Objectives:
1) Identify and list examples on how the various components of the event marketing mix had been adopted in the Singapore Biennale 2008-Wonder.
2) Evaluate how effective these components had been used to contribute towards the success of the Singapore Biennale 2008.
3) Suggest on how the Singapore Biennale 2008 can be improved if it was deemed as ineffective.
4) Consider the role of the Singapore Biennale 2008 to Singapore and its value to the tourism economy.
Methodology of research:
Field trip to Raffles City Shopping Centre and the City Hall to study the marketing mix present in the event.
Background of the Singapore Biennale 2008-Wonder:
The Singapore Biennale 2008-Wonder is the sequel to the immensely successful inaugural Singapore Biennale-Belief held in 2006. It is one of the largest international contemporary visual arts exhibition ever held in Singapore and the event is organised by the National Arts Council (NAC). This year’s event hosts up to 66 artists and art collectives from more than 35 countries and regions like Singapore, Korea, Australia, Amsterdam and many more. [2]
Proof of Visit:
My Singapore Biennale 2008 Ticket!
Marketing Mix
The marketing mix consists of the 8 Ps. Namely, product, place, programming, people, partnership, promotion, packaging and price. I will discuss each component of the marketing mix, give some examples as well as evaluate how well Singapore Biennale 2008 has used the marketing mix to its advantage.
Product
It includes all the essentials that create the event. I find that Singapore Biennale can already become a brand of its own. With such excellent reviews for 2006, they have already established a reputation of being one of the most outstanding arts exhibitions in Singapore. Thus, for the 2008 event, they would have art buffs that are eagerly waiting to visit the exhibition from the good experience they probably had 2 years ago.
The service component also plays a big part in a consumer’s satisfaction during the visit. There were at least 1 staff to every room and if you have any problems, they would gladly assist you in any ways possible. They are friendly and they also respect the artwork immensely as they are always reminding the visitors not to touch the artwork or to off their camera flashes.
Also, I am sure there are many art students who would volunteer their services and work for the Singapore Biennale just to be near their favourite artists’ art pieces; and the management has tapped into this area very well as most of the staff are students or young adults.
However, I find that most of them lack product knowledge as I’ve asked a few of them what are the artists trying to tell us through their artwork or just some basic information but all I got back was a blank stare. Personally, I think that the staff in charge of a particular artwork should take their own initiative to read up on the particular artist that he or she has not heard of before. This way when visitors ask basic questions, the will not look like fools but at least have some general knowledge about it.
Besides the artworks that Singapore Biennale 2008 is featuring, they are also selling collectibles to commemorate the Singapore Biennale 2008 Wonder experience and to also allow visitors to ‘bring a piece of the Biennale home’. I think this is very good as I feel that the Singapore Biennale are not really into profit making as they are charging very affordable admission fees. By selling their own products, not only does it generate additional income, it helps to advertise the event when the visitors carry the bag or wear the shirt around. Below are some examples.
The Short Guide which will come together with admission ticket and contain information each visitor should know about the Biennale.
Picture taken from: http://www.singaporebiennale.org/shop.html
The limited edition Tote Bag is available at S$6 each.
Picture taken from: http://www.singaporebiennale.org/shop.html
Club 21 also specially designed those t-shirts for the Singapore Biennale 2008. The blue and pink Luella T-shirts costs $35 and the limited edition Club 21 Shigeru Ban commemorative T-shirt costs $45.
Picture and price information taken from: http://www.singaporebiennale.org/blog/?p=730
Place
Place refers to the location and setting of an event. [1]
The whole Singapore Biennale 2008 exhibitions took place at 8 venues altogether! Namely the Raffles City Shopping Centre, City Hall, Esplanade Bridge, Clifford Pier, Central Promontory Site, South Beach Development, Suntec City and the Singapore Flyer.
Although only City Hall, South Beach Development and Singapore Flyer require an admission ticket and are large scale exhibitions containing a lot more art works, all the 8 venues are in the Central Business District and very close to each other. In fact, they are just within walking distances.
However, due to time constraints I only manage to visit the art works located at City Hall and Raffles City Shopping Centre.
City Hall was a very good location to hold an art exhibition like the Singapore Biennale 2008. It was where surrenders were made and laws passed. As tourists visit the art works at City Hall, they can also learn a little bit more about the cultural and history of colonial Singapore. The building has many rooms and the management does not need to build an extra building just to display the art works. They used the marketing mix to their advantage as they are able to cut down costs from constructing new buildings or investing a lot in building rooms to separate the art pieces. The ambience is wonderful! There were heavy curtains shielding the almost full length windows and it created a very grand feeling of being in a court room. You can’t help but wonder what went on in those rooms almost 70 years ago.
