Executive Summary
This report deals with the Salford Christmas Land project. The event will be held during November and December. It is aimed at providing a pleasant Christmas experience to the community and developing an important touristic attraction. The city council will attract sponsors and local entrepreneurs. One of the major objectives is also to facilitate communication between people of different backgrounds to help the inhabitants of Salford to address diversity issues.
Introduction
Purpose
This report includes detailed information on the project Salford Christmas Land. The Salford Christmas Land project is a family event for members of the community as well as guests of the city. The major theme of the Christmas event will be diversity, which is a topical question in the city council as well as the community (Equality and diversity 2014).
Background
It is necessary to add that Salford is famous for its attention to festivities, and Christmas is one of the major holidays for all people. The city council has arranged various events both free of charge and those that had certain fees (Salfordâs Christmas countdown 2013). At that, the city has never had a grand Christmas event that would make people relax and reflect on an important issue as well as develop particular skills to address the issue. This year, it is possible to help people have fun and learn more about diversity in the community and ways to handle it. Since the major stakeholders are children, this will be a valuable experience.
Literature Review
Before considering the exact plan for the Salford Christmas Land, it is necessary to choose the most appropriate approach to handle it. Such major methods of activities estimation as analogous, bottom-up, parametric, and simulation exist (Richman 2011). The analogous approach is based on the analysis of the previous event, its costs, duration, flaws, advantages, and so on. This information helps to develop a plan for an event that will take into account the previous experience.
Parametric modeling is based on the use of complex mathematical parameters and standards to estimate the costs of an event. The bottom-up model is based on the estimation of costs of all individual works and estimation of the total. This approach is quite complex as the estimation should be quite detailed (Richman 2011). The simulation model is based on the use of the computer simulation where the specific software estimates the costs (duration, and so on) of the project and provides possible alternatives. This is a costly approach as it requires purchasing the necessary software (Richman 2011).
The analogous model is the most suitable in this case as it does not require significant investment (compared to the simulation) or complex calculations (compared to a parametric approach or bottom-up model). To assess the success of a project, it is possible to use the “Three Qs” approach that is based on answering the following three questions (Dowson & Bassett 2015). What was successful and how can it be improved? What was a failure and what can be learned from it? What ideas and issues occur and how can they be addressed?
Furthermore, several examples can be used as an illustration of possible flaws and benefits in a project. For example, the case of Abingdon Christmas festivities and the Hungry Horse restaurant accident (2012), or the Ringwood Lapland-themed park (Usborne 2014). However, the case of the Harrogate Christmas tourist attraction is one of the most illustrative as it is characterized by the most conventional errors many project managers make (Christmas blunder and: appalling Harrogate attraction 2014). It is necessary to look into details of the case to identify the errors to be avoided in the Salford Christmas Land.
Introduction to the Harrogate Case
The Harrogate Christmas tourist attraction event was heavily advertised through different media. The organizers promised an unforgettable experience for the entire family before the Christmas festivities. The celebrity designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen was involved in the project, which also was seen as a sign of the future success of the event (Robinson 2014).
However, the Harrogate attraction proved to be a complete disaster, and many visitors asked refunds. The project was shut down one day after its launch. It is noteworthy that it was reopened and journalists even gave positive feedback while some visitors were still dissatisfied (Buckley 2014). The visitors claimed that the staff was rude (when reopened), the activities were not age-appropriate and the facilities did not meet the expectations (Buckley 2014).
It is necessary to note that the inability to meet the customersâ expectations was the major error made (Christmas blunder and 2014). The Harrogate attraction was heavily publicized, and people had quite high expectations. In the end, it turned out that the advertisements exaggerated the reality or simply lied. This led to dissatisfaction and even frustration. Another significant flaw in the event was the inability to keep to the plan and meet the deadlines.
It has been acknowledged that time management and proper scheduling are central to the success of any project (Tum, Norton & Wright 2006). The activities, as well as the facilities, were not ready when the Harrogate attraction was open to the public. This led to misunderstandings, arguments, and dissatisfaction. Quality control and supervision proved to be inefficient as well. At that, these stages are vital as the project can be launched only when the quality of services to be provided is appropriate (Burke & Barron 2014).
Project Objectives
Chaturvedi (2009) notes that the identification of the projectâs objectives is central to the development of an efficient plan. Therefore, it is important to start the process of identifying the objectives of the Salford Christmas Land. The objectives can be formulated as follows:
- To arrange a pleasant Christmas experience for families of Salford.
