Sample Answer
Proposed Marketing Plan for Event Concept RESIT
Introduction and Event Overview
This marketing plan has been developed for Pulse Live, a one day contemporary music and lifestyle festival aimed at young adults and early career professionals. The event is proposed to take place in Manchester, a city with a strong cultural identity, a large student population, and an established appetite for live events. Pulse Live combines live music performances, local street food vendors, interactive brand experiences, and wellbeing spaces, positioning itself as an affordable but high quality urban festival.
The purpose of this marketing plan is to demonstrate how structured marketing theory and practice can be applied to the promotion of a live event. The plan outlines clear objectives, identifies a defined target market, evaluates internal and external factors, and applies the principles of Integrated Marketing Communications and the extended marketing mix. The ultimate goal is to build awareness, drive ticket sales, and establish Pulse Live as a repeatable annual event.
Marketing Objectives
Marketing objectives for Pulse Live are developed using the SMART framework to ensure they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.
The primary objective is to sell 4,000 tickets within three months of the campaign launch, achieving at least 85 percent capacity prior to the event date. A secondary objective is to generate a minimum of 250,000 digital impressions across social media platforms within the first eight weeks of promotion. A further objective is to achieve a minimum engagement rate of 5 percent across paid and organic social media content, indicating effective audience connection. Finally, the event aims to build a post event email database of at least 1,500 opted in contacts to support future events.
These objectives align with the commercial viability of the event and support longer term brand development.
Target Market Analysis
The primary target market for Pulse Live is adults aged 20 to 34, living in or near Manchester. This group includes university students, recent graduates, and young professionals who are digitally engaged, socially active, and value experiences over material goods. Research by Mintel indicates that this demographic attends live music events more frequently than any other age group and is highly influenced by social media recommendations and peer endorsement.
Psychographically, the audience values authenticity, inclusivity, and community. They are likely to support local artists and independent brands and respond positively to events that align with lifestyle and wellbeing trends. Behaviourally, they are price sensitive but willing to pay for perceived value, particularly when early bird pricing and group discounts are available.
Secondary audiences include local creatives, freelancers, and culturally engaged residents aged up to 40 who attend festivals for networking and social reasons rather than solely for music.
Internal and External Marketing Factors
SWOT Analysis
Internally, Pulse Live’s strengths lie in its flexible event format, strong local partnerships, and clear brand identity rooted in urban culture. The relatively small scale of the event allows for agility in marketing decisions and close engagement with attendees. However, a key weakness is limited brand awareness as this is a new event concept, alongside a restricted initial marketing budget.
Externally, opportunities include Manchester’s strong event infrastructure, high social media usage among the target audience, and growing demand for experiential events. Threats include competition from established festivals, unpredictable weather, and economic pressures affecting discretionary spending.
PESTEL Analysis
From a political and legal perspective, the event must comply with local authority licensing, health and safety regulations, and noise control requirements. Economically, rising living costs may impact ticket purchasing behaviour, reinforcing the need for value driven pricing. Social trends favour live experiences and community based events, which benefits the concept. Technological factors include the reliance on mobile ticketing, digital promotion, and data analytics. Environmental considerations require waste management planning and sustainability messaging, while legal compliance around data protection is essential for digital marketing activities.
Vision and Mission Statements
The vision of Pulse Live is to become Manchester’s most inclusive and accessible urban lifestyle festival, celebrating music, creativity, and community.
The mission is to deliver a high quality live event that connects people through shared experiences, supports local talent, and provides genuine value while operating responsibly and sustainably.
Communication Mix Strategy
The communication mix for Pulse Live is designed to maximise reach and engagement while remaining cost effective. Digital advertising forms the core of promotion, particularly paid social media on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, supported by organic content and influencer collaborations. Public relations activity includes partnerships with local music blogs, radio stations, and community platforms to secure editorial coverage.
Sales promotion techniques such as early bird tickets, limited time discounts, and referral incentives are used to encourage early commitment. Direct marketing is implemented through email campaigns targeting subscribers gathered via competitions and partner databases. Personal selling is minimal but occurs through street teams and pop up promotional activity in high footfall areas.
