1. Introduction

Objective of this report and methodology of research

I have chosen to visit Singapore Biennale 2008 for my field trip assignment for the module, Festivals and Events Management.

This report is my observation of the Singapore Biennale 2008 and my reflections on how the different factors of the event marketing mix had been used in the event. The components of the event marketing mix are Product, Price, Place, Promotion and an addition of Partnership. I will assess the effectiveness of the factors being used to contribute to ensure the success of the event. This report will include some suggestions on how the event could further improve on areas that are deemed as ineffective. Also, I will talk about the tourism roles of Singapore Biennale and how it contributes to Singapore's tourism economy. Before visiting the event, I had done some research online to gain more knowledge and understand more about the background and history of Singapore Biennale 2008.

Background of Singapore Biennale

Singapore Biennale is an international modern visual arts exhibition, which starts from 11 September to 16 November 2008. This is the second time Singapore is holding its largest biennale of modern arts after the inaugural one held on year 2006. The art exhibition held in 2006 attracted about 883,000 visitors and this helped Singapore to be better known for our arts culture. Biennale draws attention from all over the world and this provides great opportunities for the local artists, art businesses and also people who have a passion for art to get to know each other in the world of modern art. Also, it helps in collaborations for the international art community.

This year, there will be 66 artists together with their renowned art pieces from 35 different countries all over the world. The Biennale will be located at 9 different key venues of Singapore and are all within walking distances. The venues of the Biennale are namely Raffles City Shopping Centre, South Beach Development, Suntec City, City Hall, Singapore Flyer, Central Promontory Site, Clifford Pier, Esplanade Drive and Esplanade Bridge.

The theme for the arts exhibition 2008 is "Wonder". As defined in the dictionary, "wonder" means to have a feeling of surprise and admiration by something appealing, unexpected or extraordinary. Also, it means to have the desire to discover and feel doubt. Through the theme "wonder", people can immerse themselves in the world of contemporary art and be fascinated and discover the hidden meaning behind every art pieces.

2. Evaluation of the Effective Use of Marketing Mix

Marketing mix is adopted by every event to ensure the event proceeds smoothly and successfully. Marketing events is the process of using the different components of marketing mix to achieve organizational aims through creating value for customers. Another definition of marketing mix will be the controllable factors that an organization combines together to satisfy a market group. This means that the organizers can change the factors to attain the event's marketing objectives.

There are five marketing mix used by the Singapore Biennale 2008. They are namely product, price, promotion, place and lastly, an additional mix which is partnership.

Product

Product comprises of all the different aspects that make up the event. This includes the design characteristics, standard of service, branding, customer participation in the event and staff interaction with customers.

One example will be the physical evidence such as the layout, furnishing of venue and the sound quality of the exhibits. I visited the Biennale held at the historic City Hall which is the old Supreme Court. The exhibits were displayed at level one to level four, and from chambers to chambers. The environment and ambience of the old Supreme Court allows the guests to further immerse themselves into the multitude of art works. Also, some exhibits were short videos filmed by the renowned artists and they were shown in very dark rooms to project a better quality for the audience. The sound quality of the videos was extremely good and it was as though we are watching a movie in the cinema.

Another example will be the service standard of the staff in Singapore Biennale. During the visit to the art exhibition, the number of service staff was sufficient to serve the guests. They were all allocated to different rooms and also at the registration counter where guests can purchase their admission tickets. The job scope of the staff was to assist in guests and answer their inquiries. The staff reminded the guests to be careful with the exhibits and also not to use flash photography or video-taking at all times.

I feel that the Biennale has used this marketing mix well to contribute to the progress of the event. However, the event could improve better on their service component as I was not really satisfied with the quality of service provided by the staff working there. An incident which I came across during my visit was the rudeness of some service staff. There was this service staff that was alone in a particular exhibit room and she was actually chatting away on her mobile phone as she was seated at a corner in the room. When I was standing next to an art piece wanting to take a photograph, she immediately paused her conversation and shouted across the room to remind me not to touch the exhibit. I felt that this was impolite and as a service staff, she should not be chatting on her phone during working hours and also, she should approach me and talk to me nicely instead. Another incident occurred when there was 2 service staff allocated together in a room to assist the guests. However, they were chatting with each other, neglecting the guests’ needs. When they noticed that I had lost my way, they did not take the initiative to guide me but instead I had to approach them, stopped their conversation and asked for help. I felt that the quality of service should be improved as this is a global event where there are tourists visiting and they should leave a good impression, not only for themselves but also for Singapore.

There is another point which I feel that the organizer could have done better is the signages in the exhibition. As mentioned earlier in the report, some of the art works are videos filmed by the artists and are projected in a very dark room whereby we could not even see each other. However, there are no signages displayed to remind the guests to watch their steps when going into the dark room. Any guest who is not careful may just trip over the steps and fall.

