1. Amusica Cultural Events:
Cultural Events at Amusement Parks
Prepared for
Amusement Park General Managers
Prepared by
John Brooks
Gurinder Chane
Merna Shafo
Manmeet Lidhar
April 21, 2016
3. Cultural Events at Amusement Parks
Introduction:
Background
Amusica Cultural Events aims to entertain guests with music, dance, as well as fine cuisine from
across the world. There have not been many multicultural events in the past, which cater to all
cultures and religions coming together to show diversity in all three aspects (dance, music, food).
Amusica Cultural Events is dedicated to creating an unforgettable learning experience of all the
different cultures and religions there are in our world. A variety of entertainment, as well as
diverse cuisine, hosted at an amusement park will leave our guests with an experience of a
lifetime.
Amusica Cultural Events team came together in 2016 to create this multicultural experience for
all to enjoy and gain knowledge of specific cultures.
Purpose
The main aim of Amusica Cultural Events is to provide a platform for people to get entertained
and fulfill their passion for music, food, and dance, while making sure it to be financially viable
for amusement parks.
• To make audience feel relaxed from stressful daily routine life.
• To motivate their interests towards music, food, and dance.
• Giving a chance for people to socialize and enjoy the outdoor atmosphere.
• To generate revenue by organizing cultural events.
• To satisfy one’s own passions and creativity in music and dance.
Scope and Limitations
Amusica Cultural Events is limited only to Canada and the US. As for further shows, we hope to
expand our event across the globe for all to experience the fun.
Services offered may vary in price range, from $25-$60 per person depending on the venue size
at the amusement parks.
4. Methods
The following are methods and sources used by Amusica Cultural Events in preparation for our
research report, and proposal for our multicultural festival services:
• Reliable Web Sites
• Observations
• News Reports
• Journal Articles
5. Research Report
Date: March 10, 2016
To: Amusement Park General Managers
From: John Brooks, Manmeet Lidhar, Merna Shafo, and Gurinder Chane
Subject: Research Report of the Food, Music, and Dancing Industries
Introduction:
North America is becoming increasingly multi-cultural each year as we continue into the 21st
century. With the rise of multi-culturalism, you may think that there are a lot of cultural events
that include music, food, and dancing. But, surprisingly there are not many events that include all
three aspects here in North America, particularly Canada and the US. This report will address the
gap that needs to be filled within the cultural event industry, including the description of the
industry, history of the industry, future developments, major competitors, our unique
contribution, and the summary.
Facts and Findings
Description of the Industry:
The sector and industry that we will be discussing is, the American and Canadian Music
Festivals, Coachella and Veld. These musical festivals help bring people together to enjoy some
of the greatest musical talents. Coachella is an American Music Festival, whereas Veld is a
Canadian Music Festival. Both are held yearly in either country, where there are many
performers such as Drake, Ice Cube, A$AP Rocky, Zedd, Deadmau5 and Steve Aoki. The music
industry I would say is dominated by a few key players, such as main TV or radio stations which
play hit music; that then becomes mainstream. These key players (TV/radio personalities) give
artists a platform where they are able to showcase their work and become something. The music
6. industry is a cutthroat industry, which is quite difficult to get into. Many people struggle for
years before they are given a chance to show their worth. In this industry, people tend to stick
together in certain groups, making it harder for newcomers to squeeze their way in. Most
businesses in the music industry play it safe, stick to the same image or sound that is a sure way
of making money, while others branch off and try and find new things—both ways can possibly
lead to success. Some unique qualities in which this industry possesses are how they are able to
bring out new talent and give some newcomers a chance to shine. Also, the music industry may
mainly be about money for the most part, but for the artists who do it out of love for music, they
deliver incredibly beautiful and fun music that heals and helps all the listeners and viewers of the
industry.
