Executive Summary
The paper provides a proposal written by an event management company to a school to offer services for conducting an outing to a holiday resort. The outing is for kindergarten children and some teachers from the school. The proposal gives details of why the project is required, the approach used, benefits, an implementation plan with methodology, schedule and resources that would be required. Also given in the proposal are details of the risks foreseen and a cost breaks up.
Current Situation
Education, teaching, learning and has to be mixed along with entertainment, to remove the stress of regular class routine. With hectic school sessions, running through the week, both teachers and children are under constant stress. The current location in which the children study is very congested and crowded and the number of swings, slides and other items is very few. Any playtime activities for the children are restricted to the class only and teachers have to make do with the small classroom.
Clients Requirement
The client, who is a school, wants the kindergarten children and their children to have a days picnic and outing. The event would help to break the tediousness of regular schoolwork and provide some entertainment for the children. The requirement is affordable entertainment through a picnic to a nearby location that is safe.
Brief Summary
The proposal is for a day outing at a nearby holiday resort for about 80 kindergarten children. Children and their teachers would be picked up from the school in two buses and taken to the resort where they would be given breakfast and lunch. The resort has a play park for the children and some other entertainment also. A magician and a joker would be hired to entertain the children and the total cost would be 75 USD per child. The event would meet the main goals of entertainment at an affordable cost and with high safety.
Solution
The section provides details of the proposal that would form a part of the solution. A break from the regular school schedule is always welcome, provided it is safe, not very expensive and in line with the school’s objectives. To provide a break from the monotony of the classes, it is proposed that a half-day outing for kindergarten children will be conducted at a nearby holiday resort. The break will be welcomed both by the teachers and the students, who would be able to relax and mix in a more informal manner, providing a much-needed respite from the daily school routine. Please refer to Appendix ‘A1. Pictures from Resort’ to see sample pictures of the resort.
Objectives
The purpose of this document is to frame a proposal for a day outing for preschool children of ABC School to a neighbourhood holiday.
- The objective is to take the children out to a holiday resort at 8 am and engage in play activities until 12 am.
- The identified resort is about 15 kilometres from the school. By taking the children for an outing, it will provide them with a break from the classes and it is expected that both children and teachers will enjoy the outing.
Approach
- Children will come to the school at the usual time of 7.30 am in their school uniform and be taken to the resort by special coaches and buses. It is expected that the outing will last till 1 pm and the children will be dropped back to school by 1.30 pm.
- The total strength of the classes is 50 children and all arrangements for travel, food, doctors, security and nannies will be taken care of by XYZ Ltd.
- Resources required would include 2 buses or coaches to transport the children and the class teachers who will be accompanying the children.
- In addition, a doctor and nurse with their medical equipment and two nannies will also be required.
- Arrangements for the food menu and security will be provided by us through a catering service, attached to the resort.
- In addition, it is proposed that a magician and a joker will be hired to provide entertainment.
- The resort has experience in conducting such events and has a playground with slides, a small baby swimming pool with attendants, a game arcade and other items of interest to small children.
Benefits
Much of the benefits will come in the way of quality time, entertainment and a break from the regular school work. The resort is ready to offer a sizeable discount for use of the premises. Catering services, entertainers, and transport costs will also be reduced. It is estimated that the cost will come to about 75 USD per child. Three teachers, children caretakers from the school and nannies will not have to pay any fees. For such a small amount, the children would be able to have a very nice time in this beautiful resort. The resort normally charges 50 USD per head and this does not include transportation, food and other items, which have to be borne by the visitors. The package deal would be very economical and also provide entertainment for the children and teachers, something that they can relish and remember for a long time.
XYZ Ltd. has ten years of experience in different event management activities. We have conducted similar outings for a number of schools and references can be provided. We also provide event management for art exhibitions, conferences; music shows and has many satisfied clients.
Audience
This report is to be perused by the school principal, which would have a clear understanding of the proposal and what all factors are covered and provided by XYZ Ltd. The report is also meant to be used as a reference by XYZ Ltd. so that they have a clear understanding of what has been proposed and promised, what all activities are expected from them and what activities do they not cover.
Implementation Plan
The implementation plan would specify the manner in which the project would be carried out. Where possible specifics have been provided.
Methodology
The methodology will outline the approach used by XYZ Ltd., to carry out the event. Details of the schedule with a work breakdown system giving the schedule, the resources required and how XYZ Ltd. is qualified to carry out the activities are given in this section.
Schedule
After the proposal meets the approval of the school principal and the management board of the school, the following steps will be considered. XYZ Ltd. already has rough estimates of the costs of the resorts for half a day booking and it is only after receiving confirmation about the number of children who are willing to come, can the final figures be estimated. It must be noted that the costs per head are based on the figure of 80 children agreeing to come and giving advance payment. If the number of children willing to attend the event reduces, then the costs will also increase.
