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Accenture
Part two: Corporate Communication Budget

Maggie McNerney
ADPR 5910
Introduction
Since 2001, Accenture has recognized International Womens Day, which is a date designated by
the United Nations to celebrate womens successes and achievements, and starting in 2005,
Accenture hosts its own International Womens Day Event. In 2014, Accentures theme was
Knowing and Growing Your Career Capital. This year, the theme was #ListenLearnLead, and
it explored how the digital world affects the way we listen, learn and lead across a range of
physical and virtual environments.
The following is a proposed plan and budget for the 2016 International Womens Day, and it will
span from January 2016-March 2016. International Womens Day is on March 8. Next years
theme for International Womens Day will be #PushtheBoundaries. The event will take place in
Accenture offices across the globe, and this is the projected budget for the banquet taking place
in the United States.

#PushtheBoundaries Overview
The 2016 International Womens Day theme, #PushtheBoundaries, will explore how new
technologies and innovations are allowing for everyone to go further than we have ever gone
before- in terms of business and lifestyle.
Events will take place in Accenture offices across the world, with motivational and thoughtprovoking speakers who will encourage the attendees to go beyond what they think is possible
and explore the new realm of business. The live events will be banquet-style, with invitations to
all female Accenture employees.

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The banquets will be held at different Accenture offices around the world, all with the same
themes.
Aside from the live events, there will also be a website, www.accenture.com/pushtheboundaries,
which will stream coverage of the IWD events from around the world. Accenture employees will
have the opportunity to showcase their initiatives relating to the theme on both the website and at
the live events.
Online, there will be social media campaigns using the chosen hashtags to promote the upcoming
events. There will be small challenges through the months of January and February to challenge
the employees of Accenture to begin pushing the boundaries and coming up with new, innovative
ideas.
The U.S. Accenture event will take place in New York City at the New York Marriott at the
Brooklyn Bridge.
There will be a registration fee of $100, which includes yourself plus one guest, and 25 percent
of the fee will go towards the International Womens Day foundation.
Personnel Salary and Benefits
The event planning team will consist of three Communication Specialists. Their salary is each
around $65,000. They each also can have an assistant, who will be paid a $3,000 stipend for the
duration of the planning for the event.
Travel Expenses
All U.S. employees will have a free round-trip flight to New York City, and there will be travel
packages available for overnight and out of town guests. Out of town guests will have a room t
the Mariott where the event will be help.
Supplies and Expenses
There will be food at the event as well as an open bar. Tables and chairs are provided by the
Mariott. The Mariotts Grand Ballroom can hold up to 2,010 guests. There is a catering team onsite that will prepare the menu upon request.
The expenses will include: rooms for guests, added cost of catering, flight packages, and
speakers. There will also be small goodie bags for each of the guests. Inside the goodie bags will
be a spa package to any Mariott in the country.
The two speakers will be Meridith Powell, a women-empowering financial speaker, and Linda
Larsen, an expert feminist speaker. They each charge about $10,000 to speak at a one-night
event.
Marketing and Venue Costs
The Marriott Ballroom costs around $3,000 for a reservation for one night, plus a $7,000 catering
package.
The marketing will be mainly online, done by a small team of three digital experts, who will
receive a $6,000 bonus each.

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Items
Personnel
Communication
Specialist 1
Communication
Specialist 2
Communications
Specialist 3
Assistant 1
Assistant 2
Assistant 3
Digital 1
Digital 2
Digital 3
Speaker 1
Speaker 2
Total
Event Supplies
Airfare

Guest Goodie Bags

Venue
Ballroom
Room package (one
night per guest)
Food package
Print Advertising
Programs
Total Event
Budget

January

February

March

Total

5,583

5,583

5,583

16,750

5,583

5,583

5,583

16,750

5,583

5,583

5,583

16,750

1,000
1,000
1,000
2,000
2,000
2,000

1,000
1,000
1,000
2,000
2,000
2,000

1,000
1,000
1,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
10,000
10,000

3,000
3,000
3,000
6,000
6,000
6,000
10,000
10,000
97,250

90,000
(projected
estimate)
8,000

90,000

3,000
15,000

3,000
10,000

7,000

7,000
$20,000

1000

1000
$1,000

8,000
$98,000

$216,250

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Budget Reductions
If management were to demand a 10% budget cut, it would reduce the total event budget by
$21,625, which leaves $194,625. In the event, the guest goodie bags could be cut, one of digital
team members and one PR assistant could be cut, and they could opt for the cheapest food
package, which is $2,000. This would result in a total event budget of 199,250.
If the 1,500 projection of guests is correct, that would result in a return of $150,000 from the
reservation fee. Twenty Five percent is going to the Womens Foundation, so that would leave a
$112,500 return.

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Bibliography
http://www.8womendream.com/59729/12-dynamic-women-motivational-speakers-sharedream-secrets
https://eventup.com/venue/new-york-marriott-at-the-brooklyn-bridge/
http://www.marriott.com/hotel-meetings/nycbk-new-york-marriott-at-the-brooklynbridge/modules/meetings/food-and-beverage.mi
http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Accenture-Marketing-Communications-SpecialistSalaries-E4138_D_KO10,45.htm
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/iwd/iwdarchives.html
http://www.accenture.com/us-en/company/people/women/Pages/international-womens-dayphotos-videos.aspx#International
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nycbk-new-york-marriott-at-the-brooklyn-bridge/