Raffles City Shopping Centre was also a good location as their building is right in the middle of a shopping heaven. It also has a lot of human traffic from day till night as CHIJMES is just opposite and many people go there for food and drinks till late. Also, there were large red and blue panels located in front of the art work and many people were curious and intrigued by it.
Red and blue panels located in front of the artwork at Raffles city shopping Centre.
Isaac Montoya-Fantasmas.
Isaac Montoya-Fantasmas through the blue panel
Isaac Montoya-Fantasmas through the red panel
Place also refers to the distribution of event products, or how they are sold to customers. [1]
At the entrance of the City Hall are booths by the side staircase which sell the admission tickets. I find that the purchasing process was planned poorly. There were no signages to indicate that visitors require an admission ticket before they are allowed to proceed on to the gallery. My friend and I were halfway up the stairs before a staff chased after us to tell us that we require an admission ticket.
I think that the management should put up proper signages and have staff direct visitors to the booths to purchase their ticket. I also think that they should place a staff at the entrance of the stairs to check that each visitor has a ticket. This way they can minimise the number of visitors who did not pay for an admission ticket and the staff are too busy to notice.
Besides booths selling admission tickets, there were also booths set up to sell and promote other products like the tote bag and limited edition t-shirts that I’ve mentioned earlier.
Programming
Various “elements of style” are employed to create unique, attractive programs and it is prominent in making the event a success. [1]
Besides the Biennale itself, the management has also come up with more programs to excite and engage the audience.
One such program is the Vernissage which will be held over the span of 2 days on the 9th & 10th September 2008. It is the preview of the Biennale with events catered for VIP's, invited guests, professionals and the general public. [3]
The Biennale Race which is targeted at youths is something similar to the Amazing Race on television. Youths between the age of 15-18 form teams of 4 and are required to travel between all the Biennale venues and complete tasks and challenges relating to the art works [5]. This is a very good program as it stimulates the creativity and artistic sense in youths. Not only does it educate youths on the artworks, it promotes team building and the determination to complete the race.
Another program is the Kids Biennale. It is the first kids biennale organised and it aims to attract new art audience and widen the arts perception. More than 36 schools and 8000 students are already partaking in this unique project to rethink what art education means. 3 Kids’ Day Out sessions are also created to engage children to take part in the art competition specially created for them. They can spend a whole day painting and engaging in art activities.
Also, on the last day of Kids’ Day Out, children are also asked to design and make windmills for charity. Visitors to the Biennale can take home a windmill simply by donating at least $5 to a children’s charity [4]. I think this is a very good program as the event engages everyone, from children to adults, together. Not only does it promote family bonding, this event is also for a good cause. Everyone is soft-hearted when it comes to children and I believe Singapore Biennale 2008 is able to raise enough money for charity.
Gilbert's not so nice windmill.
My very pretty windmill!
We made those 2 windmills in the Kids Biennale. I know we're very overaged, but its fun! They provided the papers, crayons, straw and even pasted instructions onto the walls on how to make windmills.
On the other hand, the Singapore Biennale 2008 closes at 8pm everyday. This would be inconvenient as visitors may end work at only 6pm and 2 hours to view all the exhibits may not be enough. The management might want to consider opening the exhibition slightly later to about 10pm to allow visitors view the artworks at their own pace.
People
People are an integral part of the marketing mix [1]. People involved would be the staff and the visitors.
As I have mentioned earlier, at least 1 staff are stationed at every artwork or room. However their product knowledge is not very good and this can be improved by having workshops to further educate them. Also, all the staff wears a same shirt, thus it is easier to spot them if we need any assistance.
However, in an article “Alices in wonderland” dated 12th November 2008 in The New Paper [9], Mr Cliff Neo a volunteer guide doesn’t just give answers to questions posted by primary school children. Instead, he offers them clues and even squats down to their eye level. This shows the dedication of the volunteer staff and it ignites the children’s senses and creativity by helping them discover it themselves instead of providing the answers.
The Singapore Biennale 2008 has even managed to attract 505,200 visitors, exceeding their original target of just 500,000 and that audience engagement was of top priority [7]. This was shown with Wit Pimkanchanapong, an artist from Thailand who has created an art piece, Singapore, which encourages interaction between the art piece and the visitors. Visitors are given small stickers to write and stick it onto an aerial or satellite view of Singapore. By participating in the artwork, it will be more memorable to the visitors.
