SOPHIA WEBSTERSpring/Summer 2014 Shoe Launch

Sophia Webster | Events Management | Director Paige Holden

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Sophia Webster Flutura heeled sandals, RRP £380

Event description and concept

Sophia Webster is launching her Spring/Summer 2014 sandals ‘Flutura’ collection at an exclusive press event. This pre-season collection will be revealed on Thursday April 3rd 2014 at 6.30pm at the Natural History Museum located in central London.

There are 40 sleek designs which will be showcased, 10 of which will be bags and 30 will be shoes, varying from the best of Sophia Webster’s new collection including the laser cut butterfly mule and the speech bubble leather clutches. But it will be Sophia Webster’s most eye-catching design – the Flutura heels in hot bubble-gum pink leather sandal with butterfly back that will be the focus for the event.

The theme of the event is ‘Butterfly Garden’. This embodies the 3D butterfly design which runs throughout Sophia Webster’s collection. Pastel colours will be used to signify the Spring/Summer season and compliment shoes from the collection. The colours will channel the beauty and elegance of butterflies.

From the moment the press arrive they will be taken to the Attenborough Studio where the first of three stages of the event will begin…

Attenborough Studio

On arrival guests will be greeted by a host who will take their names and coats. They will then be directed to the Attenborough Studio where a film showing the Sophia Webster’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection incorporated with butterflies, plants and flowers to compliment the theme of the event, and each seat holds a personal handset meaning guests can interact with the film. This will make

journalists feel like they are a part of the brand as they are watching Sophia Webster’s work blossom in front of them.

Central Hall catwalk

Journalists will be taken to Central Hall where they can take a seat and eagerly await the runway show. The catwalk will have several panels of Smart Glass which will extend 15ft to the ceiling, so before the runway begins the Smart Glass will be used as a TV screen where a team of butterflies will continuously fly by. Lights will be dimmed and the smart glass will turn clear as models take to the runway but leaving specific panels on the TV function with colourful butterflies fluttering the Smart Glass. The panels will cover some parts of the models; legs and shoulders, making journalists focus on the accessories and shoes meaning at some stage of the runway show; only feet and hands, bags and shoes, will be seen. When models get to the end of the runway they will be free from the opaque panels for journalists to see the whole outfit together and butterflies will be released from their bags which will fly into the room along with fabric butterflies from the end of the runway; a fan will make sure fabric butterflies fly effectively.

Models will be imitating butterflies; hair and make-up will encorporate butterfly features. They will be wearing bespoke clothing made by Christian Siriano; especially made for this event, along with help from Leeds College of Arts students. First models start wearing a swimsuit or high-waist bikini’s dressed in handcrafted flowers; each bikini and swimsuit will be a different pastel colour before moving on to wear one of Christian Siriano’s Spring/Summer 2014 mesh, floral and vibrant dresses and suits but reworked for Sophia Webster’s event (Images of these outfits can be seen in Appendix). Models will be wearing shoes and holding bags from one of Sophia Webster’s designs. Hair and make-up will be done by Illamasqua; their make-up will have a natural base with butterfly inspired

dramatic eye make-up, long fake eyelashes and a bright lip, whilst hair will be loosely curled and heavily backcombed or gathered into a large bun with fabric butterflies placed and clipped into the hair.

Butterfly House close-up

Lastly, journalists will be taken to the Butterfly House; where models and products will be stood still as well as being placed in various places including shoes being hung from trees. During journalists will encounter real butterflies in the house. This will give journalists the opportunity to see and feel the designs up close whilst being able to experience butterflies up close and see the collections inspiration first-hand. A DJ will be playing classical music remixed with current house music to be in keeping with the elegant and beautiful butterfly themed evening but also keeping it current. At the end Sophia Webster and her new celebrity ambassador Lupita Nyong’o, will deliver a small speech together summing up the evening and thanking the journalists for attending.

Target Audience

The product is aimed at women following the latest fashion designer trends including accessories. As they are priced reasonably high, it is targeted towards celebrities, women with a high income, fashion savvy women and high-up women in their professions with a disposable income.

The age range varies from 21-35, as the shoes will target women at a young age who have a strong interest in high-end designer fashion with a particularly strong love for shoes, who will save for a signature style Sophia Webster pair of shoes. As the shoes are vibrant, quirky and colourful I don’t think the Sophia Webster’s designs appeal to women who surpass the age of 35.

The press who attend will attract fun, popular, high-fashion magazine that have a similar target audience such as Company, Vogue and Cosmopolitan. A number of magazines which are available with newspapers and the fashion sections of newspapers who will be interested in covering the shoe launch such as Telegraph Fashion and Fabulous for the Sun.

