The Regent Singapore, A Four Seasons Hotel
Retrieved from: http://singapore.twestival.com/blog-entry/1415/staycation-sponsored-by-the-regent-singapore.html
I am currently working for the Regent Singapore.
The Regent Hotels and Resorts have built up its branding
since its first establishment 40 years ago, living up the benchmark of luxury
hotels until now. With the strong branding of the organisation, Regent
Singapore was thus born with this prestigious branding since it was established
in 1994.
Located at the end of Orchard Road, the busiest shopping
district in Singapore, the contemporary yet artistically designed hotel has a
total of 440 rooms including 46 elegant suites with private balconies.
Over the past 12 years, Regent Singapore has won many
prestigious awards, including the “Tp 20 Luxury Hotels in Singapore” and “Top
25 Hotels in Singapore” from the famous travel advisory website, TripAdvisor Traveler’s
Choice. Earlier this year, Regent Singapore was awarded the Top 25 business
hotels in Asia by Smart Travel Asia readers.
Apart from that, Regent Singapore has also built up its
branding and awareness through various events that were either organised within
the hotel, or collaborated with external organisations, though very little, as
the hotel is catered mostly to business travellers. Next, I am going to be discussing
on the analysis of how Regent Singapore has used its event marketing strategy
to reach out to the public, as well as high end leisure travellers.
Regent Singapore's Event Marketing Strategy:
Back to the context of Festivals and Special Events
defined in the 3rd edition textbook of Festivals and Special Events
management, marketing strategy is often interpreted as the effectiveness of the
organisation in utilising their resources to achieve their objectives and
accommodating to the needs of consumers.
Listed under the news release of Regent Singapore
website, in 2012, the hotel had organised various food and beverage events that
were held during special occasions such as sale of mooncakes during the
Mooncake Festival
For example in May 23 to 27, the hotel hosted Patrick
Chan Kai Hon, the head chef of Michelin-starred restaurant from Four Seasons
Macau in Regent Hotel’s Summer Palace restaurant. According to the Asia City
Network website, during this period, the head chef had created a special a la
carte menu and two indulgent six-course set meal which includes their signature
dishes. This event had created opportunities for consumers who were interested
to explore and try delicate dishes without having to travel all the way to
Macau, hence getting to know Regent Singapore at the same time.
Special occasions such as the Valentine’s Day was also an
opportunity grabbed by the hotel to host an event in “Basilico” where there
were not only romantic dinner packaged deals, but also cooking classes
organised for couples.
The hotel has also a venue for a SPH Magazine’s
event: Her World Women of the year 2011/12.
Apart from events organised within the hotel, based on my
observations, Regent Singapore has also worked closely with charity and
fundraising events in terms of sponsorship and management. With this, the hotel
has shown its corporate responsibility by giving back to the society and thus,
leaving a good impression in its various stakeholders.
For example in 2011, the hotel had sponsored Twestival 2011 event, the
largest global fundraising event, with a 2 night stay in the Regent Club Deluxe
Room worth S$900, whereby participants of the event will get a chance to win
this staycation by just attending the event and donating a minimum of S$50 for
the CARE Singapore.
In addition to that, Regent Singapore has also
collaborated with the National Cancer Centre and Four Seasons Hotel in organising
the annual charity marathon: Run For Hope since 2007. As part of the management
and organising committee of the event, the hotel not only helped raised funds
for cancer research, but also planned the programs and even catered meals to
all co-workers.
Event: Savour 2012
About:
Organised by
Singapore GP Pte Ltd, Savour 2012 is a Gourmet Festival that was held for the first
time in Singapore, and tickets were sold at $44 and $66 for Lunch and Dinner
respectively. The festival was held for
three days in F1 Paddock and Pit Building.
Within one venue, consumers were able to go to the Gourmet Village to taste and sample award winning dishes at the price between $6 to 21, the Gourmet Market to purchase top quality ingredients that are sourced globally, as well as the Gourmet Auditorium to catch programs such as the master classes, live cooking demonstrations and workshops from Celebrity Chefs at a scheduled time daily.
Within one venue, consumers were able to go to the Gourmet Village to taste and sample award winning dishes at the price between $6 to 21, the Gourmet Market to purchase top quality ingredients that are sourced globally, as well as the Gourmet Auditorium to catch programs such as the master classes, live cooking demonstrations and workshops from Celebrity Chefs at a scheduled time daily.
Review of Savour 2012
Based on the review
of many local food bloggers who had participated in Savour 2012, most of them
had enjoyed themselves in the event and had deeply encouraged their readers to
participate in the next upcoming Savour festival and even included that the
tickets were worth the value.
