Public Relations Event Management - Term Paper Example

STRATEGIC EVENT PLAN Name: Institution Affiliation: STRATEGIC EVENT PLAN Executive Summary The strategic plan covers various key components that play a significant role in the organization and successful running of WA Sports event. Some of the key areas to be covered in detail include the research and analysis, strategy development, integrated marketing communication plan, PR and marketing tools, financial plan, implementation, and evaluation adjustment. The primary client for this plan in the Department of Education. This department is responsible central in organizing and foreseeing the success of events in the institution with the objective of integrating it with the standard educational programs (Coutts & Duffield, 2010). The department that deals with sports event is an integral part of most of the organization since it impacts on both the school fraternity and the community as a whole. For instance, during sports events such as football the members of the community are allowed to watch the games freely or in some cases for a fee (Masterman & Wood, 2006). Thus, the strategic plan documents the organization of a sports event with the primary objective of recognizing and rewarding excellence in sports achieved by students in WA public schools. To achieve success in the recognition of talented students, awards will be categorized into various groups with the primary objective of enhancing and maximizing talent identification (Masterman & Wood, 2006). Research and analysis Background to the event The main purpose of the WA public schools based event is to promote the need for health and fitness in school-aged children in this region. It is imperative to note that most of the health issues such as obesity have been dealt with accordingly in schools where sport is a priority. On the contrary, schools that neglect co-curricular activities have increased cases of health and fitness issues. The second objective of the event is to showcase the high level of sport programs offered in WA public schools. The showcase is achieved since various institutions in the region will be invited to participate in various events. At the end of the competition, the best students, coaches, and schools will be rewarded (Emery, 2008). The reward system will act as a motivation to all the participants to enhance their competitiveness in the various sports events. Hence, what happens is that a formal event is organized for WA’s sports industry glitterati, academic and support staff from public schools, the student finalists and their family and friends. This is because the media, sponsors, and the members of the public will also be invited to participate in the night dinner event to be held at Duxton Hotel, Perth City. Situation Analysis The education department is committed to ensuring academic and personal development is all public schools. Achieving this objective and commitment however is not a simple process. This is the primary reason we have dedicated our efforts as a team to develop the strategic plan. Thus, this is an enhancement of what the department could have developed during such a special event. The other key role players in the event is the sponsors (Allen at al., 2012). Sponsor organizations such as banks have been invited so that the financial part of the event is successful. The finances will be used in ensuring that the all the activities planned and the required facilitation is done effectively. The four hundred attendees of the event including WA’s sports industry glitterati, academic and support staff from public schools, the student finalists and their family and friends are expected to be comfortable since the selected venue is recommendable (Masterman & Wood, 2006). Information Gathering There are some critical parts that are essential in managing the planning process of this event. The first issue concerns the facilitators, whereby as a team of students we facilitate the strategic plan and ensure that all the components are included. The second crucial part of the event is the selection of the dates when the event (a sit down dinner) will be conducted. After consultation with the major stakeholders, we have chosen Duxton Hotel as the best venue for the dinner. The third critical issue is the time when the event will be conducted. We concluded that the best time for the sports event is on a weekend and the particular day is Saturday. The main reason for selecting the weekend is to ensure that all the 400 attendees make to the dinner (Coutts & Duffield, 2010). As such, this is one way of improving the level of attendance and participation from all the invited stakeholders. This reason for choice of the weekend is primarily because most of them are free and attending such events is their priority. The selection of the venue is the other crucial aspects. One of the most significant issue in the consideration of the best venue is the accessibility to the venue and availability of resources to run the even smoothly (Emery, 2008). After analyzing the hotels within Perth City, we selected Duxton Hotel since it has all the necessary facilities to run the event and on affordable and friendly prices. Finally, the strategic plan has been successful due the use of various supporting documents. Some of the most common used include sports management policies, previous strategic plans, and strategic plans from relevant sports organizations (Masterman & Wood, 2006). Strategy development Event and Communication Goals The sports event will be held at Duxton Hotel, Perth, Western Australia. The selection of this five-star hotel is that it is well equipped and has all the necessary facilities to be utilized in the event. The hotel is also one of the best in the region when it comes to event meetings, quality foods and drinks, and service provision. The WA’s sports industry glitterati, academic and support staff from public schools, the student finalists and their family and friends are therefore high invited to participate in the event. The invitation letter will be used as a communication tool and will entail the key goals and objectives of the event. As earlier stated, the primary goal of the event is to promote health and fitness in schools within the region. Secondly, the event aims at recognizing and rewarding talent in various sporting activities. In addition to the above, the event will act as a social platform for WA’s sports industry glitterati, academic and support staff from public schools, the student finalists and their family and friends to interact and share ideas (Masterman & Wood, 2006). Target Audiences and Stakeholders The primary target audiences in the event are the school-aged children in public schools. These are the group which can easily fall victims of health and fitness issues if they are not encouraged to participate in sporting and athletics. The other stakeholder is the community of the disable students. The event aims at ensuring that the disable in the society are recognized and given a chance to exploit their talents despite the body deformations. In addition to the above, mass media, sponsors such as banks, and other sports organizations are key stakeholders in the event. The bank provides the necessary finances required to smoothly run the even (Masterman & Wood, 2006)t. As well, they are highly encouraged to sponsor education of those students who will excel in various