Class Assignment: Marketing Plan

*** I was able to take from thesis geared research an turn it to this assignment. ***

Hillary Frisbie

October 3, 2011

ACM 631.01

Marketing Plan Outline: Memorial Hall

I.      Mission

o   The mission of Memorial Hall is to foster collaborations within the Institute's academic programs, as well as enable and encourage campus wide events by and for the greater Pratt community in an educational environment.

II.    Environmental Analysis

o   The Internal Environment

§  Review of current marketing strategy and performance

-       Memorial Hall Auditorium does not currently have a marketing strategy. It does not have a centralized office or structure that handles the pricing, distribution and promotion of any events that are going on around campus. The strategy is not working and with an increased number of events that are going on, the lack of control is resulting in a lot of distorted and disorganized information. There is absolutely no documented and publicized information about the costs of hosting and planning an event in Memorial Hall.

§  Review of current and anticipated organizational resources

-       Memorial Hall Auditorium does not currently have an organizational structure that stands alone. It has no operating budget. The department consists of one full-time employee, two graduate assistants that work a total of 22 hours per week per semester, and one full-time student that works as little as five hours, up to 20. Because Memorial Hall is in a state of transition, the first move was to create a centralized space for the “Events Department” to be located. Now that the office has been secured, the next move must be to employ more full-time employees to handle the amount of requests and events that the Institute handles on a day-to-day basis.

o   The External Environment

§  Economic Growth and Stability

-       Because of the lack of documentation as well as inadequate staffing, the economic conditions for customers (patrons) to use our services become nearly impossible to navigate. We have the resources to allow for patrons to use our facility, but lack the organizational structure to support it.

§  Political/Legal Trends.

-       The internal political climate is changing at Pratt Institute. Recently, the institute was re-accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, in addition to this; the Strategic Plan is about set expire at the end of this year; the master plan for the institute has been recently been updated and revised. In the upcoming strategic plan, beginning 2012, I think that it will be very interesting to see where Memorial Hall falls within that plan, how the institute plans to use it to further their mission and vision for the upcoming years.

§  Technological Advancements

-       Technology has taken off in the arts industry. There are more requests and more requests that frequently request a high degree of technological staffing as well as equipment. Memorial Hall is subpar for it’s ability to fulfill its current requests. We cannot in any way compete with our own smart classrooms or other lecture halls let alone with other outside entities or higher education institutions. A gut renovation of the entire facility would be what it takes to bring it up to technological advancements and standards. Once Memorial Hall is upgraded, its marketability will increase dramatically.

§  Socio-cultural Trends

-       The area around Pratt Institute has changed dramatically since the construction and opening of Memorial Hall. When the renovations were done in 1997 they were done in a time of transformation of the surround community from a violent, crime ridden, downtrodden area, to the historical mainstay that it has become. The external community needs have drastically changed. Internally, the programming of the institute has changed from a highly secularized industrial art school to being more of a specialized art school with general education foundations.  Increasing amounts of general educational initiative have taken hold in the forms of collaborative arts. There is no patron of Memorial Hall that has remained the same from the inception of the facility, it’s current intent is virtually unknown.

o   Competitive Environment

§  The facilities that function similarly that surround Memorial Hall range in various sizes: Brooklyn Technical High School’s auditorium seats 3,100. Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Gilman Opera House with 2,109 seats and Harvey Theatre seats 874.  Brooklyn Masonic Temple has two that hold 400 and 450. Kumble Theatre seats 320. Irondale Center seats 250.

§  Memorial Hall at Pratt Institute is unknown, that is by far, and it’s largest weakness. Other weaknesses include: limited handicap accessibility. The auditorium is physically located on the closed gated campus; this can be seen as a weakness. It’s lack of organizational oversight, has left the facility without proper staffing and adequate funding to sustain the amount of events that it has taken in. Technology upgrades are ad-hoc. There is one full-time staff member.

§  Pratt Institute being a non-profit private institute has discounted rates for other non-profit entities. Being located on the epicenter of an internationally renowned arts institute sets Memorial Hall aside from its competitors. Historically landmarked façade and it’s historical Romanesque interior

§  **What are the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s major competitors?

III.  Target Market Strategy

o   Who are the organization’s current customers?

§  I dislike the term “customer”. Consumers, customers, clients, etc., they are too sterile and sounds like it has a lot of money tacked on to a human. I am just going to use "patron"!! Our primary patron in this case would be the student of the institution. Their monetary contributions are why the institute exists; we are here to serve them and their needs. The supporting patrons would be the rest of the internal Pratt community as well as the surround external Pratt community.

o   Who are the organization’s new target market customers?