- PTA Meeting 1: It is proposed that the first parent-teachers meeting will be conducted 20 days before the final date of the event. XYZ Ltd. representative and teachers of the school will address the parents and explain the details of the proposal. A presentation would be given that would show pictures and movie clips of the resort and its facilities. Details such as the safety record of the resort, the doctors on standby, arrangement of nannies, food and catering along with a list of the suggested menu will be given. An estimate of the expenses will also be given. The amount proposed is 75 USD per child. However, this amount will be stated only after receiving confirmation from the principal and certain preliminary studies. The rest of the activities given below will be performed after receiving written confirmation from the principal for the event. The principal can propose any date for the event but this date has to be confirmed, as it would not be possible to postpone the date once the events are finalised.
- Busses: XYZ Ltd. has developed contacts with local bus operators and two buses will be hired. The buses will be hired and will pick up the children from the school premises, take them to the resort, wait till the event is over and then drop the children back at the school. No other pick up and drop points will be allowed. Once the students sit on the bus, they will not be allowed to get down anywhere on the route. Given the standard traffic conditions, it will take about 45 minutes to reach the resort.
- Menu: Children are expected to have a light breakfast before coming to the school. Once they reach the resort, a good breakfast will be provided. Lunch will also be provided by XYZ Ltd. Approval of the menu items will be taken by the school principal.
- Resort Activities: After breakfast, children will be allowed to play in the park and in the ‘Spray Park’ that is adjacent to the playpen. Children will not be allowed to enter the swimming pool. Children should come with bathing trunks and a small towel and this will have to be provided by the parents. After playing for 2 hours, children will be asked to assemble in the lawns, where a magician and a Joker/ Juggler will entertain them. This program is expected to last for about 30 minutes. After the program is over, a good lunch will be given on the lawns for the children and teachers. After lunch, the children will be taken around to the different theme parks where they would be allowed to ride on toy trains and small roller coasters. The resort has a good fair with games such as throw ball, throw rings and children can form small groups and play. There is also a small movie theatre and cartoon films can be shown if the principal agrees. The children will be collected and brought to the waiting buses. After making sure that all children have got in, the busses will depart back for the school and dropped in the school premises.
The following chart gives details of the activities planned.
The above figure gives details of the activities that would be planned for conducting the event. The timeline for each event is also given and it is estimated that about 21 days would be required from the start of the activity till the last stage of paying a deposit. The critical path will be obtaining approval from the Principal and collecting fees and about 13 days are given for these critical activities.
A list of the activities that would be conducted in the resort is given below.
Table 1. List of proposed Activities and departure schedule
Resources
The following resources would be required for the project completion.
Buses = 2 nos with drivers and attendants
Entertainers = 2 nos
Nannies = 2 nos
Catering = provided by resort
Other arrangements of looking after the children at the resort, keeping an eye on them and other such tasks will be done by the resort employees. The resort has a number of women staff and male staff who can take care of the children and keep a watch over them.
Qualifications
XYZ Ltd. has sufficient expertise of more than 10 years in event management activities. We have managed over 30 school outings, picnics, and residential camps for young children and teens in various cities of the state. We have a long list of satisfied customers that include principals and teachers from various schools and can provide the required references. Our customers, both children and teachers have very nice things to say about the services we provide. We guarantee that the children will have a very pleasant time and above all, we ensure a very high level of safety. When the children are in our care, they become our full responsibility.
Risks and Risk Mitigation
The project has some risks that are not covered by the proposal. The risks are:
- Costs: The cost estimation is based on the participation of 80 children. If the number of children who agree to come is reduced, then the extra cost will have to be borne by the school. Fees once paid will not be refunded or transferred to another child.
- Journey Problems: The bus drivers and bus condition are verified for safety and performance. However, there is a possibility of a bus breakdown or some mishap during the journey. In case of a bus breakdown, we will arrange alternate transport for the to and fro journey. In case of any mishap during the journey or in the resort, the liability will be decided as per the judicial system.
- Health Of Children: It is expected that children who have contracted some infectious diseases should not be sent. We will provide a doctor and nurse, but we cannot be held responsible in case of some illness outbreak or some accident and injury in the resort or during the journey.
- Attendance: We request the school authorities to maintain a list of children who appear and give us a copy of the same. The list will be verified by taking a roll during the bus departure, on arrival at the resort, during lunch, before departure and after reaching back the school.
Costs
We have been offered a package deal by the resort and the per-child comes to about 75 USD. The rough break up of the costs are:
- Resort Charges (includes food and staff charges): 3500 USD
- Charges for Entertainers: 300 USD
- Charges for doctors/ nurse: 500 USD
- Bus Charges: 1000 USD
- Incidental expenses: 500 USD
- Total = 6000
- Cost per child = 75 USD
The above costs are considered for 80 children. If there is a reduction in the number of children attending the event, then the cost will have to be borne by the school
Conclusion and Recommendations
The proposal has outlined the method and other details for the event. As can be seen, the event would be enjoyed by the children and the teachers alike. Since the activities are would take some amount of planning, we request the school principal to approve the project at the earliest and pay us the total amount of 6000 USD. We guarantee that the children would have a very enjoyable time
Appendix
A1. Pictures from Resort
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References
Hartley, S 2008, Project Management: Principles & Strategy; a competency-based approach, Pearson, Prentice Hall, Sydney.
Quantum PM 2007, Microsoft Office Project 2007, Special Edition, Pearson.