History of the Industry:
History of the African American Music Industry
We will be discussing the African American culture with you today. African American’s are also
known as black Americans or Pro- Americans which are groups that are considered to be an
ethnic group of Americans, particularly people outside of the United States area. They are mostly
called African American individuals (Sayres, 1984, pp.44-58). African Americans constitute the
third largest racial and ethnic group in the United States; after white Americans, Hispanic, and
Latino Americans. Most African Americans are of west and central African descent and are
descendants of enslaved blacks within the boundaries of the present United States. On average,
African Americans are of 78 percent West African, 19 percent are European and 3 percent are
Native American heritage with the large variation between individuals. There are immigrants
from some African, Caribbean, Central American, and South American nations and their
descendants may or may not also self-identify with them (Time Magazine, 2004, p. 337). African
7. Americans date back to the 16th
century. After the founding of the United States, black people
continued to be enslaved, treated with such bad remorse and with punishment with four million
denied freedom and right privileges from bondage prior to the Civil War. Believed to be inferior
to white people, they were treated as second-class citizens as and of less class than other
individuals who knew them and represented them. The Naturalization Act of 1790 limited U.S.
citizenship to whites only, and only white men of property could vote and people of black origin
were unable to vote for that matter. These circumstances were changed by Reconstruction,
development of the black community and different neighborhoods participation in the great
military conflicts of the United States, the elimination of racial segregation which occurs quite
often with this culture specifically , and the Civil Rights Movement which sought political and
social freedom to different individuals of that origin. In 2008, Barack Obama became the first
African American to be elected president of the United States which changed a lot of things and
the lives of many different African Americans which was a great thing for these people (Harris,
2012, para 1-12).
• At the time of the 2000 Census, 54.8% of African Americans lived in the South. In that
year, 17.6% of African Americans lived in the Northeast and 18.7% in the Midwest,
while only 8.9% lived in the western states which are some of these statistics (Time
Magazine, 2004, p. 337).
8. Music Culture
• To tie in with the music cultures revolving around African American culture are the
talented and hardworking artist in which I adore so much who is Drake (but also known
as Aubrey Drake Graham. He is of African American culture. He is a Canadian rapper,
singer, songwriter, record producer and actor, born and raised in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada. Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada to parents Sandi Graham (née Sher), an educator, and Dennis Graham, a
drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis. On his father's side, he is related to
American musicians Larry Graham and Teenie Hodges. Drake's father is an African-
American from Memphis, Tennessee, and Drake's mother is a white Jewish Canadian.
He attended a Jewish day school and had a Bar Mitzvah. His parents divorced when he
was five years old, and he was raised by his mother in two Toronto neighborhoods; he
lived on Weston Road in the city's working-class west end for most of the time during
his career. Drake is known for his soft melody and emotional lyrics. Most of his songs
contain R&B and Canadian hip hop elements, and he combines rapping with singing
which is excellent for his career. This culture is very important in our generation
because a lot of teens and people of young ages love to relate to that genre and that
music culture while listening to music and having it in their life (Drake, n.d., para 1-6).
9. Major Competitors:
The two main American and Canadian Music Festivals that I will be comparing for this
assignment are, American Music Festival Coachella, and Canadian Music Festival Veld.
Coachella is a well-known American Music Festival that happens every year with thousands of
attendees, as well as musicians. The musical lineup consists of Ellie Goulding, Ice Cube, Zedd,
A$AP Rocky, Calvin Harris, Sia, and Major Lazer. Coachella was established in 1999, in Indio,
CA. This year it will take place on April 15-17 / April 22-24 2016 (Seat Geek, 2016).
Veld is also a well-known Canadian Music Festival that occurs yearly with millions of people
attending, who come to see some of their favorite musicians perform. Performers like
Deadmau5, Avicii, Steve Aoki, Bassnector and more. Veld will be held in Toronto, CA, on
August 1-2 2016. It has the biggest EDM musical following and performances. Veld is
considered one giant dance party for fans of electronic music (Indie88, 2015).
Although these Music Festivals are held in different countries, they all have the same
love for music, dance, and food in common. People all around the world go to either the festival
to enjoy the music, and see some of their favorite musicians perform their hit songs. Festivals
like these are so famous due to the varied group of musicians. People would sell an arm or a leg
to go see Drake or Ice Cube in concert, which is why both these musical festivals have had these
artists grace their stages. The love for music is what brings millions together for these festivals;
everyone enjoys him or herself. In this case, location is not a factor, because many of these
people would travel to either country to be a part of such a memorable musical festival.