For example, the
Cravings and Wanderlust food blog owner had spelled out his opinions and photos of the variety of food
and activities that he had participated in his blog. The 23 year old blogger
said that “The organization was surprisingly well done for a first time event –
I completely enjoyed myself and am already looking forward to Savour 2013!”
Another local
blogger, the 4 moose stated that “44 SGD (of which 21-24 is your pocket money)
is ridiculously cheap if you want to have a wholesome epicurean journey but don’t
have the luxury of wealth and time to sample all the restaurants within one
week.” (Xin Li, 2012)
As photos speaks a
thousand words, photographs captured by the organizer and various food bloggers
have shown not only me, but the public how the event was operated and the types
of food sold that would even attract one to participate in the future event. In
addition, the crowd captured in these photographs was interpreted that the
event was a successful one.
The Festival was promoted via various forms of planned marketing communication such as Savour’s own official website, Mediacorp’s xin.msn, newspapers, brochures, posters and other online forums and news articles. With the advanced internet technology, promotion of Savour 2012 was mainly through the internet, where consumers local and international were able to receive the same message that was spread via the internet communication tools. However, as Savour 2012 is a new event in Singapore, I have personally observed that their promotions were mainly within the websites of Singapore. Hence, I have concluded that one of the main target market is the locals in Singapore.
In Savour 2012, tickets were priced $44 and $60 for lunch and dinner respectively, whereas in Savour 2013, tickets are categorized as the SAVOUR Premier Pass and the SAVOUR Pass and they are priced $65 and $35 respectively. The premier pass provides entry to the Gourmet Village and Gourmet Market, whereas the normal pass only provides entry to the Gourmet Market. Complimentary entries for children less than 6 years old are also given for lunch premier pass and the normal pass in Savour 2013.
Regent Singapore in collaboration with Savour
Savour’s Philosophy:
“To unite the finest
food and drink with a plethora of expert master classes, live demonstrations,
fun workshops and culinary shopping.”
Based on the
philosophy, we are able to see what the organizer wants to achieve in Savour
2012, and using the marketing mix, to determine the success of the festival.
Savour’s Successful implementation of Marketing Mix:
Savour 2012’s success
was evaluated via the Event Marketing Mix, namely place, product, people,
promotion, packaging and development, price and program. Right now, I will
bring you through the various marketing mix and my evaluation of their success.
Place:
Referring to the
various venues where consumers are able to participate or make relevant
purchase in relation to the event, such as the event venue and the ticketing
venue. Decision making of the event venue is a very important process as it
plays a part in consumer’s satisfaction. This is so as consumers seek convenience
while participating in events, such as convenience in transportation, as well
as a comfortable shelter from rain and shine.
In Savour 2012,
Consumers are able to buy tickets from both online and via the various Sistic locations. Various choices of Sistic ticketing locations benefitted the consumers as their convenience was sought even before the Festival.
Consumers are able to buy tickets from both online and via the various Sistic locations. Various choices of Sistic ticketing locations benefitted the consumers as their convenience was sought even before the Festival.
In addition, as
Savour was located at the F1 Pit and Paddock Building within the busiest part
of Singapore, transportations were thus easy for customers with multiple bus and
MRT services that are just 5 minutes away from the venue. Not only that, the
event was located near shopping malls like the Marina Bay Sands, Marina Square,
Suntec City and the Millenia Walk which allows consumers to spend their
weekends around town area after or before participating in the Festival. Hotels
such as the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Mandarin Oriental, Marina Mandarin and Ritz
Carlton Hotel were within walking distance from the Festival, hence making it
convenient for free independent tourists to travel to the event venue. Hence,
Savour 2012 is effective in terms of “place”.
Product:
Taken from: http://www.maameemoomoo.com/blog/2012/05/04/bosch-chefs-face-off-savour-2012/
Product refers to the
service and “intangible” experiences that the consumers will be engaged in an
event. As such, it contained three elements, such as the core product, tangible
product and the augmented product.
In Savour 2012’s
context:
The core product of the festival was the benefit of exploring and trying delicate gourmet dishes from all over the world and to be engaged in daily scheduled programs such as live cooking demonstration and workshops from celebrity chefs.
The core product of the festival was the benefit of exploring and trying delicate gourmet dishes from all over the world and to be engaged in daily scheduled programs such as live cooking demonstration and workshops from celebrity chefs.
The tangible product
not only covers the auditorium and seats provided for consumers during
workshops and live cooking demonstrations, but also covers the variety of
dishes and ingredients that were sold in their Gourmet Village and Market.
Lastly, Savour 2012’s
augmented product covers the services from celebrity chefs when performing
demonstrations and workshops, as well as workers at the customer service and
entrance.
