New York fashion show festival
Introduction
Modern management of events is mainly about delivering outstanding to take place. Such predictable and unpredictable events produce a great experience. Planned events are intended to create a specific experience for their participants or /or audiences. The idea of creating memorable experiences is a critical practice of management of events. Experiences determine the consumption habits of consumers (Berridge, 2012). Therefore, consumption does not only involve the purchase or services and products but also the pursuit to different experiences.
An experience is a result of the engagement of the individual in a situation or event. Due to the experience, the value of the event lasts long after the event is over. It is of great value to understand how events are created and designed as well as the benefits derived from them (Berridge, 2012). This paper is aimed at discussing the historical, cultural, and socio-economic context of New York Fashion Show Festival. The roles of stake holders have been discussed in details as well as the global and local impact of the event.
Events and Experiences
Creation of planned events should be aimed at incorporating an integrated and deliberate predetermined process where different elements of the event are mapped out to result an environment where specific opportunities of the event are achieved. The effect on consumers should be experienced at pre-, post-, and actual event stages. Design activities should range through all successive elements needed to deliver the targeted experience. The corporate sector adopts experience as a vital tool to enable businesses to become competitive. The influence of experiences from events has brought a great impact on leisure, business, tourism, and hospitality sectors (Berridge, 2012). Experiential marketing is gaining popularity in the events industry through using live events to market different products and services.
Experiential marketing is replacing the popular printed media because it engages a large number of potential customers within a short time. According to Berridge (2012), the four P’s of marketing might be replaced with experimental marketing in the near future. Management of experiences is an effective way of retaining competitiveness in businesses. The relationship between consumers and providers has advanced to a large extent due to the memorable and unique experiences that play a key role in influencing the decision making process of consumers.
New York Fashion Show Festival
The festival is held every September and February of each year. There are usually several events that last to about nine days. This great festival is known by a large number of buyers, consumers, press, and the general public (Fortini, 2006). It is categorized as one of the biggest fashion weeks in the world. The concept behind fashion is is reinvention and standing out. The event is characterized by numerous and famous bloggers, posh editors, shutterbugs, and stylists; however, it The event is also open to all individuals whether they are showcasing their products or shopping. Thus, it The event enables stylists to showcase their products and give offers to their customers too (Fortini, 2006).
Historical Context
Eleanor Lambert created the first New York Fashion festival in 1943. At that time she was the press director (American fashion industry), which was the first promotional organization. At first the festival that is currently referred to as the ‘fashion week’ was known as the ‘press week. The event grew popular around the region and the world at large because it was unique. It was organized so as to attract the attention of people away from the world famous French fashion. French fashion was gaining a lot of popularity during World War II. The fashion week was intended to attract consumers from different parts of the world. Thus, during the World War 11, most fashion industry insiders found it quite challenging to travel to Paris for the French fashion shows. As a result, stylists from the United States found an opportunity to start something similar to that happening in France (Fortini, 2006).
The event also aimed at showcasing products from American designers to fashion journalists who had lost interest in United States fashion innovations. The first major event became a huge success. Fashion magazines such as Vogue became interested in the festival. At first, Vogue featured products from French designers but after the Press week, they started featuring American fashion. In the 1950’s, the event used the name ‘Press Week of New York’ to carry out subsequent operations (Cfda.com, 2017).
Cultural context
Culture is a term used to refer to a complex entity which includes belief, knowledge, custom, morals, art, habits, and capabilities acquired by people (Csapo, 2012). Cultures are protected and preserved for a long time. The New York Fashion Festival has become a culture of Americans because it is conducted each year at specific times. There are no incidences where the event is not conducted each year. Efforts are made to ensure that the event takes place each year no matter the situation or occurrences.
The event preserves its culture because it only entails the element of fashion. The main festival is not corrupted by externalities that may change its theme. Stylists come up with different products that are quite different from each other. The event is mainly aimed at showcasing the variety of fashionable products from American fashion designers and itis treasured by most Americans because it is one of a kind. New York fashion festival lasts for about seven to nine days meaning that people have a large duration to visit various places, to enjoy the experience, and to discover more about the fashion industry.
Different cultures are not separate from each other since there is usually an opportunity for them to contact and interact with each other (Csapo, 2012). The New York Fashion is a place of meeting of designers from different parts pf the country and some other regions of the world. The other important thing to note is that once the designers come together, they are able to interact, share ideas and also make important deals. Culture is also an accumulation of experience, religion, knowledge, beliefs, values, roles, meanings, concepts of the world, and notions of time among others. New York Fashion festival holds certain values, meanings, attitudes, experiences, and concepts of the world. Every year organizers do their best to provide the most possible pleasure to the visitors, inherently creating positive experience.
