…1. CLIENT INTRODUCTION
A case study of Sheffield united football club was selected as a client and will be demonstrated in terms of its brands, aims, visions, business strategy, challenges and opportunity which is also known as the oldest professional football club since 1889.The aim of the report is to create an event proposal programme for Sheffield united football club.
The report will particularly focus on the community foundation of the Sheffield united football club by developing the objectives for young ambassador launch event, targeting and recruiting number of young ambassador through a form of campaign and event launch for Sheffield united football club, with the opportunities identified from the gap explored in these research and according to the objectives stated by Chairman of the Club Mr Kevin McCabe and the highest Shareholder of the Club Mr Jacob esan who owns 85% as the biggest shareholder clearly stated that they want to ensure a true family and community club within the coming years. These had led the research by developing an event design and programme which will be themed as young ambassadors launch event for the club so as to attract more young people as ambassadors from the community of Sheffield through campaigns. The corporate event will take place in Sheffield, England on the 12th -13th January 2016.
2. EVENT OBJECTIVES
Based on the client official website it is understood the organisation clearly stated their mission and vision, However, the information taken will act as a guide in communicating the creation of this event. The event would target certain amount of people by demonstrating in designing an event as a form of campaign to focus more on the community foundation of the Sheffield football club, using these process in recruiting and targeting young ambassadors for the club to be new faces for the young generation in the schools, community, Yet in this event the size of people attending will be experiencing the opportunities during the youth programme and be selected as a reliable candidate, it is said that current event management is generally about delivery of experience regardless of the size and type(Silver,2004).
YOUNG AMBASSADOR
The aim of the event is to create awareness of young ambassadors in Sheffield united football club in doing these will pay more attention to its community foundation program as a gap to explore which is active presently at the Sheffield united football club.
OBJECTIVES
‘ To create awareness for the club by attracting more fans for the club through the ambassador programmes
‘ To engage the local community to be more active in sport
‘ Running a campaign in different ethnicity group such as the Africans ,Asians, Europeans living in Sheffield
‘ Working together with local community and young children by using effective tactics aimed at raising awareness, Changing perceptions and creating brand ambassadors to tell the Sheffield united club story
‘ Strengthen customer relationships
‘ Experiential sponsorship activation, local and regional media relations -special interest stories to build awareness and influence existing perception
‘ Profiling
‘ Promote the positive values of Sheffield Football Club
‘ Be the Youth voice in the Schools and Community
Westerbeek et al. (2006) described by acknowledging the importance of the potential role of sports event can have on the short-term planning process from staging sports events and the management of facilities rather than the where and how this is planned. Following the highlight of the community foundation objectives, it is important to describe the event in terms of its primary, secondary and long-term core objectives
2.1. Primary Objectives
1. To create an event that would attract young people to become ambassadors for Sheffield football club.
2. To create activities that would implement innovation and change among young people.
3. Recruit and select the future young ambassadors for Sheffield football club.
2.2. Secondary objectives
1. Identify young sports ambassador through the activity to ensure attraction from the media.
2. Using the social media as a form of trend for young ambassadors.
3. Engaging the young ambassadors in physical and moral education with a view to reducing the crime rate, drug abuse in the community of Sheffield.
2.3. Long term core objectives
1. To expand its businesses in real estate, leisure, and services with the football at its hub.
2. The commitment of shareholders to see the club returning to the top echelon of English football.
3. Reproduce skills, experience and hope to secure more sponsors for the Sheffield united clubs.
3. Target Audience
In organising this event it is important to know your attendees which sometimes can be challenging, Yet it is critical in the aspect of strategic event creation, and even Schmitt(1999) explained that it experiences in event are recurrent reaction that directly affect motivation, expectation and also sense of identity, Crompton and Mackay(1997) mentioned that knowing your audience motivation is a means to improve design, appraise satisfaction and improve greater perceptions into the development of decision making, Judging from these it will be described in the event programme as a young ambassador transition for the event and also in terms of the motivation to attend the event will be guest such as the iconic stars who were brand ambassador at an early age of their career from region such as Africa,England and a list of top 5 players from the clubs in England,in doing so the participant attending the event will be mostly young people from the age 16-19 years old in schools and young children from the community in Sheffield they will be having a first-hand positive experience with the players presenting to them the importance of becoming an ambassador and the added value it brings to the client Sheffield football united and the community at large .Furthermore in creating awareness the community of Sheffield will also be a target,Tassiopulous(2010),describe culture as an important aspect which signifies event in all forms of lives, yet the people in the community of Sheffield will take part so as to be actively involved in telling the great story of Sheffield united football club which will act as word of mouth in attracting more fans to participate in event such as games played. Thus, Getz (2008) notify that event is done through their purpose such as why they are held and argued that by suggesting in the progress of the learning of the event it increases the awareness of what events are and what significance they have for society as the field event. In addition the planned event will design to attract groups who will engage in education, networking and learn throughout the event lifecycle, Yet Cashman, (1999) described that in major sport event today it includes promoting the host area as a destination can create physical legacy of infrastructure and sporting facilities for future generations by stimulating mass participation via public exposure to elite sports. However in order for the mass participation legacy to occur, it would be reasonable to assume audiences would in the first instance be inspired by the event in question. It is also stated in the consideration of motivations of sporting event attendant; Wann et al. (2008) described the following typology.
