Events and Entertainment Planning and Project Management

Question: Discuss about the Events and Entertainment Planning and Project Management . Answer: Introduction: Event management is defined as that domain of management that utilizes project management concepts, tools and techniques so as to plan and materialize large scale events like that of formal parties, convocation, festival, conferences and so on and so forth (Rojek, 2014). The students of the University of Plymouth have arranged for an event, with the aim of raising funds that would be donated to one of the most renowned NGOs of the United Kingdom, the WDC or the Whales and Dolphin Conservation. The details of this event have been provided in the report. The event: the entertainment aspects of it The students of the University of Plymouth (in cooperation of the administrative authorities of the organization) have decided to conduct the Save the Dolphins Weekend at the University premises. The said festival would include the following events for the students of the institute, the alumni and their families: Stage Performances: Performances confirmed so far: AQ Flying Orchestra, Beat Breakers, Blue Spots, Co Op Big Band, Fanfara,Haunt the Woods, Kouatchou, Reggasjas, RSVP, The Turbans and Yaaba Funk. Traditional Thai dance performances presented by the Plymouth Thai Association iii. Traditional Indian dance performances presented by the Plymouth Indian Association Performances by the song writer-singer students of the Plymouth University The Plymouth Film Program: a screening of short movies developed by the students of the Plymouth University. Workshops Zumba lessons by the students of the Plymouth University Salsa lessons by the students of the Plymouth University (Turner, 2016). iii.Spanish Guitar lessons by the students of the Plymouth University Activities for the alumni and their families Campus tours for the alumni and their family members. Reunion for the alumni iii. A harbor cruise trip Health checkups The total revenue generated from the festival would essentially be donated to the Whales and Dolphin Conservation, so as to assist them in their worldwide activities. Background of the event: The scope of the project The scope of the project includes the following: Making arrangements for all the performances, activities, workshops and programs that have been mentioned in section 2 of the report. Develop and conduct the programs in a manner that creates awareness regarding the conservation of dolphins and whales among the audience. Making lodging arrangements for the alumni and the other spectators who visit the University during the festival. The objectives of the project The project being described in this report has the following objectives: To organize and conduct a festival that would entertain the spectators. To create awareness among the spectators regarding the need for conserving the underwater ecosystem and the activities being conducted by the Whales and Dolphin Conservation. iii. To raise significant amount of funds that would be contributed to the WDC. Budget for the Project The budgetary estimation of the project is being provided below: Table 1: The budgetary estimation of the project Activity Cost Payments to be made for the stage performances $ 200,000.00 Making arrangements for the dance performances $ 100.00 Making arrangements for the performances by the students of the University $ 100.00 Making arrangements for 'The Plymouth Film Program' $ 5,000.00 Making arrangements for the workshops to be conducted by the students of Plymouth University $ 500.00 Campus tours for the alumni and their family members $ 100.00 Reunion for the alumni $ 5,000.00 Harbor cruise trip $ 10,000.00 Making arrangements for the Health checkups $ 500.00 Venue $ - Designing and constructing the stage $ 3,000.00 Power consumption $ 12,000.00 Accommodation for spectators $ 5,000.00 Promotional activities $ 1,000.00 Permission from local authorities $ 150.00 Permission from law and order departments $ 150.00 Making arrangements for evacuation facilities in case of any emergency $ 1,000.00 Making arrangements for emergency healthcare facilities $ 500.00 Making arrangements for fire prevention $ 1,200.00 Miscellaneous costs $ 10,000.00 Estimated Budget: $ 255,300.00 (Source: Developed by author) The target audience for the event The target audience for the event can be divided into the following classes: The students enrolled to the Plymouth University: The under-graduate and post-graduate students, along with the research scholars who are currently enrolled to the Plymouth University are being considered as the primary target audience of the festival ((Turner, 2016). The alumni of the Plymouth University: The alumni of the Plymouth University (as well as the members of their families) are expected to participate in the festival. The faculties and administrative personnel associated with the Plymouth University are also expected to be presented at the festival along with their families (Kerzner, 2013). Project Management tools and techniques In the following sections of the report, discussions have been made on the schedule of the entire project, along with the expected outcomes and deliverables of the project. The schedule of the project The schedule of the project has been provided in the table below: Table 2: The schedule of the project Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors Save the Dolphins Weekend Project 43 days Fri 20-05-16 Tue 19-07-16 Project starts 