10. Future Trends and Developments:
In the Article “ 6 Factors Driving the Massive Growth of Music Festivals”, Trips Reddy (2015)
states how music and dance festivals have a big impact on the life of thousands of people, who
work in this industry, and people who go to these festivals. It gives a platform for the public to
enjoy their favourite music by spending reasonable money. It also provides an opportunity for a
social get together. These festivals help to boost the tourism industry and generate millions of
dollars in revenue. Many people are turning towards these festivals, where they can enjoy their
favourite music and socialize as well. There are some factors which will influence the growth
and trends of music festivals in future. These are discussed as below.
The author describes that the top most driving force will be money and revenue generated by
these festivals. For instance, five biggest festivals in 2014 generated more than 183 million
dollars in ticket sales, excluding sponsorships on merchandise, food and alcohol sales (Reddy,
2015 para.5). As millennial people make a big chunk of attendance, organizers in the future will
bring music and artists targeting these millennials. Music bands in the future will target these
festivals as it is the biggest source of revenue for them. For many fans it will be a cheap price to
pay for a whole music festival and watching multiple concerts, rather than paying for an
individual one. By buying one ticket, fans can watch their favourite artists and music, as well as
enjoy food, drinks and lodging. Social media will be the most important tool for advertising and
creating a buzz in the future, to attract a large number of people. For example, more than 3.5
million tweets were posted by fans in the first weekend of Coachella 2015 (Reddy, 2015, para.
8). It is important to note that in the future, sponsors will pay even higher amounts of money to
advertise in these music festivals.
11. Our unique contribution:
The above research proves that there is a greater need for cultural events that involve music,
food, and dancing. Our company will fill in the need for more cultural events at amusement
parks across Canada and the US. Cultural events as such these will bring together people of all
cultures and celebrate how diverse North America really is. There are many venues that are
underutilized at amusement parks across Canada and the US. These venues will serve as a focal
point for these wonderful cultural events. We can extend to so many different cultures as this is
only the early stage of what is yet to come.
Summary:
In conclusion, cultural festivals are becoming a large industry in North America, particularly
Canada and the US due to the rise of multi-culturalism. Our company will be amongst the many
cultural event companies but will stand out due to the uniqueness of offerings of music, dance,
and food.
12. Proposal
Amusica Cultural Events: Cultural Events at Amusement Parks
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Amusement Park Company
Cultural Events Industry
205 Humber College Blvd.
Toronto, ON M9W 5L7
Subject: Proposal to Introduce Cultural Events at Events at Amusement Parks
Dear Amusement Park General Managers:
Fun and entertainment is one of the main reasons as to why there are many park goers in North
America annually. Many of those park goers come from many different cultural backgrounds and
seek greater value for their admission when visiting the amusement park for the day. Amusica
Cultural Events offers a wide range of cultural events that can utilize un-used venues located
within your parks while appealing to people from a variety of cultural backgrounds all season
long. This is a great opportunity to entertain visitors to your park while making some extra
revenue for future investments.
Problem: Cultural Festivals at Amusement Parks, Activities, and Size of Venues
Lack of Cultural Festivals at Amusement Parks
With the noticeable rise in multiculturalism here in Canada and the US and the amount of
amusement parks where many people visit, there seems to be a lack of cultural festivals taking
place. There are many cultural festivals taking place throughout Canada and the US such as
Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival that takes place in Gimli, Manitoba (The Canadian
Encyclopedia, 2015, para. 14), Taste of Asia in Markham, Ontario, (Gusto TV, 2015) or the
13. Chicago Blues Festival in Chicago, Illinois (Fest300, 2016). The problem is these events are not
reaching a wide enough audience meanwhile there are underutilized venues at amusement parks.
Many amusement parks in Canada and the US do hold cultural festivals throughout their
operating seasons but not enough to use their wonderful venues to their full potential they were
once intended for.
Lack of Food, Dance, and Musical Cultural Events
Many of the cultural events we see today all seem to lack one thing, diversity in activities. What
we mean by this is, we rarely—if ever—witness events in which all three (dance, music, and
food) have been incorporated into one multicultural festivity. Many guests would thoroughly
enjoy all three aspects of our cultural events, as well as many other events, if given the
opportunity. People love all things food, dance and music, so what better way to enjoy them,
than with one event filled with all three.
