1. Introduction
There are two objectives for this report. First of all, it is to understand what an event and/or festival is like through the observation and participation in one. From there we evaluate how it is organized, identify the marketing aspects of it, and to link the handling of the event to its success. Secondly, this report is to allow us to understand the purpose of organizing an event, and how it benefits the host country/place/person.
Background of chosen event
The event that I have chosen to observe and evaluate is the 61st Singapore Cricket Club International Rugby Sevens Tournament 2008 (SCC rugby 7s). Rugby is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball by two teams of 15 players each. Rugby 7s is just one of the variations to the original sport. In this variant, there are 7 players per team instead of the original 15. Rugby 7s is also a faster version; each game is 14-20 minutes with a 7 or 10-minute halves, whereas the original is 80 minutes (with 2 halves of 40 minutes each). Due to the nature of rugby 7s, the game moves very fast; tries and tackles are made quicker than the 15-a-side, thus there are more action seen. Another variation of rugby includes the rugby 11s.
In the 1980s, The Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) International Rugby Sevens has attained the status of the region's premier international club tournament. Teams are invited from around the world to play for the Ablitt Cup. This annual event is grand, with many international players coming in to take part in this tournament as a stepping stone to the Rugby World Cup.
2. Evaluation of the Effective Use of Marketing Mix
The marketing mix for events consists of the 8 elements: Product, Place, Programming, People, Partnerships, Communications, Packaging and Distributions, and Price. They are usually termed the 8 ‘Ps’, and could be separated into Experiential Components (Product, Place, Programming, People) and Facilitating Components (Partnerships, Communications, Packaging and Distributions, and Price).
Product
The ‘product’ of an event is the set of intangible leisure experience and tangible goods designed to satisfy the needs of the event market. It contains 3 elements: the core service, the tangible product, and the augmented product.
- The core product is the actual benefits and services the customer experiences. In this field trip, the core product is the Rugby Sevens tournament. We are experiencing a live sporting event, watching a rugby tournament.
- The tangible product is the product the customer expects to receive or experience. In relation to the field trip, the tangible product is the atmosphere of being at the Padang, enjoying the feeling of a live rugby event. In addition, the customer would also expect to feel hyped up, with many other supporters around them cheering alone for the teams competing. Since the event is held over 2 days, the customer would expect a long event. (The duration for the event is from 8:30am to 6:30pm) Thus the customer expects the seating area is comfortable, with food stalls and drinks readily available for the entire day.
The teams playing during the tournament
A try scored
- The augmented product is the additional features and benefits the customer receives. These additional features will differentiate the event from its competitors. With regards to the event, the international status SCC has earned from its history of rugby 7s enabled it to be able to attract many international players from competing it the tournament. The officials and referees at the tournament are from the International Rugby Board, thus this shows the importance of the event. In addition there are ball boys in charge of picking the rugby balls.
Besides having international teams play, SCC has a village set beside the field playing area where there is a merchandise store selling official SCC jerseys. There is an area where the live band can play their music. There are bar counters selling Guinness stout and Heineken beer. There are beer carriers carrying portable coolers where they walk among the spectators to sell the stout and beer. Apart from alcohol readily available, there are many food stalls around selling finger food that is easy for the customers to consume while watching the matches.
Furthermore, there is also a play area with a replica of the rugby field in the form of an inflatable rugby play pen where the younger children can play in while their parents watch the match.
Lastly, there are LCD televisions mounted on the walls screening live matches of the Rugby World Cup that is ongoing at the same time of this SCC rugby 7s tournament. This also caters to spectators who want to catch both the tournament and the Rugby World Cup at the same time.
Place refers to the location and setting of the event. This SCC rugby 7s is held at the Padang where SCC is situated as well. The Padang is near the City Hall MRT station, which is also the heart of the city. It is accessible through a 10 minute walk from the station, and it is near shopping malls like the Raffles City Shopping Centre and Peninsula Shopping Centre. Being a large field, it not only can accommodate the playing area, it is also more than enough for spectators and a village area. This whole set up of the tournament is made up of giant white tents and stepped up seats with barricades that are condoned off to prevent unauthorized entry by anyone without admission tickets.
Within the tents, there are ceiling fans to provide a more comfortable seating area for the spectators. Even if a spectator sits at highest stepped seat, he/she is still able to watch the match without any interference or object hindering his view.
The seats are retractable and in good condition. There are portable toilet stalls outside the tents area where the entrance is, and it is convenient for everyone who needs to use. The shopping malls nearby have toilets that could be accessed with ease as well. As mentioned above in the augmented product, there is the village where alcohol, food and live matches are available. In addition, the Singapore Biennale 2008 was located at the Supreme Court that is opposite the Padang. This brought a huge crowd and a bigger atmosphere to the entire Padang area during the 2 days.
