1)Select an event or festival from the recommended list below for your field trip.

I went for the Singapore Art Festival at the esplanade theatre. The event is called Flipside. Flipside consists of many street performance held at the esplanade in various venues of the esplanade. The one I went for is the event on the esplanade outdoor theatre. The event featured a few bands one of them is a local band named pinholes. Their music style are of rock with some acapella. However their clothing is of retro look.

2)Compare the selected festival with a similar festival that has been successful in another city in terms of its marketing strategy.

Another similar event that has been successful in marketing their event is the Matthew Street Music Festival in Liverpool. It has grown over the years and is the biggest free music festival in Europe.

2.1 Products

Both Singapore Flipside event and Matthew Street Music Festival key product are the music that the bands have play for the audience. One difference is that Matthew Street Music Festival is of a greater scale than the Singapore Flipside event as there are more than 95 bands and still growing at the Matthew Street Music Festival. However Singapore Flipside also has other performances which are not link to music. An example of other performance is the mime comedians from Japan.

2.2 Place

For the Matthew Street Music Festival the main stages are located at the Liverpool city centre. There are a total of 6 outdoor stages. As for the Singapore Flipside the stages are both outdoor and indoor. There are performance all over the esplanade including the esplanade indoor theatre, concourse and also the outdoor theatre also known as the theatre on the bay. Both the festival give a different ambience for the events due to the diff location and size of the event. The Matthew Street Music Festival is wilder with more performance going on and the amount of people at the event is astonishing.

2.3 Partnership

As both are big festival it require as lot of sponsors to help the whole event to go on smoothly. They will have their different host organization like Flipside which is part of Singapore Arts Festival will be under National Arts Councils while the Matthew Street Music Festival is under the Liverpool City Council. Matthew Street Music Festival is almost cancelled in 2007 by the government due to health problem cause by it however it is resumed after some time.

2.4 Promotion

Both the Singapore Flipside and Matthew Street Music Festival are annual event and have been around for quite some time. People who are interested in these events may be attending the event year after year. Due to that fact not much advertisement is needed. Advertisements are still shown on televisions, newspaper and websites to inform people on the dates of the event. Both the event attracts people from all over the world to see the performance. However we must keep in mind that every person will have their own taste and preference therefore each festival will attract different target audience.

2.5 Programming

The Matthew Street Music Festival and Singapore Flipside have some similarities and difference in term of the elements of the music. Both of them showcase music both local and foreign. For the Matthew Street Music Festival they include bands and artistes from USA, Brazil, Brazil, France, Italy and Argentina where else Singapore Flipside include band and artistes from Japan, Korean and Thailand. Another difference is that Matthew Street Music Festival is all about music mostly retro songs while Singapore Flipside includes other street performance and the music is more current. In my opinion I will be more interested to go to Singapore Flipside as there is more diversification of performance. However for those who are more interested in retro music will prefer to go to the Matthew Street Music Festival

2.6 Packaging and distribution

Both the Matthew Street Music Festival and Singapore Flipside have different type of packaging to attract visitors to the event. For the Matthew Street Music Festival performance will also be included in clubs, pubs and other various venues across the city other than the outdoor stages. For the Singapore Flipside they have package the event such that the timing of the different event are of close proximity and do not really overlapped with other performance. An example is that when I reach the esplanade there it is quite early and there is another Flipside performance going on in the concourse for all to enjoy. After watching that performance I still have some time to get something before going for the performance I wanted to go to. audience.

2.7 People

The performers at Singapore Flipside are very engaging as they try to get the people at the theatre moving and clapping their hands. They also have a short chat with the audience but due to time constrain it is kept to the minimum. One very interesting sight is that there is an uncle dancing in front of the stage. I find him amusing but at the same times applaud him as he is very fit for his age to be able to dance throughout the 3-4 min and doing it for 2-3 song. Even the mime comedians have their own way of engaging the audience and picking out their “volunteer”.

2.8 Price

Both the Singapore Flipside performance I went to and the Matthew Street Music Festival are free. For Matthew Street Music Festival there are performance in the pubs and clubs which in term will help to gain revenue as people watch the performance and enjoy the beverages there. Due to the fact that esplanade itself have a mall and also food outlets visitors will take the time to buy some stuff before going for the performance. However similarly they rent out their facilities to the performers who want to showcase their work to earn some revenue from the free festival performance. However some of the Singapore Flipside performance requires entrance fee.