‘ Positive experience
‘ Self-esteem
‘ Escape
‘ Entertainment
4. EVENT PROGRAMME AND CONCEPT
objectives at the event are said to be either SMART(specific ,measurable,achievable,realistic and time-bound)and yet they have to be understood and accepted by internal and external stakeholders and be compatible with other objectives(Hussey,1998)
4.1Event programme
Young Ambassador Launch event
Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield England
Day 1-Tuesday 12th January 2016
Time
Activity
12pm-12.30pm lunch and network opportunities
12.30pm-1.20pm
‘ Session 1-Sheffield united football club, What is in it for me?
o 5mins talk from kattie Glossop the Bramall lane Ground tour
o 5mins from the event creator about the aims and objectives of the afternoon
o Go over the first activity
‘ Activity 1(10-15mins)
o Video recap of the history of Sheffield football club and all its achievement in their youth programme so far.
o why an ambassador/gets involved/coach/Sheffield united football club
‘ Activity 2(10-15mins)
o Specific objectives of individuals what they want to get out from being a young ambassador ,work in group
‘ Activity 3(10-15mins)
o Barriers to participation-what will stop you achieving those objectives
o Money, skills, knowledge, qualification, time? what will be the biggest barrier
1.20pm-2.10pm
‘ Session 2-Building a young ambassador community for Sheffield united football club
o 10 mins Talk about the challenges involved
Activity -1(10mins)
o Get the groups to think about information needs, what information do they need from Sheffield united club
Activity 2(10mins)
o session looks at the barriers to communication and what stops the group to participate
o Think about issues such as building a relationship, time
Activity-3(10mins
2.10pm-2.25pm
2.25pm-3.15pm
Break and Network opportunities
Session 3-Success Being a young ambassador
‘ Activity 1(15mins)
o The idea of becoming an ambassador and participating in the community foundation event to inspire and motivate youth
o Get group to think about the impact it will bring to the community and club
‘ Activity 2(15mins)
o Perceived benefit
o get groups to complete what are the benefit and sacrifices for ambassador customers/players/volunteers
‘ Activity 3(15mins)
o Meet their expectation
o what will it take to be successful
3.15pm-3.30pm Plenary
3.30pm-4.00pm Final networking and Home for Day 1
DAY 2-MONDAY 13TH JANUARY 2016
12.00pm-12.15 lunch and networking opportunities
12.15pm-12.30pm ‘ Individual task-Reflection on Day 1
o Can you reflect on the activity done on day 1/Things to consider
o who supported who
o what encouragement did they suggest to become an ambassador for Sheffield united football club
12.30pm-12.45pm ‘ Welcoming session of iconic stars and Top players from the Top 5 clubs in England
12.45pm-1.15pm ‘ Brief speech from the speakers with a motivating story on ambassador
1.15pm-1.30pm BREAK SESSION
1.30pm-2.30pm ‘ Group discussion with great opportunities ,Great people and High profile players from the Top 5 clubs in England
2.30pm-3.00pm ‘ Gift from the players to the attendees
3.00pm-3.15pm Recap of the objectives of becoming an ambassador for Sheffield united football club
3.15pm-3.30pm ‘ Wrap up /Evaluation
5. Event Design and Concept
It is important that event creator has a particular design that is suitable for the event planned for, Berridge(2012) mentioned that the more understanding event creators can gain, then the more the design of the event experience can develop into an analytical skill, based upon up-to-date and focused action. It is also argued that the event experience and its meaning are the core phenomenon of the event study and creating some kind of experience for participants is the connecting factor for all the different kinds of event (Getz, 2007).Mclntyre and Roggenbuck(1998) in their views both describe how people construct their own unique experiences ,based on their perception, and the experience will be heavily influenced by factors such as personal needs, past experience, and selective sensory focusing. However creating and designing the youth ambassador launch event will involve people as the attendees of the event both speakers, performers, service staff and places, the event will be designed in the aspect of affective (feelings) within the participant and they will be more of emotional experience ,memorable in nature. Hover and Mierlo(2006) notify that event designers remain highly influential in shaping whether the attendee is basic, memorable or transforming.Even Mannell and Kleiber(1997) suggest that all experience have three essential dimensions, the cognitive(thinking),the conative(acting/doing) and the affective(feelings).furthermore Getz(2008) suggest that with the development of study in event that there is increased awareness of what event are and what importance they have in the society, this brings to the planned event for the youth program which will be designed with a wow theme factor to attract most young children in the community of Sheffield to get involved and increase their awareness of the Sheffield united football club which will bring a change in knowledge, skill memory and emotion during the event life cycle, Pine and Gilmore(1999) also derive the experience of 4es realm where he suggest that absorption is occupying customers attention by bringing the experience into the mind of the attendees and immersion becomes physically or virtually a part of experience itself.
