Event proposal by Rebecca Lawson

EVENT PROPOSAL

UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD School of Art, Design & Architecture Department of Design Aphrodite and Ares Event Proposal Rebecca Lawson A Major Project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for BA (Hons) Fashion, Communication and Promotion. Module THD1101 Fashion Communication Promotion Major Project The candidate confirms that the work submitted is their own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. The University of Huddersfield School of Art & Design Department of Design Huddersfield West Yorkshire ENGLAND (16/05/2014 ) 3

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1.0 Introduction 7 1.1 Rationale 7 1.2 Aims and Objectives 7 1.3 Event Message 8 1.4 Expected Outcome 8

EVENT ARRANGEMENTS 2.0 Event Details 10 2.1 Location, Date and Venue 10 3.0 Event Invitation 12 4.0 Entertainment 14 4.1 Evening Schedule 14 4.2 The Catwalk 15 4.3 The DJ 17 5.0 Catering 18 5.1 Canapes 18 5.2 The Cocktail Bar 19 6.0 Gift bags/ Promotion 20

EVENT LOGISTICS 7.0 The Guestlist 23 8.0 Staff and Security 24 9.0 Costings 25 10.0 Conclusion 26

REFERENCES 11.0 References 28

APPENDICES 12.0 Appendix A 30 12.1 Appendix B 32

INTRODUCTION

1.0 INTRODUCTION The purpose of the proposal is to outline the media exclusive launch event of Aphrodite and Ares’ new vintage inspired summer collection for 2014. The event will focus on the promotion of the brand’s new collection and will ensure to communicate the core values of Aphrodite and Ares; authenticity, individuality, culture and nostalgia. Location, entertainment and catering of the event have been carefully considered to accommodate the target consumer of the brand and further communicate the desired brand image of Aphrodite and Ares to media and blogger guests.

1.1 RATIONALE The proposed event will ensure the effective multimedia promotion of Aphrodite and Ares across digital channels and print media that is likely to attract the attention of the target consumer.

1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES AIM: To generate significant hype surrounding the Aphrodite and Ares brand and consequently lead to positive media publicity in time for the collection’s online debut.

OBJECTIVES: • To create an event that leaves a lasting impression of the brand through exciting and enjoyable entertainment. • To promote the collection by providing the media with exclusive access to preview the new collection on both a catwalk and browsing rails. • To communicate an established and desirable brand image to the media to ensure positive publicity. • To gain press coverage in print media and at least 5 established fashion blogs regarding the new collection.

1.3 EVENT MESSAGE The overall message of the event is to take guests inside the world of Aphrodite and Ares; demonstrating the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s importance to fashion innovators for the upcoming festival season, additionally communicating elements that put the brand ahead of its competitors.

1.4 EXPECTED OUTCOME The event will generate substantial media publicity surrounding the new summer collection of Aphrodite and Ares, additionally portraying a solidified brand image among media guests which will disperse among consumers via social media, inspiring them to visit aphroditeandaresclothing.com to further explore the brand and their offerings to the fashion marketplace. The two and a half hour long evening will provide the media and innovative established fashion bloggers with the opportunity to exclusively browse the collection, watch the garments take to the catwalk and enjoy carefully selected music and beverages.

EVENT ARRANGEMENTS

2.0 EVENT DETAILS

2.1 LOCATION, DATE AND VENUE The proposed event will take place on Friday 23rd May at 7:30pm at The Dalston department store. Located in the London Borough of Hackney, East London, Dalston has recently gained a reputation for being home to many of East London’s coolest hang out locations. Dalston E8 now finds itself owner to Britain’s coolest postcode and the playground to London’s hip and young; evidently a tactful location to capture the true essence of Aphrodite and Ares clothing. The Dalston department store is an ex- Victorian Power shed refurbished into an exciting and raw venue with two floors of space; allowing the event to be split among both floors, heightening the guest experience. Accessed via a goods lift, the upper floor is rectangular in shape, occupies 1650 Sq ft and is filled with natural light; certainly suited to allow guests to browse garments, listen to music and enjoy cocktail beverages. Additionally the second space of the venue occupies the basement floor which a larger space of 2800 Sq ft, which is directly beneath and will act well for its purpose of holding the catwalk of the evening.

