Donholm University Cultural Week Event Concept

Event Proposal

Discuss about the Donholm University Cultural Week Event Concept.

Date: 21^st August to 25^th August 2018

Duration: Five days

Time:

 21^st August – 23^rd August: 8 am to 6 pm

24^th August – 8 am to 10 pm

25^th August – 2 pm to 11 pm                                      

Location: Donholm University

Theme: Escape the stress of class, and enjoy the beauty of our cultural diversity

Expected Attendance: 5,000 people

Key stakeholders:

• Event principal
• Donholm University Administration Council
• The Student’s Union
• Students and University Staffs
• The organizing committee
• Standard Chartered Bank- principal sponsor

• The Ashley’s Events contractors
• Markentire consultants
• Donholm community association
• Media personnel
• The Ministry of Culture from the Local government

1. Human Resources – An organizing committee will be established, there will be the overall event manager and coordinator, the operations manager working closely with the operations coordinator, the venue coordinator, and the marketing manager.
2. Physical and technological resources- equipment such as chairs, lightings, music system including the public address system, decorations and communication media. Shuttle vans will cater for all the transport needs.
3. Financial Resources- A sum not less than $208,000 will be required for the event’s budget.

The Donholm university ball games pitch and the indoor arena have been granted by The University Administration Council.

1. Celebrate the cultural diversity of the big population of students from different backgrounds, race, and religion (Arnoldi, 2014).
2. Help the students refresh from the usual busy class work by getting momentarily distracted.

• Promote the values of peaceful coexistent between people from different denominations.

1. Showcase talents by performances from student groups, staffs or individuals.

Concept overview: Donholm university cultural week is an event that brings students and university staffs with different cultural backgrounds together for purposes of bridging the cultural diversity gap of the participants. The event aims to promote trans-regional cultural experience exchange while enhancing regional integration and provide participant groups and audiences with a platform to build on their heritage and creativity (Milner, 2009).

Internal factors

• Venue constraints – The event is organized on assumption that at no time will all the students be in the arena at the same time.
• Financial constraints – The University cannot raise the required funds and resources to hold the event on its own.
• The turn over rate for merchandise on sale at the event is considerably low.
• Too many multi-cultural participant groups may interfere with the events time program. Many participant groups may scale down the exhibition time of each group. However, improved access to information on arts and culture is enhanced through participation of many groups in this event.

• The timing of the event is few weeks to student assessment programs. This sometimes may limit the number of attendees.
• Poor weather conditions might also affect the hours for gaming activities.
• The catering service provider will have to comply with the food regulations act which involves a lot of bureaucracy.
• Media coverage – marketing the event on mainstream media before the commencement of the event may be unsustainable owing to the high cost of advertising and the financial constraints facing the realization of this event, however, talented students and staffs will be able to get exposure to the outside world from the coverage by the media during the event.

Overall event concept, theme and format

The event will be held for five continuous days as follows:

21^st August to 23^rd August – from 8 am to 6 pm

 Inter-departmental students and staffs games – These will include knock out stages of traditional sports and games (Groll, n.d).

24^th August – 8 am to 10 pm

• Grand finale of the traditional sports and games
• Rehearsals on cultural traditional songs and dances to be exhibited the last day of the event.

25^th August – 2 pm to 11 pm

• Exhibition of cultural treasures in form of foods, performances, cultural fashions and designs parades and illustrations.
• Entertainment from guest artists
• Presentation of awards to victors of different competition categories.
• Speeches – welcome note from the event principal
• Airplay for the event principal sponsor
• A vote of thanks from the student union leadership.
• Closure of the event

The traditional games and sports will help the participants bond, strengthen cultural ties and educate them on their identities (Newritings, 2009). The exhibitions will be made before a panel of judges from Markentire consultants. Digital modern fashion illustrators and cultural costume displays will be performed before the judges (Wu, 2013). Victors from all categories will be announced during the presentation of awards.

 The theme of the event will be Escape the stress of class, and enjoy the beauty of our cultural diversity. This will raise the psych and moral of the students and prepare them for the activities in the event. The decorations at the arena will predominantly feature a mixture of different cultural landmarks of the participating groups and banners designed by the standard chartered bank.

 The fashion models will be dressed in traditional cultural attires while making presentations. At the field where games will be taking place, the spectators’ gallery will be decorated by the standard chartered bank. Spectators of the games will be required to arrive before the start of the game and take seats at the spectator stands. Also on the last day at the indoor arena, all participants will be required to arrive before 2 pm when the event is scheduled to kick start, take their seats in readiness for the event. A customer care desk will be provided at the ball games pitch to respond to issues from potential and existing bank customers. That way, they will be able to advertise their products and policies.

Key Stakeholders

The event will use all the indoor arena space and the university ball games pitch. A performance stage will be mounted at the front center of the arena. The chairs to be used by the audience will be arranged while facing the right end where the stage will be mounted. Adjacent to the performance stage at the right side will be a table and chairs for the judges. The public address system will be placed at the left side of the stage with speakers scattered across the arena.

