Event Marketing: Coventry in Fashion

Coventry: In Fashion Fashion Event Marketing

ENEMIE NATALIE EVANS

Coventry: In Fashion Fashion Event Marketing

NATALIE EVANS First Published: JANUARY 2020

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1. Introduction....................................

1.1. Market Research: Defining the Market.....

1.2. Competitor Review........................

1.3. Customer Profile Example.................

1.4. SWOT Analysis............................

2. Marketing Strategy..............................

2.1. Product/Consumer.........................

2.2. Price/Cost...............................

2.3. Place/Convenience........................

2.4. Promotion/Communication..................

3. Budget..........................................

4. Evaluation......................................

4.1. SMART Goals..............................

5. References......................................

5.1. Document Images..........................

5.2. Poster Images............................

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Coventry: In Fashion

Contents

1. Introduction In December 2017, it was announced that Coventry would be the City of Culture 2021. The aim of this initiative is to “build on the success of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture 2008, (1) which had significant social and economic benefits” . In order for the City of Culture’s ‘culture-led regeneration’ to take place, funding, investment and industry must be drawn in to the area, which is made possible through strategic event-planning. These promote local culture and attract residents, visitors and investors into the city alike.

It is for this reason, that the proposed arts event is to be related to Coventry’s City of Culture, taking place in two years’ time. It is to be a fashion event flavoured with the culture and history of Coventry, exhibiting the new, local and rising talent and their passion for their city. City of Culture has proven in past cities such as Hull and Londonderry, to create lasting improvements to infrastructure, tourism and local facilities and so it is vital that Coventry attracts a vast array of people during its year in the sun.

The fashion event will involve the Fashion (BA) and International Fashion Business (BA) students from Coventry University, who will be tasked with the project to design small capsule collections inspired by moments in Coventry’s history. Students from other courses could also be involved, such as Graphic Design (BA) and Fine Art and Illustration (BA), who could contribute imagery to the event.

The runway will be theatrical

and take the viewer through the key parts in Coventry’s growth, as well as its industrial and cultural significance, such as Lady Godiva, its brave efforts in the World Wars and survival through the Blitz, its birth of vibrant musicians such as The Specials, and development of transport. The venue of the event should rightfully capture Coventry’s fighting spirit and cultural substance; thus it shall be held in Coventry Cathedral.

This is central and accessible to those coming from near and far away, and its stained glass will correlate and juxtapose with the fashion students’ designs nicely, especially when used cleverly with lighting. During the event, there will be a team of people filming and photographing the fashion show (i.e. local professionals and students on the Photography BA course), which will then be published and accessible online, meaning more exposure of Coventry’s culture and talented students.

The unique selling point for this event is simply its oneoff, inimitable quality: it is not just a fashion runway event, but is a means of celebrating culture, whilst using fashion – arguably one of the highest forms of art – as a mouthpiece and means of communicating the students’ passion for Coventry.

Additionally, the event will be a night of entertainment; including refreshments, music from local bands and displays from local fashion businesses, artists and dance groups. This will consequently make it an unmissable local event, open to a vast and diverse audience.

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1.1. Market Research: Defining the Market As 2021 fast approaches, the opportunities for Coventry cultural events are plentiful.

On the Coventry2021 website, there is a page dedicated to submitting event proposals and the trust currently has a Capacity Building and Development Fund in development for projects that fit with (2) the aims of City of Culture.

1.2. Competitor Review Direct Competitors: Leicester Fashion Week 2019 Show SS20

Indirect Competitors: Hull’s City of Culture Arts Event: Paul Cummins’ Poppy Display

Range of Products/ Services?

• • • • •

• Attractive & cultural arts event for people to view and visit • Surrounding venues to visit i.e. cafés/restaurants/museums

Profits?

• Second year in the running • Profitable & expanding GeneralAdmission-£10, VIP(complimentarydrink, goodie bag, front row seat, afterparty access) - £25, GeneralAdmission& Afterparty access - £15

• Not for profit – for celebration of local history, culture and talent

Marketing Strategy?

• Eventbrite – advertised and where tickets can be bought • Social media (Facebook and Instagram campaigns – regularly updated) • Variety of contact options on website

• News and press coverage i.e. Hull Live • Hull City of Culture advertisement online on website

Social benefits?

• Good promotion of local/independent designers – introducing a new generation • Celebration of historic Leicester – held in the Cathedral the year before

• Photography opportunities • Promotion of local artists/designers • Spotlight on local & national history – local and national sacrifices during WW1

Competing benefits?

• Location – Mercure Leicester The Grand Hotel (luxury venue) • Funding/secure sponsors – Lexus Leicester, Dr Gurms Raja, Mercure hotels, The Villare Hotel • Variety of local/upcoming designers i.e.

