First Hand

OJARUS

Outdoor poster of Ojarus

Introduction
Wearing long and tall headdresses, with a rather extraordinary make-up of pure white painted faces and clad in traditional Japanese garb, these four performers comprising of three guys and a girl are known as The Ojarus. They are a group of mystical Japanese clowns who does unusual street performances combining magic, mime, juggling and clowning. They were humourous and talented and it could be seen that the crowd enjoyed their performances. Cameras could be seen flashing at the time of the event and some even videoed the performance. Not only that, the Ojarus also involved the audience during their act. Thus the event was indeed an eye-opener for me as it was my first time witnessing an arts event.

Background of the Organizer
The organizer for this event is Esplanade Co. Ltd. This event was in conjunction with the Singapore Arts Festival which last for about a month every year. Ojarus was one of the programmes under Flipside, which was organized by Esplanade.

Esplanade is a place especially for the performing arts and it showcases a variety of programmes. Their programmes include music, dance, theatre, visual arts and festivals. It houses numerous locations for various events such as the 1,600 seat Concert Hall, recital hall, outdoor spaces, theatre etc. In the past year itself, Esplanade was greeted with over seven million visitors and presented more than 1,800 performances.

Role of events to the Organizer
The programmes under Flipside consisted of both ticketed and non-ticketed events and ranges from musical to drama. The programmes, cast by international and also local performers cater for both the young and the old. The events thus help to promote local and foreign cultural shows and performances.

Since Esplanade is a place for the arts, having this event would definitely attract a large number of visitors, even though performing arts is a niche market. The people attracted to such events are art lovers who comprises of both tourists and locals. With the presence of these people, it will bring about revenue to Esplanade from all aspects which include shopping, dining and performing arts. If their visit was a meaningful one, there is a high chance of them coming back for other upcoming events, which will thus increase Esplanade’s tourist visit.

Stakeholders
The stakeholders identified for this event are the performers, audience, organizers, sponsors, crew and partners. Some of the partners include Singapore Arts Festival, National Arts Council, Nokia, Visa MasterCard and SHINE under Youth Council, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).

Target Market
The target market for the events ranges from the young to the old. As it is an outdoor event, the performance basically attracted passer-bys who were near the premises.
At the time of the event, I witnessed people from all age group and of different races. It ranges from parents along with their young children, young and old couples, tourists, teenagers and adults.

Marketing Strategies

Product
The events held by Esplanade consist of a mix of local and international programmes.
For Ojarus, the product is the performance itself. With this, it means the end result of the event. As Ojarus is a free programme, people would not have those high expectations for the event. What the audience wants basically is an enjoyable performance and a rewarding feeling to know that it was not a waste of their time by going for the event. I therefore think Ojarus did a good job in giving that.

Place
Since Esplanade is a centre for the arts, it is a perfect spot for holding arts events. The unique structure of Esplanade is the main reason why tourists actually visit the place. Located by Singapore River, it adds up to the feeling of relaxation and peace, leaving visitors with a pleasant experience. Esplanade is located at the central of Singapore and is easily accessible.

There were different venues for the different types of programmes. For Ojarus, it was located outdoors, at the Waterfront Canopy/Roving. Since it was a non-ticketed event, the crowd of audience would be unknown and thus, having it outdoors bears no limit for the number of audience.

Programming
Esplanade holds both ticketed and non-ticketed events, at either indoor or outdoor locations. The programmes held by Flipside and Esplanade caters to more of tourist demand rather than the locals. It caters to the young to the old.

People
The cast for Ojarus played a good job in making the event a memorable and enjoyable one. They were friendly and outgoing and even though they do not speak fluent English, they still interacted with the audience. The crew involved for the event did their job well as there were no hiccups before and at the time of the event. There were also securities who answered our queries regarding the directions of the locations warmly.

Promotion
Esplanade promotes their events through their website at http://www.esplanade.com.sg/ and also through the different collaterals such as fliers, brochures, pamphlets, standees and posters. The different collaterals could be found near the entrance of Esplanade. That was where I got the brochure for the free Flipside programmes. Some of these collaterals, especially those ticketed ones are also placed at SISTIC outlets.

Standees of the calendar of the free Flipside programmes and posters could also be seen within the premises of Esplanade.

calendar of programmes

different collaterals

Partnerships
Esplanade is the venue partner for the Singapore Arts Festival 2008. The other partners for Esplanade include Nokia, Visa MasterCard and Shine, which goes under the National Youth Council, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).

Packaging & distribution
The fact that Esplanade has a variety of programmes catering to the young and the old builds the image of the place. With this, it is relevant to be called the centre for the arts as it caters to a range of age groups. Being in conjunction with Singapore Arts Festival also enhances the purpose for holding the events.

Price
The price of the Flipside programmes ranges. To attract more people, some of the costs for the ticketed events are priced at a concession price, especially for students, senior citizens and NSF men. Having a non-ticketed event was also beneficial, especially for those financially unstable such as students. It gives them the opportunity to witness a performing art.

Rate organization of Event
In my opinion, I felt that the event was well organized. The show started promptly at eight and some crew could be seen near the crowd at the time the event was on, which I assume is for crowd control. The lightings were neither too bright nor too dim not that bright and thus, suit the night atmosphere. The audio sound also ran smoothly, there were no problems with the microphones that the performers were using and the music was just right.

The location for the event also was appropriate as there were not much distraction within the premises. Also, since it was a free event, outdoor venue is the best as there is no limit to the number of audiences. The space was spacious and even though people were asked to sit on the floor, the audiences do not mind.

However, I feel that Esplanade is not successful in promoting their event. They should have more publicity with regards to their events with the use of the advertising. They could have advertised it via television, newspaper and radio advertisement as there; they could capture more attention.

Potential of the event by the organizer to meet tourist demand
The event attracted tourists for sure as Esplanade itself is a tourist attraction. Ojarus is a street performance, which is a form of art and thus, it attracted tourists. They would want to see something different and thus having performances from abroad and local will arouse them to watch.

Tourists also visit Esplanade with the intention of sightseeing as it is a one of the places of attractions in Singapore. People from around the world would not mind coming down knowing the image of Esplanade and the events that they hold.

How the value of the event could be raised to be align with the tourism mission of Singapore?

Esplanade could have more variety of programmes that are unique and logical to attract more tourists.

To achieve the tourism mission of Singapore, Esplanade could have worked with government agencies from abroad to further attract people to appreciate the arts here in Singapore and come down to visit Esplanade. This thus means that events being held at the Esplanade could be made aware internationally to attract the crowd from overseas.