§  The students, primary patrons, change on a yearly basis; no two years are alike. Enrollment is projected to increase slightly, there for the demand in the variety and number of events will increase. Also, as per Institute strategic plan, there is an increase to incorporate more general education courses, which can lead to more performing arts like classrooms and need for performance space. Because the enrollment is projected to increase, so will the diversity of the student body. Additionally technological advances in today's society are evolving at an astronomical pace; this leads to the evolution of new arts and culture experiences and places that they will need to be displayed. Already the trend of "convenience" and "right now" art seems to increasing - performance art among these. Along with the diversifying of students, we also must be mindful that the increased population could include more students that have disabilities and will need greater accessibility to the facilities. 

§  With the realignment that is currently taking places with the Event Services office, it is my belief that the next logical step would be to encourage outside entities to utilize the space. I don't see a great deal of difference between the primary and secondary users. Students will be utilizing it, for the most part, to further their education and build a community within the Institute. The secondary, external community would be bridging together groups. By encouraging use of the facility by professors, employees, donors, you open the facility to external Pratt members. The community already uses the facility occasionally; if it were to become more accessible, I'm sure the number of requests would also increase. Increase use of the facility, will innately diversify the patrons of the facility. As will students, there will be needs that have to be assessed and how to address them to promote the facility's use. 

IV.  Research Plan

o   Research Question

§  What can Memorial Hall do for you?

§  What can Memorial Hall do that your facility can’t do?

o   Research Subjects

§  Internal

-       Student Activities Administration -       Various Student Clubs -       Dean of School of Art and Design -       Dean of School of Liberal Arts and Sciences  -       Performance Studies Professors -       Associate Professor of Interior Design

-        Library Archivist  -        Creative Arts Therapy -        Acting Director of Libraries -        Director of Community Relations -        Director of Sustainability -        Director of Security -        Provost  -        Director of Facilities

§  External

-       Director of MoCADA -       Pratt Center for Development

-   Andrew Pettit Architect -   Mitchell Evans Architect

-       Director of Kumble Theatre at Long Island University

-       Director of Auxiliary Services at Adelphi University

-       Founder of The Rotunda at UPenn

-       Managing and Artistic Director at QPAC

o   Research Methodology

§  I think that the research should be done multiple ways. I think it is important first to do individual interviews or questionnaires for each person. From there I think it would be advantageous to create a small discussion / forum to bounce ideas off of each other, to gain more insight and to develop already established ideas.

V.    New Marketing Strategy

o   Strategic Marketing Goal

§  I think that one of the most important things to keep in mind is that Memorial Hall’s mission is guided by providing the institute with a place to foster collaborations. Overall the facility must be able to be self-sustaining and therefore MUST bring in a profit to cover its expenses. A goal would be to create consistent internal programming using external sources. Developing the programming to incorporate the surrounding community becomes vital.

VI.  New Marketing Mix

o   Product Strategy

§  First and foremost, a structured department or committee needs to be established. Policies and plans need to be in place. External sources as well as programming need to be vetted. Brooklyn needs to know that Memorial Hall exists, why we exist and how we can help Brooklyn.

o   Pricing Strategy

§  A pricing structure must be implemented on a three tier system

-       Internal Groups: hosted by and for only the internal community

-       External Non-Profit Groups: host by external groups, opened to the Pratt Institute Community. Discounted rates and services.

-       External Groups: Events hosted by and for external events. Base rates apply

o   Venue/Distribution

§  We are marketing the venue. The distribution of its use is contingent on the request that is made, in the order that they are received; internal groups get preference.

o   Promotion Strategy

§  Every possible avenue has to be explored, over explored and then explored again. Pratt’s website, a Twitter account, FaceBook page, working various groups that we have ties to, such as the Brooklyn Arts Council, MoCADA, Brooklyn Arts Museum, Lincoln Center, BAM. Also reaching out to places like NYC Performance Art Spaces that helps non-profit organizations find places to host their rehearsals and performances at discounted rates, or in their locations.

VII.                  Implementation Schedule

§  Developing a committee or department in theory could happen relatively fast. However developing and implementing policy and procedures takes time. I think to enact the policy and procedures will be the hardest obstacle to overcome as patrons have become accustomed to not having to do anything in order to have an event. It is reasonable to say that developing and employing policy and procedures would take one dedicated academic year, in multiple (4) phases. From that implementation, programming could also begin to develop on small scales. For example, the events department, allowing for a more seamless event planning process, could absorb lecture series that are already established by the various departments on campus. Of course, this would all have to be