Introduction
Objective of this field trip
The objective of this report is to find out how an event is being carried out and how well it has used marketing mix to effectively organize and perform the event.
Ways in which I carried out my report
The event I had chosen to observe and evaluate was the Food Safari and Home Electronics Fair at the Suntec City Convention Centre on the 16 November 2008.
The organizers of the event is SPHERE which stands for Singapore Press Holdings Events, Roadshows and Exhibitions. They are a new company and this is their very first event! They are mainly a subsidiary of SPH and are into the business of organizing events such as this.
They are already starting to plan their next program which is called “license to play”. It will be something about gaming related things. It is scheduled to be held in mid 2009.
The way I reviewed the event was by walking through the whole food exhibition acting as a real visitor coming to view the exhibits. By taking notes along the way, I was able to observe and feel how well this event is doing and how visitors are feeling about the event.
We were also provided a lot of helpful information by the Administrative Executive, V Vijayal (VJ). She provided a lot of helpful information and served as an information centre for the event. She also told us that this event took 8 months to put together. Normally it would take at least one year for any event to put together.
Evaluation of the Effective Use of Marketing Mix
Product
The product of the event was definitely the food and the electronics fair which attracted almost 250,000 people in a span of 3 days from 14 – 16 November.
The food fair was initially planned to be categorized by the different food from the different countries that will be coming to participate which include
The electronic fair for this event is also a product which attracts many visitors to the event. By organizing an electronic fair, visitors will be able to have the best of both worlds when they come to this event. Almost anything that they need in their living room and kitchen can be found at the event and this makes them stay at the exhibitions for longer periods of time. Although they are selling 2 types of products at the same time, it does not conflict with each other. In fact, it compliments very well with each other as they will be able to fill their stomachs as well as get that TV with a very good discount.
I feel that the event organizers have done a good job incorporating the two elements together to provide visitors with an holistic experience.
Price
Admission fee for this event is free. This will attract more visitors to come and patronize the event as entering into the halls will be free and Singaporeans like free things!
In my opinion, I think that it plays an important factor in deciding if the visitors will come to the event. SPHERE decided not to charge an entrance fee was quite a smart move as it allowed more people to come and experience the event and hopefully buy something within the event.
However, I feel that the price of the food and beverage within the event were too expensive. I bought some Ritz apple strudel. And had some Japanese rice cakes and
(before...)
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(After!!! Yummy!!)
Overall I do not think the food there is value for money. However, it is a good experience for any visitor who goes there as there are able to indulge in food from all over the world, including
The prices of the rental of the space in the exhibition are around $3,600 to $4,815 depending on the time you booked the space. In my opinion, this is the way organizers earn revenue for the event as they do not charge an admission fee.
I feel that SPHERE did the right decision to not charge an admission fee. That will benefit the exhibitors more and in turn benefit SPHERE when they agree to return on the next exhibition – Food Safari 2009.
Promotion
This event has certainly no lack of promotion as its organizers are SPH! They control the Newspapers and Magazines, Internet and
These avenues are all huge places to advertise in!
SPH publishes 17 newspaper titles in four different languages and they also publish magazines covering topics from lifestyle to Information Technology.
The Straits Times is also one way in which this event can be so broadly publicized as it is one of the most widely circulated papers in
An extract from a press release which shows how much coverage SPH has.
“ Other than print, the Internet editions of SPH newspapers cover over 150 million page views with 9 million. Apart from SPH AsiaOne portal, SPH's online and new media initiatives include a revolutionary mobile advertising and information service, ZapCode; online marketplace for products, services and employment, ST701; local search and directory engine, rednano.sg; STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print), a portal that connects, engages and interacts with readers on the Web and via mobile phone messaging; omy, a bilingual news and interactive portal and The Straits Times RazorTV, a free access interactive webcast service offering live chat shows and video on demand clips.”
Furthermore, SPH also has a 20 percent stake in MediaCorp TV. This will allow them to have advertisements being put up during commercial breaks. This will also allow more exposure and coverage to its target audience. Being able to advertise in the radio also gives it an edge over its competitors like the Singapore Food Festival. Radio Stations like 100.3FM and 91.3FM will do their advertisements which will help in the promotional activities.
SPHERE also has an early bird promotion for the exhibitors who sign up early. They will get 20% off their shell scheme fee. This will attract exhibitors to plan early and sign up fast.
The organizers have also included in the newspapers cut outs that can be redeemed from the booth within the exhibition. Goodie bags will also be given upon presentation of the coupon. Merchandises are also included inside the goodie bag as a way for the different companies to brand themselves.
With so many avenues for which SPHERE can advertise and promote, no wonder the event was a success in drawing visitor numbers which easily hit their expectations.
Place
The event was held at Suntec City Conventions Hall 402, 403 and 404. It is really accessible as it was only 2 stories above the concourse level and that there are many signs leading the way.
I came from
The setting inside the halls was not as I have expected. I would have thought that they would make it like a jungle or some sort. However, it merely looked like an ordinary food exhibition. I was a bit disappointed.
The atmosphere of the place was rather good. Everywhere I go I could smell food, look at food and taste food!! Every of the exhibitors were trying their best to promote their food and sell them. Some of them even had their staff going around giving out fliers to create awareness. The way they all tried to promote their own stalls make the atmosphere rather heartwarming as I can see the passion of each individual stall.
