Fall down the rabbit hole with...Woven Durham

Fall down the rabbit hole with‌

Woven Durham

By Abigail Doughty

Contents___________________________________________2 Introduction________________________________________3 Background & Rationale____________________________4 Message & Aim_____________________________________5 Target Audience____________________________________6 Concept Overview__________________________________7-8 Venue_____________________________________________9 Entertainment_____________________________________10 Catering___________________________________________11 Brand Ambassadors________________________________13 Runway Show______________________________________14 Timings____________________________________________15 Budget_____________________________________________16 PR__________________________________________________17 Conclusion__________________________________________18 Appendix__________________________________________19-24

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A truly unique and creative event, ‘Fall down the rabbit hole with Woven’ will promote the new AW15 footwear collection in a themed and guaranteed entertaining evening set to take place on Saturday 5th September 2015.

The event will be held at Rockliffe Hall in Durham and guests and members of the media will be invited to attend from 7.30PM. Whilst still maintaining Woven Durham’s British heritage the event will highlight the eccentric styling and confidence of its consumers, whilst increasing brand loyalty and recognition. As well as being a very visual event, the main aim is to concentrate directly on engaging with the consumer and making sure their needs are met throughout.

Throughout the evening, the event will be supported by PR techniques, promoting the brand through social media platforms via staff members as well as attendees. Guests will be invited to view the new footwear collection by runway show and will have the opportunity to speak to brand ambassadors and receive a personal styling service free of charge.

A truly exclusive event with only 120 allocations, the guest list will include local as well as national members of the media, core customers from the in-store loyalty scheme and bloggers. Those in attendance will feel the passion for the exceptional customer service that Woven Durham offers and will leave feeling inspired, surprised and waiting in anticipation for the next event held.

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Since 2010, Woven Durham has made sure that high quality products from British brands and exceptional personal customer service has been their main message at the forefront of the brand. Founded by Chris Hayes, the store is proud to be an independent retailer that offers a range of diverse brands with suit hire and made to measure services for any occasion.

The primary audience for Woven are professional males between the ages of 30-50 who enjoy dressing well and attending events in their spare time to show off their eccentric style. The secondary audience that is mainly made up from University students and younger locals also attend Woven events, however as some move back home they lose their connection with the brand.

The location and venue for the event maintains the British heritage background that Woven Durham holds whilst being conveniently placed on the outskirts of Durham, this allows easy access via car or public transport. To hold onto the current loyal customer base, the choice to keep the event in Durham was key to building and expanding the brands demographic in a place where they are already established.

The theme for the event is inspiration taken from the film Alice in Wonderland where a ‘mad hatters tea party’ takes place, key features are eccentric characters, bold colours and an overall unique experience. This is something Woven wants to achieve with their events and to give the consumer a long-lasting memory that will keep them visiting events in the future.

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To promote the launch of the new AW15 footwear collection for Woven Durham.

To provide guests and members of the media with entertainment from the event theme, making direct links to the brand.

To reward and maintain Woven’s loyal customer base and increase brand recognition and expand customer demographic.

To engage attendees of the event with recommendations on styling and strengthen customer service skills.

To promote the brand online through a social media PR tactic and to be successful in promoting the overall AW15 collection.

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As the main focus for the event is the consumer and their experience, 90 tickets will be allocated to the customers of Woven. By registering as a member on the Woven Durham website customers will be able to sign up for a ticket to the event, a limited number of only 50 tickets will be available on there a month prior to the event. The remaining 40 tickets will be offered to customers who are signed up to the in-store loyalty scheme, highlighting that Woven looks after its customers and cares for their loyalties to the brand.

The main target audience will be the secondary younger consumer identified by Woven, however this is not limited so a number of their primary consumers will also be invited to attend the event. The secondary younger consumer identified by Woven is the main and appropriate target for this event, despite being from student or newly professional backgrounds this consumer considers themselves to be trend aware; yet seeks to purchase that statement piece to make their outfit stand out from the rest. They are social media savvy and often attend events that offer an experience so that they can promote this on their social media pages to show off their lifestyle to others.