Sophia Webster will be targeting a print and online audience as the main way in receiving publicity for her brand. The event location and theme has been generated to cater to the targeted audience by appealing to them through a realm of quirky and fun fashion mixed with a creative concept and location.

Event Rationale – What to expect…

Sophia Webster’s designs represent fun-loving slightly kooky fashion. This had to be represented in the theme of this event hence the beautiful Natural History Museum which signifies the nature theme being the event and collection. Proving Sophia Webster is forward thinking, the Smart Glass will add a shock value and talking point showing how creative, exciting and inspirational the brand can be.

The overall aim is to attract the attention of the media through the visual and technical elements of the event which the journalists will experience.

The aim of having newly appointed Ambassador Lupita Nyong’o is so she can provide a speech about the products and what they mean to her as well as delivering Sophia Webster’s key messages about the Flutura sandal.

Planning

Event planning will take place 6 months before the launch, to ensure a long enough time period to put the event together whilst comparing the upcoming Spring/Summer collection to the previous years. There will be no other fashion related press events on the same day to avoid losing attention from the targeted audience and press. In able to assure this doesn’t happen, journalists will be contacted in the planning period to check diaries and inform Sophia Webster of any other designer launches.

A short film will be shot at a studio in London showcasing the shoes which will mirror the theme of the event. This footage will be edited down into a 15 second film which will be published via Sophia Webster’s social media, which will then go viral online. Later that day this film will be sent out to the press who may publish a preview on the collection. The longer full version of the film, 2 minutes long, will be presented at the event.

Pre-event preparations:

Crisis Management – In the event of a major or serious incident at the event, the following statement will be issued to the media;“We are not in a position to release any information at this stage our first priority is to ensure the safety of those who are involved in this incident. Sophia Webster will be issuing a statement after issues have been resolved.”

Pre-planning checklist

Event Checklist Key - CompleteTo be completed

Task 2013 2014Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr

Site inspectionRisk assessmentRehearsalSend out press releaseWrite invitationsPost out invitationsPut together press kitsContact suppliersModel castingFilming of shoes productionEditing of shoes productionFit smart glassFit catwalkBriefings

Arrive at venueArrival of staffSet upCheck lighting and filmRun throughArrival of hair & make-upArrival of caterers & bar staffArrival of DJCheck & inspectEvent beginsArrival of guestsWatch filmRunway showSpeech by Sophia WebsterRefreshments, close-ups & socialiseEnd of event

Location

For the event, a well-known, popular location in central London will be used with easy access to and from the building with nearby transport links. Sophia Webster’s invitees will mainly be London based. An indoor setting will be used to avoid bad weather disruption at the event. Other venues considered were, Kensington Roof Gardens and OXO2 as they were most suitable in regards to reflecting the theme of the event and most suitable for the budget restrictions.

Transport – see Appendix

Floor plan

Budget breakdown

Sophia Webster – Provisional Budget – April 2014Brand Sophia WebsterProject Launching 2014 S/S Flutura shoe rangeVenue Natural History MuseumDelegateDates 3rd April 2014

Provisional Budget £25,000Fixed/Variable No. Unit cost Total

Description (£) (£)

Thursday 3rd April

Set Up & RehearsalVenue Hire Fixed 1 19,000 19,000Site Inspection Fixed 1 - -Rehearsal fees Fixed 2 - -Runway set up Fixed 1 500.00 500.00Bar set up Fixed 1 217.00 217.00

£ 19,717

ProductionSmart Glass Installation Fixed 1 2,200 2,200Power/heat/air conditioning (included in venue) Fixed 1 - -Music rights (Included in DJ fee) Fixed 1 - -Labour Variable 1 800.00 800.00Film equipment hire Fixed 1 100.00 100.00Production and editing of film Fixed 1 100.00 100.00

£ 3,200

CateringFood Fixed 70 25 1,750Drink (Cocktails/ Water) Fixed 70 3 210

£ 1,960

MiscellaneousSecurity (Inc in venue hire) Fixed 2 - -Cleaning (Inc in venue hire) Fixed 1 - -Insurance (Inc in venue hire) Fixed 1 - -

£

StaffModels (complimentary sponsor) Fixed 15 - -Hair and make-up applicants (complimentary sponsor

Fixed 10 - -

Photographer Fixed 1 250 250Videographer Fixed 1 250 250DJ Fixed 1 350 350Hosts (Leeds College of Art volunteers) Fixed 15 - -Staff uniform (Sophia Webster designed badge) Fixed 15 1.00 1.00Models outfits (complimentary of Christian Siriano) Fixed 15 - -£ 865