0 days Fri 20-05-16 Fri 20-05-16 Stage 1: The Planning stage 18 days Fri 20-05-16 Tue 14-06-16 Developing student committees who would oversee the entire project 5 days Fri 20-05-16 Thu 26-05-16 1 Developing an initial plan for the entire event 5 days Fri 27-05-16 Thu 02-06-16 3 Allocating responsibilities to the members of the festival committees 2 days Fri 03-06-16 Mon 06-06-16 4 Developing the project schedule 3 days Tue 07-06-16 Thu 09-06-16 5 Developing the budget 3 days Tue 07-06-16 Thu 09-06-16 5 Communicating with sponsors 2 days Fri 10-06-16 Mon 13-06-16 7 Collecting funds from sponsors 1 day Tue 14-06-16 Tue 14-06-16 8 Collecting permissions from all government authorities 2 days Tue 07-06-16 Wed 08-06-16 5 End of planning stage 0 days Tue 14-06-16 Tue 14-06-16 6,9,10 Stage 2: Making arrangements 22 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 14-07-16 Making arrangements for the stage performances 17 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 07-07-16 Developing a list of performers who the project team can approach 5 days Wed 15-06-16 Tue 21-06-16 11 Communicating with the performers 5 days Wed 22-06-16 Tue 28-06-16 14 Collecting quotations from the performers 2 days Wed 29-06-16 Thu 30-06-16 15 Negotiating with the performers 2 days Fri 01-07-16 Mon 04-07-16 16 Booking the performers 3 days Tue 05-07-16 Thu 07-07-16 17 Communicating with the Plymouth Thai Association 2 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 16-06-16 11 Finalizing the performances to be made by the Plymouth Thai Association 1 day Fri 17-06-16 Fri 17-06-16 19 Performances by the Plymouth Thai Association finalized 0 days Fri 17-06-16 Fri 17-06-16 20 Communicating with the Plymouth Indian Association 2 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 16-06-16 11 Finalizing the performances to be made by the Plymouth Indian Association 1 day Fri 17-06-16 Fri 17-06-16 22 Performances by the Plymouth Indian Association finalized 0 days Fri 17-06-16 Fri 17-06-16 23 All stage performances finalized 0 days Thu 07-07-16 Thu 07-07-16 18,24,21 Making arrangements for the workshops 7 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 Selecting student committees for conducting and overlooking the Zumba lessons 7 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 11 Selecting student committees for conducting and overlooking the Salsa lessons 7 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 11 Selecting student committees for conducting and overlooking the Spanish Guitar lessons 7 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 11 Arrangements for the workshops co completed 0 days Thu 23-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 27,28,29 Making arrangements for the alumni activities 17 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 07-07-16 Selecting student committees who would participate in the campus tours 7 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 11 Training the students who would provide campus tours to the alumni and their family members 10 days Fri 24-06-16 Thu 07-07-16 32 Communicating with healthcare institutes for providing healthcare facilities to the alumni 5 days Wed 15-06-16 Tue 21-06-16 11 Finalizing the healthcare facilities that would be provided to the alumni 5 days Wed 22-06-16 Tue 28-06-16 34 Booking the cruise trip 3 days Wed 15-06-16 Fri 17-06-16 11 Booking the said healthcare facilities 2 days Wed 29-06-16 Thu 30-06-16 35 Arrangements for the alumni activities completed 0 days Thu 07-07-16 Thu 07-07-16 33,36,37 Making arrangements for fire prevention 5 days Fri 08-07-16 Thu 14-07-16 38 Making arrangements for emergency medical services 5 days Fri 08-07-16 Thu 14-07-16 38 Making arrangements for security 5 days Fri 08-07-16 Thu 14-07-16 38 All arrangements completed 0 days Thu 14-07-16 Thu 14-07-16 25,30,38,39,40,41 Stage 3: The event 3 days Fri 15-07-16 Tue 19-07-16 The event 3 days Fri 15-07-16 Tue 19-07-16 42 Event completed successfully 0 days Tue 19-07-16 Tue 19-07-16 44 End of project 0 days Tue 19-07-16 Tue 19-07-16 45 (Source: Developed by author) The figure below depicts the Gantt chart of the project. Figure 1: The Gantt chart of the project (Source: Developed by author) The outcomes of the project The following outcomes are being expected from the project: The successful conduction of the Save the Dolphins Weekend Festival. Awareness regarding the conservation of the underwater ecosystem (Kerzner, 2013). Significant amount of funds for supporting the activities of Whale and Dolphin Conservation. The deliverable of the project The deliverables of the project are: All project reports including the budget and schedule estimations, the contracts being made with the performers, the permissions granted by the government authorities, the expenses being made, etc (Hill, 2013). The progress reports of the project, submitted on a weekly basis. The final events to be held on 15th, 18th and 19th of July, 2016. Project Team Management and Structure The structure of the project management team has been depicted in the figure below: Figure 2: The structure of the project team (Source: Developed by author) Project Communication and Stakeholder management The following section of the report emphasizes on the stakeholders associated with the project and the methods that would be utilized for communicating with them as and when the project commences. The stakeholders of the project The stakeholders associated with the project under consideration have been