3)Inform your reader about these best practices

The best practices by Singapore Flipside are that they cater to everyone as some of the shows are free. This allows people to enjoy the performance. The location of the performance is also a factor to compliment. It is along the Singapore River which gives a beautiful night view as people enjoy the performance. The river provide a natural backdrop for the performance. By placing the event there will also allow others who are unaware of the performance able to see it as esplanade and Singapore River are both famous tourist attraction. If they find it interesting they may visit again the next time. The wide variety of performances available for the public is all very amusing and entertaining. This will ensure repeat visitors for the event.

4)Identify the stakeholders in these festivals

The stakeholders are the spectators, host organization, host community, Co-workers, media and sponsors. Spectators are the one who is watching the performance. Host organization is the organization that is hosting the festival, host community is the country or city that is holding the event. Co- workers are the one working backstage. Media are the one that publicize the festival to the public. Sponsors are the one who are funding the festival for it to run. Below are the sponsors if the Singapore arts festival.

he stakeholders are the spectators, host organization, host community, Co-workers, media and sponsors. Spectators are the one who is watching the performance. Host organization is the organization that is hosting the festival, host community is the country or city that is holding the event. Co- workers are the one working backstage. Media are the one that publicize the festival to the public. Sponsors are the one who are funding the festival for it to run. Below are the sponsors if the Singapore arts festival.

5)Reflect on the main purpose of this event or festival

The main purpose of the Flipside event is aims to reach a much wider audience with street performances and whacky, offbeat carnival offerings. As a line on the logo said “presenting the lighter side of art” which leads me to thinking they are trying to showcase that art can be of many forms. Many people will think art as just drawings and other handicraft. It also wants to allow others to enjoy the arts relaxingly for people to appreciate arts more. Due to the fact that it is link up with the esplanade I think they are trying to show that arts is not only just for the rich to enjoy but for all who are interested in art. This is due to the fact that esplanade has been trying to let people know that esplanade is for all to come and not only the richer people.

6)Comment on the amount of tourism benefits received by the host city of the chosen event

Political benefits that will receive by the host city are that Singapore will gain more recognition from other countries. Singapore is a very small country and if they are able to successfully and sustainably continue this type of big festival yearly more countries will take Singapore into consideration for any event that they may want to hold in the future. It also helps to show that Singapore is capable of doing what other bigger countries are capable of doing or even better. With this Singapore will be more respected by other countries. If Singapore is able to Sustain Singapore art Festival as well as Matthew Street Music Festival it will be a great success for Singapore.

Economic benefits will also be present as it will definitely help to boost the economics of Singapore. Many factors will help to lead to the growth of Singapore economic either directly or indirectly. Either ways it will be beneficial to Singapore. The increases in economics come from the tourists who are visiting Singapore during the festival. When they come to see the festival they will usually stay more than one day in Singapore. Therefore they will be spending money on the hotel rooms they are staying. While staying in the restaurant they will be using the food and beverages outlet and other facilities. When they go for an event of the festival they will usually have to pay for the ticket and other things. The spillover effects go on and on which will generate lots of revenue for Singapore.

Social benefits will be that it can help to promote racial harmony and also let others learn about the different culture and heritage of foreign country. Singapore is a multi nation society and they will be interested to know what are the origins and story behind a certain festival or special days. Others may also be interested in the culture of other countries therefore with the help of this festival it will help to learn and understand about a new culture or way of life. Cultural exchange would also be done as the workers interact with some of the performers. Some performers may even learn something new from the foreign performers and the foreign performers will also learn something from the local performers. This will help to increase the diversification of culture in Singapore and really create Singapore into a multi cultural nation. If I have the chance I would like to know more about the different culture of the world too.

Technological benefits will be the new technology that may be brought here by the foreign performers. Due to the fact that different performers favor different equipment they may bring their own equipment that the locals may not have seen before. If they are able to learn how to use it they will gain some knowledge and help them in their future job. Once the management has contact with the new technology they may find it to be better than what they have and want to change their equipment and at the same time adding some upgrade to it which will increase the technology of Singapore.

Other benefits is that the management and staff can learn other things from the foreign performers as well such as learning how to cater better to the audience and spectators. Some countries are known to be very polite and friendly to everyone they meet like Japan and Korean. The staff could learn from them and make the spectators happier. The performers may even give some ideas on how to improve the festival so as to make the next festival bigger and more successful. The management will also get an experience on what it is like to handle such a festival and also be more familiar with it the more they manage the festival.

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