Twiine, Lauren Real, Comes in Black

• Availability to customer – not for profit so did not cost the viewer anything

Fashion shows/runways Personal styling Stores & merchandise Networking events After parties

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There is much to learn from the competition, especially to consider including regular social media presence, easily accessible ticket-purchasing for target audience, add-ons i.e. goodie bag/refreshments/networking opportunities, interesting and unique venue, tasteful celebration of city culture and history, visuallyenticing and memorable displays, news and press coverage, online website/advertisement/coverage, involvement of consumer/audience (i.e. photo opportunities) and venue accessibility/availability.

The event would be accessible to a wide audience – those that have lived in Coventry all their life, those that originated in Coventry and those that have never visited the city before and simply want to know more about the UK’s Capital of Culture 2021. Paul Cummins’ poppy sculpture attracted 720,000 visitors during its two-month exhibition in Queen Victoria Square in Hull(3). Although this event will not be a longterm instalment as Cummins’ poppies were, its intentions are the same: to appeal to a wide audience and to entertain the masses, leaving a positive legacy behind.

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1.3. Customer Profile

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Age 25-35 Gender Female Generation Millennials, Generation X Marital Status Committed relationship/married Life Stage Newly-wed/Young family (would most likely bring husband and family to the event as add-on ticket sales) Education Degree/Masters i.e. Business/Management Occupation PR/Management/Small Independent Business Owner Income ÂŁ18,000 - ÂŁ36,000 Motivation/Values Celebration of local culture and businesses; support for young, local designers; expression through fashion and design; celebration of culture.

Spending Habits Spends more money on ethically-crafted and long-lasting items of clothing/accessories from independent, local brands and retailers; advocates for environmental and social concerns and spend money on related art/cultural events; has subscriptions to V&A, Fashion & Textile Museum, Oh Comely, Frankie, Breathe, Dazed & Confused.

Lifestyle Enjoys educational trips and cultural events, particularly related to environmental/social/political concerns; eats and drinks at independent cafĂŠs and restaurants but mostly spends time working; may influence on social medias (i.e. fashion/arts/lifestyle blog) or advertise their own brands; lives on outskirts of the city and feel a lot of sentimentality for the city they were born and grew up in.

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As a sponsor of City of Culture, Coventry University is a key collaborative force for this project. Within the university’s courses, such as Fashion, there is a breadth of experience and young, skilled individuals, who would be willing to participate for exposure and experience. Similarly, as seen in Hull and Londonderry’s cultural regenerations, local artists and experts were utilised to tastefully and respectfully transform the city’s events creatively. Therefore, local businesses and artists, such as local fashion professionals, college beauty, hair and makeup students, independent shop owners and local models looking for experience would have the option to have their work included.

In terms of funding, sponsorship from local businesses and individuals would be key – already, over 100 businesses in Coventry have backed the City of Culture bid financially (4), which is key to fund the payment of the models and for resources i.e. stands for local businesses and merchandisers within the venue, the interior decoration and set-up for the fashion show, the lighting and materials for the fashion students. The Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England are also committed to City of Culture so this event may apply to the Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants (5) for funding also.

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1.4. SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• Involvement of young designers and the exposure and promotion of their work • Links with Fashion and Art & Design departments at Coventry University • Links with local musicians, bands and dance groups who would be willing to perform at the event • Celebration of local culture and history • Funding from Heritage Lottery Fund/Arts Council England – council are also developing a ‘Capacity Building & Development Fund’ for projects with the aims of the City of Culture • Over 100 businesses have backed the COC bid financially • Represents diversity and youth, as well as history and culture of the city • Cathedral location – very atmospheric, symbolic of the city and cultural • Lecturers and other university personnel have a lot of industry/event experience • Venue is available and accessible – lots of public transport/parking opportunities for visitors to the city

• Lack of experience of students – depending on how many students/how work is divided, may be very time- consuming • Will need a large team of volunteers • Funding must be accepted for the project • No “established” customer base – however developed companies/businesses that are involved may bring in a customer base

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

• Exposure of new designers to press/sponsors • Promo of fashion trends and new techniques used by fashion design students • Exposure of Coventry’s history, diversity and culture – as well as the university • Drawing in visitors – may cause a boom in the tourism industry • Further advertisement of other local events/POI/venues • Encourages contacts and networking • Gives industry/event experience to university students • Collaboration with local resources/brands – brings all stakeholders together

• Finance for the event falling through/not being accepted • Getting the cathedral venue – although it has been used for university events (e.g. graduation show) in the past and should be made possible though City of Culture • Lots of competition in Coventry for COC funding • Fashion show competition (lots happen throughout the midlands and nationally) – although these do not have the same cultural significance • Availability of staff/volunteers

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2. Marketing Strategy 2.1. Product/Consumer The fashion show will be a very interactive event – with locals recognising and visitors appreciating the significant music and moments in Coventry’s history. The unique selling point, of course, is how the fashion design takes inspiration from Coventry’s cultural history, which makes the event stand out and better its competition. For this reason, the target customer will choose this event as will inevitably have links to/ interest in Coventry somehow. The event will have local businesses running stands selling food, refreshments and fashions; reflecting the target customer’s interests in preserving and aiding the local economy. Rather than just being branded as a fashion show, it will be marketed as something more: a mouthpiece for voicing Coventry’s diverse and interesting history.