According to a food
blogger’s review of Savour 2012, she states that “it is certainly the best
opportunity to taste so many different things all at the same venue”. (Y, 1April 2012) As the service experience was greatly related to the needs of
consumers, which is the need to explore and try Gourmet Dishes, their
satisfaction usually means that the products offered to them had fulfilled
their needs. Hence, Savour 2012’s product is effective in achieving consumer’s
satisfaction.
People:
When it comes to
discussing “People” in the event planning context, it is usually referred to
the various stakeholders of the event, such as the host community, sponsors and
partners, media, co-workers and the participants of the event.
The host communities of
Savour 2012 that I have identified are people who had specifically impacted the
festival and that determine their success or failure. This includes the organizer,
Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the various restaurants and chefs that had worked with
the event to bring in their signature dishes, and the frontline service
providers.
Sponsors and partners
of the festival include Swissotel, Channel 5, Aqua Panna & St. Pellagrino,
BOSCH and many other companies who had given their contribution to the event by
supplying what is needed in the event in order to satisfy their customers.
These stakeholders
play an important part in the success of the event. Hence, Savour 2012 is
effective in terms of “people”.
Promotion:
Promotion as one of
the 8 marketing mix, has now been taken over by the integrated communications
where it tries to reach out to every possible consumers. With the advanced
technology of the world now, the diverse change in media technology has led to
a changing influence of market expectations and competition. Messages drawn
across to all potential consumers were more than just the expected and planned
promotional tools, but also via various types of messages such as the unplanned
message, product message and the service message where messages spread to
consumers are not within the control of the committee.
In Savour 2012
context:
The Festival was promoted via various forms of planned marketing communication such as Savour’s own official website, Mediacorp’s xin.msn, newspapers, brochures, posters and other online forums and news articles. With the advanced internet technology, promotion of Savour 2012 was mainly through the internet, where consumers local and international were able to receive the same message that was spread via the internet communication tools. However, as Savour 2012 is a new event in Singapore, I have personally observed that their promotions were mainly within the websites of Singapore. Hence, I have concluded that one of the main target market is the locals in Singapore.
As I was unable to
get the actual statistics, I made a general assumption that there were many
people involved in the event based on the large crowd that was captured in
photographs. Promotion as the only marketing communication tool, has not only spread
the awareness of the event, but also educated and motivated these participants
to be involved in it. Hence, Savour 2012 is effective in terms of “promotion”.
Packaging and Distribution:
Packaging refers to
the combination of different elements in an event as a form of offer for
consumers. An event may offer packaged deals in the form of combining different
programs in the event, or packaged deals that includes transportation and
accommodation in order to attract tourists.
In Savour 2012,
tickets offered to the public were inclusive of free entry to the Gourmet
Market and Village, participation in cooking classes and workshops and Savour
dollars for consumers to purchase food items in the event.
Apart from packaging,
distribution in the form of intermediary is also required for events as it reaches
out to consumers faster that just advertising and promotion. For example in
Savour 2012, tickets were sold via Sistic, a ticketing service company in
Singapore, where participants are able to get tickets easily by going to the
nearest Sistic ticketing booth instead of travelling all the way to a
particular location, which may sometimes be inconvenient for them.
Hence, Savour 2012 is
effective in terms of “Packaging and Distribution”.
Price:
Tickets to enter the
venue were sold at $44 and $66, and customers are able to engage in various
activities such as workshops and live cooking demonstrations by famous Celebrity
Chefs, Michelin Chefs and award winning restaurants from all over the world.
In addition, upon
purchasing tickets to enter the event, customers were also given coupons, known
as “Savour Dollars”, allowing them to taste and sample more than 50 award
winning dishes at the Gourmet Village, and/or buy top quality ingredients
sourced from all over the world at the Gourmet Market.
In my opinion, despite
the top quality and finest ingredients used, the price of the event was made
affordable for people, especially the locals, who are interested in Gourmet to
have the opportunity to discover and enjoy the world’s finest dishes and
activities. Hence, Savour 2012 is effective in this marketing mix.
Program:
Development of
programs plays a very important part to the success of an event. Programs were
normally planned in reference to the objective so as to cater and meet the
needs of customers who participated in the event in order to fulfill their
needs. If programs of an event were not related to the objective, the event
will be unsuccessful.
In Savour 2012’s
context, programs such as Celebrity Chefs Cooking Demonstrations, workshops,
and a wide variety of food stalls and market had obviously met Savour 2012’s
philosophy (mentioned earlier on) as they were almost similar to each other.
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Hence, after the
analysis of the success of Savour 2012 with the use of marketing mix, I
therefore conclude that Savour 2012 is an effective and successful event.
However, in order to entice potential consumers and drawing them back to the
Festival, the organizer has to find out via various stakeholders, the ways to
improve the event. Thus for Savour 2013, the organizer has modified the various
marketing mix, in order to attract new and existing conumers. Next, I will be
comparing Savour 2012 and Savour 2013 to find out what new elements that the
future event has introduced.