(Venue Location within Dalston)

3.0 EVENT INVITATION

In conjunction with the digital nature of the promotional campaign, guests of the launch event will receive their invitation via email. The invitation design will be appropriate to the Aphrodite and Ares brand, reflecting urban/vintage styles that the target consumer would find attractive.

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4.0 ENTERTAINMENT 4.1 EVENING SCHEDULE 7:30pm: Guests are to arrive at the venue greeted by a host and directed to the first room of the event. Here guests are given a promotional gift bag and are directed toward the cocktail bar where they are able to experiment a range of freshly made exotic beverages. Additionally in this area of the venue guests are able to freely browse rails of Aphrodite and Ares summer 14 collection and copies of the collection look book, to further understand what the brand has to offer whilst listening to a DJ.

8:00pm: At 8:00pm hosts will circulate the floor and offer guests a wide variety of canapĂŠ choices inspired by a range of international dishes.

8:30pm: Guests are then encouraged to make their way down to the basement floor and take their seats in preparation for the catwalk show.

8:45pm: The catwalk show will commence at 8:45pm and last for approximately 15 minutes; showcasing the new collection in a runway format.

9:00pm: For the final hour of the evening guests return to the ground floor of the venue for further beverages and DJ entertainment where they have the opportunity to interview the brand owners of Aphrodite and Ares.

4.2 THE CATWALK The catwalk show of the evening will take place within the basement floor of the venue and aims to generate excitement among guests which will translate through social media and print publications. Guests are to take their seats ready for the prompt start of the show at 8:45pm.

THE MODELS Six models are scheduled to walk the runway in a total of twelve outfits taken from the Aphrodite and Ares summer collection; each model changing twice. The models chosen for the event will be styled to coincide with the styling of the advertisement imagery within the campaign; natural and seemingly effortless. Potential models have been sourced from London based agency,‘Next Models’ under the ‘New Faces’ section. Suggested models are the following:

INES GARCIA

KLAUDIA LUCZAK

ANDREA K

AGNE KONCIUTE

LORENA MARASCHI

MADDISON BROWN

THE MUSIC Models will walk the catwalk to music that is appropriate to the consumer and lifestyle of Aphrodite and Ares. As an independent brand with designs inspired by the best of the past, music of the ‘Alternative’ genre has been selected with a mix of modern and 80’s tracks to bring a sense of nostalgia to guests. A playlist of the following tracks will serenade the catwalk show:

1.Enya – Sail Away 2.The pains of being pure at heart – Heart in your heartbreak 3.The Smiths – This charming man 4. Sunbeam sound machine – Cosmic love affair 5. We are shining – Wheel

THE STAGING The catwalk will take a prominent position through the centre of the basement floor with seating areas to both sides of the runway. A promotional display of advertisement imagery from the campaign will be projected onto the back drop of the catwalk in the form of a slide show.This will enable guests to have insight into the theme of Aphrodite and Ares’ summer campaign; showing garments in realistic summer contexts, in this case a Fairground. The catwalk will be hired as a package from UK Event services and will include the following: 12m x 2m stage Black Stage Vallance 1x Step unit Basic Catwalk Runway Lighting 4 Speaker 1600w PA System and Wireless Mic.

4.3 THE DJ East London DJ Bradley Zero will perform a set list of remixed classic indie/alternative tracks with a modernised spin in two sets; before the catwalk performance and afterward for the final hour of the evening.

5.0 CATERING 5.1 CANAPES A selection of culturally inspired canapĂŠs will be served on cocktail sticks by hosts with serving trays to guests. Catering sourced by Marks and Spencer will include; a platter of succulent British chicken fillets in four delicious marinades, including tikka, coriander & lime, sweet chilli & lime and tomato and basil, a platter of varied vegetable spring rolls including wheat pancake rolls with mushroom, coconut and chilli, star decorated wheat pancake rolls with carrot and water chestnut and lattice rice pancake rolls with wok fried sweetcorn and spring onion, in addition to a handmade selection with black tiger prawns: prawn baguette toasts; prawn and coconut bites; and crispy prawn and potato balls.