2.2. Price/Cost These tickets will be sold and marketed on Eventbrite. Eventbrite’s Essentials packages charges £0.49 + 3.5% per paid ticket (+20% UK VAT) (6), with no fees for free tickets.

Admission: £10.00 Student Admission: £7.50 VIP Admission (FROW access, goodie-bag, only 60 available): £15.00 Press Access (press/photography area access): £0.00 Expectations to sell 60 VIP Admissions (profit of £826.80 once Eventbrite charges absorbed), 400 Student Admissions (£2,640.00 once Eventbrite charges absorbed), 1020 Regular Admissions (profit of £9,169.80 once Eventbrite charges absorbed) and 20 Press Access Admissions (£0 – Eventbrite is free to use for free events and tickets).

2.3. Place/Convenience The event venue (Coventry Cathedral) will certainly add to the character and charm of the fashion show. It is centrally located in Coventry, near to many car parks (and university car parks could also be opened to visitors) and within a fifteen-minute walk of the train station. There are also surrounding complimentary attractions and activities i.e. the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum which will undoubtedly also be holding City of Culture events. Online, the event will be covered on Facebook and Instagram – the social media sites where the target customer spends the most time. On these pages, there will be links to Eventbrite to purchase tickets, which will keep the buying of tickets simple and accessible.

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2.4. Promotion/Communication

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3. Budget For arts, museums and libraries projects, the Arts Council National Lottery grants £1,000 - £100,000 (7).The ticket sales for the event will also provide profit and the customer will pay more for certain add- on products, such as FROW access and goodiebags. However, it would make sense for at least part of the ticketing to go towards Coventry University funding i.e. for the Fashion students’ final graduation show (which they must fund themselves), rather than funding for the event itself.

at least £14,000 is to be expected from ticket sales, not including refreshment/merchandise profits as well. Of course, this event is more for the exposure and celebration of Coventry’s history and culture rather than for profit, however this profit would be very beneficially invested into the city’s lasting infrastructure, as well as funding for the fashion students’ final show.

For this event, the budget will be £7500, which will also cover contingency and any other costs.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Set-up of the Cathedral venue – runway stage hire £3000 Refreshments £400 (snacks, soft drinks and alcohol drinks) Goodie-bags for VIP ticket-owners (x60) £650 Lighting features £400 Sound features & speakers £300 Video&Photography £400 Marketing & Event Communications i.e. printing of posters/flyers/leaflets £350 Sponsored adverts on Social Media i.e. Instagram/ Facebook advertising to those in the Coventry area £100 Security £250(for 4x security personnel) Insurance £300 Any materials/resources for fashion design students

Coventry Cathedral also states it can provide, as part of its deal: all catering needs (through its partner Amadeus), equipment, sound, staging and lighting systems, stewarding, a drinks license and hotel accommodation locally (8).

There is already seating at the venue and the backdrops/design of any marketing communications won’t need to be outsourced (only printed) as will be produced by students at the university/surrounding colleges. Independent businesses etc. will provide their own stands, decorations and backdrops.

In the Cathedral Nave (the venue’s largest and most picturesque area for events), they can accommodate up to 1500 theatre-style seats, meaning that a profit of

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4. Evaluation This event would be judged on its success via its profit (ticket sales, goods sales etc.) and its coverage on social media on people’s online pages/Coventry forums. Of course, the event is not-for-profit so this is not an objective for the event, however the number of people attending and consumer/social media engagement is key to its success.

4.1. SMART Goals • Have 100 people discussing the event online on social media/forum platforms • Receive at least a 300 ‘reach’ on Instagram posts • Sell at least 1200 of the 1500 available tickets • Have #coventryinfashion trending locally on Facebook and Instagram – encouraging people to use it to tag any photos/videos from the actual event as well

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5. References Figure 1: Anonymous. (2010). Derry/Londonderry will be UK City of Culture 2013.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Gov.UK. Available at: http://www.culture. gov.uk/what_we_do/communities_and_local_government/6015.aspx. Accessed on: 25/10/2019.

eventbrite.co.uk/organizer/pricing. Accessed on: 24/11/2019.

Figure 7: Anonymous. (2019). Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants. Arts Council England. © Copyright Arts Council England. Available at: https://www. artscouncil.org.uk/projectgrants. Accessed on: 30/10/2019.

