Singapore International Photography
Festival 2012 has turned out to be a successful biennial festival gathering
hundreds of worldwide enthusiasts. However, this was only achievable due to the
proper and effective measures used to market the festival throughout these
years. Now, we’ll look into the various marketing mix that had been imposed in
year 2012, and evaluate the effectiveness.
Experiential
Components
Ø Product
The
core products of SIPF 2012 were made up of 414 spectacular masterpieces produced
by artistes from 25 countries (including new works from Cambodia, Japan,
Mexico, Peru and Thailand), and also professional photographers whom
participated in educational programmes, forums and workshops held during the
festival. There is no doubt that the photos were of exceptional standards, which
reflected the unique styles and experiences of some of the world’s famous photographers.
On
the other hand, the facilitating products include free public talks, seminars
and forums on photography appreciation which were held at several venues, to
inspire young and emerging professionals, and at the same time, encourage
interactions from the public.
The
supporting venue that I visited was the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.
There were interesting lightings for each photography exhibits, and the
exhibition areas had white walls with no decorations, which made the audiences
focus on the photographs’ hidden messages. The atmosphere was silent and
serene, which was great for audiences to concentrate and appreciate the pieces.
Although there was minimal staff guidance, there were descriptive messages or
essays that went along with different exhibits. This allowed the audiences to
open up their minds to different interpretations of the masterpieces.
Ø Place
The
ArtScience Museum is located in Singapore’s Central Business district, which
also overflows with arts, culture and heritage. Before reaching my destination,
the surrounding atmosphere of high rise towers, smooth flow of the Singapore
River, and artistic new age outlook of Marina Bay Sands, had already created
the mood for arts appreciation.
Upon
reaching the museum, the receptionists were professionally groomed and provided
very friendly and helpful services while I purchased the entrance ticket.
Furthermore, there were even lift-attendants that attended to the
visitors. All these value-added quality
and services created the “wow” factor.
As
I walked through the exhibition halls, I realized that the exhibition areas
were segregated in a way that kept me in anticipation, which increasingly kept
me interested, wanting to explore more. Behind each wall or pillar, unveiled a
new dimension of photography inspirations. These features were few of the key
factors that distinguished this exhibition from the other ones in conjunction.
Somehow, it made me wanted to experience the atmosphere and explore more
photography works showcased at the rest of the supporting venues.
Ø Programming
Several
programmes and activities were incorporated during SIPF 2012. The major ones
were: educational programme for upper secondary and tertiary students –
“Conversation with the Black Box”, which aimed to shape future audiences that
embrace photography with understanding and appreciation. Another initiative was
“HOP” (House of Photography), which was a mobile photography education space (converted
from a shipping container) which aimed to bring the best of photography basics
to the community. Last but not least, collaboration with Magnum Photos to guide
and nurture young generations through months of online discussions and critique
sessions, followed by 5-day in-person workshop in Singapore.
In
my opinion, these programs were unique enough to attract crowds of interested
participants, besides, they were all effective in achieving the objective of
SIPF, which is to discover, nurture and propel more photographers onto the
international stage of prhotography.
Ø People
The
people involved in SIPF 2012 were the host of the festival, in this case, the
festival director, Gwen Lee; the 3 curators - Alejandro Castellote, Patricia
Levasseur de la Motte, Zeng Han; the operation team; programming team;
exhibition assistants; tour guides; volunteers; photographers etc. These people
made the festival happen, and most certainly, without the visitors, SIPF 2012
would not have been a success.
However,
the interactions between visitors, the settings and staff or volunteers also
constitute a large part to an event experience. During my visit to ArtScience
Museum, service encounters that I had with the staffs was minimal (due to the
nature of the event). In order to maintain the quiet atmosphere, perhaps audio
recordings could have been installed to engage interactions between the works, settings
and visitors.
