Appendix

Information on the Singapore Biennale 2008 stated on this blog was taken from the official website of the Singapore Biennale 2008, the short guide and information brochure obtained through an on site field research. References from other websites are hyperlinked at the bottom of each post.

Tourism and economic values of the Singapore Biennale 2008

The Singapore Biennale 2008 is spurred on by the success of its predecessor, the Singapore Biennale 2006 which attracted more than 883000 people and generated more than 1000 press articles putting Singapore on the international art scene quickly through the publicity. The successor of the event is also bound to bring back people who were impressed by the first Singapore Biennale.

According to Getz (2005), economic and tourism roles of events can be explained with 5 factors; place marketing, tourist attraction, image maker, catalyst and animator.

Place Marketing is about creating a positive image of the destination, improving quality of life and attracting investors and residents. Although SB2008 is irrelevant in the case of the last 2 points because it is not that major of an event to make such a difference, it however, does create a positive image of Singapore as an international platform for the arts. This can be seen through the SB2006 which was very successful and received widespread publicity through its success and instantly placed Singapore on the international arts stage.

A Tourist Attraction event attracts tourists, spread demand and increases visitor spending and length of stay. The Singapore Biennale 2008 strives to attract art regulars from all around the world by showcasing visual art mainly from Asia and collaborates with similar exhibitions to form the Art Compass 2008 which is targeted at art regulars which wish to travel around Asia Pacific to view the exhibitions involved. Tourists who come to Singapore for the SB2008 will not only visit the exhibition but will also utilise facilities such as accommodation, food and beverage, transport etc. and this translates into tourism revenue for Singapore.

Image maker constitutes the event forming an image of the attraction, resort or destination. In this case, SB2008 tries to portray the City Hall as an artsy place, building on its rich colonial history. Furthermore, as part of the transformation of Singapore’s civic district into a bustling arts and cultural hub, City Hall will be converted into a world class national art gallery by 2013. It fortifies the image of City Hall into a place for Arts which is intended for it as it will be converted into a world class national art gallery.

The event should also act as a Catalyst. In this case, the SB2008 acts as an opportunity for artists to showcase their artworks and this, in some way or another stimulates business. It also supports other attractions by the partnership with the Singapore Flyer which was open in March this year. In order to benefit tourism and the economy in the country, the event must not only earn profits and achieve its objectives but also should generate activity for other attractions.

An Animator encourages first and repeat visits at facilities, resorts and attractions. As mentioned earlier, SB2008 partnered with Singapore Flyer to come up with a package which allows visitors to purchase Singapore Flyer tickets at a lower price. The lower price motivates people to ride on the Singapore Flyer and their first visits may spell subsequent visits in the future.


http://www.singaporebiennale.org/venues-cityhall.html

Conclusion

I think the event has been largely successful in its use of the marketing mix. For product, it has filtered out information in order to suit different markets in order to cater to their needs. It has chosen a great place with not only historical value which makes it 'artsy' enough to hold an exhibition like the Biennale, but also possesses a simple, convenient layout which is user friendly for the visitors. In terms of programming, I believe more could have been done to increase the interactivity of the exhibits instead of simply viewing them. Nevertheless, it has also has it good points which includes involving youths through the Biennale Race 2008. People wise, although effort has been put in to ensure that the volunteers are ready for the event, many of them are rather indifferent to the needs of guests. Of of the partners which the Singapore Biennale 2008 has partnered, personally I believe the Art Compass 2008 was the best strategy undertaken. It is a collaboration among Biennales around Asia-pacific, art lovers can even book tours with Tradewinds so that they may visit all the Biennales in succession. Communications (promotion) was one aspect which I feel was not developed enough. Perhaps it had been undermined due to budget constraints but I feel that locals were not informed enough about the Singapore Biennale 2008. For Packing and Distribution, packing was not much seen except for package of the Singapore flyer ticket and Biennale ticket. As for distribution, it was very limited as the only place where you could get the tickets was from the booths at the exhibition sites itself. Lastly, they priced their tickets rather moderately to allow people from all income groups to come. Also another plus point is using concession prices for students and the elderly encouraging them to visit the Biennale.

Overall, the Singapore Biennale 2008 has been successful to a large extent that it provides valued experience for its visitors by charging only a small price for access to a large number of exhibits. According to a recent article by Channel News Asia on the 19th November 2008, the Singapore Biennale 2008 has successfully exceeded its visitor target of half a million.