Me with the rest of the visitors at the Singapore art piece.
Gilbert's tag.
My tag next to Esther's!
A picture from the top view on a balcony. Just look at the number of stickers on the floor!
There are also a curator’s tour by Matthew Ngui and Joselina Cruz and the Artistic Director’s tour by Fumio Nanjo. Tourists and locals alike would prefer to attend the tour by them and it might help them understand more about the artist’s thoughts and insights and also the guide’s artistic point of view. It will definitely attract visitors.
Partnership
There are about 49 sponsors and partners of the Singapore Biennale 2008[6]. Urban Redevelopment Authority and City Developments Limited are just some of the main sponsors. Getting other companies to be sponsors and partners are a win-situation for both as the Singapore Biennale gets money and the sponsors and partners are given “free advertisements”.
Sponsors like the Singapore Tourism Board also help to promote the Singapore Biennale 2008 to tourists. It will deem Singapore as a country of rich arts and history. Ikea sponsored materials for artwork like wooden cupboards and Jet Airways sponsored the entire Kids Biennale!
The drawings made by children at the Kids Biennale. Can you spot my childish and poor drawing of Spongebob Squarepants at the top?
Education institutes like Republic Polytechnic and LaSalle also took part in the Singapore Biennale 2008. This would be good exposure for the students to show the world their creativity talents and artistic insights. It would be an excellent learning place for the students as they are able to learn, be inspired and grow from other artists.
Promotion
The Singapore Biennale 2008 used various methods of promoting the exhibition in the form of media coverage, posters and it can be spread through word-of-mouth if the visitors had a very good time.
The newspapers also wrote articles on the Singapore Biennale 2008 as well. One such article was “The art of getting her to say 'I do'” dated November 3rd, Monday in the Straits Times [8]. It featured Chui Kiam Ming who proposed to his girlfriend, Florence Ling in the Windmill Room. Such articles arouse curiosity and locals who read the article would want to go to the Singapore Biennale 2008 and take a look at the Windmill Room.
A poster hanging outside City Hall.
As you can see there are many posters being put up!
There were many posters outside City Hall and they were huge! Opposite City Hall is the Padang and there are always sporting matches like rugby and hockey taking place. There is also a busy road and many motorists will pass by. The posters will then create awareness and let people know of its presence.
That's me eating ice-cream and watching an ongoing rugby match which is blocked by my big head. :(
However, I find that the tourists may not know that the venue for the exhibition is at the City Hall which is adjacent to the Supreme Court. They may think that the venue is at Raffles City Shopping Centre as it is at City Hall MRT station. There is a sign which is pasted on a notice board at the MRT station telling you which exit to take, but that is all. I would suggest they place more signages around and towards the City Hall so as not to cause confusion.
A signage at City Hall MRT station.
The signage close up.
There is also 30% discount for PAssion cardholders per adult ticket and 20% discount for MaCafé customers per adult ticket [10]. The Singapore Biennale 2008 is able to promote the event through those companies by giving them discounts which in turn will encourage people to attend. Those 2 companies are able to reach out to a lot of people as they are well established companies with a lot of customers. This is a win-win situation for both parties as customers who dine at MaCafé may visit the Singapore Biennale 2008 as they have the discounts or subscribe to PAssion card for the discounts at Biennale and the other benefits that the card brings.
To help promote the Singapore Biennale 2008 further, the management has created a blog where staff and the audience alike are able to blog and discuss their experience and views about the Biennale [12]. It is to stimulate thinking and creativity and engage the audience together for an exchange of ideas and views.
Packaging
A package is any combination of elements offered for sale at a single price. [1]
The adult ticket worth $10 includes an admission pass to City Hall and South Beach Development [11]. It also includes an Exhibition Short Guide and admission to the rest of the venues is free except for Singapore Flyer. Tours are also conducted for City Hall and South Development and the audio guide can also be provided free.
Those elements make the package very attractive as for just $10 one could view so many artworks and galleries as it maximises convenience for the visitors as they do not need to re-queue at every venue and lowers their cost as well.
Pricing
Senior citizens and students get 50% discount off their ticket as well [11]. This will encourage more senior citizens and students to visit the art exhibition. I find that this is a very good move as most senior citizens and students have more time on their hands and are able to visit the exhibitions as and when they like. Also, they do not have stable income and having a 50% discounts means they are able to afford the admission ticket and would encourage then to visit the exhibition. The exhibition also stimulates their thinking and creativity and it shows that one is never too old to visit such exhibitions.
