Launch Night Studio 204
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Introduction
On the 17th June 2020 ‘The Walls’ at Chester racecourse will host the launch night to studio 204 and the third-year students of Fashion Marketing and Communications at The University of Chester. The launch night will be the students first step into the fashion industry and intends to be an evening of celebration for the students and the work they have achieved in the past three years. This memorable event will see an elaborate array of the work created by the third-year students for their final major project, aiming to catapult them into the complexity of the fashion industry. The evening will act as a huge platform for the third years who are venturing into the fashion industry but will also be a legacy left for future students to come. The event will be held from 6pm to 10pm and will see a range of guests including industry experts, local business owners, pervious graduates, current students and of course our closest family and friends, creating a perfect environment for the students to gain contacts and create a profile for themselves. 4
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In the venue each student will have their own specialised section which their work will be displayed within, these are in fact being designed and creating by the students and aim to perfectly reflect each students work and own branding aesthetic. The work displayed will be that of a huge variety, such as photography, film, journalism, podcast and much more. There are many different career paths within the group itself which is why there will be so many different types of expression present, but also showing the diversity of the course and the skills that have been developed within. And finally, the night will also be the launch for studio 204. Studio 204 is the new branding of Fashion Marketing and Communications at the University of Chester. On the day of launch night, the new studio 204 branding will be released on all social media platforms as well as new content. At the event there will be the launch of Twnty and zine created by studio 204 which will feature all of the students work and development over the past three years in university as well as much more, this is something that guests will be able to read and possibly take away. This launch will above all be a celebration but also a legacy for our course and future students. 6
Creative Team or Projec
ct Managemnet Team?
Why?
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As an individual I have the skills to adapt myself easily to any situation I am placed, with this in mind my initial decision of which team to work within became a difficult one. For me I have skills that lie in both areas, in my work I have a more creative mind than that of an academic one and so the creative team would have been my obvious choice. However, I felt that the project management team would allow me to stretch my abilities and put me into a more business mindset, which I believe will be most beneficial when leaving university. I also feel that the role I have chosen allows me to better adapt and develop some of the skills that will be most important when first leaving university (such as communication). I believe creativity comes to me easily as I am a visual person however it is the academic/business mind I am lacking in and so being involved within the project management team will allow me to gain a greater understanding into some of the processes and jobs that are behind the scenes within fashion. The project management team possesses more possibilities for complication which I also something I felt would challenge me through being able adapt in difficult situations, as this is a vital skill when moving into the industry. 12
Sponsors & S
Sponsorships
My Job Role
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In the project management team, my job role focus is on that of sponsors and sponsorships. I chose to pick this job role as it allowed me to gain experience and an understanding of a new area within the industry, expand on my communication skills and work closely with other individuals as opposed to focusing solely one element which doesn’t require the same amount of teamwork. The first thing felt was most important to do once I had chosen my role was to research thoroughly into what sponsors and sponsorships were as it was something that I didn’t have a huge understanding on. Having this awareness will enable me to make the best decisions on the type of people to send out sponsorship emails to and also the type of responses that I can expect to receive. I feel that knowing the client and their business is also vital because as a course and university we would not want to be associated with a brand, company or individual who doesn’t share the same morals as we do. These political and social factors are so important as we do not want to be sending out the wrong message through who we are connected with as it may impact us or the course now or in the future, in considering these factors we will be protecting ourselves and our legacy.
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With these very important aspects in mind I began creating a list of potential contacts to send out sponsorship requests to, aiming to collect 30 to 50 contacts. As I am in control of sending emails and maintaining contact with these clients it was also my responsibility to obtain the sponsorship letter from the individual who is focusing on PR so that it could be sent out. There were a few issues with the sponsorship letter when received as it had to be branded and also took longer to receive than expected, however I was constantly conversing with those individuals and also with the person in charge of sending out industry invites to make sure that all of our emails would be going out around the same time. So far we have received two sponsorship donations and another that is being discussed, in moving this forward I have been in conversation with the individual in charge of finance so that I am able to pass on the correct information on how these donations can be received and what I need to be doing in obtaining them to hand over to finance. I will be continuously conversing with said individuals who have made donations to ensure they know more about the event, what their funds have been used for but also so that know how thankful we are to have received these. 20
Conclusion
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In moving forward after university my career ambitions are focusing in the area of fashion styling. During the project of working on the sponsorships I have obtained many new skills, the most important one is the expansion of my communication skills. There have already been some complications with others on the creative team and so being able to effectively provide advice and suggestions as well as there being a good flow of communication was vital in moving forward in a steady and inclusive way. I feel that this skill is needed in any job within the fashion industry as being able to converse with someone as well as work alongside them so important for an effective outcome. Communication has also been a key focus as I have been contacting companies and individuals through email in regards to the sponsorship letter, this way of communication I have never needed to use in a professional sense before and so feel that this will be hugely beneficial when contacting industry about jobs and communicating effectively and efficiently within a working environment also. Collaborating with multiple members of each team has been really eye opening in understanding how much other people can impact what you are able to achieve and do if things are not completed as quickly as expected. In this regard time management becomes massively important so that tasks are being done when needed and as soon as possible to not be slowing other individuals progress, teamwork has been key and will continue to be moving forward in the project and into the fashion industry. I now know just how important all of these aspects are and believe that they have broadened my knowledge and understanding in all senses of the industry and feel as though they will be hugely helpful when progressing onwards. 24
Lucy Cartwright Personal Buisness Plan