In our research report, we discussed two musical festivals, which included the Canadian music
festival Veld (Indie88, 2015), and the American music festival Coachella (Seat Geek, 2016).
Both of these music festivals only embraced the musical aspect of the night, they didn’t
completely incorporate food as well as dance into the event. There are also festivals that cater
only food, where people are able to enjoy and try different foods from all around the world.
There are few festivals and or events that cater to all three (dance, food and music) categories.
To name one, a Mela A Mela is an Indian cultural festival that covers food, dance, and also
music for its guests. Although it is not a multicultural event where we are able to see different
cultures, it only focuses on the Indian culture. We wish to see more events such as these, and
more multicultural events, come forth for people to educate themselves on different cultures,
religions, cuisine, music, as well as dance.
14. Size of Venues
In order for the cultural events to occur at amusement parks, the venues must be an adequate size
in order to accommodate many visitors who wish to partake in these wonderful events. While we
want as many people as possible to attend, there are fire and building safety codes that must be
met here in Ontario (Government of Ontario, 2013) and abroad, in order to keep these cultural
events fun and safe.
Solutions: Quality of Event and Experience, Location, Food, and Low Cost
Amusica Cultural Events proposes multiple high quality cultural events that will take place at
amusement park venues, which will represent many cultures that make up Canada and the US.
These cultural events will be a fun and exciting experience that will include music, dancing, and
food all for a reasonable cost to you and your visitors. These events and festivals can be held all
season long in your wonderful venues. The main goal of these cultural events is to make
Canadian and US citizens aware and recognize the many different cultures that make up Canada
and the US all while having fun at a place that brings fun to those who visit.
Quality of Event
In order for our guests to enjoy themselves at our multicultural events, we would ensure that we
cater to their needs. This includes fine multicultural cuisine; that is sanitary as well as delicious
for all, and safe and sturdy dancing grounds for all our guests to be able to experience different
cultural dances. Also an incredibly diverse play list for all our guests to move to. We wish to
provide a fun-filled night for all ages and all ethnicities to come together as one to embrace
each other’s differences as well as similarities. This event will include all excess passes, in the
form of stamps; to make sure there are enough passes for all guests, as well as security at all exits
and entrances, and guards in and around the whole area for all our guests’ safety. If anything is to
15. go wrong, we want to be prepared for it, which is why there would be security on foot to keep
everyone safe. Since this event will be held at a park, we wish to uphold the rules and regulations
of the park, as well as do our best from our end to keep our guests at ease and feeling safe.
Experience
We wish to ensure all our guests have the experience of a lifetime at our event. Not only do we
hope to see smiling faces, we also hope to help educate our guests on all the different cultures
and religions in our world. We not only want this event and experience to be fun, but
educational. Whether our guests know it or not, we wish every one of them to leave our event
with new knowledge they didn’t know coming into our event. This is a great learning experience
for all, as well as a great opportunity to teach others about your own culture and religion.
Location
Amusement parks are an excellent event location, which are in highly populated areas and can be
easily accessible for attendees. Since amusement parks are in highly populated areas, there is
usually a public transit connection for those who wish not to drive to the parks. We should give
special attention to see that the venues at these amusement parks are suitable to accommodate the
planned size of audiences as well as accommodate food and sit-down tables all while abiding
fire, health, and other safety codes. Also, covered venues are ideal as the events can be held
during most weather conditions other than lightning or high winds. Also, since all amusement
parks have washrooms, this will not be an issue. If more facilities are needed, we will contract
for portable washroom facilities to be brought to the venue.
Food
We will offer food at the cultural events that will include the highest quality and greatest
authenticity in relation to the cultures that are being represented. Qualified chefs and cooks will
16. prepare the food at the events and will ensure that the food is thoroughly cooked before it is
served, while using the highest standard of hygiene practices. The food served at each cultural
event will meet the required food permit and safety laws that are set in place by each
municipality. While attendees of the events are eating the foods of a specific culture, cultural
music and dancers will entertain them to enhance the experience.
