other traditions, learn more about them and embrace the unique traditions of different cultures.

This report will briefly state the execution of this particular festival. The marketing and logistical plan, stakeholder management plan, worker breakdown and other such details have been highlighted in this project report. This report needs to be studied by all the organizing team members and followed rigorously. Any changes in the report have to be approved by all the organizing team members.

Project Scope

The Mid-Autumn festival will take place over a period of two days in the month of September 2021. The dates for the festival are the 25^th and the 26^th of September. The event will take place at one location in Sydney, from morning to evening. Both days will have proper schedules full of various interactive activities, food stalls and performances. The festival will take place at the Arthur Street Cabramatta City. The festival will only occur annually and will be executed only in one location.

The main mission and objective of the Mid-Autumn festival is to foster new connections amongst individuals from various cultural backgrounds along with creating unforgettable memories. The aim is to not visit with peers but to attract individuals and promote conversations with different individuals. Like the idea of a “melting pot of cultures”, this festival will act as a barrier-breaker in between individuals from different cultural backgrounds.

The event will consist of a lantern display that will consist of various lanterns from different cultures. This will set up the atmosphere for the festival and present opportunities for the attendees to click pictures and make memories for themselves. The activities that will take place in the festival will include lantern making competition, live performances pertaining to stories related to different cultures, traditional dance and music performances along with favour other interactive activities. Food stalls will also be present at the festival along with some other stores including ethnic outfits, posters, accessories etc. A proper schedule will be fixed for the entire two days that will be made available to the public so that they can attend various performances according to their convenience.

Stakeholder Management Plan

The Stakeholders of an event are essentially a group of individuals that have a shared interest in any activity or decision of an organization or event (ASQ, 2020). These are individuals that are impacted by any decision that will be taken by the management team of the festival. The stakeholders for the Mid-Autumn festival includes:

• Internal Stakeholders: Main planning and execution team members, the manager, the volunteers.
• External Stakeholders: Local community, Sponsors, Stall owners, event partners, attendees.

For effective management of all internal stakeholders, effective communication, identification and risk planning will be utilized (Smith & Love, 2004).

1. Each stakeholder will be provided with a list of specific tasks and a proper communication plan will be set for the communication in between all internal stakeholders (See Appendix A). Only the essential information will be communicated within all stakeholders (Welch & Jackson, 2007). A proper hierarchy will be set within the planning and execution committee (Welch & Jackson, 2007).
2. A proper risk management plan will be set up which should be followed by all stakeholders in case of any disturbance to the plan (See Risk Management Plan for further information). This risk management plan is set in order to further make the communications within the stakeholders smoother and faster.

For management of the external stakeholders, the stakeholders will be divided into groups according to the phases of project management they are a part of and accordingly their value, influence and contribution will be determined (Eskerod & Jepsen, 2013). An effective communication plan and strategy has been formulated according to the phase a particular stakeholder is present at.

Phase 1: Initiation phase: Local Community

The local community will be contacted during the initiation phase. Major interactions will occur in between the community members and the project manager himself where all the essential details about the program will be set in accordance with the local community. For permissions and a few other logistical requirements, the communication will directly happen in between the local community members and the logistical head of the planning and execution team. Since the inputs of the local community are important, they will be taken into consideration (Olander & Landin, 2008). Engagement with the local community will be intact till the execution of the festival.

Phase 2: Planning phase: Sponsors, Stall Owners, Partners

The planning phase will involve engaging and attracting various partners, sponsors and stall owners. The marketing team will be required to attract various individuals that are interested in being partners, sponsors or stall owners for the Mid-Autumn festival and accordingly various contracts will be signed and sealed with the respective parties. Since all the contracts will be finalized and signed by the manager, it is essential to keep the manager in communication with all the updates (Olander & Landin, 2008). It is essential that the beliefs and values of the event planning team resonate with that of the sponsoring companies and partners (Masterman & Wood, 2005). The sponsors and partners will be engaged, subsequently bargaining and finalization of the details will follow and by the beginning of the execution phase the mentioned parties will be disengaged once the stated clauses have been completed. As for the stall owners, the marketing team will have to devise a pitch that will be utilized for the stalls. No bargaining shall be entertained for the purposes of the budget and subsequently, stall spaces will be lent to the stall owners (Masterman & Wood, 2005).

Phase 3: Execution phase: Attendees

The attendees will be engaged by the hospitality team during the planning phase. However, major interactions and communications with the attendees will take place exclusively during the execution phase of the festival. Various target audiences will be engaged for the festival and various strategies will be implemented in order to gain the attention of the potential audience members (Daniel et. al., 2012). Due to the presence of a minimal entry fees, a fixed number of tickets need to be sold in order to ensure that the festival does not collapse (for further information refer to the Marketing Plan). During the execution phase, the attendees need to be engaged properly and efficiently in various activities. Proper communication must take place in between the team members and audience members in order to ensure a positive experience (Daniel et. al., 2012).

