REPORT ON UK TOUR PREPARATION

Introduction

Planning a tour event that is intended on capturing audiences from different age groups and with varying tastes can be a demanding task; this because care must be given to accommodate all the intricate matters of event planning while at the same time leaving room for the generation of income from some of these activities. The latter report will be a detailed description of a UK tour that will entail visits to three cities in the United Kingdom. A specific account of the artists that will participate in the event and potential areas of income generation will also be given.

The UK locations chosen for the tour
Since London is considered as a heart to the United Kingdom, then this would be a suitable place to host the event. Part of the reason for this choice is that the people of London are regarded as some of the most financially prosperous groups in the UK. Consequently, there is a chance that the tickets sold for the event will receive a good response from residents in London because they are able to purchase them. (Government of UK, 2008)

London was also an ideal estimation for this tour owing to the fact that the area normally receives a lot of media attention. Consequently, people are always on the look out for the latest happenings within their City and chances are that they will be interested in knowing about the goings on in this particular area. Besides the latter issue, there are numerous visitors who come to London on a daily basis. Statistics show that while London may have only ten thousand residents, there are about three hundred and forty professionals who are located in this area. Consequently, it can be asserted that there is a wide base of potential attendees who might come for the show.

London was also an ideal location for the event because its infrastructural facilitates are adequate enough to host an event of such great magnitude. Because some of the performing artists will be coming from non European Union countries, then this event will be international in nature and the crowds drawn for that event may very large. Consequently, there should be good transport facilities that can cater to these large numbers. Additionally, there should be locations that can accommodate them. London has one of the busiest transport systems in the United Kingdom especially during peak hours when professionals have to move from location to location while at work or when getting to work. Therefore, very few arrangements related to the transportation costs will have to be made. Additionally because there are numerous events and tours that go on London, then it will be quite convenient to select the most suitable location. (Government of UK, 2008)

The next location chosen for the tour is Edinburgh. Edinburgh is on record as being the second most visited tourist location within the United Kingdom. Because this City is the Capital of Scotland, then it will be able to draw participants for the event from a wide geographical base. On top of this, census show that there are about our hundred and forty eight thousand residents in this area. This means that there will be a huge consumer base to choose from for this particular event. On top of the latter issue, Edinburgh usually has almost double its number of people owing to the annual Edinburgh festival. Consequently, most of them tend to accommodate large numbers of people who can contribute towards the event positively.

The people of Edinburgh are also known for their nightlife. Consequently, most of them are likely to turn up for the event in large numbers because they are always on the look out for new happenings. This tour will be further aided by the fortnightly publication in Edinburgh known as “The List”. Consequently, the festivals that take part in this City will streamline the way for success of the event. (Campbell, 2003)

The last location chosen for this particular event is the City of Newcastle Tyne. The latter City was ranked as one of the most favourite places to visit within the United Kingdom and the European Union at large. This is because of the history associated with the place and also the numerous changes that have taken place in this area. Additionally, Newcastle boasts of having a vibrant nightlife with numerous world class restaurants and sufficient bars. Because of these attractions, then the City of Newcastle would possess adequate infrastructure to support high numbers of visitors. This also implies that it is likely that an event would highly succeed in this area. (Moffat & Rosie, 2005)

Account of the artists chosen for the event
There are six world renowned artists that will participate in this event and they include
• Elton John
• Nora Jones
• Stevie Wonder
• Blondie
• The Eagles
• Pink Floyd

The latter artists were chosen on the basis of their popularity among various age groups. This is because most of them have international appeal and have been in the music business for many years.

Stevie Wonder was chosen for this particular event because he is from outside the EU and is also one of the most successful artists of the latter twentieth century. (Rolling Stone Encyclopedia, 2008) He boasts of twenty two Grammy awards. Additionally, he has released approximately thirty top ten hits both within the UK and the International arena. Consequently, it can be said that most people within the event will be able to relate to his performance and that there will be a huge turnout for the event. Stevie Wonder has also been inducted into the Rock and roll hall of fame and has also been responsible for a wide range of charitable events. In light of these matters, it is also likely that he would be interested in participating in such an event. On top of these, Stevie Wonder would draw huge crowds thanks to his multi-instrumentalist capabilities. The latter musician can play the piano, harmonica, organ, clavinet and many others.