Programming
This is the development of an attractive event program. There are 4 key elements to a successful programming of an event, and they are reflected below.
1. The need for a distinguishing core concept in the program.
The core concept refers to the real meaning of the event. Here, in the SCC rugby 7s event, the core concept is the 61st International Rugby 7s tournament that has been organized by SCC the past 60 years. The main objective is to watch a live sporting event – Rugby 7s; that involves not only the local SCC team, but also many other international teams (like the South African Vipers, Scotland’s Thistles) who are gathering in the span of 2 days to gain exposure and compete for the Ablitt Cup. All the international teams that are competing are also using this as a stepping stone to gain exposure for the International Rugby Board (IRB) International Series (which is the main major tournament for rugby annually). Thus, this event will provide spectators a world class competition between the teams from different countries.
2. The need to marry the event program with its physical environment or site
The Rugby 7s tournament was started in the 1940s (according to SCC’s history), however it only became an official international competition during the 1980s. For 61 years, many rugby teams around the world have been making their way down to Singapore to take part in this tournament. Hence, the site chosen for this major rugby tournament should be somewhere significant. SCC itself is situated at the Padang.
The Padang is a multi-purpose field that had a long history of Singapore’s past. Holding the rugby tournament here is truly the best and significant site, as not only rugby needs to be played on a field, tents for spectators can be set up and tear down effortlessly. In addition, holding the event at a field that was once part of Singapore’s history allows spectators to feel the significance of both the field and the event. Spectators would feel the importance of the event since it is held on a piece of history, and they would also be more aware of the history of Singapore at the same time while making their way to the Padang (since many historic buildings like the Supreme Court is located opposite it).
Furthermore, the Padang is near the city, within walking distance of the City Hall MRT station. This also facilitates movement by both the locals and foreigners coming in for this event as it is easy to navigate and find their way to their site. Lastly, and more importantly, with the fact that the club SCC is on the Padang, it would be ideal to have the tournament there as the organizers would be able to track the logistics and operations without difficulty, they would be able to send in more staff when needed, and also solve any problems immediately from the short walking distance to the site.
3. The role and operational approach of the artistic director/producer
The SCC continually invites international teams worldwide to take part in this event. With comparison from the past year’s statistics on teams competing, there seems to be more teams taking part in this tournament as the years go by. From less than 10 teams in the past, this year saw 11 countries, and 19 teams taking part. This makes the tournament more interesting to watch as it gets harder for teams to win.
Besides this main Ablitt cup, SCC also organized a Mini Rugby competition that was scheduled on the 2 November during the 3 hour long lunch break.
This mini rugby was for younger children ages 7 to 12 who play rugby in their clubs. This ensures that the 3 hour break was being utilized, people could watch the young budding rugby players, and it served as a sub event to fill up the empty lunch break that was for the adult teams to eat and rest. Furthermore, with a mini rugby match, more children would attend this event. Adults who have sons who are playing for this match would come down and catch the event. This brings in more spectators.
4. Established criteria for program content
Rugby sevens had a long tradition in Singapore. The Secondary Schools in Singapore which have Rugby as a Co-curricular Activity have also taken part in various rugby sevens carnival, such as this SCC rugby sevens, where they compete for the John Clark Trophy instead of the Ablitt Cup. Rugby sevens is not just internationally, but also locally played. There was a booklet that was given out by the staff during the 2 days showing the Secondary Schools that participated and which won the trophy. Since the SCC has been hosting this tournament for the past 60 years without any major issues, and this tournament is internationally known with many teams interested to take part in so that they could gain experience and exposure before the IRB series, this event does have an establishment.
People
People are very important in festivals and events as most events start off on the basis of ‘relationships and goodwill’ between a dedicated group of people. As such, people make up an event. People can be categorized into 3: the Cast, Audience, Host and guests.
1. Cast
The cast are the staff and volunteers. From the organizers to sales personnel, volunteers and cleaners who clear up the event site at the end of the day. In addition, the security personnel for the event such as the police are also included as the cast. These people are the main ‘actors’ who make up the show. They ensure that operation is smooth.
2. Audience
They are the spectators who come down to watch the rugby tournament. Audiences do interact with the cast. For example, before entering the Padang, spectators had to go to the entrance booth to exchange their tickets for the hand bands. Here is where they speak with the ticketing personnel. When spectators need to ask for a direction to maybe the toilet cubicles, the police would be there to guide them. Hence the cast selected must be people who are willing to serve and are friendly since interaction with the audience is inevitable.