Marketing Plan

The marketing plan has been constructed in order to list down the desirable outcomes of this festival and effectively achieve all of them. A marketing plan is essential not only to systematically achieve the success but also measure the success in measurable terms (Chernev, 2020). The marketing plan for the Mid-Autumn festival will focus on targeting the potential audience members, potential sponsors and partners and the potential stall owners. The marketing team along with the marketing head will be responsible for ensuring that the marketing strategies are properly implemented and in case of any failures, alternate marketing strategies are immediately utilized (Cherney, 2020).

1. Positioning: The Mid-Autumn festival is a festival that stands out because of its cultural aspect. This festival will focus on various different traditions that exist in different cultures and will expose the attendees to the same. This is great opportunity for individuals to experience some cultural rejuvenation and thus, that will be the main focus of the marketing strategy. The positioning of the festival is essential in order to attract specific audience segments (Hoyle, 2002).

2. Target audience: The target audience for this event will be youngsters and adults with an inclination towards their own culture and other cultures. The event will also target various visitors and tourists from other parts of the world, especially Asia. These target groups have been selected after careful analysis of the theme of the festival. Individuals with a cultural inclination will find the Mid-Autumn festival appealing and will resonate with their desire to experience other cultures (Lefebvre, 2007). Along with that, tourists and other visitors will be able to gain a new experience and, in some cases, feel a little more homely. The idea is to instigate a cultural interaction amongst these individuals where they can share beliefs, values and other cultural aspects. The target audience members are potential participants in the activities and the festival in general, and thus is has to be ensured that the audience members are interactive and interested in the festival (Lefebvre, 2007).

3. Pricing: The pricing of the entry tickets has been kept very low at $10 per ticket. The entry ticket value has been set to a minimal amount in order to attract more tourists along with the locals and promote more and more individuals to attend the festival. Festivals are closely related to tourism (Frey, 2019) and thus the low price has been set.

The marketing strategies that will be followed are the following:

1. Early Bird promotion: The strategy of early bird promotion will be largely used to attract tourists who are visiting Sydney in October (Drenowatz et. al., 2013). In the beginning of the planning phase, a few tickets will be released for free or for reduced price in order to spread awareness about the Mid-Autumn festival and subsequently, more techniques will be utilized. The early bird promotion will be only open for 24-48 hours and not more than 200 tickets will be distributed for free. It is important to member that this marketing is specific to tourists and not the local community.
2. Regular promotion for attendees: After the early bird promotion, regular marketing advertisements and other mediums will be utilized for marketing purposes. These strategies will mainly consist of advertisements that will be focused on the target audience (Russell, 2016). These will be simple advertisements that will mainly be circulated on the internet via digital marketing and social media marketing (Russell, 2016). Other means can also be taken but a proper budget breakdown will have to be submitted by the marketing team and approved by the event manager.
3. Sponsorship promotion: The marketing team is also responsible for attracting sponsorship for the event and thus, will also be responsible for coming up with different sponsorship promotion strategies (Russell, 2016). It has to be ensured that the sponsors understand the ideology behind the festival and are ready to back it up financially without any reservations.
4. Stall marketing: Lastly, the marketing team is also responsible for renting stall space to various organizations or small businesses. It has to be ensured that the stall spaces are rented especially by food stall owners, ethnic wear, accessories and other such items. The stall price is not up for bargaining and all stalls will be rented for a total of two days at the same price. The stalls should preferably be related to different cultures and have a cultural background in order to vibe with the setting of the Mid-Autumn festival.

Logistics

The Logistics team and Logistics head are responsible for ensuring that all the logistical requirements are ready before the days of the festival. The Logistics team will be required to submit an estimate of all the expenditure and get it approved from the event manager. Further, every requirement will have to be met by the team and it has to be ensured that all the raw materials are ready on the respective date. The logistical requirements of the festival include:

1. Décor items for the Mid-Autumn festival
2. 4 Banners
3. 6 Hoardings
4. Stage for performances
5. Lighting as per requirement
6. Technical needs
7. Garbage bags and other waste disposals
8. Other logistical requirements as per the planned activities

Project Budget

The budget for this two-day festival has been tentatively estimated depending on the current pricing. However, the budget is required to be properly studied by the finance head and changes should be made accordingly. Measures should be taken to ensure that the budget is not exceeded in any said circumstances.

Estimated budget for the Mid-Autumn Festival:

1. Venue: $5000
2. Décor: $2000
3. Live entertainment: $8000
4. Marketing: $1000
5. Security and First Aid: $4000
6. Others: $2000

Total Estimated money spent: $22,000

Estimated money earned by the festival:

1. Tickets: $10*1000 attendees = $10000
2. Sponsorship: $10000
3. Food and other stalls: $8000

Total Estimated money earnt: $28000

Risk Management Plan

An effective risk management plan has been set in case any difficulties are faced by the team members on the days of the festival. This plan should be rigorously followed in order to tackle any disturbances that might be faced during the festival (Reid & Ritchie, 2011). All potential risks have been listed along with the steps that need to be taken in order to ensure that the risks are minimized to a large extent.