6. Sponsors and Corporate Partners
Anderson and Getz(2008) described how investment and support from the stakeholders can provide a substantial and necessary source of revenue and other resources for a whole range of event types.Crowther(2010) explains that a growing strategy in the creation of many varied events as a determined means through which to influence the sponsorship, yet this event still involves a variety of marketing(or experiential) event platforms ranging from themed parties to more intimate conferences and seminars. The themed event youth ambassador launch event will make use of the potential sponsors, suppliers and media of the Sheffield united football organisation as other stakeholders to make this event a memorable and emotional one in terms of this idea,the programme sponsorship whereby packages will be given to the list of young ambassador as the first experience for them with a match experience and hospitality, during the event also the player shirt sponsorship will be a way to connect with the young ambassador during the event and this will be as an archive for future reference with a way to motivate them in doing their duties effectively. However, objectives of all partners and sponsors unite seamlessly with each other and with the objectives of the event creators and attendees, event develops opportunities for value co-creation (Donlan and Crowther,2012),At the event commercial partners such as presto will be at the event to showcase its company by giving away packages of bibs for the season at the event and this will be another way of sourcing out resources for the event. In support of this practice Meenaghan (2001) suggest that sponsorship can be influenced to create a positive brand experience for customers through the improvement of emotional experience which in turn create vibrant images of sponsoring brand for the customer. However, Roy and Cornell,1999) argued between product and services of a brand sponsor whereby service brands have a greater opportunity to create strategic links between the brand and event such as the ability to target key audience. The event will be memorable for sponsorship because this will be a great way to support the young ambassador launch event so as to increase awareness through the communication campaign during the event, maximising brand awareness for the sponsor .In addition the awareness and image benefit and other objectives commonly pursued by event sponsors and targeting specific market segment (Barrand,2006).Community groups such as the local community in Sheffield will be one of the stakeholders in terms of the of the impact of the event on their service such as the shop around the event and the families of the young children will be affected positively, In justifying to this both Plewa and Quester(2011) mentioned objectives linked to showcasing and sales ,brands who are looking to event sponsorship as a means to achieve their corporate social responsibility.
6.1Technology.
Technology is redesigning event by increasing engagement, teamwork, and morale, and whatever the strategic goal of the event by helping the team set new goals.it is been described in different articles about the multisensory senses used while learning at event which shows that 75%sight,11%hearing,7% touch,4%taste and 3%smell,however, the young ambassador launch event will use the PowerPoint for visuals during the event and an interactive audience experience through breakout ,Q&A Session and polling device and other interactive tools to the keep the participant engaging. During the event life cycle, the event will make use of certain social media tools to ensure success such as the marketing the event.
6.2 Social media
In articles today it shows that 90% of the questioned organisers are planning event to further increase their measures, it is remarkable that only 2% wants to reduce their activities, however the young ambassador launch event will rely on social media to increase its activities through the event and mostly will be the use of facebook putting into consideration the target audience for this event are relatively young and will be easy to access and get involve pre,during and after the event, Even facebook is said to be the most important social media channel in event marketing with 47% compared to other social media.The main objective of this event is to increase the awareness of the youth becoming ambassadors for the Sheffield united football club, increase loyalty through the social media activities and attract new members during the event and also open communication channel for informing the participant, networking opportunities will be important for the event in
‘ Increasing and sustaining attendee satisfaction
‘ Effective networking among the attendees
‘ Simple integration into communication channels
In addition to personalizing the young ambassador launch event to be memorable and more engaging among attendees, speakers on the event and sponsors tool such as Pathable will be used at the event to allow these stakeholders to accessible and allow the host to create a perfect event for them.