5.2 THE COCKTAIL BAR Throughout the entire evening a cocktail bar will provide beverages to guests free of cost. The bar will be sourced through a local company entitled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liquid Chefsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and the chosen package for the evening will include a fully equipped cocktail bar along with a bar manager, a bar attender and an additional member of staff for support and efficiency to ensure guests are served quickly and smoothly throughout the evening. The bar will serve the following menu of cocktails; both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options will be available:

Asian Mule A tall, vodka based cocktail with enhanced, oriental flavours of fresh lime oils, ginger and basil. Served with a top up of ginger ale.

Kiwi and Cucumber smash Slices of fresh cucumber and kiwi fruit are pressed together with sugar syrup, topped with fresh cloudy apple juice, vodka and a splash of fresh lime. A refreshingly crisp cocktail shaken and strained into a martini glass.

Passionfruit Cooler Served tall, this flavourful number comprises of vodka, passion fruit puree, homemade vanilla syrup and orange bitters. It is shaken, poured over cubed ice and topped with soda and a passion fruit slice. Can also be served as a Martini.

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri A delightful strawberry twist to the classic Daiquiri: fresh strawberries blended with white rum, sugar and a touch of lime. Served frozen with strawberry garnish.

Pina Colada This classic tropical frozen cocktail combines white rum, coconut cream, fresh pinapple and a dash of lime juice. All blended with crushed ice until silky smooth and poured into a martini glass.

Watermelon and Basil Martini Succulent watermelon is muddled with basil and shaken with white rum and a splash of cranberry juice, served straight up.

6.0 GIFT BAGS/ PROMOTION On entrance to the first floor of the venue guests of Aphrodite and Ares summer launch event are given promotional gift bags. The purpose of the gift bags is to stimulate excitement among guests, continuing to form a relationship with the media that consequently translates through positive publicity of the brand. The gift bag itself is a reusable canvas bag branded with the Aphrodite and Ares logo; this enables the promotion of the brand when guests reuse the bag outside of the event. The canvas bag contains an Aphrodite and Ares floral head crown for guests to style over the festival season in addition to a fairground appropriate candy lollipop again branded with the A&A logo to give guests a feel of the campaigns summer fun theme. Furthermore within the gift bag guests will find a promotional flyer holding an exclusive 10% discount code off the new collection to indulge in before the public launch. The flyer will also include the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website address, Instagram and Twitter names for guests to search and follow during the event.

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EVENT LOGISTICS

7.0 THE GUESTLIST

A mix of publication editors and current fashion bloggers will be invited to the launch event of Aphrodite and Ares’ vintage inspired summer collection. The following list shows an example of event guests:

• Company Magazine • Grazia Magazine • Look Magazine • Cosmopolitan Magazine • Elle Magazine • The Little Magpie blog • In The Frow blog • Waiste blog • She Wears Fashion blog • Fashion Influx blog

The inclusion of publication editors and online fashion bloggers ensures that the brand will be promoted through both online and print mediums to attract a maximum number of potential consumers.

8.0 STAFF AND SECURITY Event hosts and catering staff will circulate both rooms of the venue throughout the evening. Event hosts will be in use from 6:30pm for the entire evening and will assist with the setting up of the venue. A member of the host team will each supervise the front door, the ground floor entrance and the basement entrance. At the main entrance of the venue both a host and security guard will supervise; on entrance guests will be asked their names and will then be ticked off the guest list accordingly. The catering staff will begin from 7:30pm until 8.30pm, and bar staff will begin at 7:00pm to set up the bar area and will end serving at 10:00pm when the event ends.

9.0 COSTINGS Costings for the evening total to £6,417; this includes all features throughout the duration of the event. The following table outlines a breakdown of event costings:

Venue Cocktail Bar Catering DJ Staff Models Catwalk Furnishings

Feature

£3,000 £1,512 £40 £200 £200 £600 £565 £300

Cost

10.0 CONCLUSION The overall aim of the event is to reinforce the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solidified image and promote the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new summer collection to a wide range of consumer appropriate media guests. Aphrodite and Ares will encourage media guests to attend the event by offering exclusive 10% discount codes within the given promotional gift bags that enable the bearer to shop the collection a week prior to the official collection launch to the public. A structured evening of entertainment including the exclusive catwalk preview, the DJ set and the privately hired fully equipped cocktail bar ensures that guests are engaged with lifestyle aspects of the brand throughout the entire event, offering them a sense of understanding of Aphrodite and Ares; culturally inspired catering and cocktails and nostalgic music playlists likely listened to by the target consumer reinforce two of the brands main core values. Moreover, the eveningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entertainment ensures excitement is generated surrounding the brand and their new vintage inspired summer collection, which aims to translate positively through the media, generating crucial brand awareness.To conclude the event is vital to gain substantial media publicity across both online and print mediums, giving media guests the incentive to promote Aphrodite and Ares and support the brand on their journey to future success.