On the walls and the entry points of the arena, banners conveying messages from different cultural groups and the theme of the event will be mounted. Behind the stage, there will be a dressing and changing section, decorated curtains will be used to separate the stage and the dressing section. Food will be prepared by Ashley’s events caterers and served for lunch meals only expect for the last day where dinner will be served in exception of the lunch meal.

Some microphones will be placed strategically at the performance stage and some at the table where the judges will be seated. A public address system will be provided and the speakers positioned at every corner of the indoor arena. For purposes of exhibitions requiring visual presentations, a laptop and projector will be synchronized with the sound system. The lighting on the stage and all decorations will be carefully done by Ashley’s consultants in strict conformity and adherence to the theme of the event. Transportation of hired equipment will be through hired shuttle van services. An emergency team will camp outside the arena ready to offer first aid services to participants in case of an injury.

Markentire consultants will provide the panel of judges to oversee the exhibitions. Ashley’s consultants will be consulted regarding the food to be prepared for guests, the right decoration and lighting for the event, transportation means and the emergency services. MOH sounds Entertainment Company will be involved in making sure that the sound system, the visuals, a DJ and performing artists are available for the event.

The following table provides an insight to the budgetary requirements for the event:

Expenses	Rm ($)
Operational Expenses
Security and emergencies	4,000
Decoration	1,000
Maintenance and cleaning	500
Equipment Hire	2,300
Entertainment	1,000
Services Expenses
Awards	100,000
Banners	1,000
Catering services	50,000
Miscellaneous	1,000
Sub Total	160,800
Income
Standard Chartered Bank (principal sponsor)	100,000
Student Union welfare	20,000
Local government grant (Ministry of Culture)	8,000
Participant groups Registration	20,000
Merchandise Sale	10,000
University indoor arena & field grant	50,000
Sub Total	208,000
Net Surplus	47,200
Administration Costs
Wages	20,000
Transportation costs	900

Litter bins will be provided across the arena. Reusable plates and cups will be used to serve attendees

 The following risk management issues will be considered:

1. An emergency team to cover for fire outbreaks and health issues such as injuries will be provided outside the arena. Part of the emergency team will also be deployed at the university field where outdoor games will be taking place.
2. The emergency team will be sourced from the Red Cross. This will reduce the cost of operation as Red cross offers services for free.
3. The attendee’s safety will also be covered by a public liability insurance cover.
4. Products or services sourced from outside will be paid for upon delivery.
5. A miscellaneous budget will be put in place just in case an unforeseen liability crops up within the course of the event.

The university student and staff insurance policy will step in the place of the public liability insurance requirement. Ashley’s Events contractors will provide security guards and transport shuttle vans to be used to cater for all event transport needs.

Resources Required

The budgetary allocations are strictly on the activities highlighted and timeframe. Any delays occasioned by whatsoever factors not factored in this concept will render the whole event untenable. Change in weather conditions will require relocation of activities taking place at the ball games pitch.

Contemporary methods used to generate and explore this event idea

Brainstorming sessions

1. One on one discussion between the organizing committee, the key stake holders and the event principal was used to generate new ideas.

• Use of break thought patterns (Mind tools, 2011).
• Lack of sufficient funds – this was an impediment towards the success of the cultural event. Coming up with ways to solicit funds through the sale of merchandise and participant groups registration solved this problem.
• Reverse psychology thinking – Thinking of a possible failure on one aspect of the event lead to putting into place alternative measures. For example an anticipated failure by the catering team led to the idea of incorporating cultural foods as an item for presentation.

Research by the event principal

• Review of the most recent cultural events at other universities and the prevailing trends.
• Watching movies involving university events added ideas on the type of activities to include in the event.
• Consulting specialists involved in the event at the planning stage.

Understanding the cultural backgrounds of participants was a key ingredient in the process of drafting the list of activities to involve in the event concept. Traditional games and sports is one case example generated through subculture research (Kara, 2015).

Concept scrapbook

Implementation plan for the event concept

1^st May to 30^th May:

An organizing committee will be established and roles assigned to each member of the committee from event coordination to operational management and marketing. In collaboration with key stakeholders, the event manager and the event coordinator will meet and come up with the event timelines, date of the event and the event components. Each category of management will form a subcommittee which shall assume responsibility for the respective area of jurisdiction. The organizing committee will draft and formulate an event proposal with a budget enclosed in it and submit two copies to Donholm University Council and the Student union. A written request for funding will then be written and submitted to potential sponsors. The organizing committee will conduct meetings after every two weeks to fast track the progress and respond to emerging issues (Consumers River College, 2014).                    

 1^st July to 31^st July:

The event manager will send written contracts to contracted event service providers. Requisition for supplies will be made. The marketing manager will be provided with the requisite information to commence marketing of the event prior and during the event.

Formal event venue will be requested for by making a written application to the University Administration Council and reserved once granted. Permission to hang banners and set up spaces within the venue will be sought through the maintenance program. AV equipment will be requested from Donholm media house through a written application letter.

