A Project to Organize a Student Party - Essay Example

Project Reflective Report PROJECT REFLECTIVE REPORT Introduction This paper seeks to provide a reflection report about a project to organize a student party in September of this year. The long-term aim of the project is aimed at developing an events company in England’s Northeast. As part of this project, my roles included the design of posters, a logo, business cards, and print adverts. I was also involved in gathering information on how the art party, organization process could aid in expanding into a future events company. This involved a SWOT analysis with the rest of the group in order to discover opportunities present in the market, as well as counter weaknesses and threats facing our expansion into an events company. This reflective paper will seek to discuss our business idea, particularly how it was conceived and how the group will communicate the idea to collaborators and potential clients. The group includes Jet who is a philosopher and photographer, Nathan, a businessman with interests in art and design, and me, a producer, singer, and artist. Us being a collective with interests in arts, it was our aim to create an idea, which was reflective of our creativity and interests. Conception of the Business Idea Following extensive discussions and research about various business projects in arts, we settled on holding a paint pot party, of which the main idea revolved around, creating a party for students to come together, socialize, drink, listen to music and paint freely. In addition, the arts party would involve students from all courses in Newcastle, rather than just arts-based programs, aiming at a messy, fun, and entertaining night that would encourage creativity. The idea for this project was informed by Paint Jam London, which provides themed arts parties for an array of clients. As a group, we came together to study learn from Paint Jam London, conducting research on their business, following which we all combined our ideas. We were especially drawn to this company because it is designed to activate its client’s imagination and to inspire them. Just as we plan with our project, the company seeks to use creative free flow to open artistic techniques to all who want to produce unique artwork. From researching on Paint jam London, we also learnt about the importance corporate social responsibility, which provides a bridge that will help the business support the communities they come from. It is something that we will most certainly integrate in our future company. After collecting information about possible project ideas and being inspired by the Paint Jam London Model, we settled on creating a party in Newcastle, although the exact location is until to be decided. While, together, we plan to market this event to all Newcastle-based students, we still expect that arts-based students are the most likely to be interested. We have divided our roles and responsibilities among the three group members, including the purchase of arts supplies, hiring of a venue, booking a DJ, setting up an in-house bar, and promotion and advertising. My main role involves the latter, particularly designing posters, the logo, business cards, print adverts, and contacting the student union and the Asian students union to promote the event. We will seek to sell tickets affordably to student participants, while also seeking to sell the art products and hold a raffle competition. Since one of my roles involves providing creative ideas and entrepreneurial experience, my BA in Art and Design and my Msc in entrepreneurship will be of much help to the group. Marketing and Communications Marketing and communication were my main responsibilities within the group, of which, in collaboration with the group, I settled on creating a logo for the event, designing and distributing flyers/posters, using social media, videos on Vine and YouTube, word of mouth, emails to our collaborators, and advertisement through the student union. With regards to the logo, it will be designed in a way that explains our various ideas, while it also needs to be recognizable in a way that represents our brand and idea. In the course of collecting ideas about the logo, several important things were learnt, especially the fact that the logo must visually represent the company’s objectives and mission (Varey, 2012: p43). In coming up with the logo, research into such famous logos as Nike’s swoosh and the golden arches of McDonald were considered, after which we concluded that these logos were impressive embodiments of the companies. Ideally, we discovered that the company logo would be important in enhancing the first impression that potential clients have of the company, while it is also crucial in building loyalty, providing the enterprise with a professional look, and establishing a brand identity. Various types of logos were considered, including font based logos, abstract graphic symbols, and logos that illustrate the core business of the company (Varey, 2012: p43). However, one comment stood out during research on logos, which was that logos are meaningless if companies cannot communicate to potential clients about what the symbol’s underlying associations are (Varey, 2012: p44). In addition, I was also interested in comments about how to build this mental bridge, especially the fact that it takes money and time, especially the latter. Because our project will not have the luxury of these resources, It is important that the logo selected must clearly illustrate the project’s mission and what it stands for, which means that potential clients must tell what the company is about just by looking at the logo. Thus, it has been decided by the group that a logo illustrating what the project is all about would be best in this case. The logo will adorn posters and flyers used to market the event, especially since flyers and posters will allow the group to advertise the art event to as many students as possible. These flyers and posters will be handed out outside university buildings and will involve printed sheets with information about the event, acting as useful tools for communicating the event to our core base of clients (Belch & Belch, 2011: p52). The posters will have to be large enough for them to be noticed by our potential clients from a fair distance, while, for them to be effective, they will have to stand out and hold the attention of these clients (Belch & Belch, 2011: p54). For this reason, it has been decided that they will feature bright colors, as well as a picture reflecting an art event, to grab the attention of the clients. The flyers, on the other hand, will be generally smaller, although they will possess a little more textual content in order to get our message across to our potential clients. After research and soliciting ideas from the other team-members, it seems that it would be better to use both posters and flyers, of which the latter will be handed out near the places where the posters will be put up. When used together, the project will have more chance of holding the attention of clients (Belch & Belch, 2011: p54). Flyers and posters will be displayed where we can get permission to do so and the flyers will be used to supplement information contained in the posters. While using teamwork, it is expected that one of us will be involved in putting up the posters, while the rest will hand out flyers to those attracted to the posters. As part of the marketing and communication plan, it has also been decided that social media will be an essential tool, particularly in order to connect with students. We expect to form an event group on Facebook, on which all our friends in Newcastle will be invited and encouraged to invite their friends. We also plan to place a link to the event group on the fresher’s page on the Newcastle University website page, which will ensure that this important group is also informed. According to Robertson (2014: p44), the integration of Facebook with Android and iOS automatically synchronizes the