Visitors need not worry about getting lost in the jungle though, because there will be visible signboards to help them hunt down the exciting stations as follows:
The Cook Out – Tantalise your taste-buds with an international array of cuisines ranging from local, Asian to European treats.
The Watering Holes – Sample a spread of beverages including beers, wine, aperitifs, cocktails and sake.
Sweet Temptations – It's ice-cream, chocolates, donuts galore!
In the Home & Kitchen – Get the best bargains on kitchen & home consumer electrical appliances.
Click photo to enlarge!
Overall, I liked the way the exhibition was being laid out because if I wanted to go and get a drink I would head straight to the “Watering Holes” section where all the beverage stalls will be there.
Programming
For the programming of this event, the organizer has done a lot of programs to help make Food Safari a more interactive and interesting exhibition for its visitors.
Safari King is a program that is being held on all 3 days with the final at the last day of the exhibition. It is a cooking contest that has under-30 chefs to compete for the title of Safari King! It will be an Iron-chef style of competition. This will give it a sense of mystery and fun. This is the first of this event and this title will have some sort of recognition for the winner.
In my opinion, this competition has drawn quite a few numbers of visitors to come to the Food Safari to patronize because they may come to cheer on their favourite person or to come and see the skills of the chefs.
A huge list of programs was also listed at the entrance to inform visitors of the activities that will be occurring during the duration of the exhibition.
Packaging and distribution
Food Safari’s essence can be clearly seen in this part of the marketing mix. They incorporated a food trail when you enter the exhibition. It is a trial which you may or may not follow which brings you to see certain stalls and dishes. Along the way, you are to answer some questions and get points to get a goodie bag at the end of the food trail.
The so-called “hunting for food” is very interesting and interactive as visitors will be visiting the various stalls to participate in the food trail. It is just like in a jungle where you hunt for your own food. It gives the exhibitors a chance for their food to be shared by the visitors of this exhibition.
Therefore, I think that this is a very good way for the organizers to promote their exhibitors and to create awareness of this exhibition as this food trail is a rather unique activity in my opinion.
People
There were many volunteers situated at many different points of the exhibition. Some were giving out directions, some were handling out fliers, some were getting visitors to complete a simple survey and some were helping needy people with their needs. (getting the wheelchairs etc)
They were very friendly and always had a smile on their face. They were also very initiative. This was very good for the visitors because they will have a very good impression of the event and have a great time viewing exhibits.
Administrative Executive, V Vijayal (VJ) was also there to help anyone who did not know their way very well and wanted to fine out anything about the whole exhibition. She was most kind to share information about this exhibition. She even arranged a meeting with the marketing executive to meet up with us so that we could have a more in-dept chat. However, she was too busy handling some press interview and could not meet us on that day.
But the fact that VJ would go all the way to help us attain THIS information just shows how committed the personnels of this exhibition are. I am sure visitors will have a very good time and enjoy a great experience thanks to the committed and passionate personnels at the exhibit.
The exhibitors are also very friendly and they do not rush you into buying their items. This will mean they do not rush customers into buying their food but rather try to persuade them to sample and like the food and then buy it. During the time I was there, I did not see anyone who try to hard-sell anything. This is essential because it is good that visitors feel comfortable within the exhibition.
Partnership
Official Media: The Sunday Times, 91.3FM, Home & Décor, SimplyHer
Official online media partner: www.soshiok.com
Official wine chiller partner: Kadeka
Official Drinks Partner: Yeo’s
Supported by: Tasty
Partners: Libbey, Audio House, U-save
Held in: Uniquely
All these partnerships and sponsors are all very important and relevant towards the success of this event. For example, the Media plays an important role in promotional activities and exposure of the event.
Celebrities also came to patronize the show and be part of it. For example, Food consultant Violet Oon, Vice President of the
Without these partnerships, the organizers may have to incur more costs and thus losing out on profits.
Tourism roles and economic value of the festival / event
The main purpose of this event is to attract food lovers and people who want to try other country’s food. This blends into
Singapore Tourism Board is actively trying to promote
As
Food Safari helps to boost
Conclusion
By looking at the number of visitors for the event after 3 days, it is evident that Food Safari has done its job well in marketing the event using the marketing mix.
The place of the event was ideal for such a large scale exhibition and for the large inflow of visitors. It was ideally chosen because Suntec Convention Centre has a lot of people going there thus being able to attract more visitors.
With such a huge effort in promoting this event through the various modes of advertising, Food Safari surely deserved the amount of visitor ship that they acquired. I also believed that the revenue they gained was also quite a sum as there were many exhibitors in the exhibition.
However, I feel that the next Food Safari should try to charge an admission to generate more revenue. If the show was such a success this year, I am sure that even with an admission fee, more visitors will come to patronize the event.
The personnel that they have for the event was fantastic! They had great smiles and was very helpful on the whole. Everyone was given a survey form to fill out including the exhibitors to see if they would come back again next year. I feel that this follow up action was very good.
CLICK TO ENLARGE!
Overall, i would like to congratulate SPHERE on the success of the exhibition and i will be definitely looking forward to the next one that is coming up, "license to play".