enlisted below: The administrative authorities of the University of Plymouth: The event in consideration is not only being supported by the administrative authorities of the University, but the said authorities are making active participations in making arrangements for the festival (Hill, 2013). The festival committee: The festival committee (consisting of students and faculty members of the University) are responsible for making all the arrangements necessary for conducting the festival. The sponsors of the festival: The sponsors of the project are facilitating the financial activities of the project. Thus, the sponsors are being considered as one of the primary stakeholders of the project (Crawford, 2014). The target audience of the festival: The students presently studying at the University of Plymouth, the faculty members of the University and the alumni ( along with their family member) are being considered as the target audience, as well as one of the key stakeholders of the festival. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation: The Whale and Dolphin Conservation or the WDC would be highly benefitted from the festival (the revenue generated from the festival would be donated to this very organization) and thus should be considered as one of the stakeholders of the project (Heldman, 2013). The performers: The success of the entire festival depends on the performances of the performers, thus the performers are being included in the list of stakeholders of the project under consideration. The stakeholder analysis matrix of the project under consideration is being provided below: Table 3: The stakeholder matrix of the project Importance of stakeholder Un-known Little or no importance Some importance Significant importance Influence of stakeholder Significant importance The sponsors of the festival i. The administrative authorities of the University of Plymouth ii. The festival committee Some importance Little or no importance Whale and Dolphin Conservation i. The target audience of the festival ii. The performers Un-known (Source: Developed by author) Communication with the stakeholders The following table depicts the methods to be utilized for communicating with the stakeholders of the project: Table 4: The communication management plan Sl. No Stakeholder Information to be communicated Mode of communication Frequency of communication 1 The sponsors of the festival 1. The budgetary requirements of the project. 2. The utilization of the budgetary resources of the project 1. Official Mails 2. Presentations Once in a fortnight 2 The administrative authorities of the University of Plymouth The progress made by the festival committee 1. Official Mails 2. Presentations Once in a week 3 The festival committee Any changes deemed necessary by the administrative authorities of the University of Plymouth or the other stakeholders of the project. 1. Official Mails 2. Official meetings As and when required 5 Whale and Dolphin Conservation The outcomes of the project 1. Official Mails 2. Official meetings 3. Presentations After the project ends 6 The target audience of the festival The list of events of the festival 1. Official Mails 2. Other promotional activities After the activities have been finalized, up till the event starts 7 The performers Any changes deemed necessary by the administrative authorities of the University of Plymouth or the other stakeholders of the project. 1. Official Mails 2. Official meetings As and when required (Source: Developed by author) The Risk Management Plan of the project The following risks, associated with the project, have been identified: Table 5: The Risk Management Plan of the project Sl. No Risk description Management Plan 1 Enough funds might not be available from the sponsors. The organizers should reconsider their budgetary requirements 2 One or more performers might not be present ( or be late) at the performance The organizations must develop backup plans for such scenarios 3 The task of gaining permissions from the government authorities might be time consuming Enough time must be allotted for this task while scheduling the project. (Source: Developed by author) The evaluation and control of the project The following techniques would be utilized for evaluating and controlling the project under consideration: Project control: Tools like Tracking Gantt charts, control charts and baseline Gantt charts help in comparing the progress made by the project (on a particular date) with the expected progress of the of project on that particular date, which in turn can be used for controlling the project (Heagney, 2012). Project evaluation: The earned value analysis method is widely utilized for evaluating the progress made by the project (terms of completion of activities and utilization of budgetary resources) and would be utilize while evaluating this project (Kerzner, 2013). Conclusion: The entertainment aspects of the Save the Dolphins Weekend, along with its aims and objectives have been discussed in section 2 and 3 of the report, while an estimation of the budget required for conducting the event has been provided in section 4. The other aspects of the project, like that of the structure of the project team, the tools and techniques being utilize for managing the resources, the project communication and risk management plans and the control techniques to be utilized by the project manager has also been discussed in the report. 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