Festivals & Event Management (ii)

Comparison in terms of marketing strategies
To compare Beerfest Asia with Oktoberfest in term of marketing strategies, I have decided to use the 8P’s. The 8P’s for marketing event includes the product, place, people, price, partnerships, promotion, programming, packaging and distribution.

1. Product
Product is what the customer is actually buying. It is usually the customers’ needs, wants and demand. It can be the festival experience or the actual product that is selling.

Beerfest and Oktoberfest: They are selling the beers. Beers go well with food too. Therefore for both festivals, there were foods sold.

Beerfest: There were goods such as shirts or even air guitars sold in Beerfest Asia. The air guitar was used to push the atmosphere to a greater height.

Oktoberfest: They came out with souvenir to let people keep the memory of it. At the same time they even created a mascot for their event, named Wiesn-Wastl.

2. Place
For the place, it refers to the location and the venue of the event, as well as the how the products are distributed.

Beerfest: People who visit would remember the event for a longer period of time because of it location. They may link the festival with Singapore Flyer as it was situated near Singapore Flyer.
The organisers of Beerfest have worked together with Singapore Flyer for visitors to be entitled with free admission to Singapore Flyer for some types of the ticket brought.

Oktoberfest: Munich, Germany. It has a better accessibility network. Thereby both transportation and hotel were situated around the festivals venue. Although there was a closing time for visitors, people can have a longer stay at the event as they do not have to worry for mode of transport if they were staying nearby. The atmosphere of Oktoberfest was very relaxing as if you were chatting with long lost-buddy.

Beerfest and Oktoberfest: As for how the products were distributed, the ticket could be bought online and onsite.

3. People
People refer to people who are in the “cast”, the audience, the hosts and guest. They are the ones who make the festival a happening event.

Beerfest: The “cast” were the performances performing the band, such as Vertical Horizon (USA), Hell’s Belles (USA), 53A (Singapore) and Beerfest All-Star Blues Band (Singapore). The audiences were the visitors, who bought the ticket for the event, drink the beers or watching the band performances. The host were the organisers who held the event; they were people from Beerfest Pte Ltd. As for the guest, they were the one with special privileges and were the only group that were able to enter B-Yond VIP Club Night Mayfair.

Oktoberfest: Their cast were much bigger than Beerfest Asia, there were traditional parade introducing the traditions of the event. And this involves around one thousand participants moving from one beer tent to another. Similar with Beerfest Asia, their audience are visitors going for the event. The host for Oktoberfest was the organizer of the event and the guest were the people who were invited for something.

4. Price
Price is what the visitor pay for the event, the admission or the product.

Beerfest: There was free admission for children under 7 years old with accompaniment by an adult for Beerfest Asia. Not everything sold there were expensive, most of the beers were affordable. Some of the price of the beer can be as low as $3. The merchandise which sells air guitar for example, were sold at the 25 dollars for 3.

Oktoberfest: There was Family day, during that particular day, there would be discount for fairground, admission and merchandise. They even sell lanyards in their merchandise store. However due to the high currency exchange rate, it makes the product costly.

5. Partnerships
Partnerships can be joint marketing or stakeholders in producing the event. Beerfest Asia had worked together with many different partners to maximize the benefits for both the audience and the host.

Beerfest: Beerfest organisers had worked with Singapore Flyer for Hospitality Ticket holders for a complimentary ticket at Singapore Flyer. They also come together with Uniquely Singapore to reach out to more people within a shorter period of time.

Oktoberfest: They had work together with some hotels to suggest and provide choices for the visitors to choose and select. They also work with rides providers such as Olymia Looping, Eurostar as well as some ride that could only be found in Wiesn, such as Krinoline.

6. Promotion
Promotion is to reach out to more people, through measures such as advertisement, public relation, and sales promotion.

Beerfest and Oktoberfest: They advertise through internet and they work with media to reach out to mass public.

Beerfest: There was different price for different age group. Students and senior citizens can purchase their ‘concession’ tickets earlier. At the same time, there was discounted price for early-birds and groups.

7. Programming
Programming within the event is also a marketing decision, especially by way of creating benefits.

Beerfest: They had different band performance everyday and there was wresting championship during the last two day to increase interaction between the visitors.

Oktoberfest: There were traditional performances during the first weekend.

8. Packaging and distribution
Packaging and distribution is the destination that is package with other attractions and services, or events can offer their own.

Beerfest: Worked together with Singapore Flyer a destination.

Oktoberfest: Works together with Wies’n Park to bring amusement park together with the festival.

9. Summary
Beerfest Asia had made in more effort in comparison with Oktoberfest in terms of marketing strategies. As it is still a very young festival, by doing that, it can let more people know about this event, and thus increase the number of people patronising the next year.

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