3. Host and guests
The host would be the SCC, and guests are the various sponsors. In order to ensure that the guests are well treated, all the sponsors are seated on the opposite side from the spectators. Their seats are different, and they are seated next to the SCC club members. This ensures that both host and guests can interact, and yet there is a distinction between sponsors and normal spectators. The sponsors’ entrance is next to the village as well, making it easier for them to have quick access to food and drinks. The electronic scoreboard is also placed facing the sponsors and SCC club members in clear view. All these measures put in place ensures that sponsors have a prime location, view and seat; and that the hosts are able to interact with their guests and yet able to observe the entire crowd seated from the opposite at the same time.
Partnerships
Many events are also based on partnerships, the strong links between loyal supporters such as the attendees, volunteers, government, sponsors. For this SCC rugby 7s tournament, loyal supporters are important. During the event, there were many foreigners and hardly any locals. Upon asking a few of the foreign supporters at the event, it seemed that they got to know about this event through their friends who either watch rugby, interested in rugby, or who are members of the SCC. It showed that it was through Word Of Mouth that spectators knew about the event. Some of them were repeat supporters who came previous years for this tournament as well. They make up the bulk of the supporters at the event, which showed that the spectators there had a common vision; they were all there to catch this well known tournament annually. Besides loyal supporters, the sponsors were important.
There were many sponsors for this tournament, and the SCC displayed all their names on their website. The major sponsors like Royal Bank of Scotland, Guinness and Aero gate, they were clearly evident on the tent as the names were imprinted on it. Guinness also had an exclusive hut next to the play area where spectators could purchase their drinks and sit at the bar counter while watching the match at the same time.
Communications/Promotions
This includes: Advertising, Public Relations, Sales promotion, and Destination image.
For advertising, the SCC only advertised for this tournament through their website, the main page and the rugby sevens section. Apart from the website, there was Word Of Mouth. As mentioned above, most of the spectators got to know the event through friends. Thus, they were either members of the SCC or rugby enthusiast, and they spread the word of this tournament to each other.
As for Public Relations, when the event started on 1 November, the media was there with many camera men. On the Sunday Times 2 November, there was an article in the sports section which mentioned about this ongoing tournament.
The article had full coverage on the teams competing, the entertainment, food and drinks provided on site. Furthermore, it mentioned that tickets were still available to be purchased, and information on where and how to get to the Padang. This article on the Straits Times definitely brought peoples’ attention on the tournament, and also showed an example of a public relations communication.
In sales promotion, SCC sold most of their rugby tickets through the ticketing agency Sistic. The club promoted the event mainly on their website and through word of mouth by the club members. There was online booking through sistic that was linked on the website, as well as to buy tickets from the outlets at various shopping malls. The tickets were also sold on site at Padang on 1 and 2 November when the event started. There were no other promotions in terms of ticket price; it was a standard 2 day ticket event.
Lastly, the event was held at Padang. This familiar and historic site which is easy to locate for both locals and tourists enabled the event to have a good destination image. The setting up of tents, the village beside it with food and alcohol drink stalls helped enhance the event’s destination image as well.
Packaging & Distribution
SCC rugby 7s is an annual international tournament. Being a sporting event, where only interested fans would attend, it is not associated as part of a tour package unlike big festivals. Although the tickets were not cheaper to existing SCC club members, the club members were seated at a separate area from non club members. In addition, during the event, only club members could enter the club. There were security officers at the entrance; non club members could not use the club facilities during the 2 day event. Merchandise was being sold during the event at the village, where spectators could purchase authentic SCC jerseys.
As for distribution, SCC distributed its event through its websites (the main club website, SCC rugby team, and also the SCC rugby 7s tournament website), Sistic website, selling tickets on site at the Padang, and also through word of mouth by club members. As mentioned earlier, most foreigners at the event got to know about the tournament through their friends who knew or are associated with SCC. Engaging Sistic to sell tickets allows the SCC to manage ticket sales and enable interested spectator to purchase them easily as there are many sistic outlets island wide. Selling tickets on site also enables last minute interested parties to be able to purchase them. SCC also provides hand bands that are to be worn by the spectators on both days (orange for 1 November and blue for 2 November) in order to facilitate the entry and exit for spectators during the event.
Price
The price of a ticket for this 2 day tournament was $21 including Sistic charges. The original price was $20 (adults), and $10 for child 18 years and below. However this was the price when purchased on site at the Padang. Tickets purchased from Sistic outlets and online through Sistic website was at $21. According to the Straits Times article on 1 November that mentioned about SCC rugby 7s, this year was the first time SCC is charging for the event. There was free admission in previous years.
