Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Evaluation of the Effective Use of Marketing Mix

Product

The product of any event is the most important. Every single event has a product to sell whether it is tangible (e.g. goods) or intangible (e.g. services, knowledge). Thus, it is important to note what the needs and wants of the potential customer and also, what they would pay for.


For this Biennale event, the product is the art exhibits and also, the artistic experience. The visitors who attended the event are seeking to admire the exhibitions and to appreciate art. As the visitors have been intrigued by the various promotion efforts of the organising committee of the Biennale, they have then made a decision to purchase the product. In this scenario, the product has been successful as people were willing to pay the price in order to enjoy the product.

In my opinion, I feel that the product is worth the money paid. Not only did I get to admire many pieces of art exhibits, I gained knowledge and insight about art. Throughout the duration of my visit to the City Hall, I was not only mesmerised by the display of art but also, am impressed by the infrastructure of the City Hall which had a rich history behind it.

Place
The physical place and how it is created through the design and programming plays a critical role in the success of an event.

Place does not merely refer to the physical location of the event only. It also takes into consideration the setting, atmosphere and destination features. The various major locations of the Biennale are at the City Hall, Marina Bay, South Beach Development and Raffles City Shopping Centre.

In my opinion, this component has fared well. The Central Promontory Site which I visited provided a great atmosphere. It was a structure built specially for the Biennale event and large containers which were usually used for shipping were used for the site. As the structure itself is a piece of art, this helps build up the artistic setting in which the exhibits are displayed. Also, visitors are able to experience an exhibition that is unlike the usual which is set in a gallery or a convention centre.

The other site which I visited was the City Hall. This location is vastly different from the Central Promontory Site. This is a place which contains the rich historical background of Singapore. The infrastructure of the City Hall is itself a work of art. Hence, as I walked through the building, I am not only greatly amazed by the various works of art but am also impressed with the grand architecture of the entire place.


Partnerships

In an event, the most common partners will be the governmental agencies. In the case of the Biennale, the governmental agencies who are rendered their support are the Land Transport Authority, Preservation of Monuments Board and the Singapore Land Authority. However, there were also non-governmental agencies which the Biennale collaborated. These were the multinational companies who whether directly or indirectly supported this event. What was unique about the various partnerships was that there were even educational institutions who were involved. These institutions were reeled in to support the cause of education throughout the event.

When packages are jointly marketed, event managers might have to modify their price and even their products to make the packages more attractive. For example, the Official Community Partner of the Biennale is the Passion Card. As such, the promotions package includes various discounts for the purchase of ticket when the Passion Card is presented.

In addition, the various venue partners are Raffles City Shopping Centre and the Singapore Flyer. As a result of these partnerships, the Biennale exhibitions are able to be displayed at these various locations. Especially at the Singapore Flyer, visitors who purchased a ticket are given various discounts at certain F&B outlets at the Flyer and are able to be on board the Flyer with a top-up of $21. On one hand, the Biennale pieces are able to be displayed at a unique location (on board the Flyer) and on the other hand, it will also encourage visitors to visit the Singapore Flyer attraction.


I feel that this event has done well with its partnerships with various companies. There was a good mix of partners ranging from governmental agencies like the Urban Redevelopment Authority to multinational companies like Bloomberg to educational institutions like Republic Polytechnic. Adding on, this event was able to garner the support of leading companies in the various fields of tourism. Overall, I felt that in terms of the sponsorship and partnership, the Biennale was able to have the help it needed.

Promotions

Promotion refers to the full range of the communication mix which includes advertising, public relations, sales promotions and creating an event/destination image.



There are basically 4 different sales promotions available for the Biennale,
namely the one for one ticket promotion, promotions at Singapore Flyer, Passion Card promotion and McCafe discounts. For this component, I shall elaborate on the one for one ticket promotion.

This promotion requires the visitor to visit the Biennale at the Containart Pavilion location with a family member (refers to child above 3 years of age or students with valid student pass or a parent) and the family member gets to enter the exhibitions free.

