Star connection

Could you be the one to discover the next Girls Aloud? With Pop Star Parties, a franchise with a difference, you can bring stardom to others and success to yourself

The Recognition Express Group, franchisor of distinction since 1979, has launched a third distinctive franchise. The group currently runs two franchise businesses - Recognition Express itself (past winners of the British Franchise Association Franchisor of the Year Award) and ComputerXplorers.

New addition Pop Star Parties delivers the ultimate party experience, targeted primarily to 8-16 year olds but including also hen/stag dos, company events, adult functions (birthdays, anniversaries etc) and more.
Combining the excitement of pop stardom with the glamour of ‘Hollywood glitz', Pop Star Parties brings the music studio to a customer's home (or other venue) to create a never to be forgotten Pop Star event.

Customers receive their ‘all area passes' after walking the red carpet before proceeding to the recording and karaoke areas, where they record their own CD, and get to learn about how to mix a record.
Mark Newton, who created the concept and is now development director of Pop Star Parties and its first franchise owner, is a great example of how it can work.

Mark, 36, lives with his wife and four children in a picturesque village in the Cotswolds and his passion for music began at the age of six when he took up the violin, though after a lot of squeaking and scratching, his parents bought him his first guitar.

From that day Mark decided to pursue a ‘Rock Star' career, and by the time he was 19 he had mastered various instruments - the piano, double bass, and acoustic guitar, to name but a few, and he had also started composing and performing his own material.

His musical talents were finally recognised and Mark was approached by a publishing firm and a deal was agreed. The following three years took Mark around the country performing and recording his music but, following a stint in Nashville and the birth of his first child, the desire for a settled family life led him to the other side of the music industry - recording and producing.

In 2004 Mark graduated at the University of Worcestershire with a BSc in Music Technology, and he also opened his recording studio, New Sound Studios, in his local area. However, it was after hosting his daughter's birthday party at the studio that his business took on a whole new direction, and the concept of Pop Star Parties was born.

The opportunity was for young wannabe pop stars to invite their friends to a party where they get the full pop star experience: walk the red carpet, drink (non-alcoholic) champagne, wear a VIP pass and record a song of their choice, and at the end of the two-hour party every party guest receives a copy of the recorded song on a personalised CD. This fantastic experience is filmed in order to produce a pop video of the recorded track and edited highlights of the day.

I'm excited by Pop Star Parties,' enthuses Mark. ‘Through my own experience I know how well-received the parties are and working with successful and experienced franchisors has enabled us to put together a very professional business for prospective franchise owners, and one of the major changes Pop Star Parties has created is the development of the POD - the travelling and portable music studio, which means that franchise owners can be totally flexible with customers.'

Nigel Toplis, managing director of Pop Star Parties and of the Recognition Express Group, is clear about the potential of this business.
‘Pop Star Parties has huge appeal,' he says. ‘The concept is proven and very well received by both organisers and guests alike.

It is a business that appeals to a wide cross section of potential business owners. Furthermore, Pop Star Parties is a "work from home" business with flexible hours and operating on a low cost base so offering high net profit margin.

And, as with our other brand, ComputerXplorers, we are launching the franchise through a limited number of pilot operations at £10,000 + VAT, rising to £16,750 + VAT thereafter.'

Investment level: Pilot franchises - £10,000 + VAT; post-pilot - £16,750 + VAT
Phone: 01530 513308
Email: lsankey@popstarparties.org
Website: www.popstarparties.org
Franchise classification: Entertainment