P5. People

The next marketing mix is the people. This includes the cast, the customers, as well as the host-guest relationship. Without the cast, there wouldn’t be this event, and without the customers, this event would not be a success. Therefore, this role of people is very crucial when it comes to any festival or event around the world.

The main host of this event is The National Arts Council (NAC) of Singapore. It was established in September 1991 with the aim of developing arts in Singapore. Other co-hosts include people from Arts Educational Institutes (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, La Salle), National Arts Council, Singapore Art Museum, Mediacorp, Ministry of Education and Singapore Press Holdings. In addition, I would say that the man of the show would go to Fumio Nanjo, who is the artistic director of Singapore Biennale 2008. He is the director of the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, and has served as a judge and consultant for many huge art competitions held in Singapore such as the Vivo City Public Artworks in 2006.

The host guest relationship is positive-positive as the NAC achieved their aim of spreading the goodwill of arts in Singapore and beyond, while at the same time, the visitors like my friends and I, enjoyed a great deal of time looking at artworks, understanding the different thinking of artists from around the world, and also learning more about the history of Singapore.

Their way of communication is through their main website (www.singaporebiennale.org), pamphlets, brochures, as well as Singapore Biennale Secretariat (1 Coleman Street, #05-06 The Adelphi Singapore179803). The messages that the hosts want to convey to the visitors, as well as important information like the ticketing booths, timeslots for guided tours, whom to approach for assistance etc; are all included in these brochures and made available at their website as well as the Secretariat.