Elton John was also chosen for this event because he was one of the most dominant faces in the Rock and roll industry during the last century and this century too. Consequently, he will be able to appeal to a wide audience range because of the fact that he was well known as far back as the nineteen seventies. This means that forty year olds can relate to him. However, this does not mean that other members from other age groups will be left out. In fact, the latter artist has been responsible for a number of new releases over the past few years. Besides this, it is also likely that Elton John will agree to participate in the event because he has been involved a lot of charitable events. For instance, the latter artist was knighted in the year 1998 because of the work which he had done with regard to AIDS. It is therefore likely that he will respond positively to an invitation to this event. (Rosenthal, 2001)

The Eagles were also chosen for this particular event because they have been highly successful in the latter industry. The latter group are internationally based with their headquarters in Californian US. However, because of their success in the United Kingdom, it is likely that they may do well in this event. Additionally, the latter artist appeals to a wide range of audiences since they produced hits during the seventies and eventually in this decade with an album known as the Long Road out of Eden. Consequently, this group is likely to draw the interests of both the old and new generation of audiences. (Rolling Stone, 2004)

Norah Jones will also be another artist that will grace this event. This artist will be designed to appeal to the younger audiences owing to the fact that her genre of music is largely pop with some hints of soul. The latter artist was a Grammy award winning singer in the year 2004 and this occurred a mere two years after the release of her first album in the year 2002. Norah Jones has been called one of the most successful artists within this decade because of thirty six million records worth of sales this year. Consequently, such an artist would draw in a large crowd during the event. (Piccollo, 2003)

Blondie has also been chosen for this tour because they have been in the rock scene over forty years. Consequently, it can be said that they have different elements of both the old and the new elements. It should also be noted that their fusion of music entails a little bit of pop, disco, reggae and new wave. This means that people with varied tastes can understand their music and relate to it as well. (Tucker, 2007)

Lastly, Pink Floyd will also participate in this event. They were chosen because of the fact that they provide very elaborate live shows. Since they have sold close to two hundred and ten million albums, then they are likely to offer a wide spectrum of choices for the attendees of this charitable event. Additionally, because their roots are within the UK, then chances are that they will generate a lot of responses from within. They will represent some of the national interests in this nation. (Mason, 2004)

Time line for project planning
The first step in the project planning phase is the development of a strategy that will ensure success in the project. This can be achieved through the process of clarifying the purpose of the event. If the latter matter is carefully taken into consideration, then chances are that the event will do well. In other words, before the deployment of time and money for this event, there is a need to ensure that the strategic direction being pursued is solid enough to demand this publicity. In this case, the event’s purpose is to raise funds and awareness for human rights charities. In other words, it can be said that there is a humanitarian aspect to the event and there is also a business aspect of it. (Fritz, 2008)

In this process of strategising, there will be a need to look into the type of event chosen and the purpose of the event so as to ascertain that two issues match. The reason why this is an important aspect is that it will largely determine the kind of audience to be reached. In certain circumstances, one may be interested in reaching other members that have never been reached before or one may be interested in reconnecting with prior people. However, for this particular case, it is assumed that an event of this nature has never been conducted so there is a need to reach new audiences. It is essential to make sure that all the people involved in this event fully understand it and members of the committee to be involved in the event planning process have been placed in thorough perspective. (Fritz, 2008)

It should also be noted that in order to ensure this success, then the committee selected for the planning process must be broadly representative of all the interests in the tour. This means that specialists in different spheres such as budgeting, music, refreshments and drinks, ticket sales, security etc will all have to be involved in the process.

The project will also entail a detailed outline of some specialist interest groups within the event. This means that there will be a detailed demographic account of the categories of people who are likely to attend the event. Consequently, special attention will be given to these interest groups because they may have a stake in it. For instance, humanitarian organisations, business leaders and other groups that have been engaging in similar causes are likely to take precedence during marketing for this particular tour.

The planning process needs to be done in such a manner that everything should be taken into account. Consequently, the latter project should be implemented in a period of not less than one year from its commencement. This means that duties and responsibilities will be spread evenly between these particular time frames. Besides that, there will be certain objectives that will be developed in order to ascertain that all issues are implemented properly. Some of them include
• Attendance of the event
• Number of tickets sold
• Amount of money raised
• Number of vendors that will have sold out
• Etc


In line with the latter matter is the issue of consultation. There will be a need to discuss with other experts who may have held an event of such magnitude about the intricacies involved. These experts need to emanate from the specific locations chosen for the event so that there is a local feel that is added into the event planning process. (Fritz, 2008)

After performing the latter issues, it will be essential to make a check list that can be summarised in the following table