- To ensure meeting visitorsâ expectations and provide high value for the customersâ money.
- To facilitate communication between people of different backgrounds.
Quality Management and Performance Measurement
As has been mentioned above quality management is vital to the success of any project. According to Richman (2011), quality management consists of the determination of quality policies/objectives/responsibilities, and it also includes such stages as planning, performing, and performing quality control. Thus, it is important to assign the project manager who will also be the project quality, control manager.
This professional will develop the performance measurement as well (Bladen, Kennell, Abson & Wilde 2012). The measurement will include customer perspective, financial perspective, learning perspective. Central aspects of the measurement are provided below (see fig. 1).
Stakeholder Analysis
It is also essential to identify the major characteristics of the stakeholders involved to be able to understand their expectations (Mendes, Guerreiro & Valle 2009). Thus, the major stakeholders are children and their parents (of Salford and other cities), the city council, the local media, local entrepreneurs, the community. The brief analysis of the stakeholders involved shows that all of them have certain expectations and will play different roles during the Salford Christmas Land project (see Table 1). It is noteworthy that all of the stakeholders will expect to have an enjoyable experience.
Table 1: Analysis of the Stakeholders involved.
Bowdin (2010) notes that it is essential to identify areas where stakeholdersâ interests may overlap or even conflict. Salford Christmas Land is not associated with any conflict of interest. On the contrary, there is a vivid recurrent interest. Christmas is one of the most important holidays in the UK. It is also regarded as a family holiday. Almost all stakeholders are likely to want to have fun. There is another recurrent theme. Many stakeholders focus on the development and maintenance of family values. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure that the event will be enjoyable and family-focused.
Activities to Be Implemented
It is necessary to note that the event will include several activities for visitors. Jones, Comfort, and Hillier (2009) state that many cities and towns hold Christmas gift markets where handmade toys and jewelry, books, foodstuffs, and so on are sold. This is a tradition people love. Therefore, it should be included in the Salford Christmas Land. It will be called Salford Christmas FAIRland.
Apart from focusing on family values and diversity, it is essential to make sure that the project is creative enough. Goldblatt (2002) stresses that creativity is one of the most important components of any event. Modern people are accustomed to many things, but they still want to be pleasantly surprised. Therefore, it is crucial to make the venue as well as the activities creative. It is also important to use creative and innovative ways to manage the project (Foley, McGillivray & McPherson 2009). The theme of the activities can be âThe Grinch Who Stole Father Christmasâ.
The outline of the event is as follows:
The visitors come to the venue and meet an elf-guide who tells them about the Salford Christmas FAIRland. According to the elfâs speech, children will see many sights and major places in the land, they will also visit the great Fair and after that, they will meet Father Christmas. The journey starts with the Happy Woods where little elves sing songs and dance, some animals participate in the show. Then, the visitors go to the come to the fair where they can buy some souvenirs. There is also a short performance of jugglers and acrobats as well as a short doll theatre play.
After that, there is breaking news on TV, âGrinch stole Father Christmas”. The visitors have to find him and save Father Christmas. This endeavor consists of walking through an obstacle course, race, maze. The elf-guide helps the visitors. Finally, the visitors come to Grinch’s cave where he asks questions, and children answer them to save Father Christmas. The end is a big (but short dancing party). Importantly, visitors are given one cup of hot chocolate, a chocolate bar, and a small souvenir during the journey (at the beginning, end, and in the middle of the event). These are included in the fee.
The project schedule is provided in Table 2. The project will start on the 1st of September and will end on the 25th of January when the report on the project (its outcomes, feedback from the stakeholders, flaws if any). Each month will be divided into decades during which certain stages will take place. Notably, some stages will last 10 days while some will take up to several months. Negotiations with partners will include making agreements with sponsors, suppliers, the management of the venue, local entrepreneurs. Quality control will be carried out before the start of the event and during the entire project.
Table 2: Project Schedule.
Resources to Be Used
It is necessary to note that the event will require a significant financial investment. At that, the city budget can be used partially as the City Council can find sponsors. Thus, it is essential to agree with the MediaCityUK, which is the perfect venue for the event. The services and most goods will be provided by local entrepreneurs, which will also minimize costs. The budget of the project is presented in Table 3.
Table 3: The Projectâs Budget.