Out of the 120 people invited, 30 are reserved for members of the press, volunteers, Woven staff and brand ambassadors. Members of the press will include journalists from a range of publications from different parts of the country such as Esquire and the Durham Times to The Evening Chronicle Newcastle and Fashion London. Bloggers Leroy Dawkins, editor of ‘Diary of a Clotheshorse’ and Jeremy Langmead from Mr Porter will also be in attendance for the full evening.

See full media list in Appendix.

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After conducting in-depth research into the Woven Durham brand it became clear that they not only pride themselves on their customer service but are also keen to provide their customers with an experience every time they enter the store. Offering customers high quality materials that fit well whilst still being stylish are also an important factor to Woven as they encourage customers to embrace their personality by showing it through their clothing choices.

For the reasons discussed, the main focus of the event will be to entertain and engage the customer directly with the brand, strengthening brand loyalty and recognition.

The event name, ‘fall down the rabbit hole with Woven’ is based on the film Alice in Wonderlands ‘mad hatters tea party’, similar to the film the event will be creative and quirky however with a masculine twist. From arriving to leaving, the event provides a unique one-of-a-kind experience for the customer as it explores and positively promotes styling and experimentation with add-on accessory products.

Upon arrival, guests will be greeted by brand ambassadors, then led to the food and drinks area where a spit roast will have been carved complimented by a choice of three types of craft beers. The simplicity of the catering aspect is considerate of the consumer being predominantly male.

Entertainment will be provided such as a poker table with mad hatter styled cards and a ‘wheel of fortune’ which will be slightly adapted to show the new AW15 collection of footwear on the wheel, it will be placed near the entrance so as to catch the eye of guests as they walk in. A short speech and runway show will follow; all the while a local DJ will be playing music from the 40’s to current playlists.

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Looking around the room customers will see how the room has been styled to reflect the theme, mad hatter plaques will stand in front of the food area with ‘eat me’ slogans, smaller tags on the three different types of craft beers will also have ‘drink me’ labels hanging from them. The roof will benefit from a series of upside down umbrellas hanging from the ceiling, while an oversized top hat stands proudly in front of the purple-carpeted catwalk. Customers will also be invited to the photo-booth where an array of props will be ready and any images taken will be directly uploaded to the Woven Instagram page, branding will also appear on the bottom of the picture to promote the brand and the event.

Towards the end of the evening complimentary bags containing a free branded pen, look-book, a guide to the quality and sizing of the footwear collection and an introductory voucher with 10% off in-store valid for six months will be given to each guest at the event.

The brand is keen to expand its footwear range so this event will be promoting this, to boost overall sales for the brand and to add a talking point for consumers, all accessories from bow ties to matching handkerchiefs and brace clips will be displayed on tables around the room – available for purchase on the evening. Brand ambassadors will be a hugely effective part of the event, dressed head to toe in the Woven brand they will offer styling advice for customers and encourage them to develop their own styles.

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The chosen venue for this event is Rockliffe Hall, located on the banks of the River Tees just outside the village of Hurworth. An 18th century estate packed with character fits the Woven brand well as it enhances its heritage. Placed in a picturesque setting surrounded by the countryside the venue boasts an array of well-kept garden and grounds. A short distance away is the main A1(M) and the A66(M) motorway, a10 minute train journey from Darlington and 40 minutes by train from central Durham, the location is accessible by public transport and car. On site free parking is also available as is wheelchair access.

Rockliffe Hall Hotel, Gold & Spa Hurworth on Tees Darlington Country Durham DL2 2DU

+44 (0)1325 729999 enquiries@rockliffehall.com

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Wheel of fortune.

Instead of a plain wheel, there will be eight pieces of footwear attached from the new collection; the aim of the game is to spin the wheel and if it lands on the marked shoe then the customer is entered into a prize draw to win a pair of shoes of their choice. This will not only promote the brand but it offers an opening for customers who might not be able to usually afford footwear from Woven.

Poker table.

As Woven supports new and up and coming designers and looks for ways to incorporate them into the brand, any money won by the poker staff will be given to the charity DUCFS (Durham University Charity Fashion Show) for their 2016 event featuring a range of up and coming local designers. Featured on the poker table will also be mad hatter themed deck of cards which link again to the overall theme of the event.

