Harry Potter Premiere - Operational Elements

The new film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows premiered in

Leicester Square

at the Odeon on the 11^th of November 2010. Many operational practices of course had to be taken into account and used for an event such as this, seeing as it is one of the most successful film series ever.

There was an article on BBC news about the stars and fans being soaked by rain at the London premiere (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8139765.stm).

Shelter and contingency planning is key to event organisation; it should be a certain fact that stars of the film do not get wet whilst giving autographs and interviews.

However the fans who had been camping out before the event should expect any sort of weather conditions and it is not the responsibility of the event itself to plan for their discomfort. Measures could have been taken to avoid the problem of bad weather conditions such as a large marquee connected to the barriers; so that fans and cameras could still see and interact with the celebrities. However it is possible that bodyguards did follow the actors around with umbrellas for the entirety of their walk down the red carpet preventing the problem all together.

Security is also a massive issue for a premiere, especially because fans are allowed so close to the celebrities. Not only did the Odeon put security around the red carpet to stop anything happening to the stars, but there has to be a large amount of security at the entrance to the cinema itself to check bags for recording equipment. According to one article (http://www.beehivecity.com/film/film-review-harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-one0957524/) ‘this was done with such efficiency that I barely have to break stride’, clearly showing that the organisation of this operational element was particularly thorough and very well put in place.

Another factor relating to operations has to be the waste management in and around the Odeon. It is most likely that the waste produced by the viewers during the film will be cleared up by cinema employees, however there is no mention of how rubbish left by fans who had been camping outside would be cleared. One way in which a build up of litter in Leicester Square could be reduced is by strategically placing large waste bins by the areas where fans had set up camp, however local police would probably patrol the area during the days leading up to the premiere and the actual cleaning is likely to be undertaken by the local street cleaning service.

Despite an input from other organisations, most of the operational elements used in the premiere of Harry Potter would mainly be covered and supplied by the cinema and its regulations, such as health and safety, food and drink and licensing. All of the above should be pre-existing in the Odeon, therefore it would not be necessary to add more when the cinema offers it already.

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Macroeconomics' relevance to the Falmouth Oyster Festival

Macroeconomics is the section of economics that looks at the overall economy of a country. Factors such as the inflow and outflow of money, unemployment, gross domestic product, tax and inflation all determine what stage in the business cycle a country is in, ranging from prosperity, to recession, to trough and then lastly recovery.

Macroeconomics plays a large role in any business and would affect the Falmouth Oyster Festival. At the moment we are in a recession, meaning there is a rise in unemployment and a decline in the GDP and trade in and out of the country. The recession affects consumers in particular, and so consequently due to oysters being seen as a luxury item people may not want to buy them and spend money on something that may be seen as unnecessary. Also, going to the festival itself is not quite a luxury but it’s definitely not a necessity, therefore people may not attend in an attempt to save money. The recession may also affect local businesses that are looking to sponsor the festival as they may be less willing to give money because of the economic climate. However this was not the case for the Falmouth Oyster Festival as St. Michael’s Hotel and Spa did eventually become the leading sponsor.

Another way in which large scale economics may affect the Falmouth Oyster Festival is a rise or fall in the world’s supply or demand. Due to demand for fish and shellfish rising globally there is an increasing number of factory ships partaking in unsustainable large scale fishing, for example the Athena fish factory ship that caught fire just off the coast of Falmouth. This is depleting stocks for local fisherman resulting in an increase of prices in food such as oysters, therefore making it more expensive to produce the main ingredient of the Falmouth Oyster Festival.

A rise in unemployment may also be relevant to the festival, both in positive and negative ways. The positive of there being more people unemployed is that there may be more people to work on the set up of the oyster festival. However a negative might be there may not be as many people willing to volunteer due to more people in need of money and a sustainable form of income.

Taking all these factors in to account however, the festival was still the most successful in its fourteen year life-time, showing that despite the recession people still came and still paid enough for it to be a success. Global economics potentially may harm an event such as the Falmouth Oyster Festival; however it seems if there is the right amount of marketing and local resources on hand then it will still overcome the economic difficulties presented at the time.

Resources: www.falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk

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