Constraints and Risks
To implement a successful project, the project managers have to consider possible risks and constraints (Allen 2010). This project can be associated with financial, ethical, safety, legal, reputation risks. As far as financial issues are concerned, the entry fee will be quite low (ÂŁ15), and few people may attend the event, which will lead to certain financial losses. As such, sponsors may lose money since they will not receive the publicity they are expecting. The city budget will also be used, and the loss of this money is possible as well. Apart from financial losses, the city council, as well as sponsors and many partners involved, may face reputation risks. The case of the Harrogate project shows that the reputation of the designer and the organizers was significantly damaged (Varma 2014). Safety issues may include injuries of the visitors and staff. These are also associated with legal risks as injured people may sue the organizers. At that, there will be no weather issues as a major part of the event will be held indoors.
Communication to Be Utilised
The success of the project also depends on the way it is publicized. Smith (2009) stresses that the community should know meaningful details about the event. The local media will play an important role while the World Wide Web will be the primary channel of communication. Thus, the event will be advertised through local media (newspapers, TV, radio), social networks, the city councilâs website, and the website of the MediaCityUK.
Possible Success or Failure Factors
The Harrogate project shows that many factors may affect the success or failure including the lack of control, the failure to meet the deadlines, excessive publicity (McDermott 2014). Although this project presupposes a lot of attention to these aspects, some issues may still arise. These can be high demands of the visitors, partners’ inability to meet the deadlines, force major, as well as competition (since many companies arrange various events including concerts, quests, and so on).
Future Operations
Salford Christmas Land can become a pilot project that will provide the city council with the necessary experience in holding such events. The venue can become annual. Flaws or any constraints will be taken into account when developing new projects. The themes will also be changed.
Reference List
Allen, J 2010, The business of event planning: behind-the-scenes secrets of successful special events, Routledge, Oxford, UK.
Bladen, C, Kennell, J, Abson, E & Wilde, N 2012, Events management: an introduction, John Wiley & Sons, Etobicoke, Canada.
Bowdin, G 2010, Events management, Routledge, Abingdon, UK.
Buckley, J 2014, ‘The magical journey reopens: recap updates after Laurence Llewelyn-Bowenâs Christmas blunderland’, Mirror. Web.
Burke, R & Barron, S 2014, Project management leadership: building creative teams, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK.
Chaturvedi, A 2009, Event management: a professional and development approach, Global India Publications, New Delhi, India.
‘Christmas blunderland‘, 2014, Why Do Projects Fail. Web.
‘Christmas blunderland: appalling Harrogate attraction forced to shut after one day’, 2014, Yorkshire Evening Post. Web.
Dowson, R & Bassett, D 2015, Event planning and management: a practical handbook for PR and events professionals, Kogan Page Publishers, London, UK.
Equality and diversity 2014. Web.
Foley, M, McGillivray, D & McPherson, G 2009, ‘Policy, politics and sustainable events’, in R Raj & J Musgrave (eds), Event management and sustainability, CABI, Wallingford, UK, pp. 13-22.
Goldblatt, J 2002, Corporate event project management, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY.
Jones, P, Comfort, D & Hillier, D 2009, ‘Local markets and sustainable development’, in R Raj & J Musgrave (eds), Event management and sustainability, CABI, Wallingford, UK, pp. 186-195.
McDermott, R 2014, ‘Pictured: âawfulâ Christmas attraction closes after ONE DAY following barrage of complaints‘, Mirror. Web.
Mendes, J, Guerreiro, M, Valle, P 2009, ‘Sustainable planning for community venues’, in R Raj & J Musgrave (eds), Event management and sustainability, CABI, Wallingford, UK, pp. 150-160.
Richman, L 2011, Improving your project management skills, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, New York, NY.
Robinson, J 2014, ‘Winter blunderland designed by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen shuts down just nine days before Christmas â leaving furious parents up to ÂŁ100 out of pocket‘, Daily Mail, Web.
Salfordâs Christmas countdown 2013, Web.
Smith, A 2009, ‘Events and sustainable urban regeneration’, in R Raj & J Musgrave (eds), Event management and sustainability, CABI, Wallingford, UK, pp. 32-43.
Tum, J, Norton, P & Wright, JN 2006, Management of event operations, Routledge, Oxford, UK.
Usborne, S 2014, ‘Winter blunderlands: putting the grot into grotto‘, Independent. Web.
Varma, A 2014, ‘Laurence Llewelyn-Bowenâs magical journey Christmas show closed after deluge of complaints‘, Mirror. Web.