Welcome to my blog, here you can view what I feel about the Singapore Arts Festival. I went for the Singapore Arts Festival opening ceremony and the performance by RED at Vivo City.For the opening ceremony, I saw a giant mechanical mantis come out of some colored mist and there were clowns on high stakes following it. Then there was this female performer being hang in midair in a hula hoop with a string attach to the mantis' month. There were juggling, skipping ropes and fireworks. It was a wonderful night.
For the RED performance, it was a bit of thrill and amazement as the performers raise up in the air on ladders, then they will exchange position as the ladder fall and raise up again. And there were female performers too, i was shocked as it is quite dangerous as there were not much of safety equipments. Thus I admire all the performers. After their performance, the audience applauded and cheered with enthusiasm, i could see that the performers were smiling and grateful as they bow towards the audience. They really did a great job in entertaining the audience.
About Singapore Arts Festival
The Singapore Arts Festival is organised by the National Arts Council, showcasing 26 core productions and over 400 free outreach performances, exhibitions and special events that promise to enthral, engage and uplift the spirits of their visitors.
More than 1,200 artists from across the globe are participating in this year’s ‘Singapore Arts Festival’. To ensure that this spectacular event will be available to audiences from all walks of life, the venues for the festival activities are spread out from shopping malls, food centers along the Orchard Road, MRT to the new iconic landmarks of Singapore.
There are many categories of programs performed during the Singapore Arts Festival which include; dance, music, theatre and visual arts performance. Thus there are programs for everyone to view and enjoy. The festival is not just for art lovers but all to appreciate the various forms of arts, this is also an event that people should not miss.
I attended the opening ceremony of the Singapore Arts Festival at Marina Barrage and the RED performance at Vivo City; it was really a great experience and lots of fun. Although it may be a little over crowded, I was able to enjoy the show and have a great time.
Comparing Singapore Arts Festival with New Zealand International Arts Festival
About New Zealand International Arts Festival
The New Zealand International Arts Festival is a biennial multi-arts festival held in the nation's capital, Wellington. It is New Zealand's premier and largest cultural event and exists to celebrate the best arts entertainment from around the world and within New Zealand. The first Festival was in 1986 and we just finished the 2008 Festival which took place from 22 February to 16 March 2008. Each Festival offers a bold artistic programme of the highest quality featuring opera, theatre, dance, music, outdoor productions, and literary and visual arts. The program is made up of companies and artists drawn from New Zealand and round the world who have been specifically selected by the Festival's Artistic Director, Lissa Twomey.
Now, I will compare Singapore Arts Festival with New Zealand International Arts Festival, which both are the same festival but have similarities and differences in their marketing strategy. For a better understanding, I will compare them with the 8 ‘P’s’ in marketing events.
Product
Singapore Arts Festival provides a variety of art creations from popular classics to contemporary with over 400 high quality free performances, either hired local artists or overseas artists. Similarly, New Zealand International Arts Festival offers performances and events for their audiences. However Singapore Art Festival offers even more performances and artists compare to New Zealand International Arts Festival has to offer. I believe that New Zealand International Arts Festival offers a higher quality product compare to the performance in the Singapore Arts Festival as they are charging ticket fee for those performance.
Place
The programs in Singapore Arts Festival are host in various places such as at some newly open attractions such as the marina barrage and popular places such as vivo city, so that visitors could explore Singapore in depth and enjoy the performances. Programs in New Zealand International Arts Festival are mostly host in theatres, tents and stages, which I think the amount of visitors is limited compare to the programs in Singapore Art Festival which are host in open spaces. However the venues are decorated and set up by professional constructers. Chairs are also provided and the area is air-conditioned.
Partnership
Singapore Arts Festival has many sponsors and partners which provide them media coverage such as Channel 5 and okto, free drinks supply from coca cola light. There are also many other sponsors in making the festival a great success. The organiser also works with the local communities to organise their programs. Free guides and free shuttle bus service are provided to people by the sponsors and partners. However, New Zealand International Arts Festival has fewer sponsors compared to Singapore Arts Festival thus most of the performances require a ticket fee. There is also no free shuttle bus service as the website state that
Promotion
Singapore Arts Festival offered many promotions such as discounts were given to visitors who present their Art Fest Tickets and they can enjoy the promotion privileges. Advertising banners were set up at Orchard road before the festival even started and there were advertisements posted in newspaper and magazines too.
For New Zealand International Arts Festival, they have a lucky draw system to win Tickets and other prizes. There are also four themed packages for those who are unsure of which events to pick.
Both festivals have done a good job in their websites where they showcase their famous and popular artists and performance to attract visitors into their promotion packages.
Packaging & Distribution
Again, many packages are offered in Singapore Arts Festival, packages discount for early birds, group bookings and school bookings via internet, telephone, SISTIC authorized agents (Singapore and Overseas) and at the door (at the performance venue).
New Zealand International Arts Festival also offers the booking of packages by telephone and at their local Ticketek outlets. However some packages are not available for purchase through the website.