Low Cost
Vision and planning: There should be thorough study and research as to what we want to
accomplish in terms of revenue, public attendance, awareness, entertainment, etc. Once we have
a clear vision, a concrete and realistic planning should be done to achieve intended results.
Budgeting: A precise and professional approach is required to make the event feasible. A clear
and accurate balance sheet should be prepared ahead of the event. Thorough research should be
done to select the celebrities or music eye cone. Who will attract the intended music loving
audience? We should consider the rising music and dance stars, as they will not charge large
amounts of money as they are looking for a platform to get audience attention, compared with
established stars that charge too much money to show up in these events. We should also look at
sponsorship; we should try to find some sponsors who will give more and demand less in order
to generate higher revenue. Also, we will be looking for sponsors to help with the cost of food
that we will be serving at the events. We can use the name of their organization to award or
recognize the prominent performers. We will also try to reach out to the local businessman to
raise funds.
Volunteers: We should try to recruit volunteers to help run the event rather than having paid
workers. Volunteers can enroll based on their passion, interest, charity, etc.
17. Conclusion
In conclusion, we as a company would like to be the first to provide people with a multicultural
event which incorporates different categories, such as, dance, music and food. We hope to create
a fun loving environment for our guests, as well as an educational event for people to gain
knowledge on the many different cultures and religions in our world. Everyone deserves to feel
appreciated, and loved, which is exactly what we plan on providing for our guests with such an
event. We hope to achieve a fun-filled event, which, hopefully, will become a reoccurring
festival for years to come. We would like to see more multicultural festivals and events be
brought to the table in the future, and we hope to be the stepping stone which makes it all
happen.
There have always been many events where food or music is the main attraction for guests, such
as Canadian music festival Veld (Indie88, 2015), and American music festival Coachella (Seat
Geek, 2016). These festivals both have music in common; both these events cater to only
musicians and the people who follow their music. These events aren’t for everybody, which is
why some people can feel like their interests aren’t being brought into events. This is why we
began our company, and why we wish to accommodate the needs of everyone with one
multicultural event.
Best Regards,
John Brooks, Gurinder Chane, Manmeet Lidhar, and Merna Shafo
18. Appendix
Progress Report
Date: April 4th
, 2016
To: Amusement Park General Managers
From: John Brooks, Merna Shafo, Gurinder Chane, and Manmeet Lidhar
Subject: Progress Report on Cultural Events at Amusement Parks
This progress report will outline previous work that we have completed so far. It will also
include current work and future work that needs to be completed. Also, this report will mention
the upcoming presentation on cultural events at amusement parks.
Previous Work
Research Report
Researched Report Topics
Manmeet researched the music industry of events that are held in Canada and the US. She
mentioned two large music events such as Veld Music Festival and Coachella Valley Music and
Arts Festival, which occur annually in Canada and the US respectively.
Merna explored the music industry as well, but she had focused on the cultures that make up
Canada and the US. The information of various cultures in Canada and the US that Merna found
will help us understand which cultures need catered to for the events to be successful.
19. Examined Major Competitors
Manmeet examined major music event competitors in Canada and the US. Two major music
events that occur within Canada and the US are Veld Music Festival and Coachella Valley Music
and Arts Festival.
Edited and Formatted Research Report
John Received, edited and compiled every group member's parts. He made sure the information
was being presented accurately and referenced properly accurately and referenced properly.
Manmeet, Merna, Gurinder, and John were all responsible and required to fix all grammar errors
in their section of the project. We were also all responsible for complying with the rubric
specifications in order to have completed the report to the best of our ability. So we all worked
together in order to correct grammar errors.
Proposal Report
Addressed Problems and Concerns
John addressed the lack of cultural events at amusement parks. He addressed this issue by
mentioning cultural events that occur annually nearby but, not at amusement parks.
Manmeet mentioned the issue of cultural events not including food, dancing, and musical
components. She mentioned that many have one or two of the components but, as research has
shown, very few have all three components.
Merna stated that the size of the venues to host cultural events located within amusement parks
can be an issue. She mentioned that there are fire and safety codes to abide by when planning for
such events.