Price

Price is the value that guests place on the event experience and are willing to pay. The price of an event is variable depending on the type of guest such as pensioner concessions or the time of purchasing the ticket. An example of promotional price will be the concessional prices for students. As a tertiary student, I only need to pay 50 percent of the original price which is 5 Singapore dollars. This price is affordable and I think that it is quite worthy for a visit to an arts exhibition. Also, they have other promotional prices such as for "passion" card holders, children above 3 years old or senior citizens above 60 years old.

Secondly, there is also a ticket promotion which helps to increase the revenue of the Singapore Flyer. Guests who purchase the Singapore Biennale admission ticket can visit Singapore’s latest tourist attraction; The Flyer, at a lower cost. Guests will only need to present their admission ticket and they can enjoy the special offers. This is quite an ideal way to attract more people to visit the Singapore Flyer while going to the Arts Exhibition. And especially for the tourists who come all the way from other countries to visit the Biennale, they will not mind topping up a few more dollars to go for a thirty minute ride on the Flyer and enjoy the attractive scenery of Singapore.

The use of this marketing mix is very effective as the discounted prices during low demand and concessional prices can attract more audience to the Biennale as they may be more willing to pay a lower price to visit an art exhibition.

Place

In event marketing, this marketing mix “place” has two different definitions. It can signify the geographical location of the event taking place and the second meaning is the location of distribution of the admission tickets. For example, guests can purchase their tickets at the gate or can purchase it in advance on the internet, etc.

As mentioned earlier on in the report, the exhibitions are held at 9 different places which are namely Raffles City Shopping Centre, South Beach Development, Suntec City, City Hall, Singapore Flyer, Central Promontory Site, Clifford Pier, Esplanade Drive and Esplanade Bridge. The exhibits are displayed in both indoor and outdoor areas. All the venues are of walking distances and there are some popular tourist attractions nearby such as the Merlion, War Memorial Park, Fort Canning Park and the Esplanade Mall. Tourists visiting Singapore Biennale can also do some sight-seeing and shopping while going from one exhibition venue to another.

For the second definition, the tickets to the Biennale can only be purchased at any ticketing booths situated at the 2 main venues which are City Hall and South Beach Development. There are no other methods of distribution and guests cannot purchase the tickets in advance on the internet or via their mobile phones.

I feel that this marketing mix has contributed well to the progress of the Biennale primarily the different key venues of the exhibitions. It is a fantastic idea to hold the exhibitions in the town area as it is easily accessible. Also, the venues give tourists a great opportunity to explore some of the attractions in Singapore while going for the Biennale. This saves time for the tourists. Singapore Flyer is the country’s latest attraction and by using the Flyer as one of the venue, tourists can gain awareness of our new attraction and they may be interested to take some time off and enjoy the magnificent view of the beautiful city. When night falls, the city area is exceptionally fascinating with the street lights and exterior decorations of the commercial buildings. Tourists visiting the Biennale can have the chance to enjoy the night scenery of the city too.

However, as for the distribution of the admission tickets, I personally felt that they should allow guests to purchase the Biennale tickets in advance at some ticketing agency or on their official website in the internet. This way, guests can need not purchase their tickets only when they arrive at the main venues. They will need to queue up at the ticketing booth if they happen to encounter a large crowd and this takes up quite a bit of time.

Promotion

Promotion encompasses all the different marketing communication methods such as advertising in the newspapers, flyers and brochures and sales promotion. Promotion is considered as the most tangible aspect among the four “Ps” in the marketing mix.

Sponsors and partners of the Singapore Biennale play a part in marketing and promoting the event. Some examples are the Media Partners such as “Universes in Universe” and “Contemporary Visual Arts + Culture broadsheet”, Official Travel Agent such as “Trade winds Tours & Travels” and Preferred Arts Magazine such as “C Arts”.

Another way that works as a promotional mix is by having some exhibits displayed outdoor. Passer-bys, who do not know about the art exhibition, will feel curious and will take a look at the art pieces. One such example will be the artworks displayed outside Raffles City Shopping Centre. People who only have the intention of shopping will certainly take notice of the huge artwork displayed on the exterior of the shopping building. They will then know about the Biennale that is taking place now and they maybe interested to visit other exhibition venues.

Communication and Media plays a major role in promoting festivals and events too. However, there are not many promotions done for Singapore Biennale 2008. There are not many advertisements and commercials shown in the television, broadcasted in radio channels, published in newspapers or even travel magazines. Also, not many outdoor promotions, such as having advertisements on the bulletin boards at bus stops and train stations, can be seen too.

