singapore arts festival 2009

Compare with other city in terms of marketing strategy

The marketing strategies employed by the organizer are product, partnership, programming, packaging and distribution, price, people, place and promotions. Regarding the price, the admission is free. There are advantages and disadvantages to it. The advantages are that there will be a lot of people turning up since they do not need to pay any money to watch the event and more people will be appreciating the arts which is what the NAC hopes to achieve. The disadvantages are that the place will be overcrowded and some of the people may not get the full view of the performance and those who were really there to appreciate the art will have wasted their trip.

Regarding the product, as entry fee is not required therefore the customers for this closing ceremony of the Singapore arts festival are just the audiences who came for the performances. Then, what they expect and want from the event will be the excitement gained from the fireworks, pyrotechnic and strobe lighting.

Regarding the partnership, the partnerships will be medisa such as television to advertise the event for that day and through radios.

Regarding the programming, the quality were up to what I expect from a UK experts.

Regarding the packaging and distribution, the intermediaries are the shopping malls near the field as most of the audience will publics who were already there shopping and they only knew it on that day itself.

Regarding the price, admission was free like I said previously.

Regarding the people, as there is no performers due to the reason that it was actually a fireworks performance with music and videos were shown on a screen which are being set up before hand. Thus it was the fireworks that attract the crowd to the field.

Regarding the place, the location of the event is at a field behind Yishun interchange. It is a very convenient place as people can get there by bus or mrt. The place is not only near residential area but also there is a shopping mall near the field too and therefore it will attract many people to go for the event. The setting for the event is perfect as the performance requires a big open area for firecrackers, pyrotechnics, strobe lighting and flame effects to take place hence a suitable place for the performance to take place. The atmosphere is cooling and fresh, may be because it was quite windy on that night and its fortunate that weather was just nice for publics to enjoy the performance. The destination is in an open field and it will definitely be a different experience to watch a performance there as compared to a theatre.

Regarding the promotions, the event is being advertised on websites, newspapers, Medias such as television and posters. All this advertising will definitely attract the attention of many people and get them to turn up for the event.

Inform readers about these practices

The event is a hallmark event and it is high in demand and high value. This event can be known through advertisements on media such as television or radio thus publics can easily follow up with the different performances for the arts festival if they are interested.

For what I had observed, the closing celebrations was brought into the heartlands of Singapore, in a suburb or in local terms a housing estate known as Yishun, in the northern part of Singapore. There with an open field, Crackers was shown to all those present tonight, with a great view of pyrotechnics, firecrackers and fireworks. Waiting patiently for the gates to open at 1945hrs, I was waiting eagerly for the show to begin.

Once the gates were opened and the people started strolling in and beginning to position themselves in between the inner circle and outer circles. A brief write up from the Singapore Arts Festival site and the Crackers? Official site -

“The world is full of risks to be avoided. The economy is collapsing, the climate is changing and fireworks are too loud. YET, life is to be lived, and revealing its beauty requires a risk and venturing into the unkown.

Crackers? is a celebration of the explosive and dangerous beauty of fire and fireworks and an exploration of our attitudes to Risk.

Not for the fainthearted, Crackers? Combines - fireworks, projection, performance and music. Performed ‘in the round’, with the audience surrounded by fire & smoke, spinning wheels and fireworks. A symphony of pyrotechnic sounds fills the air. It’s loud, disorientating and cacophonous, but there are moments of delicate and profound beauty…dancing flames, giant Catherine Wheels and the ‘human sparkler’…”

Source: Singapore Arts Festival & the World Famous (UK)

The performers were mixing around the crowds, giving out party poppers and ear plugs, hyping them up to the start of the event, getting them excited and handing out safety instructions demonstration. Once done, the performance began and the fun began!

Crackers are part of the celebration of the explosive and dangerous beauty of fire and fireworks and it is an exploration of our attitude to risk. Not for the faint hearted, crackers combined fireworks, projection, performance and music were shown that night. A symphony of pyrotechnic sound fills the air. It is loud, disorientating cacophonous, but there are moments of delicate and profound beauty. Dancing flames, giant Catherine wheels and the ‘Human Sparkler’ were out to present as part of the performance.

Identify the stakeholders

The stakeholders in the event are the audience, volunteers, sponsors, host community and event partners (host organization).

Reflect on e main purpose of event

Singapore arts festival is a special event coined to describe specific rituals, presentations, performances or celebrations that are created to The Singapore Arts Festival celebrated its 32^nd anniversary this year, an appropriate milestone for taking stock of the country’s premiere cultural event. Since 1999, the festival has sought to carve out a distinctive identity that is Asian and cutting edge, while providing a model for other arts festivals in the region. By programming international work and commissioning Singaporean work that is slick, glossy, and easily transferable across cultural and geographic boundaries, the festival may be pointing toward a future in which the work circulating at international festivals assumes a form and content that is to say global and accessible, but increasingly devoid of content and removed from any concrete or stable cultural, political, or social context. Thus it is an opportunity for leisure, social or cultural experience outside the normal range of choices or beyond everyday experience.

Comment on the amount of tourism benefits received by host city

Singapore arts festival acts as a tourist attraction. Besides attracting the locals, the event also attracted quality tourists. Tourists who were on holidays in Singapore may extend their length of stay as they are interested in arts and would like to attend the event. As a result, the visitor spending will increase and the tourist demand is spread. In addition, it creates business opportunities as the event can provide us, the host communities, with a strong platform for showcasing their expertise, hosting potential investors and promoting a new business opportunities.