6.3 Pathable App
At the event the tool will be used to help attendees connect before, during and after the event, it ensures better networking, meaning conversation and deeper connection among the stakeholders.
7. Venue
In organising event, venues are notably known to much in terms of conferences, which includes halls, leisure centre, hotels, Gallery and Arena, university sports venues. The venue chosen for the conference is the khelam island museum a unique and stimulating venue for the event ,An inspiring venue for conference and meeting located in one of the city's oldest industrial district for over 900 years old, The Upper Gallery will be used for corporate events. Seating up to 250 for dining, the room can be dressed to suit any theme and is large enough to accommodate a stage, bar and dance floor. A conference in the conventional form is a very demanding process with significant eco-friendly impacts(Hischier and Hilly,2002)however it is recognised as having a significant impact on the environment(Mohindra,2008).However, it is been argued that demands for conference venues adopt the principles of corporate social responsibility have increased(Mair and Jago,2010).
8. Programme
The young ambassador launch event is designed for young and friendly children from the community as the attendees who are motivated to have the opportunity to see and experience the first-hand conference in a unique location full of history behind it, through pre-event will be handbills and poster of the event circulating through the city via newspaper, social network such as the facebook describing who they might want to meet and a form of survey will be sent to the list of children interested.
The event will be held for 2 days due to the fact it not going to be easy getting all these iconic stars and top 5 club ambassadors in one event as they are among the participant for the event and these will take place during the week .In the fast-paced society ,taking the time to really think about why a meeting or event should take place and what element should be included might seem like a waste of time but taking the opportunity to examine what the goals and objectives of the program are and then developing an range of opportunities, meetings, recreational programs and special event that support those measurable guidelines will provide the planner with proven success so therefore the first day will be a form of Sheffield united football club learning activities because most children do not know what is the idea behind the corporate so it is right to ensure the activities from question asked during the event .Setting the objectives for the event by briefly stating what it entails such as preparing them immensely for the future, promoting positive values of the sport when they see the youth as ambassador they know who they dealing with ,inspire them through the social network.
In addition it is important to put what influence participant into consideration through these journey of becoming an ambassador and the added value to stakeholders ,However through the series of activities taking place on the 1 day of the event the attendees will pass through the event ROI pyramid taking the group of children as the primary audience at level 0 at level 1 which will be evaluated at the end of series session undergone on the day of the event .Level 2 will focus on what the primary audience learnt from questions asked in the programme. Day 2 will be more of individual reflection by the group of student attending the event and engagement with other stakeholders such as the iconic stars and top players and finally evaluate to secure membership to become a young ambassador for Sheffield united football club ,Therefore when analysing the investment needed by an event (Boone,2009) describe that as an event creator it is important to bring together all organisational event/activities, their key stakeholders and the objectives they are delivering. Furthermore, once these questions have been answered during the event for young ambassador transition the responses will serve as a catalyst for the destination management to begin to research and develop a proposal that includes an element that will support the clients meeting objectives and goals.
10. Event evaluation
In the planning event sector the evaluation of an organisation, the event value and outcomes is vital, also in ensuring success it is important to put into consideration the perspective of the client, participant and other stakeholders involved at the event. For the future event, it is important to keep track on sponsors who is aware of the evaluation relating to the desired ROI (return on investment), and it should be noted that evaluation is also sometimes seen as a threat to stakeholders in terms of negative outcomes (MPI,2011).The pyramid below will be described base on the young ambassador launch event and the use of ROI methodology would be recommended to evaluate the event(Event ROI Institute,2016).
The above diagram will be used to justify both the objective set initially and how to evaluate the outcomes
Level 0.The target at this event might be mostly young people the generation z /millennials so as to ensure the attendees have a place at the event which will be registration before the event and ticket
Level 1.The participant satisfaction might be evaluated after the event using the online app pathable which is easy to access.
Level 2.The attitude of the young ambassadors will be key on how they evolve during the event getting to know the importance of becoming a role model by meeting the stars of Sheffield united football club and having packages such as the T-shirt signature of the players and gaining trust from the organisation by attending a free game if becoming a member after the event.
Level 3.The learning application might be observed in the behaviour of the young attendees getting to know about the Sheffield united football club and having the experience of becoming an ambassador for the club and understanding the value and benefit it comes with.
Level 4.The impact of the participant could be seen also during the event where they get the chance to things differently by having the chance to get free bibs from one of the commercial partners of Sheffield united football club Presto company and this will be showcased in the club archive.
Level 5. This will be measured by calculation of the number of participant attending the event through the tickets and the ROI might be measured before the event.