Activity Timeline
Selection of a planning committee and planning chair 2 weeks
Setting the event date and developing a master plan 2 Months
Selection of subcommittees such as traffic, security, speakers, sound controllers etc 1 month
Organisation of the volunteers for each committee and commencement of work 3 month
Publicity plan-how media will be contacted, interview and photo opportunities 3 weeks
Program and printed materials 2 weeks
Creation of schedule of event 2 weeks
Discussion and analysis of assignments 2 months
Meeting with committee members Weekly
Setting up registration tables and tour schedules 2 Months
Carrying out the event 1 day in each location
Mailing event programs to others who were unable to attend to attend the next location 2 days
Sending photos and thank you letters to special interest groups that attended 1 week
Event evaluation 1 month

Logistics are an important aspect of this event owing to the fact that the public will need to deal with certain conveniences. Here, care will be taken to ensure that many activities can continue simultaneously. For instance, there will be a consideration of the space of the buildings to accommodate the event. Additionally, things such as portable toilets, tables and chairs, parking and signage will be imperative in program success. Things such as clean ups, emergency plans, security, police and fire departments will be a crucial consideration in this process. All these logistics issues will need to be taken care of by the appointed subcommittees and budgetary needs will also have to be taken into account. (Fritz, 2008)

Publicity is also another crucial part of the event’s planning process because of the fact that failure to do so will result to low attendance and no involvement from participants consequently. The best way to ensure success in publicity is by aligning some of the objectives of the event alongside the media outlets to be chosen. In this regard, the committee needs to ask itself whether it is trying to educate, entertain, inform, raise awareness or facilitate any mode of communication between the respective groups. Consequently, there will be a need to look into all the available media outlets that can be used and then establish the most feasible one. In this case, there is the option of using newsletters, commercial radio or television stations, the internet, newspapers, posters and many others. Since the choices are varied, it would be favourable to consider a wide array of avenues rather than just one route. (Fritz, 2008)

The last aspect of event planning is evaluation. In order to ensure achievement of the objectives, it would be favourable to look into some of the objectives and gaols for the event and whether those issues were achieved. For instance, one can look at whether people attended the event well or whether the staging process owner well.

Legal requirements and obligations for sourcing and contracting artists
Since the artist chosen for the event will be a celebrated and well known artist, then most of them may be very difficult to source. This is because most of them may have to attend a wide range of events at any one time. The best way to go about this issue is to contact their respective event managers. In so doing, the latter groups will need to be convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the event is a real humanitarian issue and that other equally important artists will be attending. Besides this, budgetary considerations will have to consider the costs of these artists because most of them may require exorbitant amounts to perform. (Fritz, 2008)

After a consensus has been reached by these respective groups, it will be essential to ensure that there is a contract to bind both parties involved. Here, the contracts will include the payment conditions, the issues that might arise in case of any eventualities. Usually, there is a need to include other matters such as provision of materials, evaluation, insurance, cancellation policies, payment schedules, responsibilities, performance space dimensions and other practical matters.

Potential areas of income generation
It should be noted that an event of such magnitude is likely to generate a lot of income. First of all, there will be a need for the participants to purchase tickets prior to entry into the event. This will be the main source of revenue. Additionally, people will need to eat and drink and the latter vendors will also be an important revenue source. Aside from that, it is likely that people will be interested in taking photographs; consequently, the latter professionals will be in big business. On top of these, there may be a need to sell some souvenirs that are related to the event’s cause and also to the performing artists such as t-shirts and bracelets.

Conclusion
Event planning can be a relatively successful issue if planned in a careful and suitable manner. Consequently, one must go out of their way to ensure that they have checked on the intimate details. However, in order to ensure success, it would be imperative to ascertain that there is sound teamwork between event planners and adherence to team objectives.

References

Mason, N. (2004): Inside out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, London, Orion Books
Rosenthal, E. (2001): The Musical Journey of Elton John, Billboard Books
Rolling Stone (2004): The Immortals –the first fifty; Wenner Publishing
Piccollo, B. (2003): Norah Jones; Glide Magazine, 28th May
Tucker, K. (2007): Blondie album review; Undercover media
Rolling Stone Encyclopedia (2008): Stevie Wonder –Biography, retrieved form http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/steviewonder/ accessed on 10 January 2008
Fritz, J. (2008): How to make the most of your special events; Grassroots fundraising Journal
Governmnet of UK (2008): London – Key facts, retrieved from http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/
Campbell, D. (2003): Edinburgh – a cultural and literary history; Signal Books
Moffat, A. & Rosie, G. (2005): A history of Newcastle; Mainstream Publishing


The author of this article is a holder of Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard University and currently pursing PhD Program. He is also a professional academic writer. ResearchPapers247.Com>