Photo-booth.

As the target consumer is very social media aware the photo-booth is an opportunity to showcase this. Featuring a wide range of mad hatters tea part props the photo-booth will be manned by a member of staff who will upload pictures from the photo-booth to social media. Each image printed will also be branded with the Woven logo so that it is recognizable to other consumers who did not attend the event. This will be an effective way of building brand awareness and essentially broadening the demographics.

Decorations.

The room will boast an eccentric and unique feel, with the dark purple runway running into an oversized checkered print top hat in the middle of the room. Along the ceiling in rows of 3 dark purple spotty umbrellas will hang upside down from ceilings, lights will be used inside to create a glowing and interesting effect.

Around the room signage and props will be used to compliment the theme, the food on the table will feature an ‘eat me’ slogan banner above and the three types of craft beers will also all feature a ‘drink me’ slogan tag around the bottle of the neck, in-keeping with the overall theme.

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To enhance the masculine feel to the event, a pig roast will be provided by ‘the spit roast company’ and cooked just before the arrival of the attendees. Bread rolls will also be provided and a variety of sauces such as bramble applesauce and stuffing,crispy crackling will also be available.

Each attendee will be provided with two complimentary drinks of their choice of three different craft beers, the choices are Brooklyn Lager, Mad Hatter Penny Lane and Celis White to offer a variety of different tasting drinks to suit different consumers. The venue, on request will also provide soft drinks and alcohol will be available from the hotel bar at cost for people who are wanting different drinks to those at the event.

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A select group of customers from Woven will be chosen to be brand ambassadors, they are chosen based on their individual style, attitude and knowledge of the brand. They must be able to feel at ease talking to strangers and have a passion for Woven products; they will be briefed before the event on new products and how to style the more unique looking outfits.

Just for the evening, each brand ambassador will be provided with a full outfit of their choice including braces, cufflinks, handkerchiefs and socks. To tie in with the mad hatter theme the brand ambassadors will be easily recognizable by their top hats and pocket watches which will be required to be worn all evening.

The main role of the brand ambassador at the event is to greet the attendees as they arrive and be approachable throughout the night offering styling and trend advice. As there will be seven brand ambassadors present this will be enough to oversee teams of people and allow customers as they start to relax and feel at ease at the event, will begin engaging directly with the brand and the products there.

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The models for the runway show will be models used from previous Woven Durham events, local signed and recognized models will also be featured such as Lee Doco, Joe Parker and Aaron Bowman. Hair will be styled by local Durham hairdressers TONI&GUY in exchange for their styling being shown in the show.

The music and lighting will be provided by a local DJ whose music throughout the evening will consist of 1940’s right through to current songs, they will all be songs to lift the mood throughout the evening and during the catwalk show will change to be very upbeat and energetic to give a youthful and fresh feel to the show.

Behind the scenes volunteers will have been picked a few weeks before the event, these may be students seeking experience or current Woven customers and a practice run will have been conducted a few weeks prior to the event to ensure consistency.

As each individual model walk the runway, Chris the founder of Woven will be talking about each outfit, most importantly the type of shoe displayed, the materials and the quality. Each footwear showcased will be displayed on tables at the back of the room after the show in a range of sizes so that attendees are able to view the products and engage directly with it.

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7.00PM – Arrival of press to take photographs and ask the founder of Woven Chris questions about the brand and the launch of the footwear collection.

7.30PM – Attendees arrive greeted by the brand ambassadors, the spit roast will have been carved and ready to serve alongside the first round of complimentary drinks.

7.45PM – Entertainment will be attended to by staff ready to begin (Poker, Wheel of Fortune & Photo-booth) 8.30PM – Chris provides a speech before the runway show outlining and promoting the launch of the footwear collection.

8.40PM– Runway show begins.

9.00PM– End of the runway show, preview of the AW15 footwear collection now available for customers to view.

9.15PM- Second round of complimentary drinks to be served and all entertainment sections and staff working again.

9.45PM onwards – As people leave the event their free complimentary gift bag will be handed out.

