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Part 6 / Fashion Promotion
purpose, type, and size of the show. People will
travel farther to see larger productions. Small,
informal shows must be located geographically
close to the audience. During the holiday season
and traditional wedding times, banquet rooms
must be reserved more than a year in advance.
The date and place are booked after
making sure there can be adequate seating
arrangements, food service, and provisions
for sound, lighting, staging, and dressing
areas. Then details are fi nalized and put into a
written contract. Details include what the site
management will provide as far as room setup,
food and beverages, public address system,
cleanup, etc. Extra time may have to be rented
to put up the staging and hold rehearsals. The
contract is signed by representatives of both the
site and the group using its services.
If informal modeling is done at a restaurant,
a contract is probably not required. Some
restaurants allow fashion shows to take place in
their facilities during regular meal service. This
can increase the restaurant’s business while
promoting fashion goods of a nearby store.
However, adequate dressing room facilities
must be available. Also, if the restaurant serves
alcoholic beverages, models must be of legal
drinking age.
If the fashion show is held for customers
in a retail store, a large room can be set up for
a formal show, with light refreshments being
catered. A different format includes informal
modeling that takes place on the fl oor of the
store, during which the models talk to customers
about what they are wearing and where it can
be obtained. A runway may even be set up near
where the merchandise is located.
With the date, time, and location of the
show determined, a time schedule is planned for
preparations. It outlines when certain activities
will be done by all those who will participate in
the show. Some preparations will start months
ahead of the show, with more specifi c and
frequent deadlines occurring as the date of the
show draws near.
Safety and Security
Considerations
The safety and security of merchandise,
equipment, show participants, and the audience
must not be overlooked in fashion show planning.
Written policies about personal safety, and
signed agreements about merchandise and
equipment security, help prevent losses and legal
problems later.
Merchandise used during rehearsals and the
show must be protected from wearing damage,
as well as from theft. Access to the stage and
dressing areas should be limited to only certain
fashion show staff. The merchandise committee
has the responsibility of organizing, labeling,
transferring, and securing all goods from the
retail location to the show area. All models and
dressers should take responsibility for preventing
harm to the show garments and accessories
used in the show.
Security personnel may have to be hired to
prevent theft or vandalism. Procedures should
be followed that prevent accidents and injuries.
Audience safety can be provided by preventing
loose electrical cords from crossing the fl oor,
meeting all fi re code requirements, clearly
marking emergency exits, and spacing aisles for
easy access. Also, it is wise to buy insurance that
covers all aspects of the show.
Budget Planning
Fashion show costs depend on the type
and size of the show and location. Elaborate
shows are more expensive, with high fees for
professional models, large numbers of support
staff, intricate staging, and room and equipment
rentals. The least expensive shows are informal
ones, with school or community members as
models, volunteers for construction and sound,
loaned fashions, and a free facility, such as a
retail store or school auditorium.
The fi rst step in planning a fashion show
budget is to forecast expected revenues
(incomes) for the show. All other aspects of
fi nancial planning are based on this estimate,
since the amount of money going out must
not exceed money available to use. Revenues
come from ticket sales, money from cooperative
sponsors, or allocations from the company’s
promotion budget. Retailers usually recover the
costs of producing a fashion show from higher
sales after the show.
Fashion show expenditures (money spent)
are divided among the different committees,
according to the estimated needs they submit
to the fashion show director. Written estimates