The main purpose of sales promotions is to persuade the potential customers/visitors to take actions. In the case of this one for one promotion, it requires a person to purchase an adult ticket first before they are able to enjoy the benefits. Thus, it acts as a trigger for potential customers to purchase their tickets. On the other hand, the visitors are required to visit the Containart Pavilion in order to register for their complimentary tickets. This will help them to attract more visitors to the exhibition at this particular location.

However, I feel that this component could be improved in terms of its advertising and public relations. Not much of advertising has been seen on television or the newspapers and this may probably be the main reason why many locals do not know about the event or have basic knowledge about the background about it. Hence, it was relatively unsuccessful in creating a strong event image in the minds of locals.

Packaging

Packaging of an event usually involves the combination of events with attractions and services. However, packaging also involves distributions. This includes the distribution methods, networks and intermediaries of various types. Hence, there must be good relationships cultivated between the packaging partners and intermediaries.

Relating it back to the case of Biennale, one of the packaging is the collaboration between Singapore Biennale 2008 and the Singapore Flyer. With the purchase of a Biennale entrance ticket, visitors are able to visit the Singapore Flyer at a cheaper rate. The advantages of this packaging is to promote the Singapore Flyer attraction to overseas visitors and locals who have not had a chance to go up on the Singapore Flyer and also, to provide a unique experience for the Biennale visitors.


I feel that this is a brilliant way of packaging. Not only will the visitors know more about the Flyer and enjoy a ride up on it, they will be able to appreciate the art works in a different environment. Also, when visitors visit places with rich historical background such as the City Hall and South Beach Development, they will be able to understand more about Singapore and our history. This is greatly beneficial to both parties of the collaboration.

Programming

The programming of an event gives it its framework and outline. Also, it is the main crux of any event organised. For the Biennale, there were many programmes available namely exhibitions, Kids’ Biennale, Vernissage, educational programme, and parallel events which involve collaborations with art institutions and encounters with various artists.



The Biennale has a wide array of programme available for people of different age groups and different background. As this is an event that seeks to inspire, delight and engage their audience, they fulfilled what they set out to do and involved the entire community with the great variety of programme. From the children to the adults, all are able to enjoy and appreciate art at a different level. I feel that they have done well with the programming as they have made the event such a versatile one that is able to cater to different audiences from young to old.





People

The people involved in an event are mainly the “cast” and the audience; either that or they could have a relationship of a host and a guest. The interactions between the customer, the setting and staff/volunteers constitute a large part of the event experience. The hospitality received by the visitor directly shapes their experience.


The “cast” involved in the Biennale are the guides who were stationed at the various at the locations who assisted any visitors who were unsure or need help. The hosts could include more than just the guides but also, the organising committee of the entire Biennale event. On the other hand, the audience or guests are the visitors to the Biennale or anyone who received assistance from the helpers of the event.

I feel that this component could have been improved. When I went to the Contain art Pavillon, there were not much interactions going on between the guides and us, as the visitors. Though they were polite towards us, they did not take the initiative to render their help when we seemed lost. However, this may be so because much of the art exhibits have a short description beside it and were very much self-explanatory.

Price

Every event comes with a price tag even including those that are free (e.g. time, travel cost, lost opportunities). Event organisers usually have to set one or more prices for their products such as admission to the event, merchandise, vendor rentals and sponsorship fees.


In this scenario of the Singapore Biennale, an admission fee is required at two locations namely City Hall and South Beach Development. The single entry pass costs $10 but there are several concessions which allow various groups of people to enjoy a 50% discount off the admission fee. They are the full time students with valid student pass, senior citizens aged 60 and above and the children above 3 years old. For me, as a student, I feel that the admission fee is extremely value for money. Not only was I able to be exposed to contemporary art pieces, I was able to be immersed in the artistic experience and environment.


This admission fee allows entry into the 2 locations and it comes with a copy of the exhibition’s Short Guide. This price that visitors pay includes tangible and intangible aspects. The tangible aspects include the copy of the Short Guide and the various art pieces while the intangible aspects include the experience you gain while at the exhibition sites.

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