Welcome to the Planning Stage!

Welcome! You are about to embark on one of the most exciting parts of your Travel and Tourism course: Planning and Managing an Event. Before you can start decorating or selling tickets, you need to decide exactly what your event will be. This is called Choosing the Event.

Think of this stage as the "foundation" of a house. If the foundation is strong and well-thought-out, the rest of the building will stand tall. If it’s rushed, things might get shaky later on! Don't worry if this seems like a lot of paperwork at first—it's actually the secret to making sure your event is a massive success.


1. The Feasibility Study: Is it actually possible?

A feasibility study is basically a "reality check." It is an assessment you carry out to see if your event idea is actually doable or if it’s just a dream that might fail.

Areas to consider:

  • Resources: Do you have the equipment, the venue, and the people power?
  • Time: Do you have enough weeks left to plan it properly?
  • Skills: Does your team know how to do what’s needed (e.g., cooking, marketing, or tech)?
  • Money: Can you afford the start-up costs?

Analogy: Imagine you want to host a "Skydiving Festival." If you don't have a plane, a pilot, or a parachute, your feasibility study will tell you: "No, this is not feasible!"

Quick Review: A feasibility study asks: "Can we do this with what we have?"


2. Investigative Methods: What do people want?

You shouldn't just pick an event you like; you need to pick an event your customers will like. To find this out, you need to do some detective work using investigative methods.

A. Questionnaires

These are sets of questions given to potential attendees. They are great for getting quantitative data (numbers).
Tip: Keep them short and use "closed questions" (like Yes/No or Multiple Choice) so they are easier to analyze.

B. Focus Groups

This is when you sit down with a small group of people (5–10) and have a detailed chat about your ideas. This gives you qualitative data (opinions and feelings).
Example: Asking a group of students what kind of snacks they would pay for at a charity football match.

Key Takeaway: Use questionnaires for the "big picture" and focus groups for the "fine details."


3. SWOT Analysis: Your Event’s Health Check

A SWOT Analysis is a simple tool to help you look at your event from every angle. It stands for:

  • S - Strengths: Things your team is good at (e.g., "We are all great at social media").
  • W - Weaknesses: Internal problems (e.g., "We have zero budget to start with").
  • O - Opportunities: External things that help (e.g., "The local newspaper wants to interview us").
  • T - Threats: External things that could ruin the day (e.g., "It might rain," or "Another school is having an event on the same day").

Mnemonic to remember: Some Wales Often Travel.


4. Risk Assessment: Staying Safe

In Travel and Tourism, safety is everything. A risk assessment is a document where you identify everything that could go wrong and explain how you will stop it from happening.

Steps in a Risk Assessment:

  1. Identify the hazard (e.g., a wet floor).
  2. Decide who might be harmed (e.g., the guests).
  3. Evaluate the risk (How likely is it? How bad would it be?).
  4. Record control measures (e.g., "Put up a 'Caution: Wet Floor' sign").

Did you know? Even a small event like a "Cake Sale" needs a risk assessment to cover things like food allergies or trip hazards from table legs!


5. Financial and Accounting Methods

You need to prove that your event won't lose money. This involves calculating the estimated cost.

Key Financial Concepts:

  • Fixed Costs: Costs that stay the same no matter how many people come (e.g., hiring a hall).
  • Variable Costs: Costs that change depending on the number of guests (e.g., the cost of food per person).
  • Estimated Total Cost: \( \text{Fixed Costs} + \text{Variable Costs} \).

Common Mistake: Forgetting to include "hidden costs" like transport, printing tickets, or small decorations. Always add a little extra to your budget for emergencies!


6. Centre Approval and Legal Systems

Before you get the green light, your "Centre" (your school or college) must approve the plan. They will look at your legal requirements and logistics.

  • Student/Teacher Rota: Who is working when? You need enough people to supervise the event at all times.
  • Hiring Equipment/Buses: If you are going off-site, you need official contracts and bookings.
  • Legal Systems: This includes things like insurance or Public Liability (protecting you if someone gets hurt).

7. Data Protection

When you carry out your questionnaires or sell tickets, you will collect people’s personal information (names, emails, phone numbers). You have a legal responsibility to keep this safe.

Rules for Data Protection:

  • Only collect the information you actually need.
  • Store it securely (e.g., password-protected files).
  • Do not share it with anyone else without permission.
  • Delete it once the event is over.

Quick Review Box:
- Feasibility: Can we do it?
- SWOT: Good vs. Bad points.
- Risk Assessment: Keep people safe.
- Estimated Cost: Don't go broke!
- Data Protection: Keep info private.

Final Tip for Success: When you write up your coursework for this section, always explain WHY you chose your event. Don't just say "We chose a football tournament." Say "We chose a football tournament because our questionnaire showed that 80% of students enjoy sports, and our SWOT analysis showed we have access to a free pitch."