Figure 2: McMillan, L. (2019). Your Guide to Coventry’s UK City of Culture Bid. Coventry 2021. Available at: https://coventry2021.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ Coventry-2021-public-final- BID-document. pdf. Accessed on 27/10/2019.

Figure 8: Anonoymous. (2019). What We Offer. Coventry Cathedral. Copyright © 2019 Coventry Cathedral. Available at: http:// www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/wpsite/ our-spaces/. Accessed on: 30/10/2019.

Figure 3: Robinson, H. (2017). Weeping Window poppies in Hull is most popular in UK as 720k visitors flock to see sculpture. Hull Live. Available at: https:// www.hulldailymail.co.uk/whats-on/whatson- news/weeping-window-poppies-hullmost-88345. Accessed on: 28/10/2019.

5.1. Document Images Image 1: Tysall, R. (2019). Statue of Lady Godiva, Coventry. Available at: https://b-c-ing-u.com/architecture/ coventrys-lady-godiva-the-city-of-coventry-is-famous-for-many-things-ann-evans-tell-the-story-of-its-most-famous-woman-lady-godiva/

Figure 4: McMillan, L. (2019). Your Guide to Coventry’s UK City of Culture Bid. Coventry 2021. Available at: https://coventry2021.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ Coventry-2021-public-final- BID-document. pdf. Accessed on 27/10/2019.

Image 2L Anonymous. (2019). Leicester Fashion Week May 26th 2019. Available at: https://www.starnow.com/gavintelfer/photos/11231332.

Figure 5: Anonymous. (2019). Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants. Arts Council England. © Copyright Arts Council England. Available at: https://www. artscouncil.org.uk/projectgrants. Accessed on: 30/10/2019.

Image 3: Devlin, A. (2017). Poppies: Weeping Window. PA Wire. Available at: https://www.1418now.org.uk/commissions/ poppies-weeping-window-at-hull/ Image 4: Anonymous. (2020). Daisy Notched Collar Dress, Navy. Olive Clothing. Available at : https://www.oliveclothing.com/ new/women/p-oliveunique-20200226-023-navy-

Figure 6: Anonymous. (2019). Eventbrite.

Calculate Your Potential Earnings. © 2019 Eventbrite. Available at: https://www.

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daisy-notched-collar-dress-navy

University Logo. Sue Jefferies Garden Advice. Available at: https://www.sjgardenadvice.co.uk/about/sj-logo-coventry/, Accessed on: 26/11/2019.

Image 5: Burke, K. (2015). 5 COFFEE TABLE BOOKS I’M CURRENTLY LOVING. Available at : http://www.kerriemburke.com/2015/09/5-coffee-table-books-im-currently-loving/ Image 6: Alexander, J. (2019). How Did A V&A Employee Swipe 2,000 Objects Over 20 Years? Available at : https://londonist. com/london/history/scandal-v-a-thief-staff

Image 3: Nature, M. (2019). The Specials Logo. FanPop. © 2006-2019 Fanpop, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Available at: http:// www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-specials/images/33462771/title/logo- photo. Accessed on: 26/11/2019.

Image 7: Stretton, R. (2020). Four ways 5G will transform Coventry. Available at: https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/ coventry-news/four-ways-56-transform-coventry-18037411

Image 4: Anonymous. (2019). Aquila Meters.

BK Taxi Meters. © Copyright 2019 - B&K Taxi Meters. Available at: http://www. bktaximeters.co.uk/index.php/4/. Accessed on: 26/11/2019.

Image 8: McRae Thompson, A. (2011). Nave Windows, Coventry Cathedral. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/amthomson/5675057842/in/photostream/

Image 5: Mark, T. (2015). All Welcome at Coventry Transport Museum Classic Car Breakfast Club. BlackTop Media. Available at: http://blacktopmedia.co.uk/?p=1008.

Accessed on: 26/11/2019.

Image 9: Getty Images. (2020). Let’s move to Coventry: ‘It’s the next UK city of culture’. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/feb/21/lets-moveto-coventry-west-midlands-uk-city-of-culture

Image 6: Dimmer, S. (2013). Coventry’s Lady Godiva myth is untrue, says controversial new book. Coventry Telegraph.

Available at: https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry- news/coventrys-lady-godiva-myth-untrue-3033698.

Accessed on: 26/11/2019.

5.2. Poster Images Image 1: Anonymous. (2019). Coventry’s Bid for City of Culture 2021. Advent Communications. Available at: http:// www.advent-communications.co.uk/coventrys-bid-city-culture-2021/. Accessed on: 26/11/2019.

Image 7: Anonymous. (2019). Student Accommodation in Coventry. CRM Students. © CRM Students 2019. Available at: https://www. crm-students.com/student-accommodation/ coventry/. Accessed on: 26/11/2019.

Image 2: Jefferies, S. (2018). Coventry

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