U4A2 – MANAGING AN EVENT
Managing An Event – Unit 4 Assignment 2
In this report I will be investigating three events of different sizes and the reasons for their success. I
will then go on to explain my groups chosen event and the factors me and my group will need to
consider leading up to it – such as a feasible it is and a detailed plan alongside it. I will also include a
contingency plan. Lastly, in the report, I will conclude with an evaluation and a justification of the
event.
P3. Investigate the staging of several events to determine common success factors
iPhone XR launch - 2018
The first event I will be considering is the Apple iPhone XR launch – Sep 2018. Apple, despite having
disputably high prices and not being the best at what they do, have a great marketing team. Apple’s
marketing team never fails to build excitement even when doubt and speculation of the company is
present. Apple were able to create huge excitement and drama around the iPhone XR launch in
September 2018 – leading for it to be one of their most successful launches.
Apple usually release a new phone annually, however as they did not release a 9 th generation
iPhone, there was a shorter wait to receive the iPhone XR. The new Apple phone being released
earlier with the idea of the iPhone 9 scrapped assisted more hype and excitement for the new
iPhone XR launch.
This event was held at the Steve Jobs Theatre on the Apple Park campus – an open glass smart
theatre. At the time this was the newest and coolest venue for Apple, and likely specifically designed
for events like launches and promotions. This park was only constructed a year prior, hence this
being one of the first launches from Apple’s new stunning HQ. The beautiful and high-tech venue
allowed for more excitement for the launch whilst helping Apple better portray the company they
want to be perceived as.
This event, alongside other launches, are broadcast on TV and the internet providing more inclusivity
for people invested who couldn’t make it to the Apple Park, California. Inclusivity provides good
publicity and broadens the potential number of viewers allowing for wider exposure. This wider
exposure undoubtedly influenced the number of pre-order and prior sales.
Apple, alongside many other companies, are clever and aware of more prominent times to release
new phones – such as in the run up to Christmas, releasing in late September 2018. This encourages
more sales as people either treat themselves or treat their loved ones with the new phone as a gift.
Apple, prior to the event, leaked small teasers of the latest iPhone, building hype among the press
and within the technology community. This assisting their success. This smart move from apple
monopolised all social media platforms with hype for the new iPhone. This led to an uproar of pre
orders even before the event.
This launch was the biggest launch apple had ever done it was a massive success outselling any of its
other campaigns by 25% + despite the £1000.00 price tag.
Success for this event, as Apple is a for-profit company, is measured by publicity and sales. Apple
achieved exactly that and set personal records across the company gaining both a lot of sales and
global publicity – even though this was only a revamp of the former released, iPhone X.
, U4A2 – MANAGING AN EVENT
The Fortnite World Cup – 2019
Fortnite, a video game owned by game developer Epic Games, has held their spot in the top-ranking
video games for the last few years after surging in popularity in 2017/18. This game is one of its kind
with unique gameplay features which haven’t been seen in before. As a result, develop and improve
their skills of these unique game play features and then leading the game on to become very
competitive.
A video game can offer in person events to announce new updates for games, new sequels to
games, completely new games, and competitive play events. Competitive events display players at
the top level’s skill for people to enjoy and watch. Fortnite had previously offered in person LAN
events (in person tournaments where pro-level players compete for money). However, prior events
were never on this scale. The Fortnite World cup took place in the summer of 2019, over a period of
3 days (26th – 28th July).
The Fortnite World Cup took place in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing, New York. With nearly
20,000 people attending the event. This event was also streamed online with over 2.3 million
concurrent online viewers. This event is the most watched competitive gaming event of all time. This
event taking place in a prominent city in the USA in one of the hottest months definitely contributed
to their in-person turnout and Fortnite’s overall success with the event.
Success for Fortnite and this event for Fortnite can be difficult to determine, however at the end of
the day, Fortnite are a business looking to make money. A goal for Fortnite would be to gain and
maintain new players. This is so Epic Games can later entice them to spend money on the game to
further increase their profits. In a way this is like a blatant investment in the public eye. The Fortnite
World Cup 2019 sparked publicity across the gaming industry. Whilst also set a tone of how
prominent they actually are and how E-sports should be given more spotlight.
Another factor to the success of the event is the funding it received. It is not clear how much
Fortnite spent to get everything in place for this event. However, It can be expected to be a lot for a
large stadium in NYC. This is without considering other many factors such as staffing, promotion and
food. The most notable funding this event received was the prize pool. The Fortnite world cup has
the largest prize pool for a computer game in history of $30,000,000. ($30m). The 1 st place solo
winner (‘BUGHA’, Kyle Giersdorf) received $3m before tax.
Epic’s marketing team displayed advertisements across the globe, on billboards and digitally. Epic
also displayed advertisements for the Fortnite World Cup with in Fortnite and other large games.
This money is not only a substantially large amount but also contributed to the publicity of the event
as people even uninterested in Fortnite or gaming heard about this and were interested in why so
much was at stake.
Fortnite, whilst in the spotlight, used this opportunity to tease the next update within the video
games story and lore. Which satisfied the community, Epic’s target audience, who were dying to
know.
In summary, this event was very successful for Epic Games, financially, publicity wise and as it met
the wants of the target audience.
, U4A2 – MANAGING AN EVENT
London 2012 Olympics
The Olympic games is a worldwide sporting event which takes place every 4 years. London was
selected to host the Summer Olympics in 2012. However, in order to actually host the Olympics
London, saw a lot of redevelopments, such as new buildings and transport routes. The 200-hectare
Olympic Park opened within East London with other venues also being used.
There have been 29 Summer Olympic games altogether meaning London had a lot to live up to. The
Olympic games draws attention from across the globe and as a result if performed poorly can draw
bad publicity to an entire city or country.
The Olympics taking place in the summer, in a popular global city, contributed to the success of the
event as it allowed for more people to attend as it was a good time and easily accessible. The
Olympics was also streamed across many broadcasting networks across the globe allowing for
people to view if they couldn’t make it to London.
The British public represented this event in their masses with celebrations from town to town across
the UK. The athletes, arguably the main acts, hold a massive factor towards the success as at its bare
bones that’s who the crowds are primarily watching. The public and the athletes themselves
represent an element of the success of the London Olympic Games 2012. However, there are not the
only factors.
There have been incredible marketing teams to assist the success of the London ’12 Olympics.
Without these people it may not have been as good as it turned out to be. The marketing team
consisted of marketing leads from some of the words top companies, providing them with funding
and the best people with best expertise to achieve the best results. These people achieved amazing
things such as sponsorships for the Olympics, merchandise, and promotion across the globe.
An important factor, which also partially contributed to the events success, was how prominent
health and safety was made. The Olympics had over 40,000 employees and volunteers to help out. If
there were any incidents their health and safety were made sure to be the top priority. This was
because British and European legislations and standards had to be adhered to. Due to this, and as
result of great leadership, there was very little incidents and accident that occurred.
In summary the London Olympics was a great success - delivering great stages for great sports, a
wonderful spectator experience, and keeping London working while hosting the world's largest and
most complex sports event.
Common Success Factors for an event to be successful
Venue and Venue Location
The three examples that I listed have emphasises the importance of a great venue and how much it
can assist success of the event. The iPhone X had a venue newly built on the Apple park to further
build hype for the launch. The Fortnite world cup was placed in a prominent global venue within the
state of New York. The London Olympics was in a newly built London Olympic Park. Venues are
important as they can make the event more well-known, alongside being more accessible for people
to travel to and watch.