sport activities. The mass media play a crucial role in coverage of the events for the members of the public who cannot attend the venue to watch live. Finally, the sports and athletics organizations are invited to identify the best talent that they can enroll and advance their abilities (Gursoy, Kim & Uysal, 2004). Primary and key secondary audience demographics and psychographics The school-aged children in public schools are the primary audience. However, the secondary audience are the members of the physically challenged community. The members of the society residing within Western Australia and mainly Perth region are encouraged to attend the event since it is held in a close institution (Masterman & Wood, 2006). Any other member of the community who is interested in sports and athletics is high welcomed to the event. Event Concept The event is expected to be attended by WA’s sports industry glitterati, academic and support staff from public schools, the student finalists and their family and friends. In addition to the above, the number of people scheduled to participate in the event is four hundred. The Duxton Hotel management will ensure that the hall where the dinner will be served and meeting conducted is well organized. Event planner The principal event planner in this case is the chairman of is the chairman BMW Perth Cup. This is one of the primary planners in various sports events in Perth city and the are based at Ascot Racecourse, Perth. The chairperson of this organization is one of the most renown individuals in sports planning and issues regarding to education in the region. One of the most crucial roles that he and his team will do is to ensure that talent in sports is recognized especially in WA public schools. Secondly, there role is to come up with best strategies of enhancing the love for sports and athletics through rewarding best talent (Allen at al., 2012). Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Communication Objectives (SMART format) The objectives of the event are considered as SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely). Among the earlier mentioned goals and purposes, the event is also meant for cultural sensitivity. The students and other participants from various institutions come from diverse cultures and have various traditional practices (Masterman & Wood, 2006). As such, this is a resourceful opportunity for them to share cultural ideas and knowledge with the objective of appreciating and promoting each culture. The other objective is media exposure since mass media houses are invited to cover the events (Allen at al., 2012). Positioning and Key Messages for each key stakeholder group The sponsors of the event mainly the banks within Western Australia regions are encouraged to promote education and co-curricular activities. In the case of this event, we expect that various banks will offer sponsorship deals to the individual students who will emerge winners in various events such as athletics and field events. On the other hand, the sports organizations are expected to mentor and provide training facilities to the public schools. The mass media is supposed to expose the excellent talent to the outside world with the objective of promoting these events and the students participating (Damster & Tassiopoulos, 2005). PR and Marketing Activities / Tools Public relations are achieved since the event sets a conducive environment for various stakeholders to interact and share ideas. One of the significant achievement of the event is that the stakeholders get to trust and know each well. For instance, in this event, we expect that the sponsor organizations such as the banks will note schools with talented students when it comes to sports and athletics since they will be rewarded during the dinner. The schools that perform excellently will also be covered by the media houses. This acts as one way of marketing the sporting programs that they offer to the interested members of the public (Gursoy, Kim & Uysal, 2004). Financial Plan Indicative budget including income and expenses The total amount of money planned on expenditure and the income to be generated as shown in the table below: Expenditure Expenditure ID Detail Amount EX0001 Reserving Duxton Hotel hall for the dinner $5,000 EX0002 Duxton Hotel foods $6,000 EX0003 Duxton Hotel drinks and bevarages $4,000 EX0004 Mass media coverage $5,000 EX0005 Event facilitators $3,000 EX0006 Sound and music equipment $5,000 EX0007 Event MC and DeeJay $5,500 EX0008 Awards $10,000 EX0009 Miscellaneous costs $3,000 TOTAL $45,000 Income Income ID Detail Amount IN0001 Sponsors $75,000 IN0002 Participation fee $10,000 IN0003 Sale of tickets $20,000 IN0004 Donations $10,000 TOTAL $115, 000 Implementation The department of education is encouraged to implement the strategic plan as it is since it is feasible. The events will be conducted as indicated in the event planner table to avoid conflicts and related issues. Any particular issue that can arise can be factored in with consultations with the key stakeholders in the affected event (Allen at al., 2012). Evaluation and adjustment Measuring the effectiveness of messages, media, and outcomes The message that is expected from the sponsors and the banks is to encourage students to participate in co-curricular activities such as athletics and sports such basketball and football. The primary objective achieved in the event is that through provisions of sponsorship deals students will be inspired to join sports. The media coverage is mainly meant to encourage other members of the public and especially Western Australia region of the importance of athletics and sports in public schools. One of the crucial outcomes of this strategy is that the participating students will be in a better position to enhance their health and fitness. As well, recognition of various talents in different sports and athletic activities will be achieved (Masterman & Wood, 2006). Ethical considerations These events play a vital role in enhancing ethical issues in WA public schools and all the involved stakeholders. One of the crucial ethical issues that are improved is respect for the disable children. By identifying and awarding their talents, this is one way of respecting them despite their situations (Damster & Tassiopoulos, 2005). In addition to the above, integrity, fairness, accountability and transparency, and commitment to the goals of the event are among the essential values that must be ensured. References Allen, J., O'toole, W., Harris, R., & McDonnell, I. (2012). Festival and Special Event Management, Google eBook. John Wiley & Sons. Coutts, A. J., & Duffield, R. (2010). Validity and reliability of GPS devices for measuring movement demands of team sports. Journal of science and Medicine sport, 13 (1), 133-135. Damster, G., & Tassiopoulos, D. (2005). Event management: A professional and developmental approach. Juta and Company ltd. Emery, P. R. (2008). Bidding to host a major sports event: The local organizing committee perspective. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 15(4), 316-335. Gursoy, D., Kim, K., & Uysal, M. (2004). Perceived impacts of festivals and special events by organizers: an extension and validation. Tourism management, 25(2), 171-181. Masterman, G., & Wood, E. H. (2006). Innovative marketing communications: Strategies for the events industry. Oxford, Elservier Butterworth-Heinemann. Read More