Creating the Level Up Festival: Marketing & Production Plan

The following document is a case study which began on May 20th of 2018 and was researched for the next couple of months over the course of several different internships in the entertainment industry. The purpose of the study was to compare several companies within different arenas of the entertainment industry, along with current market research in order to develop an event marketing plan for the newest live entertainment trend, esports. There were many different methods of research conducted in order to reach the final conclusion. The first method of research was done during several internships over the course of the summer. First, I worked in Public Relations under the guidance of Ebie McFarland at her company Essential Broadcast Media. Then, I began working as a Festival Promoter Assistant for Gil Cunningham and his company Neste Event Marketing. Finally, I worked as a Festival Intern for 2018 Music Festival of the Year, Country Thunder. During this time I conducted first hand interviews and collected research from company polls. I also interviewed and worked with Andy Stanley and his management company 3 Lions Management, focusing on album collaborations and their newest venture, video gaming festivals. Then, I interviewed Michael Thompson Jr. from the Ole Miss Athletic office on the validity of esports on college campuses. Finally, I conducted a survey within the Ole Miss student body that focused on what influences people to attend events and why, as well as their previous esports knowledge. From all this, I was able to determine that the most effective marketing plan for a company in the entertainment industry is one revolves heavily around digital and social medias. I was then able develop a production and marketing plan for an esports festival of my own design, Level Up Festival