10.30PM- End of the event and announcement to guests who may still be there how much money will be donated to the DUCFS charity.

Few weeks after event – Winner of the free pair of shoes will be announced via social media and email.

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Of the £3000 budget provided, £2,984.95 is the total for ‘Fall down the rabbit hole with Woven’ event for AW2015.

A considerable amount of the budget was put towards entertainment and decoration however to create the customer experience desired, these were necessary items needed for a successful theme.

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By inviting a range of press from publications up and down the country, primarily menswear magazines that will feature articles and pictures from the event, will be a key strategy for the promotion and creating awareness for the AW15 footwear collection. By providing entertainment, charity and competitions there will be a broad scope of choice for the chosen topic to be published.

The links to social media from the entertainment section of the event, such as the photo-booth will provide instant promotion throughout the social media platforms, building the brand now and being successful in expanding customer demographic in featuring the branding along the bottom of the pictures produced. The winner from the ‘wheel of fortune’ will also be announced via social media and email to build our customer loyalty.

The main intentions of the complimentary gift bags that will be handed out after the event is to build customer loyalty, as the customer feels looked after and appreciated by the brand. As everything will be branded once used will be noticed by others and will be a talking point. The introductory 10% voucher in-store at Woven isn’t something they would usually do, however with the positive media generated from this will have customers wanting to attend future events.

In donating any profits made from the poker table section of the event to the charity DUCFS (Durham University Charity Fashion Show) this will be successful in highlighting the brands values of supporting local talent and is in keeping with holding on to the British heritage. For those who did not attend the event but are aware of the money donated will also be building awareness and recognition that will continue a while after the initial event.

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The event will meet its aims and objectives through a combination of tactics employed, the press coverage from the event will build brand recognition and increase the brands demographic whereas the runway show itself will of promoted a new element to Woven that it didn’t essentially have before.

The overall theme of the event will of allowed the people involved to grow in confidence and build a trusting relationship with the Woven brand, in doing this they will continue to visit the store to seek further styling advice and will wait for the opportunity to arise again to show off their developed eccentric style.

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Wheel of fortune (brogues).

Spit-Roast hand carved by a member of staff.

Choice of three craft beers upon arrival.

DJ who will be providing music throughout the evening.

Main entrance

Photo-booth with props.

Poker table with themed deck of mad hatter cards.

Tables displaying accessories supported by brand ambassador..

Catwalk and seating for runway show.

Oversized top hat prop ties in with the theme.

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Press Contact Woven No.23 The Gates Framwelgate Bridge Durham DH1 4SJ sales@wovendurham.co.uk (44) 0191 3741002

Fall down the rabbit hole this AW15 with Woven Durham!

Don’t be afraid to go a little bit wild and wacky this season as Woven unveils the launch of its AW15 footwear collection and campaign at the charming Rockliffe Hall Hotel on Saturday 5th September.

With a evening full of excitement on offer, the event will provide those who attend the opportunity to experience something a little different, dare I say slightly mad!!

“The event is really set to capture the whole essence of what Woven Durham is all about; creativity, confidence and style and the ability to push the boundaries and experiment in order to unleash your hidden desire” Said Chris Hayes, founder of Woven From 7.00PM members of the press are invited to enjoy the complimentary drinks available whilst browsing the new collection, this will be a brilliant opportunity to experience one of Northern England’s leading independent brands.

ENDS.

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Press Contact – Rockliffe Hall Hotel Hurworth on Tees Darlington County Durham DL2 2DU enquiries@rockliffehall.com (+44) 01325 729999

Rockliffe Hall is proud to announce an event never to forget!

Rockliffe Hall is the venue of choice for local independent retailer Woven to host the launch of their AW15 footwear collection this Saturday, 5th September.

From 7.00PM guests are invited to experience all that Rockliffe Hall has to offer, set alongside the River Tee’s and overlooking miles of picturesque countryside whether you want to relax or celebrate, we offer nothing but a genuine unforgettable and experience.

With the event running until 10.30PM why not stay and experience one of our elegant and luxurious hotel rooms? With prices starting from as little as £150 you might as well turn your evening of fun into a weekend of luxury.

ENDS.

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