Programming
Singapore Arts Festival and New Zealand International Arts Festival both offer programs related to theatre, dance, music and visual arts, however I feel that New Zealand is more focus on the music category after looking through their websites. While Singapore has a well balance focus on all the different categories of programs. The programs that New Zealand International Arts Festival offers are more interesting and demanding (award-winning plays) compare to Singapore Arts Festival. Also the programs in Singapore Arts Festival are only been repeated for about three times while the programs in New Zealand International Arts Festival are repeated more than a three times. Thus audiences will find it more convenient and have plenty of time to view the performance.
People
During the opening ceremony of the Singapore Arts Festival, there were a crowd of visitors that attend the ceremony; free shuttle bus services and drinks were provided by the sponsors. I have a great experience and have a lot of excitement at Marina barrage.
From the website I visited, people who attended the shows in New Zealand International Arts Festival look happy and were enjoying themselves.
At the end of the performance, the audiences applauded and cheered for the artists after the performance, indicating they really enjoyed the experience and performance. This applied for both festivals.
Price
Most of the performances are performed free for the audience, and the costs of some tickets are only around $20 for Singapore Arts Festival, which I feel is affordable and worth it.
From what I have found from the New Zealand International Arts Festival Website, people have to purchase tickets for almost all the indoor performance and the pricing can ranges from as low as $5 to as high as $85; the travel cost is about $4 to the venue.
I feel that Singapore Arts Festival had done a better job in its marketing strategies as they were able to attract more visitors and having many good comments about the overall festival. However the festival can be further improved by better management of the venue, so no one is blocking anyone’s view and have more safety precautions to ensure the safety of the visitors, especially the children.
Finally, for festival such as the Singapore Arts Festival to be really successful, we will need to understand that the marketing strategies are essential and shall not be ignored. To achieve the organisational goals of the festival or event, planning and marketing is very important as they create value for the visitors and stakeholders.
Stakeholders
The host organisation is the National Arts Council Singapore.
The host community will be the local residents and communities.
Participants and Spectators are the hired artists and audience.
Co-workers are volunteers who help out in the festival and also the constructors and engineers who set up and decorate the equipments and stage required for the performance.
Media will be the official TV station Channel 5 and okto. Magazines and Newspapers Company are also involved to help in the promotion and make reviews.
The sponsors for the Singapore Arts Festival are separated into many categories: official partners, premier partners, major sponsors, sponsors and supporters and venue partners. They all help out in lowering the cost of organising the festival, either by providing free services and funding.
Main purpose of Singapore Arts Festival
The Festival is characterised by a bold, progressive and innovative spirit, committed to commissioning new works by Singapore, Asian and international artists; investing in works that bridge disciplines, cultures, language and geographical boundaries; exploring, among others, contemporary issues related to history, memory, migration, and urban living; discovering emergent and promising artists; and encouraging regional and international artistic exchanges and collaborations. The Festival also features an extensive programme of free outdoor performances island-wide, bringing the arts to the doorsteps of Singaporeans.
To me, the festival has provided joy and excitement to the visitors; it is really an unforgettable experience and reminds us that Singapore is great in its arts and culture. It also provides opportunities for the locals and foreigner to get a taste of modern arts and traditional arts. We also welcome overseas artists to come and share with us their culture and arts.
Tourism benefits received by Singapore of the Arts Festival
Using the PEST analysis, we can understand clearly what are the tourism benefits received by Singapore.
Through political impacts, the Singapore Arts Festival attracted more visitors to Singapore during the festival, it also indicate that Singapore is well known across the globe, achieve global recognition and international prestige as a great tourist destination.
Economic impacts are important for the tourism industry. By hosting the event, tourist arrivals will increase; the demand for travel packages to Singapore will also increase, thus increasing the tourism revenue. It also creates more jobs and employment for the country and increasing the country’s GDP. The festival will be lasting for a month; visitors will like to extend their length of stay to fully experience the festival and visit attractions in Singapore. Thus the festival brings in not just fame but also economic benefits as well.
Social & Cultural impacts is the most important for Singapore Arts Festival, as the National Arts Council want tourists to know more about Singapore’s culture, seeks to experience a heritage, religious and art sites to develop knowledge of different communities’ way of life. Furthermore, festivals provide an opportunity for the local communities to develop and share their culture and arts. Singapore Arts Festival is also developing and improving in its arts and performance it can offer over the years. Foreigners will feel that Singapore is a country not just great in its food, attractions but also rich in its culture and arts.
Technological impacts can be applied if we learn from the overseas artist on the equipments and technology they used in their performance, thus we can improve on our technology and visual arts when organising more events in the future to attract more tourist for a better experience.
Conclusion
The Singapore Art Festival was a great success as I personally feel proud of the programs organized and was able to participate in them. It offers great experience, and showcases many programs that fit all ages. It can also improve social cohesion with the community (locally and overseas). The annual Singapore Arts Festival attracts visitors and creating cultural image in Singapore by holding the festival in the community settings. The Singapore Arts Festival is definitely a major tourist attraction in Singapore.
Pictures and videos (sad not taken by me, but is what I see during the performance)
Hehehehe!!! Mantis------------>
Opening ceremony ( I think I am standing quite near to the camera man)
RED at vivo city
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