Comparing Savour 2012 and Savour 2013
As the content of Savour 2013 has already been published
in their official website, I had used this
opportunity to make a comparison to see the similarities and differences between
these two events and had identified the different marketing mix that was
modified from past year.
Difference:
Program:
Savour 2013 differed from Savour 2012 in terms of the types of food stalls
being set up at the Gourmet Village.
In order to attract existing consumers to return to the
event, the organiser has to introduce new restaurants and a change in menu why
may thus motivate them to return, especially so after a good experience in the
previous event. If the organiser were to invite the same old tenants back to
Savour 2013, existing consumers will least likely to return. Hence, the difference
in program for Savour 2013 was in terms of the changes in tenants.
Price:
In Savour 2012, tickets were priced $44 and $60 for lunch and dinner respectively, whereas in Savour 2013, tickets are categorized as the SAVOUR Premier Pass and the SAVOUR Pass and they are priced $65 and $35 respectively. The premier pass provides entry to the Gourmet Village and Gourmet Market, whereas the normal pass only provides entry to the Gourmet Market. Complimentary entries for children less than 6 years old are also given for lunch premier pass and the normal pass in Savour 2013.
The difference in Savour 2012 and 2013 may be due to the
reviews of consumers and their measures to improve the festival. Not only that,
the changes in food stalls and programs may also draw back satisfied consumers
who attended Savour 2012, bringing them new experiences in the Festival.
In similarity, Savour 2012 and 2013 both provides
consumers with Savour dollars for them to purchase foods and ingredients from
the Gourmet Village and Market, as well as the programs such as the live
cooking demonstrations and workshops. That would probably due to the
effectiveness and satisfaction by consumers.
Regent Singapore in collaboration with Savour
(Recommendations)
After discussing the various aspects of marketing
strategy used by Regent Singapore and the various marketing mix by the event, I
have noticed that their target market were both towards there higher end status
consumers. Hence, both of them are in an advantage of upholding their branding
if they were to collaborate with each other in future.
I have therefore come out with a few recommendations that
Regent Singapore and Savour can collaborate with.
1) Be
part of the live cooking demonstrations in Savour
As analysed earlier on, the
variety of food and beverage events organised in the hotel was a clear
indication that marketing efforts to reach out to customers were relied mainly
on their award winning restaurants due to the variety of food and beverage events
held. Thus, the hotel can again, use food and beverage as their marketing tool
to collaborate with Savour by inviting top chefs from their award winning
restaurants to do a live cooking demonstration on their signature dishes during
the festivals.
However, unless
collaborating with Savour to bring in the different restaurants every year, the
disadvantage of such collaborating is that Regent Singapore can only
collaborate with Savour for just a year as there would be a change of menu and
cooking demonstrations every year in order to attract new and existing consumers.
2) Be a
tenant in Gourmet Village
Similar to part 1), Regent
Singapore can collaborate with Savour to set up a stall in their Gourmet
Village and to sell the restaurant’s signature dishes to the participants.
Yet again, the disadvantage
is the similar, but can also be solved if Regent Singapore bring in tenants of
different restaurants every year to showcase and sell their signature dishes.
3) Use
Regent Singapore as a venue to host international guests
International guests such as
the celebrity chefs who play a big role in the event, their wellness have to be
taken care of professionally by the organisation. As such, a comfortable and
luxurious accommodation throughout their stay in Singapore is required. Hence,
as a luxury hotel, Regent Singapore can work with the organiser and host them
in their hotel. Not only will it benefit the organisation as their stakeholders’
well being is taken care of, but it also serves as a form of “advertising” for
the international guests to experience the hotel.
However, the implication
that I have analysed is that the location of the hotel may be too far away from
the event venue, thus making it inconvenient for the international guests to
travel. Comfortable transportation for long journey must also be considered in
this case.
4) To
collaborate with Singapore GP Pte Ltd not only for Savour, but also for the annual
Formula One
Lastly, the Regent Singapore
can not only collaborate with the organisation to work within Savour, but also
work with the organiser’s other events such as the annual Formula One. This
includes hosting the VIPs of the events such as the racers by providing them
accommodation in the hotel, or sending their award winning restaurant to serve
these VIPs in their VIP or Celebrity Suite.
However, the implications
were mainly due to the long term partnership that Singapore GP Pte Ltd has with
other organisations, thus a change in partnership to Regent Singapore may be a
difficult issue. However in my own opinion, I do feel that if there is a
successful collaboration with Savour, goodwill will be developed and thus,
Singapore GP Pte Ltd may also consider partnering with Regent Singapore for the
future Formula One.