There are also discounts for PAssion cardholders as well as MaCafé customers. As you can see, the Singapore Biennale is trying to reach out to as many people as possible. From the old to the young to those with PAssion cards and MaCafé customers and it is effective as they have reached their target number of visitors.
However, the only setback is that the Singapore Biennale only accepts cash. This would be problematic if a visitor were to purchase a large number of items, like the t-shirts for example. They could make arrangements to accept at least NETS or major credit cards in the future.
Tourism roles:
Place Marketing
Place marketing is to create positive image, improve quality of life and attract residents and investors to the event.
By staging the Singapore Biennale 2008, we are telling the world that Singapore is very open to the arts scene. Quality of life can be improved as both local and foreign visitors visit the exhibition and gain not only insight and creativity but also they are entertained by such exhibitions. After such a successful event in 2006, everyone was anticipating the bi-annual event held this year and see what Wonders could surprise them with. As it was such a huge success in 2006, the management managed to attract 49 sponsors and partners for this year’s event!
Tourist Attraction
Tourist attraction would be to attract quality tourists, spreads demand and increase visitor spending and length of stay.
Singapore Biennale 2008 is one of the largest international contemporary visual arts exhibition ever held in Singapore and it not only brings in artists from all over the globe, it also brings in tourists who are interested in the arts scene. The location places a part as well. By holding the exhibition at the City Hall and South Beach Development, it promotes the rich and diverse history of Singapore. Tourists are able to learn more about Singapore’s past as well as view the art pieces at the same time. The Singapore Biennale 2008 has attracted 505,200 visitors exceeding their target of half a million and it shows that there was a great demand for it. It would defiantly increase tourist spending as visiting the different venues means travelling around Singapore and also dining at places in the vicinity. Also, by visiting the Singapore Flyer, which needs another admission ticket to view the exhibitions; visitor spending, will increase as well.
Image Maker
Image maker create and enhances themes as well as combat negative imagery.
The Singapore Biennale 2008’s theme is Wonder and the artists made sure that their art pieces are related to the theme and it would make visitors wonder. Different pieces of art need different angles of analysis and interpretation. This enhances the theme. Also, some foreigners may think that Singapore is a boring city with nothing much that is rich in the arts scene, the Singapore Biennale 2008 will change their mind set. With over 66 artists from all over the world and the exhibitions set in Singapore’s iconic landmarks, it would create curiosity and would hopefully entice foreigners to visit Singapore and the Singapore Biennale as well.
Animator
This encourages first and repeat visits at facilities and attractions.
As the exhibitions are located at such iconic landmarks around Singapore as I’ve mentioned earlier, this would allow the visitors to visit Singapore and learn a little more about our culture and heritage as they browse through the exhibits. This would have created such a memorable experience and hopefully will entice them to come back to Singapore to visit with their family and friends again.
Economic Values:
Also, by staging such a large scale exhibition at several venues, it not only creates jobs, it also allows the local staff experience and learn more from such events. The Singapore Biennale 2008 was looking for interns and volunteers to work for them. They are able to gain deeper insight into highly acclaim artists' progression in crafting a piece of work.
By having artists from all over the world come to this part of the world to exhibit their artwork, we could see a chain reaction taking place. They will have to come over to Singapore, stay, dine and shop as well. This would increase tourist receipts as they would prefer to stay in hotels near or around the exhibition, dine where they would have their next conference or shop along Orchard Road as it is just near by. They might even extend their stay after they have set their artwork in place and have a tour around Singapore.
This is also a chance for local talents to break into international arts scene as media from around the world would take a look at it. It creates such opportunity for the world to see that Singapore is not a boring place and that we do have such lively and creative arts scene and talent.
Tourists and locals alike are also able to benefit as they are being exposed to such a creative contemporary arts scene. This will only cause more buzz and excitement to the future Biennale which will be staged in 2010.
Conclusion:
Overall, I think that the Singapore Biennale 2008 was such a great success! It was fun and interactive and it got me wondering about several art pieces. The staff were dedicated and friendly and it was really nice talking to them.
However I must add that their product knowledge is not good, so the management of the future Singapore Biennale 2010 will have to give vigorous training and educate the staff. I also feel that more signages should be put up showing exact directions to the venues.
The Kids Biennale was such a fantastic idea. It stimulates children’s creativity and it is also for a good cause. By having this event, it creates awareness about the whole Biennale as well as targets the different age groups.
The admission ticket is affordable and the iconic landmarks help promote Singapore as a place with such rich history.
The Singapore Biennale 2008 did a great job in incorporating the marketing mix and it was truly an enjoyable experience.
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