Pacquiao Marquez Fight for the WBC Super Featherweight Belt - Essay Example

Ludet Gopalan Event Planning April 28, 2008 Pacquiao - Marquez Re-Match at Mandalay Bay * Expectations/Objectives The result of the Pacquiao-Marquezfight last March 15, 2008 for the WBC Super Featherweight Belt is hotly contested. To end all speculations, Pacquiao and Marquez have agreed to a re-match on March 15, 2009, exactly one year after the controversial fight. The sport event1 objectives2 shall be (1) to determine the "real" winner between the two fighters, (2) to promote tourism3 for Mandalay Bay, and (3) to generate revenues for the organizers and various partners in the project. * The Concept To simulate as close as possible the original conditions of the 2008 match, the re-match of the celebrity fighters will take center stage4 once again at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Since both fighters have numerous fans and supporters worldwide, the event shall be marketed not only as a boxing event but a vacation package5 at Mandalay Bay, as well as an irresistible media event worldwide. The 12,000 seating capacity6 indoor arena is expected to be sold out with audience count7 expected at very close to 100% with March being the start of the Las Vegas peak season8. Tickets9 shall be sold at $1000, $750, $500, $300 and $200 with pre-assigned seating10. The least cost tickets are for the bleachers11. Commissions in the form of percentage12 of gross sales from vacation tour packages13 from air, sea and land travel service providers and tour operators14, hotel accommodations, restaurant meals and various entertainment activities shall also be earned by the organizers. * The Experience The primary participants in this event are the guests who will come over to Las Vegas to take a vacation and ultimately watch the Re-Match fight or those who will simply watch the fight. For the vacationers who will originate from various parts of the world as well as those from within the United States, it is envisioned that the travel and tour operators that pass accreditation15 will come up with very attractive vacation packages that will include travel fare, accommodation, side trips and activities and of course seat reservations for the fight. Guests who will have tickets to the prize fight shall be treated to the awesome amenities of the Mandalay Bay Events Center, a cavernous 12,000-seat arena with glassed-in skyboxes, good sight lines and acoustics. Free parking is abundant and conveniently close; valet parking is available. (Mandalay Bay Events Center) 4Wall Entertainment's team of lighting designers and engineers has provided integration for the lighting control system for the Events Center. 4Wall designed a complete DMX distribution system, which incorporates Ethernet distribution, combined with traditional DMX patching. The dimmers16 are part of a control system comprised of 13 ETC SR48 Racks and 65 ILC relay cabinets, combined with 94 wall stations. (4Wall Entertainment Lights Mandalay Bay Convention Center) * Marketing the Experience The first six months of the project shall be dedicated to getting together various players for the event - the promoters, the WBC, Mandalay Bay Events Center, travel and tour operators associations, advertising and media, and many others. A preliminary announcement17 to involved sectors for pre-event planning and development shall be done in May 2008. A working group shall be assigned for developing a sponsorship plan18 to get event sponsorships19. For event marketing20 and advertising, consultants from the American Marketing Association21 and the American Association of Advertising Agencies22 shall be engaged. Above-the-line advertising23 for the event shall be delegated to accredited advertising agencies24. Event billboards25 shall be set up at strategic points of the city. Consumer advertising26 packages will be offered to advertisers to take advantage of the expected huge number of visitors during the event not only as added marketing mileage but as a revenue generating activity as well. Publicity27 and public relations28 will be contracted out to a PR firm. When all plans are finalized, the historical re-match shall be announced publicly starting November 2008 in press releases29 through the worldwide news media. The first announcement30 shall be made on November 3, 2008. From then on, marketing activities coordinated with the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association International31 will commence for block booking32 tours and tickets for the event. Travel and tour groups shall encourage group bookings33 at special group rates34 to encourage participation in the event. Organizations which will commit to a guaranteed number35 of bookings shall be given incentives36. * Communications The organizers will form a secretariat37 that will serve as the communications control center and the coordinating committee38 for event management39 of the entire project. This secretariat will function starting May 2008 up to June 2009. It will report to a governing board with 7 members - the organizer, the promoters, the WBC representative, the Mandalay Bay representative, travel and tours representative and the advertising and media representative. The overall head of the secretariat will be the Chief Executive Officer40 to who will report the Chief Finance Officer41 and the Chief Information Officer42. The three chiefs form the executive committee43. Between the three Chiefs and their designated staff, all directives from the board will be carried out by various committees and subcommittees44 to make the event a success. To facilitate communications control, the secretariat will construct an event website to help manage the event phases. For this purpose the internet address45 www.pacquiao-marquez2.com shall be registered with the domain name system46. The website will help disseminate information bulletins47 regarding the project and the event