Potential Risk	Risk Rating	Steps to tackle the risk
1. Bad weather accompanied by rain and wind	2/5	· The team should ensure that they have thoroughly checked the weather reports for the days of the festival. · Accordingly, an email and various social media messages should be posted by the team in case the predicted weather is windy in order to caution the audience to dress appropriately and carry the essential objects.
2. Accident of any sort	3.5/5	· Fist aid kits should be immediately ready at all the corners of the festival. · Along with that, numbers of the nearest hospitals should be ready with all the team members in case of any emergency. · The team members can also hire a nurse to be available at the festival if the budget allows.
3. Delay in the schedule to any emergency	4/5	· Every team member should have a schedule. The hospitality team should ensure that all activities start and finish on time. · A 15-minute buffer time should be kept in between all activities in case there is a small delay in any activity, · The hospitality team should ensure that all performers have reported at the venue at least an hour in advance.
4. Food safety	3/5	· In order to avoid food poisoning or any related issues, all the food stalls and food materials should be personally checked by the team members before the event. · The team should also be prepared with emergency medicines and first aid kits in case there are any emergencies.

Conclusion on Implementation of Event Project

All the team members should be well-versed with each and every word in this document. It is essential that all members understand the idea behind this particular festival and subsequently put in their best efforts in order to ensure that the Mid-Autumn festival is successful. Mid-Autumn festival is not a one-time festival, but something that should be made an annual ritual in Sydney. However, for that to happen the first Mid-Autumn festival has to be successful and properly received by the local communities and tourists. Since this event involves interaction in between different individuals, there might be a clash of opinions or a brief argument of sorts. These situations have to be tackled carefully by the team members without losing their patience and acting in a very civil manner. This festival is focused at respecting all cultures and rituals associated with said cultures. Hence, it is essential that all team members show tolerance towards the visitors and towards one another. The team members should ensure that no sentiments are hurt throughout the entire festival. In no way should any ritual be discussed or performed without proper information and research. It is also very important that the idea behind the festival is spread amongst the audience members in order to build harmony and unity amongst the diverse crowds.

References for Implementation of Event Project

ASQ. (2020). What are Stakeholders? Stakeholder Definition | ASQ. Retrieved from https://asq.org/quality-resources/stakeholders

Chernev, A. (2020). The Marketing Plan Handbook, 6th Edition. London, UK: Cerebellum Press.

Daniel, M., Bogdan, G., & Daniel, Z. (2012). Strategies for Interactive Communication, with External and Internal Stakeholders, in Events’ Marketing. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 5361–5365.

Drenowatz, C., Wartha, O., Fischbach, N., & Steinacker, J. M. (2013). Intervention Strategies for the Promotion of Physical Activity in Youth. Deutsche Zeitschrift Für Sportmedizin, 2013(06), 170–175. https://doi.org/10.5960/dzsm.2012.078

Eskerod, P., & Jepsen, L. A. (2013). Project Stakeholder Management (Fundamentals of Project Management) (1st ed.). New York, USA: Routledge.

Frey, B. S. (2019). Festivals. Economics of Art and Culture, 63–70.

Hoyle, L. H. (2002). Event Marketing: How to Successfully Promote Events, Festivals, Conventions, and Expositions (1st ed.). New York, USA: Wiley.

Lefebvre, R. C. (2007). The New Technology: The Consumer as Participant Rather than Target Audience. Social Marketing Quarterly, 13(3), 31–42.

Masterman, G., & Wood, E. H. (2005). Innovative Marketing Communications: Strategies for the Events Industry (Events Management) (1st ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Butterworth-Heinemann.

NSW. (2020). Sydney, NSW - September 2019 - Daily Weather Observations. Retrieved from http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/201909/html/IDCJDW2124.201909.shtml

Olander, S., & Landin, A. (2008). A comparative study of factors affecting the external stakeholder management process. Construction Management and Economics, 26(6), 553–561.

Reid, S., & Ritchie, B. (2011). Risk Management: Event Managers’ Attitudes, Beliefs, and Perceived Constraints. Event Management, 15(4), 329–341.

Russell, D. (2016). Advertising Reach your Target Audience. Trusts & Trustees, 22(3), i6. https://doi.org/10.1093/tandt/ttw039

Smith, J., & Love, P. E. D. (2004). Stakeholder Management during Project Inception: Strategic Needs Analysis. Journal of Architectural Engineering, 10(1), 22–33.

Welch, M., & Jackson, P. R. (2007). Rethinking internal communication: a stakeholder approach. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 12(2), 177–198.

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