Although there were no other price promotions at the event, the $21 per person was probably used to cover some overhead costs that the event organizers paid for. Since SCC was located at Padang, the club did not have to pay for the venue. Therefore the ticket price was probably to cover the logistics costs and payment for the various staff and officials helping out.
3. Discuss the tourism roles and economic value of the festival/event
Animator
SCC rugby 7s tournament is an annual international competition whereby international clubs and teams send player s over to Singapore to compete for the Ablitt cup. When these players come over, they usually arrive in Singapore at least 3 days before the event to get used to the weather. Some of the players have never been to Singapore, thus this rugby 7s tournament encourages first and most likely repeat visits by the teams when they return in the coming year to compete. Accommodation and food is needed to be provided for those teams when they arrive. Hence, when more teams participate in this tournament, the tourism receipts would also increase.
Besides the various international teams coming over, there are also foreigners coming in for this event. When interviewed, some spectators at the event mentioned that they were British, some Malaysians. A few reside in Singapore, but some where tourists; taking a short trip to Singapore to watch this 2 day event. They were introduced to it by friends who came for this event in previous years. This shows that the rugby 7s tournament does help to attract tourists who are first time visitors to Singapore. By attending this event, the tourists would also take this chance to tour around Singapore. Furthermore, around three-quarters of the spectators at the event were foreigners. This showed that this sporting event did help bring in tourists into Singapore.
Tourist Attraction
This SCC rugby 7s had a long history, and it is the 61st year running. As an international event, the importance of it is known to all rugby players and fans of rugby. In addition, SCC is a prestigious club, thus the recognition for this event is well known. As mentioned earlier, this event attracts many foreigners who are mostly first time or repeat participants. Since most of them were introduced by their friends residing in Singapore, it shows the spread of demand for participating in this event. In addition, there were increase in the number of teams competing in the tournament, which proves the demand and importance of this event. In the past, this event had free admission, thus the only spending by the spectators were on food and drinks. This year, the tickets were charged at $21. Charging for admission would certainly bring in more economic gains. Furthermore, when tourists arrive for this event, they would also stay on for a week to explore Singapore. Hence the revenue from tourists would benefit the economy of Singapore.
Place Marketing
The event was held at Padang, which creates the awareness and show case the historic past of Singapore. However, due to the lack of locals at the event, I felt that the advertising efforts for this event were inadequate. SCC only advertised this event on its websites. Even Sistic did not have any brochures pertaining to this event. If advertisements for this event were around City Hall or brochures related to it being placed at the Sistic outlets, more people (specifically Singaporeans) would get to know about this event and attend it; which in turn brings in more revenue in terms of admission tickets as well.
4. Conclusion
After attending the SCC rugby 7s tournament, I have seen and understood how an event is being staged. From the 8 ‘Ps’ in the marketing mix, to the experience and atmosphere at a live sporting event, it all contributes greatly to staging a successful event.
Even with limited advertising efforts, a huge crowd turned up for the event. On day 2, the seats for both spectators and sponsors were filled. Many Spectators also stood by the side to catch the match at a closer range. Personally, I felt that SCC did well in marketing this event.
They chose the appropriate destination, provided comfortable and sheltered spectators’ stand; offered activities (like live screening of the Rugby World Cup matches and children’s play area) other than the main SCC rugby 7s in order to cater to all ages and interests of the spectators. The programming was smooth, with security officers, police, to international referees and ball boys to facilitate the event. Mini rugby was organized to bring in younger children to play and also to promote rugby to the younger generation.
SCC also segregated the spectators into 2 sides, where sponsors and club members were closer to the village; however the spectators’ view of the match was not compromised at the same time. The sponsors were given the chance to advertise themselves during the event, where the girls wearing Aero Gate logos were carrying their mascot around the field.
The promotion efforts through the article on Straits Times, sale of tickets and distribution of it reached audiences easily. The sale of merchandise also encourage more spending by fans there. Even though SCC charged for the event this year, I felt that the $21 was a reasonable price for a well planned sporting event. This event also served as an animator, tourist attraction, and place marketing roles for tourism; which in turn boost tourism revenue for Singapore’s economy.
I feel that all these marketing efforts by SCC were responsible in creating this success of the event. Throughout the event, no major problems were seen and this in turned also brought the best all rounded experience a spectator can experience in a live event.
The Ablitt Cup winners 2008 - South African Vipers
Scottish Thistles
Kenyans
New Zealand Kiwis doing the haka (turn up the volume)
Alternative link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jA1HptPO8E
At the sidelines
Last accessed on 24 November 2008:
http://www.scc.org.sg/History/history.html
History of the tournament /12:28 AM
