SINGAPORE '09 VS GALWAY '08

ARTS FESTIVAL

(Comparing with Galway '08 not '09)

Galway Arts Festival is the defining cultural expression of Galway and is at the heart of all aspects life in the city. Over its 31 years history the Festival has become a vital showcase for Irish arts and international arts and is now firmly established as Ireland’s leading arts festival. The Festival collaborates with artists and companies throughout the world to create and produce new work. Over 100,000 people attend the Festival annually with hundreds of writers, artists, performers and musicians creating theatre, spectacle, street art, music, comedy, literature and music to produce a stunning fortnight of cultural activity and celebration.

Both Singapore and Galway Arts Festival was a success in terms of its marketing strategy. To show how successful, below are comparisons between the two festivals using the 8 ‘P’s ‘in Marketing Event. Both provide experiential and facilitating components.

Product
Singapore and Galway Art Festivals provide similar products for example, variety range of activities which has the element of arts, music and dance. This is what the potential customers need, want and will pay for when they go for this kind of this festival.


Place
In terms of place, both are held in different spots. Singapore Arts Festival held many different activities at many different places for example, most of the theatre and dance performances are held in either Victoria Concert Hall or the Esplanade. Galway Arts Festivals held some of the performances at Kings Head Bar and Nuns Island Studio.


Programming
The programming for both Singapore and Galway Arts Festival can be found in brochures and also in websites. The official website of Galway Art Festival provides a precise and detailed explanation of each of the festivals. It includes the pricing, place, date and what to expect when going to the festival. In my own opinion, the Singapore Arts Festival was not very detailed enough.


However, still both of these festivals were a success.


People
In this context, People refer to the interactions between customers, the setting and the staff constitutes a larger part of the whole event experience. The intern and the volunteers are also the people working there. They were the one who volunteered to help out in the event without being paid. Singapore Arts Festival also took in interns and volunteers to help out the whole event so do the Galway Arts Festival. However, Galway Arts Festival organiser took in more people in to help out. Both of the organiser of Singapore and Galway Arts Festival picked the right people whom they think can help to work out the festival. This is to ensure that the hospitality received by visitors directly shapes the visitors’ whole experience.


Packaging and Distribution
Destinations can package events with other attractions and services or events can be offer their own.


Some of the Singapore Arts festival was actually being held at the Esplanade which actually near to other attractions like the Singapore Flyers and shopping malls. Galway Arts Festivals has also actually held some of the festivals at the shopping malls and hotels. So the organiser of both the Singapore and Galway Arts Festival actually package the festivals nearby some of the attractions and services whom the patrons can access.


Price
Tickets pricing for both the Galway and Singapore Arts Festivals range completely different. Singapore Arts Festivals pricing are much cheaper than the one Galway Arts Festival offers. Due to the global recession, the National Arts Council who was the organiser for Singapore Arts Festivals 2009 has actually reduced all tickets price by twenty percent.


However both the Galway and Singapore Arts Festivals provide a free admission entry to some festivals. It means that actually both the Festivals are targeting on everyone regardless whether they are rich or poor.


Partnerships
National Arts Council worked together with the Singapore Tourism Board SHAW Foundation, The University of Western Australia and the Tote Board. These organisations were the premier partners of Singapore Arts Festivals. Galway Arts Festival was funded with many other organisations like Failte Ireland and Galway Country Council. They worked with a few partners to raise the festival.


Some of the pricing were modify and even the products so as to make the packages more attractive. And this was due to partnership.



Promotions
Singapore Arts Festival offer patrons savings off regular ticket prices if they purchase tickets to multiple shows, including exclusive discounts of up to an unprecedented 30% for ArtsFest Club members. Galway Arts Festival also offer patron discounts for every Fridays.


Both of these festivals were broadcasted in Medias like the television and radio stations. Prints like brochures, magazines and newspapers were also used to advertise these festivals. Basically there were mass advertising going on in each countries. Both of the Festivals actually have their own promotional and marketing tool and the way it was being done differ from one another other.