Human resources required to actualize the event other than the organizing committee will be recruited. A stipend will be offered to those recruited to provide casual workmanship at the end of the event. Students and Donholm community members wishing to sell items with cultural significance during the event must obtain a permit from the organizing committee through the event manager. The marketing manager will obtain permission from the university council to hang banners at the university entry and exit points, and post posters at all university bulletin boards and glass windows (Consumers River College, 2014).

Objectives

All the suppliers will be paid for the supplied goods or services two days (27^th August) after the event comes to an end through direct bank transfers. Casual manpower providers will receive their stipend in form of cash on 27^th of August.

Pre-meeting and post-meeting evaluations will be conducted to get the attendees feedback about how they expect the event to be and how it was respectively.

Event concept evaluation aims to find faults and strengths in the event concept generation and implementation of the actual concept (Walker, 2016). In our event concept review and evaluation, three tools will be used:

1. Post-event participants feedback – a post-event survey will be administered to a sample of attendees with an aim of finding out what they feel about highlighted areas of the event. Hard copies of a post-event survey will be issued to participants at the end of the event. Questions on the survey will have lead answers. An incentive in form of gifts will be offered to participants of this survey (McConnell, 2011).
2. A meeting with organizing committee members to find out what went right and what went wrong from each person’s assigned category will help diagnose possible failures and identify the success points to build on. This meeting should be held one or two weeks after the end date of the event.

• Pre-meeting evaluation – drafting a set of questions in form of a template and dispatching it to projected attendees. These questions will include participant expectations as they look forward to attending the event and from what channel of communication they heard about the event. Later after the event, the participant anticipations ahead of the meeting will be reviewed in contrast to the processes involved in the event concept (Taylor, 2016).

1. Comparing and contrasting the aspects of the event and the organizer’s mission and values. This will help in evaluating whether the event processes met the needs of the customers while at the same time conforming to the organization’s mission. Milestones in the event concept will be used to detect increment or decrement in progress.
2. SWOT analysis – identify the strengths associated with specific organizers’ attributes on an event that gives the organization an upper hand when it comes to sales. Exploring the process weaknesses such as the ability to retain a high number of attendees from consecutive events, turn over rate for merchandise on sale during the event and ways to improve this. Tapping on new technologies will create new opportunities to help improve event planning and implementation. Threats posed by cuttings and budget ceilings from sponsors will be evaluated based on previous similar events experience.
3. Actualizing the idea into a plan – here, the available technology and team able to deliver the organizations goal will be considered. The marketing strategies, budgetary allocations and human and physical resources available will be reviewed (Engberg et al, 2009).

References

Arnoldi, M. (2014). Cultural Patrimony and Heritage Management in Mali: The Old Towns of Djenné and the Sanké Mon Festival. Africa Today, 61(1), 47-67. doi:10.2979/africatoday.61.1.47

Consumers River College. (2014). Cultural Event Chairs Handbook. Retrieved May 11, 2018, from cultural event planning: https://www.crc.losrios.edu>files>cce

 Engberg, J., Castle, N., Hunter, S., Steighner, L., & Maggio, E. (2009). Implementation Analyses.In National Evaluation of the Demonstration to Improve the Recruitment and Retention of the Direct Service Community Workforce (pp. 7-50). RAND Corporation. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7249/tr699cms.10

Groll, M., Bronikowska, M., & Savola, J. (n.d.). Tafisa Recall . Retrieved May 9, 2018, from Cultural aspects of Traditional Sports and Games.pdf: https://recallgames.com/pdfs/Cultural_Aspects_of_Traditional_Sports_and_Games.pdf

Kara, H. (2015). Creative Research Methods in Practice. In creative research methods in social sciences: A Practical Guide, (pp 19-34). Bristol: Policy Press at the University of Bristol. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1t88xn4.8

McConnell, J. (2011). Evaluation. In Auditing Your Human Resources Department: A step-by-step Guide to Assessing the Key Areas of Your Program (pp.  99-208). New York; Atlanta; Brussels; Chicago; Mexico City; San Francisco; Shanghai; Tokyo; Toronto; Washington, D.C.: AMACOM Division  of American Management Association International. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.or/stable/j.ctt1d2qzqf.11

 Milner, S. (2009). Cultural Identities and the European City. In Demossier M. (Ed.), The European Puzzle: The Political Structuring of Cultural Identities at a Time of Transition (pp. 183-206). New York; Oxford: Berghahn Books. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qd8r5.16

Mind tools. (2011). Generating new ideas. Retrieved 5 10, 2018, from Rebuilding morale: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/morale.html

 Taylor,J. (2016). A Survival Guide for Project Managers . New York; Atlanta;Brussels; Chicago;Mexico City;San Francisco; Shanghai; Tokyo; Toronto; Washington, D.C.: AMACOM Divison of American Management Association International. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1d2dq47

Walker, M. (2016). Eventbrite. Retrieved May 11, 2018, from your complete guide to the event evaluation process: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/blog/event-evaluation

Wu, D. (2013, April 30). Rede?ning the High Art of Couture: Fashion Illustration Goes Modern . Retrieved May 9, 2018, from DQ Final Presentation Pdf: https://www.nrm.org/pdfs/MICA/DQ_final_presentation.pdf