itself. Press kits48 will be handed out by the Chief Information Officer to various media groups. Monthly event briefings49 will be held to address concerns that may come up as the event date draws near. For the week of March 8 - 15, 2009, the week of the match, a daily newsletter50 will be published by the secretariat for distribution in all the accredited Las Vegas hotels. The secretariat will also designate locations for the field production51 units of major networks at the Events Center site. * Travel and Transportation Travel and accommodation packages for Mandalay Bay and other Las Vegas Hotels shall be advised to accredited travel agencies all over the United States who will in turn advise their affiliated travel agents worldwide. For orderly operations during the weeklong event, Mandalay Bay traffic and visitors welfare shall be coordinated with the Las Vegas Conventions and Visitors Authority, the city's tourist information board52 and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. * Meeting and Greeting Early arrival53 of event guests are expected as early as a week before the fight. Those arriving by air at the McCarran airport shall have tourism or travel representatives ready to greet and assist them upon arrival. There will be an Event information booth54 at the airport manned by the booth representative55 for the day. Shuttle service56 from airport to hotel shall be provided to event guests. Those arriving by other means shall be well advised of important directions through banners, billboards and directional signs within the City of Las Vegas. * Atmosphere At least 2 months before the scheduled event, the entire City of Las Vegas would already have taken on a festive mood. Advertisements and announcements shall be posted in all participating hotels, restaurants and recreation centers. Souvenir items and other Event collaterals57 shall already be available for sale. * The Venue, Amenities, Events Center Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is one of Las Vegas' most prestigious spots. The resort has fine dine restaurants, the Rumjungle Nightclub which boasts of go-go girls and a wall of fire, and the Mandalay Bay Theatre which shows Broadway smash hits. The events center at Mandalay Bay provides a venue for sporting events and arena-sized musical acts, while Shark Reef houses over a hundred species of marine animals. Outside, the tropical landscaping offers an exotic retreat with Mandalay Beach in the background. There's shopping at Mandalay Place or relaxing at Spa58 Mandalay. Mandalay Bay's THEhotel offers a boutique hotel for guests. Average room rate59 is at USD 130 and early-bird rates60 are available. It is expected that Mandalay Hotel shall be fully-booked61 for this event. (Mandalay Bay Las Vegas) The travel package for guests to the Pacquiao-Marquez Re-Match will be offered a week long vacation at Mandalay Bay, capped with the historical experience of witnessing the WBC Super Featherweight Re-Match fight. Guest itinerary62 shall be planned out by the different tour groups. * Concessions To add pomp to this event, the Refreshment Area at the Events Center shall be manned by one of the famous chefs from the Food Network, as a concessionaire63. The area will have segregated seating for VIPS, special guests and the general public. * Entertainment Guests arriving early shall be treated by their tour operators to guided activities in the City of Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay in particular. This will include the traditional city tour64 with well-experienced tour guides65, meals at participating restaurants, sightseeing tours66 of Vegas scenic spots and first-hand experience of the Vegas activities that the city offers. There will also be a photo opportunity67 with the celebrity boxers. During fight night, prior to the actual Re-Match fight, guests will be treated to incidental entertainment68 and variety entertainment69 with several numbers from fairly well-known stage, TV and film performers of song, dance and comic. * Participatory Versus Spectator Whereas each guest at the actual Re-Match fight will be a spectator to a historical event, all other guest activities leading up to the match and even during the post-event will be participatory, experiencing and exhilarating in the sights and sounds of Vegas. * Environment All people-intensive events generate a lot of environmentally unfriendly waste unless there is a conscious effort to minimize such. For this Re-Match event, waste control and disposal processes shall be coordinated with the City of Las Vegas Environment Division. The organizers will also make a charitable contribution70 from a portion of the revenues to support projects of the Division as well as environmental nonprofit organizations71. At the height of festivities, when the pedestrian traffic will be at its peak at the Mandalay Bay area, emergency units will be deployed to deliver first aid72 services. * Budget The organizers' budget73 for this undertaking consists of gross revenues74 from commissions on all money-making activities that will be generated from this event. Operating expenses75 will consist of honorarium76 for personnel composing the secretariat and wages77 for temporary labor78 who will be engaged by the secretariat, office space expenses for lease and utilities, communications expenses for telephone, internet and the like, representation and travel expenses and office supplies. There may be capital expenditure79 for office equipment if this would be more cost-effective than rentals. The Chief Finance Officer shall define financial procedures80 that will be followed to manage event financials. Notes "The International Dictionary of Event Management" Joe Glodblatt, source for numbered words 1-75 Works Cited "The International Dictionary of Event Management" Joe Goldblatt "Madalay Bay Las Vegas" "Mandalay Bay Events Center" "4Wall Entertainment Lights Mandalay Bay Convention Center" Read More