SERIES: Taylor Swift: Business, Technology and Cultural Impact

S1-S3

60–90 minutes

Mapping The Eras Tour: Why Were These Cities Chosen?

Choosing tour cities is a location-strategy problem. Demand matters, but so do venues, transport, geography, timing and the shape of the wider route. You will build a city scorecard, replace assumptions with evidence, map a route and make a location recommendation. By the end of this challenge you will: Identify criteria for tour-location decisions […]

Mapping The Eras Tour: Why Were These Cities Chosen?

Your Mission

Choose where a major tour should go next using geography, data and route logic — not just fan demand.

You will define location criteria, build a weighted city scorecard, replace assumptions with evidence and pitch one tour stop as part of a wider route.

The Shape of This Challenge

Discover

✏️ ️ Notice & question

Explore

️ Investigate & test

Create

✏️ Make & communicate

Reflect

️ Think & apply

Discover

Start by identifying what makes a city practical and attractive for a major event.

Step 1

What Makes a Tour City Attractive?

️ Rank the factors · 8–10 mins

We are learning to identify factors that could influence where a major tour stops.

A city needs more than enthusiastic fans. Venue capacity, transport, geography, population, travel time, local demand, dates and infrastructure can all matter.

Your Task

Rank these factors from most to least important: venue capacity, population, transport links, distance from previous city, tourism, local demand, available dates, border/customs complexity.
Choose your top three.
Write one reason your ranking could change for a different tour.

I can identify several factors that could affect tour-location decisions and explain their trade-offs.

→ This gives you the decision criteria for your city analysis.

ResearchCritical ThinkingGeography

Step 2

Build a City Scorecard

✏️ Compare data · 10–12 mins

We are learning to turn a location decision into a set of measurable criteria.

A scorecard does not make the decision automatically. It makes your assumptions visible so they can be challenged.

Your Task

Choose three real cities in the same broad region.
Create five criteria and score each city from 1–5.
Give at least one criterion extra weight because you think it matters more.
Calculate or estimate a total score and identify the current winner.

I can compare several locations using a transparent set of weighted criteria.

→ This becomes the first version of your tour-location recommendation.

ResearchNumeracyDecision Making

Explore

Use real data and mapping to challenge your first ranking.

Step 3

Replace Scores With Evidence

Choose your route · 10–15 mins

We are learning to use real location data to improve a decision model.

Your first scores were assumptions. Now test the most important ones with evidence.

Your Task

Choose the two criteria that most affect your ranking.
Complete one of the research routes.
Replace at least three estimated scores with sourced evidence.
Record the source and year beside each important number.

⚡ Quick Track

Find three relevant facts for your shortlisted cities using official venue, transport, city or population sources. Update your scores.

Dig Deeper

Compare at least two data sources and add a sixth criterion that your first model missed, such as travel efficiency, competing events, seasonal conditions or regional coverage.

I can use current evidence to revise a location scorecard.

→ This turns your city choice from opinion into an evidence-informed recommendation.

ResearchData LiteracyVerification

Step 4

Route It, Don’t Just Rank It

️ Map challenge · 10–12 mins

We are learning to understand that the best individual cities may not create the best overall route.

Location choices interact. A city that scores highly on its own may create an inefficient journey between other dates.

Your Task

Place your three cities plus one previous and one next stop on a map.
Estimate the travel order and approximate distances or journey times.
Identify one city you would drop if reducing total travel became a higher priority.
Explain how your decision changed when you considered the whole route.

I can explain how route efficiency can change a location decision.

→ This gives your final recommendation a geographic and operational dimension.

Problem SolvingGeographySystems Thinking

Create & Share

Turn the analysis into a clear recommendation that admits its trade-offs.

Step 5

Pitch the Next Tour Stop

✏️ Decide · Create · 25–35 mins

We are learning to make an evidence-based location recommendation that balances multiple criteria.

Your recommendation should make clear which city, why it beats alternatives, what evidence supports it and what trade-off remains.

Your Task

Select your recommended city.
Use at least three pieces of sourced evidence.
Show how the choice fits the wider route.
Include one risk or trade-off.
Choose one format below.

Location Brief

1 page · map + 180–220 words

⏱ 25–30 mins

Recommend the city with evidence, route logic and one trade-off.

Promoter Pitch

5 slides · maximum 30 words per slide

⏱ 30–35 mins

Compare the shortlist and persuade the tour team to choose your location.

City Bid

90 seconds final runtime

⏱ 30–35 mins

Pitch the city as if you work for a venue, promoter or local destination team.

I can justify a location choice using data, mapping and trade-off reasoning.

→ This is your finished mission output.

ResearchCommunicationProblem Solving

Step 6

Reflect, Apply, Look Forward

️ Think or discuss · 5–8 mins

We are learning to reflect on how data models support — but do not replace — human decisions.

Scorecards are useful because they expose criteria and assumptions. They are dangerous when the numbers make a subjective model look automatically objective.

Your Task

Answer each prompt.
Identify one criterion whose weighting was really a judgement rather than a fact.
Name another decision that could use a similar scorecard.

Reflect

Which piece of evidence changed your city ranking most?

Apply

Where could a weighted scorecard help you make a real decision?

Look Forward

How might better live data or AI change tour-route planning in the future?

I can explain the strengths and limits of weighted decision models.

→ Next, you will examine how marketing keeps attention across a long campaign.

ReflectionCritical ThinkingResearch

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TOOLKIT

Choose Your Tools

Use the tools available to you. Strong thinking and evidence matter more than a particular app.

Map

Use Google Maps, Apple Maps, OpenStreetMap or a printed map. A spreadsheet can help compare population, venues, travel links and distance.

Research

Use official venue/city information and credible demographic or transport sources. Record the year for statistics.

Create

Use an annotated map, slides, a location brief or a short recorded pitch.

Educator / Parent Notes

Age, Stage and Prior Learning: Designed for S1–S3 and particularly useful for interdisciplinary geography, numeracy and business learning.

Before You Start: Have map access available. If open research would take too long, provide a shortlist of three cities and a small data pack.

How to Open This: Ask: “If a city has millions of potential fans but no suitable venue, should the tour go there?” Use the debate to generate criteria.

Scheduling: Steps 1–4 need 35–45 minutes. Step 5 needs 25–35 minutes.

If a Pupil Gets Stuck: Provide the five criteria and three cities. Let the learner focus on scoring, one source and one route decision.

For Fast Finishers: Ask them to run a sensitivity test: change the weight of one criterion and see whether the winner changes.

Marking Guidance: Look for transparent criteria, sourced evidence, correct use of weighting, route awareness and a recommendation that acknowledges uncertainty.

Mapping The Eras Tour: Why Were These Cities Chosen?

Mapping The Eras Tour: Why Were These Cities Chosen?

Discover

What Makes a Tour City Attractive?

Build a City Scorecard

Explore

Replace Scores With Evidence

Route It, Don’t Just Rank It

Create & Share

Pitch the Next Tour Stop

Reflect, Apply, Look Forward

Show What You Have Learned

Map

Research

Create

Show What You Have Learned

Map

Research

Create

TOOLKIT

Map

Research

Create

Educator / Parent Notes

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