event groups with the mobile calendar apps of the user. This will be important to ensure that over-scheduled students do not forget about the event. In addition, the group was also supportive of the Facebook idea because it allows newsfeed promotion and built-in sharing. Jet also reminded us not to forget to post additional information on the event page that we would want potential attendees to know about, which was allocated to Jet, as I would be, involved in others aspects of the project. In addition, it is also important that, in order to make the transition to future expansion of our project to a company, we had to continue tracking the shares on the event page, various comments before and after the event, likes, and invites (Robertson, 2011: p46). The idea for using video to market our event, unsurprisingly, came from Jet who believes in the power of images as a photographer. In this case, he proposed setting up a mock event to portray the party and make a video of it, which was accepted and I am now considering the creation of short videos for YouTube and Vine. This will include shots of a bar with socializing, dancing, and drinking, combined with shots of a busy art studio that will be merged at the end to create an arts party scene. In addition, information about the event will be flashed throughout the video, while the logo will also be integrated. During our discussions on what to do with the video, we learnt that it will make our pre-event advertising more engaging and interactive. Kimmel (2009: p51) states that video cannot be overlooked, especially with the increasing use of video to deliver information, recommending an approach with three steps. The first step I learnt was important, and it involves an explanation at the beginning; what the project is about, its target client-base, and why the potential clients should attend. Secondly, I also discovered the importance of using sound clips from similar events, which I expect to get from a Party Jam London event, and attach to the video. Lastly, there should also be footage of our preparations for the event. The team also agreed on the importance to provide hyper-links in the video description to other resources, such as our events page on Facebook. This will be important if the video fails to load for one reason or another (Kimmel, 2009: p51). This, according to the team, will help in ensuring that potential clients do not get frustrated and give up, which happens to all of us. Finally, my last role involves the advertisement of the event with the Newcastle University Student Union, the Asian Student Association, and place adverts in their newsletters. After much discussion, especially about how to ensure that the event was not construed as an Asian event, the team decided that the best option would be to advertise the event with both unions, especially as it would create more awareness. Nathan was especially insistent on the importance of using both associations to target fresher students, particularly since the union website and newspapers were their only source of information about campus events. Fresher week, which is planned by the student union, has also been identified as the best tie to hold the event and advertisement with the union would be the best way to get the most number of freshmen involved, as they are willing to do new things, meet new people, and have more time available. With regards to communication with collaborators, it was decided that we would approach the organization renting out space in person, which was left to Nathan who has existing contacts and experience in negotiating deals on supplies and space. It is crucial, in this aspect, to be professional in how we approach the organization and check up on the process and, for the latter; Nathan proposed the use of emails as the most professional means. The project has taught us about the various platforms for marketing and communication, as well as how to integrate these with our project idea. Working as a team, we have practiced entrepreneurial approaches to small business ventures. However, because we did not have enough time to work on the project, which impacted on our ability to realise the event fully, it is up to us to use the information gathered in the future. We have realized that a market for art events exists, especially by varying the themes. In order to expand on our idea, we also decided to create a website and business cards that we would hand out during networking. A website for the future company will be useful for various reasons, especially because it provides a cheap way to advertise once the initial start-up is completed. It has a far wider reach than conventional means of advertising and, although gaining traffic to the site will take time, it will become the centre of our online presence (Podnar & Balmer, 2010: p77). The website will also increase our visibility, especially if potential clients want to carry out online research about the company first. In addition, it can also provide directions to clients (Podnar & Balmer, 2010: p78). The website will also increase accessibility as one can access it at any time, meaning that clients will research on the company when it is convenient for them to do so, rather than having to visit our office. Finally, the website will also be of use in that it can sell products at any time, especially those created during pot painting. By including an online shop on the website, it will be possible to boost sales for souvenirs. Business cards, on the other hand, will supplement our online efforts, especially if they make an impression on potential clients to check out our website. Business cards will also allow us to connect with older clients who do not normally turn to the internet as a first choice in gaining information. A well-designed business card will also create a positive impression on potential clients, while also giving the business a professional outlook and impression (Podnar & Balmer, 2010: p88). Moreover, business cards will improve the credibility and legitimacy of our company, especially if it stands out to the clients. Conclusion Following the discussion of various ideas on the arts business project, which involved dalliance with a music magazine and art therapy, the group managed to settle unanimously on the paint pot idea. This idea would involve creating a party for students that would allow them to socialize, drink, listen to music, and express themselves freely by painting. The arts event, as decided, would be for all students at Newcastle University. As a reference point for the project, the group decided to use Paint Jam London that has a similar idea to our project, especially with regards to providing themed art parties. The arts party will be held either at Commercial House Union or at New-Bridge Project, which will provide blank art spaces. As part of the preparations, various roles were divided among the three group members; Nathan, Jet, and me. My roles involved designing a logo, posters/flyers, business cards, and print adverts. In addition, using my background in Art and Design and entrepreneurship, I was also tasked with providing more information on creating an event company in the future, especially through a SWOT analysis. Finally, I was also tasked with contacting the University Student Union and Asia Student Association to present them with details of the project. References Belch, G. & Belch, M. (2011). Advertising and promotion: an integrated marketing communications perspective. Boston, Mass, Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Kimmel, A. J. (2009). Marketing communication new approaches, technologies, and styles. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Podnar, K. & Balmer, T. (2010). Contemplating corporate marketing, identity and communication. New York, NY, Routledge. Robertson, T. S. (2014). Innovative behaviour and communication. New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Varey, R. J. (2012). Marketing communication principles and practice. London, Routledge. Read More