Culture is defined by different ways of life. It may be defined by a certain language which people use to express themselves. Thoughts may also be a part of a culture if people understand, interpret, and perceive things around them in a certain way. Social activities are also used to show aspects of cultural beliefs. Cultures may involve life-celebrating events and a variety of festivities (Csapo, 2012). In the New York Fashion week, there is a social aspect of contact with people and negotiations. The festivities carried out each year are perceived, interpreted, and understood by Americans in a special way. The annual festival is now a lifestyle of fashion designers who feel obliged to come up with new products each year.
New York Fashion festival has promoted cultural tourism to a great extent. Cultural tourism in this case refers to the act where people move from one region to another to explore or to experience the diverse ways of living of other people. The experiences may be reflected in terms of cultural heritage, religious traditions, and social customs. People from different parts of America and other nations visit New York during the festivity to explore the different fashions showcased. People also travel to New York to enjoy the experience which happens annually. People visiting the region have both an educating and entertaining experience.
Socio-Economic Context
The New York Fashion festival is a huge event that brings millions of people from different parts of the world together. People visiting New York mainly aim at enjoying the experience and learning also about the fashion industry. Stylists from different parts of America also come together to showcase their products. When such people come together, there are increased interactions. The interactions enable people to learn from each other, to form friendship, and to also discover new things about themselves or each other. When people interact, they may also exchange their cultures. People who attend the New York Cultural festival may incorporate new beliefs or values learnt in New York in their lifestyle.
Once people learn a lot about each other, about a certain environment and its culture, they become inspired in different ways. Some of the people who visit New York may decide to go back to their homeland to start similar businesses. The ideas shared may also help them to become successful in their locality. People may also buy goods from New York that they may sell in other regions. Entrepreneurs may also decide to form partnerships or to start new branches of their businesses in other parts of the world. Increased business activities lead to increased incomes and job opportunities thus improving the living standards of residents. The event does not only benefit Americans but other people from around the world because they may learn new ways of doing things or effective ways of conducting business activities. Other sectors that may benefit include the transport industry, hotels, restaurants, and lodgings among others.
Role of Stakeholders
Stakeholders refer to people who are affected by an organization’s or event’s objectives, actions, and policies. Examples of stakeholders in New York Fashion Festival include stylists, journalists, bloggers, and government, suppliers of commodities, fashion designers and business directors. Ackermann and Eden (2011) posit that shareholders have different responsibilities to handle and their combined effort makes events successful. While organizing events, it is important to share responsibilities among shareholders to ensure that there is no confusion, that different needs are adequately met, and to make sure that the process takes a short time.
The fashion designers and other stylists are responsible for ensuring that there is enough content in terms of both quality and quantity of products. They are also supposed to maintain the culture of the city by offering products that represent the cultural heritage of the region. The government is supposed to ensure that security is kept tight and that legal businesses are carried during in the festival. The role of journalists and bloggers is to pass the message to the public by covering the happenings in terms of videos or writing. Due to the combined efforts of the above stakeholders, consumers enjoy the experience.
Impacts on a Global/Local Scale
The New York Fashion festival brings a lot of positive socio-economic impacts to the region. People from different parts of the world learn about the culture and fashion of Americans. New culture may be passed to the neighboring regions or other continents. Good relationships among people from different countries and regions are established as a result of the interactions. Entrepreneurs from various localities also earn millions from the sale of products. The government also earns revenue through taxation or licensing.
Conclusion
New York Fashion Show Festival is a valued event that has cultural, social, and economic value to people. It brings together different entrepreneurs, journalists, consumers, stylists and bloggers. The interactions between the individuals involved lead to exchange of business ideas and culture. The main aim of the festival to create an experience that remains memorable to consumers. People learn about the American fashion through the exhibitions. There are significant economic impacts of the festival due to the enormous sales made within those nine days of the event. The impacts of such big events are not only felt locally but also globally.
References
Ackermann, F. and Eden, C., 2011. Strategic management of stakeholders: Theory and practice. Long range planning, 44(3), pp.179-196.
Berridge, G., 2012. Designing event experiences. The Routledge Handbook of Events, London: Routledge, pp.273-288.
Cfda.com. (2016). Founder Eleanor Lambert. [online] Available at: https://cfda.com/about-cfda/history [Accessed 5 Jan. 2017].
Csapo, J., 2012. The role and importance of cultural tourism in modern tourism industry. INTECH Open Access Publisher.
Fortini, A. (Feb, 2006). A brief history of the fashion show. [online] Slate Magazine. Available at: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/fashion/2006/02/how_the_runway_took_off.html [Accessed 5 Jan. 2017].
