Analysis of imats and london fashion week in terms of successful event management

Event management and research are the key components to managing a successful event. In this essay I will be exploring two events in order to have a better understanding of event management for my showcase. The events that have been chosen are the IMATS and London Fashion Week. While these two events differ in their areas of expertise and audience, they are both held in high regard in the makeup and fashion industry. IMATS is the International Makeup Artist Trade Show, the first trade show specifically set up for makeup artists. It was first held in 1997 in Los Angeles and claims to be the largest celebration of makeup artistry in the world. London Fashion Week is a fashion show that is held twice annually, in February and September.

In this essay I will explore and compare aspects of both events including common issues and problems and their solutions, basic event strategies, risk management and health and safety, costs and budgets, and collaboration, networking and flexible organizing skills.

It is always important to expect and prepare for possible complications and issues when planning an event. Considering likely problems is important as proper planning is essential for resolving them as efficiently as possible. There are two kinds of event control; operational and organizational. They are used to prepare and resolve any problems that occur throughout the duration of the event. Operational control is used for the smooth running of the event. An example of this at the IMATS would be the control and management of sales. The event managers would research the most popular products and brands in advance of the IMATS to provide what the consumers want. The pushing of popular products would increase sales and reach targets that the event would require to turn a profit and guarantee the success of the event. The IMATS organizational control helps the event with a high chance of running as efficiently as possibly a vast amount of research was done prior to the event. The research concludes that the brands, products and other things, such as guest speakers and live demonstrations are also appropriate for the target audience.

Although IMATS uses organizational control, London Fashion week is more geared towards operational control. One of the main issues with London Fashion Week is timings and schedules. The timing is essential as walks are running all day for the entire week and the operational control would ensure everything stays on track. Event managers would be prepared for potential catastrophes through careful planning including precautions for delays on the day of the event. It is important for London Fashion Week to run smoothly as it is a live show and delays could cause embarrassment to both designers and the managers of the event. As a whole, both events prepare immensely for potential complications however personally I believe that preparing for delays in schedules is more challenging.

Health and safety is important for an event and it is essential that it is followed precisely. Management will always prepare to avoid incidents that could harm anyone attending the event. Any accidents at a high profile event would impact the success of that year and depending on the scale of the incident, all future years. Health and safety is controlled with both organizational and operational control. Risk assessments should be researched and established before the event and should be followed throughout. IMATS sent out risk assessments before the event which outlined the regulations, potential hazards and the methods to overcome them to ensure the safety of attendees. These covered things such as crowd control, handouts and insurance policies. Brands promoting themselves at the event were also given risk assessments to adhere to the health and safety regulations.

London Fashion Week had health and safety measures in place before, during and after the event. Before the event emergency exits were established. During the event members of staff could easily communicate with each other to prevent risks.

Both events were very careful to adhere to health and safety regulations. I personally believe that the IMATS were more effective at controlling their health and safety assessments.

Selecting the target audience is essential when planning an event. It is an important strategy in order to maximize profits from the event. An appropriate time, date and venue is also a factor in ensuring the event is a success. IMATS is successful in organizing an appropriate venue and date as it is set up over an entire weekends throughout the year and in various venues across the globe. As the target audience is mostly made up of students and adults the weekend timescale is perfect as many people get weekends off work. The IMATS is held in an accessible location, close to trains, buses and tubes which allow available routes even for people that cannot drive.

London Fashion Week changes its location every year but it is always in a desirable spot to emphasize the photogenic feel of the event. It consists of walks every day for an entire week, and is held twice annually at the beginning of the new seasons.

Both events try to accommodate for the types of audience they are focused towards. The events management teams for both events have done vast amounts of research and analysis to create an event that would be appropriate for their target audiences.

Budgeting is a huge aspect in managing an event. Both IMATS and London Fashion Week must keep a close eye on their incoming and outgoing allowances. Budgets include working out costs, estimating incoming money, and allocating the finances to certain sectors. IMATS have many ways of maximizing their profits. It costs brands around £2, 000 to rent a booth to sell their products and with over 60 brands setting over the course of the weekend this can easily cover the cost of the venue. IMATS also charges £250 per advertisement of a brand. From this we can gather that the incoming profits clearly outway the outgoing allowances.

London Fashion Week is the second highest grossing fashion week after New York Fashion Week. The outgoing costs are a closely kept secret however it is safe to assume that the event has a successful profit margin. Both events use different methods to garner profit with each managing huge budgets to maximize their income.

Networking and collaboration are both essential for the IMATS and London Fashion Week as they are both used to promote brands. The events must be up to date with modern products and fashion trend and both use established marketing and advertising campaigns. The target audience has an impact on the collaboration methods used. For example London Fashion Week is likely to have sponsors that are prestigious and in high demand in the fashion industry. There are many methods to network and communicate with the general public such as endorsement from celebrities, personal advertisements and direct sales. London Fashion Week uses many social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as well as their own website which has a live stream throughout the event. Social media appears to be one of their most popular networking tools with their Instagram having over 200, 000 followers. Social media can also promote the event to a younger audience and a wider platform. The collaboration methods of London Fashion Week are very exclusive with a thorough application process to be completed by potential designers who are to be given the chance for an appearance on the runway. The application process means that the most popular and well known designers will be showcasing their talent.

However IMATS is a less profiled event and therefore can collaborate with a variety of brands and make-up artists to offer other merchandise. Doing business with popular make up brands encourages the general public to attend the event for a chance to purchase their favorite products at a discounted price. The collaboration with high profile make-up artists can also pull in a larger spectrum of attendees. The live demos that they put on are also valuable to promote the event. IMATS also uses social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and they too have their own official website.

Both IMATS and London Fashion Week make use of collaborating and networking with professionals in their chosen industries as well as collaborating with advertisers, sponsors and social media.

In conclusion both IMATS and London Fashion Week are adept at event management for their particular events. They are both well researched prior to the shows and have sufficient funding and turn over large profits. They both overcome many challenges on the day of the events to do with timings and schedules, with London Fashion Week optimizing their time management due to the potential of more disruptions and delays. Both events have a good management of health and safety and both can collaborate with industry specialists effectively. On the whole I found that both events employ well excellent management techniques proven by their success.