HKBU Festive Lecture 7 - manpower talent and stage management
1. Festive Event Management
Subject Code: CEM4103
Lecture 7
Manpower, talent & stage
management for festivals
Developed & Presented by :
Roy Ying Note: Pictures used in this
power point file is for academic
Purpose only
2. Agenda
• Process in identifying festive performing
participants – The Beijing Olympic Example
• Role of a production manager
• Casting, audition, and rehearsals
• Planning talent workshop
• Manpower resource planning
• Stage management
5. How was it born?
Beijing Organizing Committee
of the Olympic Games
The creative team (北京奥组委)
• BOCOG* started soliciting programs worldwide
for the Opening Ceremony in 2005. In 2006, 13
winning proposals started on their second round
of competition. Based on the final results, a five-
member directors' group was appointed from the
three best teams. Zhang Yimou was chosen as
artistic director.
6. Creating artistic harmony
• The concept of a "painting
scroll" emerged and most
of the original program
ideas unfolded around it,
forming the artistic concept
of "displaying the world on
a small square,"
demonstrating the progress
of blending Chinese culture
with world culture.
7. One World One Dream
• All members of the creative team
believed that the Earth should
appear in the Opening Ceremony,
which thus conformed to the
slogan "One World One Dream."
Chinese painting was also one of
the elements that the creative
team emphasized. The concept of
paper could combine perfectly
with Chinese paintings and thus
become the master link that ran
through the performances of the
Opening Ceremony.
8. Two parts to make the whole
By the end of April 2007, the creative team finally
decided to divide the artistic performances into
two parts:
• the first half, "Brilliant Civilization," would highlight
the past 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, and
• the second half, "Glorious Era," would exhibit the
great achievements and the new look of modern
China, portraying the Chinese nation's dream of
building harmoniously with the people of the world.
9. Two parts to make the whole
• On this stage, "moveable type
printing," "Confucius' 3,000
disciples," "The Analects of
Confucius," "Zheng He's ocean
voyages" and "Chinese ritual
music" would all be showcased,
depicting a weighty painting of
the flow of Chinese civilization.
• The long scroll would also
incorporate China's more recent
achievements, including the
"Bird's Nest."
10. 29th Olympiad - 29 footprints
• The creative team worked
out a design that combined a
display of the Olympic rings
with "footprints of fireworks."
29 colossal "footprints,"
representing the Games of
the XXIX Olympiad, would
make their way into the
stadium with the last
"footprint" exploding in the air
over the Bird's Nest.
11. From creation to production
• Highly skilled performers had
to work through aches and
pains to fulfill the
requirements of dancing on
the abstract backgrounds;
this is especially true for the
60 artists that were chosen
to surround the model Earth.
During training, they were
required to run, jump and
somersault with their bodies
leaning in fantastically
different angles.
12. Keys to identifying festive
performing participants
• Event’s brand in attracting talented
directors and performing artists
• A well designed theme
• A well organized festive event structure
• Budget is important, but it’s secondary
13. Casting, audition, and rehearsals
• Training centre or even academy is often
required. In the case of Beijing Olympics,
there was the BOCOG Ceremony
Operation Centre
15. Rehearsals up to 1 year ahead
With a massive crew of over 15,000 cast members,
rehearsals had to take place in different venues:
• Choreography,
• Costume,
• Décor,
• Scenery,
• Lights,
• Sound,
• Fireworks
As a key process of the production stage, the rehearsal of
the program started in August at a designated place in
Beijing's suburbs.
16. Planning talent workshop
• While choreographers will train their cast
members, it’s important for everyone to know the
theme and the full picture of the ceremony
through workshops and briefings
17. Manpower resource planning
• For festive events, it’s not financially
feasible to pay for every performer
• 15,000 performers
• World class artists and celebrities
• Top notch production crew
18. If you can’t pay $, you pay face
Consultant to Opening Ceremony Appointment of Artistic Director
BOCOG started public solicitation of the creative schemes for the opening
and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in March 2005.
After 3 rounds of evaluation out of 409 submissions, the team headed by
Zhang Yimou was selected.
21. Municipal government support
• With 15,000 crew, the government needs
to support in:
– Venue
– Accommodation
– Training facilities
– Food
– Transportation
23. Production Work Allocation
• Venue spaces
• Sound and music
• Costume
• Stage management
• Lighting and special effects
• Set and props
• Acting and directing
• Script writing and creating scenes
27. 7 Objectives in Production Meeting
• Define your vision. What is the primary
message you want your audience to take
away?
• Set a date for rehearsal. Invite stage
manager, AV production, props designer,
costumer, technical director and music
director (if applicable)
28. 7 Objectives in Production Meeting
• Get to know your crew and cast members
• Develop communication channels with
your crew and cast members with an
agreed schedule of rehearsals and
performance deadlines
• Brief the crew of the overall concept of the
festival event with your vision
29. 7 Objectives in Production Meeting
• Convey expectation to each crew member
(i.e., lighting scheme, color and style of
costumes, major props, scene changes,
mood, music and F&B)
• Budget discussion
46. Audition Requirements
• Create a comfortable setting for cast
members
• Copies of scripts
• Fact sheets
• Photographers
• Cameramen
• Facilities in order (i.e., air-con, lighting,
F&B, waiting room, WC)
66. 7 steps in an effective trade fair
Step 1: Securing a booth
• Most good exhibitions have long waiting list. It’s
not easy to get a booth
• HKTDC has a point system based on:
– Application history
– Quality of products and designs
– Awards
– Production quality assurance certifications
– Branding effort (i.e., not just OEM)
– Relationship with HKTDC
67. 7 steps in an effective trade fair
Step 2: Know what you want to sell and
produce the marketing collaterals (i.e., a
flyer, a brochure or a CD)
68. 7 steps in an effective trade fair
Step 3: Develop a sales presentation and
look for opportunities to reach clients
69. 7 steps in an effective trade fair
Step 4: Pre-event marketing
• Database sourcing for direct marketing
• Onsite promotional platform bookings
• Advertising planning
• Pre-arranged sales meetings
• Staff recruitment and training
70. 7 steps in an effective trade fair
Step 5: Pre-event PR
• Publicity event planning for media
– Awards competition
– Fashion show or parade
– Seminar
– Book signing
– Special occassion ceremony
75. 7 steps in an effective trade fair
Step 7: Follow up with leads
• Follow up meetings
• Issue standard corporate or product
templates
• Put leads on CRM or at least on regular e-
news update
• Customer loyalty program
76. Class Exercise
• Suppose you are hiring a manager in
managing your exhibition booth at MIF,
please draft a job description