REFERENCES

11.0 REFERENCES

24 Vegetable Spring Rolls. (n.d.).Welcome to Marks & Spencer. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www. marksandspencer.com/24-vegetable-spring-rolls/p/p21064527 24 Prawn Dim Sum Selection. (n.d.).Welcome to Marks & Spencer. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www. marksandspencer.com/24-prawn-dim-sum-selection/p/p21064604 Categories. (n.d.). URBAN OUTFITTERS EUROPE BLOG: UO CAMDEN: DJ BRADLEY ZERO. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://blog.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/?p=12238 Dalston Department Store. (n.d.). - The is an ex-Victorian Powershed refurbished int.... Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.canvas-events.co.uk/venues/282/dalston-department-store Next. (n.d.). / London / Model. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.nextmanagement.com/london/ models?tagged=new-faces-women

APPENDICES

12.0 APPENDIX A: MEDIA LIST NAME AND ROLE Kirsty Hathaway – Fashion Editor

Company

Oonagh Brennan – Fashion Director

Company

Louise Court - Editor

Cosmopolitan

Suzy Cox – Deputy Editor

Cosmopolitan

Pat McNulty – Online Editor

Cosmopolitan

Elizabeth Fraser Bell – Fashion Editor

Dazed and Confused

Tim Noakes - Editor

Dazed and Confused

Cathy Edwards – Fashion Director Dazed Digital

Dazed and Confused

Alice Wignall – Features Director

Elle

Anne – Marie Curtis – Fashion Director

Elle

Jo Elvin - Editor

Glamour

Julia Yule – Fashion and Beauty Editor

Glamour

Jess Cartner – Morley – Fashion Editor

Guardian

Rosie Swash – Online Fashion Editor

Guardian

Jane Bruton - Editor

Grazia

Catherine Nieto – Fashion Editor

Grazia

Caroline Barrett – Assistant Editor

Grazia

Gabriele Hackworthy – Fashion Director

Harper’s Bazaar

Kay Barron – Fashion Features Editor

Harper’s Bazaar

Lucy Wood – Fashion News Editor

Look

Hannah Hughes – Fashion Director

Look

Karen Daera – Fashion Editor

PUBLICATION

London Evening Standard

Jayne Pickering – Fashion Director

Marie Claire

Kate Stephens – Digital and Online Editor

Marie Claire

Marvin Scott -Jarrett - Editor

Nylon

Joseph Errico – Fashion Director

Nylon

Kate Salter – Features Editor

Stella

Charlie Harrington – Fashion Director

Stella

Alexandra Fullerton – Fashion Director

Stylist

Collette Lyons – Features Editor

Stylist

Lisa Armstrong – Fashion Editor

Telegraph

Daniela Agnelli – Fashion Director

Telegraph Magazine

Laura Craik – Fashion Editor

Times

Carolyn Asome – Deputy Fashion Editor

Times

Jane Taylor-Hayhurst –Style Editor

Times Magazine

Francesca Burns – Fashion Editor

Vogue

Harriet Quick – Fashion Features Director

Vogue

Nicky Eaton – Director of Press and PR

Vogue

Giulia Oddi – Fashion Coordinator

Wonderland

Julia Sarr-Jamois – Senior Fashion Editor

Wonderland

Susie Bubble

StyleBubble

Kavita Donkersley Lydia Rose Victoria Magrath Sarah Ashcroft Sara Waiste Amy Bell Julie Sarinana

She wears fashion Fashion Influx In the frow That pommie girl Waiste The little magpie Sincerely jules

12.1 APPENDIX B: VENUE FLOOR PLANS