Specified Solutions
Gurinder came up with solutions for the cost and locations of the cultural events for location. She
acknowledged that many amusement parks are easily accessible by public transit. As for cost,
she created solutions for budgeting the events.
Merna and Manmeet successfully provided solutions for two concerns which consisted of food
and quality and experience of the cultural events. Merna was able to mention that the food will
be related to specific cultures that are featured and Manmeet mentioned that the cultural events
will be of high quality and will be managed professionally.
20. Edited and Formatted Proposal Report
John had compiled every group member’s work that was completed in order to create the
proposal document. He also made sure that APA referencing was used properly.
Current Work
Throughout this week, our group will be working together in order to submit the progress report
on Monday, April 4th
. We are also coming up with ideas to make our presentation highly
presentable and effective to persuade possible investors who may invest into our cultural events
company.
Future Work
There are a few components remaining before the final presentation for our cultural events
company occurs. Those components include a persuasive letter that will be submitted on April
14th
and a portfolio composed of our reports which will be submitted on April, 21st
. Then, we
will be presenting our findings to amusement park general managers in order to share our ideas
for our cultural events company that could potentially be taking place at their parks in the near
future.
21. Persuasive Message
April 14th
, 2016
Amusement Park General Managers
Amusement Park Corporation
1200 Scream Way Drive
Thrill, ME F0R N0W
Dear Amusement Park General Managers:
Did you know that 29.4% of Canadian workers aged 15- 65-reported high work-related stress?
Reducing stress can help productivity, with fewer sick days, less burden on health system and
disability claims, and improved overall health and family lives. One needs to explore different
ways to reduce stress to benefit from these problems.
Current research shows that there is a significant rise in demand for cultural events at amusement
parks that include music, food, and dancing. According to International Association of
Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), they report “Incorporating more cultural events into
amusement parks across Canada and the US will better benefit park attendees as such events will
offer an even greater experience than what most parks already offer. Many park attendees are
looking for an exciting yet educational experience that teaches them about the cultures that make
up the very own areas they live”. Over the past few years, Amusica Cultural Events helped some
independent amusement parks hold small cultural events that had increased their revenue
significantly.
If you are concerned about our cultural events taking over your in-park events, they will not. It is
up to you as the General Manager as to when you want Amusica Cultural Events to hold events
within your park. Amusica Cultural Events intends to host events at your park when your venues
are not being used in order to maximize the usage of your venues throughout the operating
season. With our cultural events, your profits will increase significantly all while your visitors
will be greatly enjoying the unique cultural experiences we have to offer.
Contact us by April 22nd
, 2016 through e-mail or telephone to discuss when Amusica Cultural
Events can hold a cultural event at your amusement park. Connect with us and see your visitors
begin to enjoy these unique cultural events incorporated at your amusement park that we have to
offer this summer.
Best regards,
John Brooks, Merna Shafo, Guriner Chane, and Manmeet Lidhar
Amusica Cultural Events
24. Reference
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Fest300. (2016) Chicago blues festival. Retrieved from https://www.fest300.com/festivals/chicago-
blues-festival
Government of Ontario. (2013) Building code. Retrieved from
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Gusto TV. (2015) Food fests: CIBC taste of Asia. Retrieved from http://gustotv.com/foodfests/cibc-taste-
asia-2/
Harris, P. (2012, June 16). How the end of slavery led to starvation and death to millions of black
Americans. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jun/16/slavery-
starvation-civil-war
Indie88. (2015) Guide to Canadian music festivals. Retrieved from http://indie88.com/canadian-music-
festival-guide/
Reddy, T. (2015) 6 factors driving the massive growth of music festivals. Retrieved from
https://www.umbel.com/blog/entertainment/6-factors-driving-massive-growth-of-music-festivals
Sayres, S. (1984) The 60s without apology. Minneapolis, MN: Minnesota University Press.
SeatGeek. (2016) The best music festivals in 2016: Everything you need to know. Retrieved from
https://seatgeek.com/tba/festivals/music-festivals/
The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2015) Festivals. Retrieved from
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/festivals/
Time Home Entertainment. (2004) Time almanac of 2005. New York, NY: Time Magazine.