I feel that out of all the different components of the marketing mix, Promotion is the most essential one as without this marketing mix, guests will not be aware of such huge event taking place in Singapore and tourists will not come from all over the world to participate in the Singapore Biennale 2008. However, I personally think that the organizer for this event did not really do a good job in promoting as I did not really take notice of any advertisements on the streets or any broadcast in the radio channels. I only knew about the Biennale because of the power of word-of-mouth from my course-mates who are doing this assignment too. I asked around my relatives and friends but nobody actually heard of this mega event that is taking place in Singapore. This proves that the promotional mix is not effectively adopted for the event.

Partnerships

Partnerships are stakeholders who work hand in hand with the main organizers in producing the event and ensure the success of the event at the end of the day.

There are many sponsors and partners which are involved in the Singapore Biennale. As researched, there are venue partners such as Raffles City Shopping Centre which provide the location for the exhibition, Official Exhibition partner such as PICO, Media Partners such as Universes in Universe, Official Freight Partner such as Helutrans art move, Education and Outreach partners such as National Library Board, Republic Polytechnic, LASALLE, The Arts House and many more.

Without the help from all these partners, the event may not be produced and hence, I feel that these partners are very important and contribute a lot in the organization of the event.

3. Tourism Roles and Economic Value of the Event

This is the second time Singapore is holding the Biennale after the inaugural one held on year 2006. It was deemed as a great success as there were 95 artists and art collectives showing 195 artworks at different venues. The Biennale at year 2006 attracted more than 883,000 visitors to participate in the event and they comprises of the locals and tourists from all over the world. Hence, this year’s Biennale will be expected to draw attention from visitors of different countries in the world.

Tourism Roles of Events

Biennale is an international arts exhibition. The tourism role of event will be a tourist attraction as the Biennale attracts tourists who have a passion for Arts and want to understand more about the Arts culture. The tourists come to Singapore as a form of cultural tourism. Biennale allows the tourists to gain more knowledge and understanding about Art. These tourists also boost Singapore’s economy as there will be an increase in the tourism spending and the tourists will extend their number of days staying in Singapore because of the Biennale.

As for the art practitioners, it is a form of cultural exchange. Biennale provides them with an opportunity to get together and interact with each other with the common interest of Art. It serves as a platform for artists of different countries to conduct arts businesses and also facilitate exchange for the global arts community. Biennale allows the people to have social interactions not just for arts, but also an exchange of the different lifestyles and culture.

Another tourism role of event will be a catalyst. The Biennale stimulates the art businesses in Singapore as it attracts tourists from all over the world and serves as a platform for them to conduct arts businesses and also facilitate exchange for the global arts community. Also, due to the key venues that the Biennale is holding, this event supports the other tourist attractions in Singapore such as the Singapore Flyer, the Esplanade and more.

Economic Values to Singapore

The Biennale has a positive economic impact on Singapore. Singapore’s economy will be better as there will certainly be an increase in the rate of tourists’ arrival from all over the world to Singapore to visit the exhibition and also increases the tourism spending and expenditure during their stay in Singapore.

Just like the Formula One race that took place in September 2008, tourists from other countries got to know more about Singapore because of all these large scale events which involve many foreign countries. With an increase in awareness of Singapore, more tourists may choose to come to Singapore for their vacations and this will bring in more revenue for our country in the near future.

Lastly, as mentioned earlier in the report, Singapore Biennale creates business opportunities and attracts foreign talents and potential investors which will have a positive impact on Singapore’s economy.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion, I think that the organizers for the Singapore Biennale 2008 have effectively adopted the components of the marketing mix to ensure the success of the event. Firstly, I felt that it is a very good idea to hold the Biennale in 9 different key venues in the City area of Singapore instead of just displaying the exhibits in a big and spacious exhibition hall. The different venues are well selected to best display the artworks of the renowned artists and engage the visitors in a very meaningful way. Tourists get to walk around from venue to venue instead of getting stuck in an exhibition hall the whole day.

As for the Price, I feel that it is affordable and reasonable for a visit to an international arts exhibition. With the promotional prices and all, it is even more attractive to the tourists and locals to visit the exhibitions.

However, there are sure to be some areas in which the event can be further improved. For the standard of service, I will like to suggest perhaps the organizer can conduct some service workshops to train the staff and ensure that they are at their best performances at all times. As for the signages in the exhibition, the organizers can put up some reminders clearly to remind the guests to be careful at all times.

As for the promotional mix, the organizers could have done their promotion better by making it more known to the public. Some of the ways to improve can be by having more advertisements using the media channel and also publicizing it at public places like bus stops and train stations. This way, more people will be aware and the promotional mix can further contribute to the success of the event.

Overall, Singapore Biennale has brought in positive economic impact to the country and because of the effective use of the five “Ps” of marketing mix, Singapore Biennale 2008 is another success achieved.