Printed MaterialsPress Kits (Including gift) Variable 70 4.00 280Printed invitations Fixed 70 2.00 140Paper Fixed 70 0.60 42Postage Variable 70 1.00 70£532

Grand total (exclusive of VAT) £26,274.00Per person costs £375.00

Invitation

Invitations will be sent out three weeks prior to the event. Two copies will be sent to each editorial office, ensuring both the Editor-in-Chief and Accessories Editor can attend. The invitation will be printed onto 10x16cm cotton card. Invitations will be placed in a small pastel pink package tied with ribbon, decorated with a 3D flower and Sophia Webster’s logo and when opened a butterfly will fly out. They will be address to each individual and include all information needed on the event, product, location, collection, brand, map, time and date with a run-down of the proceedings. All travel expenses will be reimbursed. (Example of invitation can be seen below).

Guest list

Around 70 journalists from leading fashion magazines in the UK, fashion bloggers and national and regional press which have a specific fashion section or style supplements will be invited. Fashion bloggers (with a large following) and online fashion magazines would also be invited. Invitations have mainly been sent out to editors and accessories editors.

Key names to attend

Magazines

Elle – Natatlie Wansbrough-Jones (Senior Fashion Editor) Lorraine Candy (Editor-in-chief) Donna Wallace (Accessories Editor)

Marie Claire – Ali Hall (Editor-in-chief)

Vogue – Selby Drummond (Vogue US Accessories Editor) Anna Wintour (Vogue US editor-in-chief) Alexandra Shulman (UK Editor-in-chief) Lucinda Chambers (UK Fashion Editor)

Cosmopolitan – Shelly Vella (Fashion and Style Editor) Louise Court (Editor)

Grazia – Jessica Vince (Digital Editor) Hannah Almassi (Fashion Editor)

Glamour – Natasha McNamara (Editor)

Websites

Net-a-Porter – Lucy Yeomans (Editor-in-chief)

Supplements

Telegraph fashion

Stylist

Fabulous

Fashion Bloggers

Sarah Ashcroft (thatpommiegirl.com)

Emily Cocklin (emilycocklin.wordpress.com)

Charlotte Fisher (thingsidoandlovetobuy.com)

To prepare for non-attendance we will extend the number of invitations out to 85 to the same audience.

Press kit:

The press kit will be handed to journalists at the event. It will contain:

A copy of the press release. The Spring/Summer ’14 Lookbook of the shoe collection and still images taken from the film

made for the event. Specially prepared event booklet containing information and images of the products and the

launch. Contact sheet (for journalist’s). High resolution photograph of product. Gift (bespoke) – small butterfly pendants especially made for this event by Sophia Webster. Vouchers to use at Sophia Webster.

Press Release

A press release will be sent out 3 days before the event. Journalists will be contacted after to make sure it has been received and to build up a relationship with them which may encourage the journalists to write about the event and collection.

(Example Press Release can be found in Appendix)

Food & Drink

Journalists will enjoy a selection of finger food and fruity cocktails, alcoholic and non-alcoholic and tea offered by hosts.

The food will be supplied by Smiths Catering. The cuisine will be Afternoon Tea consisting of brioche rolls and scones as well as tea fancies. A selection of trade teas, herbal and infusions will also be available.

Sample Menu:

Rare Angus beef, rocket and grain mustard

Poached Scotch salmon and cucumber

Fruit scones served with summer berry preserve andnCornish clotted cream

Passion fruit roulade

Hosts will carry trays of English Summer Martinis (Tanqueray Gin, fresh cucumber and Bottle Green Elderflower Cordial muddled and shaken with fresh lemon and honey and a non-alcoholic version of the cocktail) freshly made from the bar served with a butterfly cocktail stick. There will also be still and sparkling water available.

Sponsorship

Leeds College of Arts – enhance brand – offering opportunities to young people who aspire to work in the fashion industry. They would work as volunteers to reduce costs but would receive a thank you gift and the opportunity to liaise with fashion industry experts.

Illamasqua has agreed to do models hair and make-up for event.

Elite models have also offered 15 of their models for the event in return for experience for the younger models.

Sponsors will be given signage at the event and will be named in the press kits in return.

Celebrity Ambassador

Kenyan actress, film and music video director Lupita Nyong’o, recently critically acclaimed for debut in film 12 Years a Slave, was chosen for her recent stamp on the fashion scene and her ability to capture both elegance and colour in her outfits.