Article from Channel News Asia (last accessed 23 November 2008): http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=biennale&id=390857

2.8 Price

A ticket to the Singapore Biennale costs 10 dollars. Besides being grant entry into the exhibition area, the ticket holder is also given a short guide booklet which would normally cost 6 dollars if bought separately. The 10 dollars includes entry into the 2 main indoor venues at City Hall and South Beach development. By setting at such a low price, the organisers of the event are probably aiming to attract people from all income groups so that price would not be a consideration if they do have an intention to visit the exhibition. After, ticket price is not the only price to pay, visitors also forgo their personal time, travel costs, lost opportunities etc. It could said to a certain extent that the event is using price penetration strategy attract more people (gain market share?). Students and the elderly in general have less motivation to go to art exhibitions. According to the law of demand, lower price results in a higher demand. Thus, special concessionary prices at 50% are offered to these 2 groups to attract them to come.

2.7 Packing and Distribution

Packaging is bundling single products and services together and selling them at a lower price than if purchased singly so that they create a perception of value. This way, customers will buy the package in order to enjoy the added value it offers. An example in the Singapore Biennale 2008 is the Singapore Flyer-Singapore Biennale collaboration. One only has present the S$10 Biennale Pass at the Singapore Flyer and top up S$21 to receive an adult ticket to the Flyer. With 31 dollars, one can enjoy the Singapore Flyer as well as visit the Biennale. A Singapore Flyer ticket otherwise if purchased alone would normally cost S$29.50.

Distribution is the way of which the tickets are sold to consumers. Tickets to the Singapore Biennale 2008 can only be purchased at ticketing booths at the 2 indoor venues. The organisers are not maximising the number of distribution channels where the tickets can sold to the public by only selling them at the venue itself.

I feel that the number of distribution channels for the tickets should be increased. The channels should be especially extended to schools since one of the main objectives of the event is to introduce Singaporeans to the appreciation of appreciation of visual art. What better way to encourage sustainable development in this area than to educate our young Singaporeans. The tickets can also be distributed at high traffic areas in towns by setting up booths to 'push' them to 'city-dwellers'.

2.6 Communications (Promotion)

When talking about communications (promotion) in the marketing mix, another mix of variable will come to mind, which is communications mix which include communications tools such as advertising, public relations and sales promotions. There is also a commercial of the Singapore Biennale 2008, the video can be watched here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcp12rPBExw. The commercial seemed only have been played on the Video Billboard at Suntec City. The event's public relations efforts include the media press conference. The Singapore Biennale 2008 had used the sales promotions very well. It took advantage of partnerships to create value for customers like the McCafe promotion mentioned previously under Partnership of the marketing mix where one can get a 20% discount off the Biennale ticket with purchase of the 'wonder set' at McCafe.

This medium of marketing could have been improved, especially advertising and making the event known to Singaporeans. I was not aware of the event until I went online to specifically search for events to attend for this field trip report. In my view, Singapore Biennale 2008 is definitely an event worth going to. However, it is a pity there was a lack of publicity to make the event known. I recommend advertising through the radio and TV since they are the mediums which can reach the most audiences.

2.5 Partnerships

To achieve marketing objectives, sometimes individual effort is not enough. Therefore, events tend to approach other organisations with the same objectives to do joint marketing so that the effect is greater and benefits both organisations.

An obvious example in the Singapore Biennale 2008 is the partnership with Singapore Flyer for use for its venue to place exhibits. In turn, the Singapore Biennale helps to promote Singapore Flyer to its visitors which will talked about more under pricing of the marketing mix. Other similiar partnerships include the People's Association and McCafe promotion as seen below. In this case, McCafe 'borrows' the Singapore Biennale 2008 theme of 'wonder' to promote their 'wonder cake set' and 'wonder sandwich set'. The Singapore Biennale in turn gets publicity from those who frequent McCafe. They are also more motivated to visit the Singapore Biennale because of the additional discount they receive from patronising McCafe. Both organisations did a joint marketing so that they may benefit from the partnership which is promotion of the new set meal for McCafe and to increase arrivals for the Singapore Biennale 2008.




Another important partnership is the Art Compass 2008 which includes marketing along with other art exhibitions in Sydney in Australia, Gwangju and Shanghai in China and Yokohama in Japan. The official media partner of Art Compass 2008 being Art Asia Pacific Magazine. This not only promotes the SB2008 in Singapore but also around Asia Pacific. They also collaborated with Tradewinds making them the offical travel partner for SB2008. Tradewinds benefits from the partnership by selling tours to the public to the various Biennales happening in the period of time.