Technological Elements

In order to maximise publicity as much as possible, we will ensure the event is covered using social media platforms. There will be a professional photographer; Ben Broomfield events photographer as well as a videographer, present to cover the event.

Regular updates will be posted onto Sophia Webster’s Facebook account and live Tweets on Twitter.

Photos of the event will be uploaded to Pinterest and Instagram throughout the duration of the event to showcase the individual products online and also create an online buzz around the products.

The short film will also be posted onto Sophia Webster’s social media networking sites including Youtube, as well as on her website, after the film has been shown at the event.

Follow up

There will be a small team available for enquiries and photograph requests from our photographer the day after the event. This will help build and keep relationships with journalists and the rest of the media as well as building up a dependable and consistent company.

Journalists who could not attend the event for unknown reasons will also be sent the short film showcased at the event as well as footage from the day directly to their email address.

Securing Publicity

It is vital to work closely with the media prior to the event in order to securing maximum publicity and coverage. Sophia Webster will also work closely with sponsors, ambassador and press contacts in order to gain more contacts and build close relationships for better coverage and acknowledgment.

Evaluating Success

In order to evaluate the overall success of the event and calculate publicity brought from the back of it, there will be an internal evaluation, meetings with the team involved and statistics will be produced to analyse the success. Thank you emails will be sent out to each person who attended the event and the suppliers to keep positive working relationships. (Evaluation process will be found in Appendix).

Appendix

Press Release

Example Press Release:

Sophia Webster presents the must-have shoes of the season: Flutura heels

Sophia Webster is back with a bang as she launches her sensational Spring/Summer 2014 shoe collection. Quirky Webster celebrates the collection through a ‘Garden Party’ theme with the fabulous Flutura butterfly motif heel being the centre of attention.

The enchanting laser-cut heels have exploded onto the fashion scene with their colourful, playful and vibrant style with Sophia Webster channelling feminine elements of butterflies with a modern twist.

Founder and designer Sophia Webster explains; “I try to mix colours and textures which is particularly implemented in my new collection. My style is girlish-tomboy and this season my designs reflect this but with a quirky element.”

Already sporting the ‘it shoe’ of the season is Sarah Jessica Parker, Nina Dobrev and newly Ambassador for the designer Lupita Nyong’o. The public will be able to get their hands on a pair of Sophia Webster’s shoes by the beginning of March.

#websterbutterflygarden

Notes to Editors: Flutura leather sandal comes in hot bubblegum pink, silver mirror and black patent leather sandal with butterfly back and 100mm rose gold pin heel.

Contact list

Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London. SW7 5BD

Event Concept, Units B3 & B4, Galleywall Trading Estate, Galleywall Road, London, SE16 3PB

Elite Models, 1 Islington High Street, London, N1 9LQ

Juste Nous, Unit 7 Dolly Lane Business Centre, Dolly Lane, Leeds, LS9 7AS

Travel Information

By tube The Museum is in walking distance of South Kensington station on the District, Circle and

Piccadilly lines. By bus Routes 14, 49, 70, 74, 345, 360, 414, 430 and C1 stop near the Museum. The 360 stops on

Exhibition Road. By bicycle There are cycle racks by the Cromwell Road entrance and on Exhibition Road. The nearest

Barclays Cycle Hire docking station is outside the Exhibition Road entrance. Other nearby locations include Queen's Gate and South Kensington tube station.

By train Victoria tube station on the Circle and District lines is beneath Victoria train station. The

Museum is two stops westbound. By coach Victoria Coach Station is in walking distance of Victoria tube station on the Circle and District

lines. The Museum is two stops westbound. For groups travelling by coach, the coach drop-off point is outside the Cromwell Road entrance. Please ensure engines are turned off when waiting in this area.

By car Driving to the Museum may not be easy and parking is only available on Exhibition Road for

residents and a limited number of Blue Badge holders.

Facilities

Wheelchairs are available on loan from the cloakrooms just inside the Exhibition Road entrance.

ToiletsThere are accessible toilets near the Central Hall Café.

Logistics

Catwalk, seating, bar, tables, lectern, props, bespoke builds provided by Event Concept.

6’ straight bar

Cloakroom available at venue to fit 200 coats and shelving for bags.

Evaluation Process

Out Take – Measu

re increa

sed aware

Outcomes –

analysis of

increase in

purchases from

customer

Reach –

analysis of

circulation

and readership of all

publications which atten

ded and

cover

Look through

the press cuttings

book and compile

results

Analysis of

OTS

Share of voice –

check competit

orsAssigning

financial value

– calculat

e an equival

ent value to

the PR campai

gn if advertising was

to be

Mood board