1. Introduction
1.1 Objectives of Report
There are three objectives for this report. The first objective is to identify how the various components of the event marketing mix (8ps) have been adopted in the Kalaa Utsavam- Indian Festival of Arts. The second objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of these components with regards to the success of the festival, and the last objective is to discuss the role of this festival to Singapore, as well as its value to the tourism economy.
1.2 Methodology of Research
There were four methods of research. The first was to read up about strategic marketing from a textbook, “Festival and Special Event Management”. The second was to collect brochures about Kalaa Utsavam from visitor booths in the airport, as well as the Esplanade, which is where the festival was held. The third was to research about Kalaa Utsavam using the internet, and lastly, was a field trip to the festival itself.
1.3 Background of Kalaa Utsavam
1.1 Objectives of Report
There are three objectives for this report. The first objective is to identify how the various components of the event marketing mix (8ps) have been adopted in the Kalaa Utsavam- Indian Festival of Arts. The second objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of these components with regards to the success of the festival, and the last objective is to discuss the role of this festival to Singapore, as well as its value to the tourism economy.
1.2 Methodology of Research
There were four methods of research. The first was to read up about strategic marketing from a textbook, “Festival and Special Event Management”. The second was to collect brochures about Kalaa Utsavam from visitor booths in the airport, as well as the Esplanade, which is where the festival was held. The third was to research about Kalaa Utsavam using the internet, and lastly, was a field trip to the festival itself.
1.3 Background of Kalaa Utsavam
Kalaa Utsavam is an annual festival that celebrates Indian arts. This festival falls on the period of Deepavali. The launching of this festival was in 2002 and it lasted for only three days. However, since then, the festival has been growing, and now, it has evolved into a ten days event. In this festival, audiences can find traditional and contemporary performances by local and international artistes. This year, the festival too has many of these artistes performing on the different days. Some of the performances are ticketed, held in the theatres of the esplanade, whilst the others were held in the open area free for all to appreciate. For the field trip, I went for one of the performances held in the open area.
2. Evaluation of the Effective Use of Marketing Mix
2.1 Eight 'P's
There are 8 essential ‘P’s in events marketing. They are product, place, partnerships, promotion, programming, people, packaging and distribution, as well as price. It was clearly evident that the festival I went to, Kalaa Utsavam, made full use of some of these 8 ‘P’s to market their festival to their audiences. However, there were some flaws in their marketing mix that could have been improved.
2.11 Product
The first ‘P’ is product. The essence of this first ‘P’ is to cater the festival or event to the needs and wants of its target market. Should the marketing team focus too much on the product that they can provide to their audiences, without liaising it with what customers need, want and are willing to pay for, they will fall into the trap of product orientation. Kalaa Utsavam did not fall prey to product orientation. The performers of Kalaa Utsavam were professional. They could have chosen to play many long, beautiful, and complicated melodies with their instruments. They could also choose to play pieces that they were best at to amaze their audiences. However, they did not. They chose simple pieces that had stories in them. This is a very good example of catering the product to the needs of the audiences. There is a very high possibility that the audiences for this particular programme are not very exposed to Indian arts and music. Thus, if the music is long, complicated, or mundane, the performers will not be able to keep their audiences for long. Therefore instead of choosing pieces that they can best portray their skills, they chose simple pieces that are suitable for all.
2.11 Product
The first ‘P’ is product. The essence of this first ‘P’ is to cater the festival or event to the needs and wants of its target market. Should the marketing team focus too much on the product that they can provide to their audiences, without liaising it with what customers need, want and are willing to pay for, they will fall into the trap of product orientation. Kalaa Utsavam did not fall prey to product orientation. The performers of Kalaa Utsavam were professional. They could have chosen to play many long, beautiful, and complicated melodies with their instruments. They could also choose to play pieces that they were best at to amaze their audiences. However, they did not. They chose simple pieces that had stories in them. This is a very good example of catering the product to the needs of the audiences. There is a very high possibility that the audiences for this particular programme are not very exposed to Indian arts and music. Thus, if the music is long, complicated, or mundane, the performers will not be able to keep their audiences for long. Therefore instead of choosing pieces that they can best portray their skills, they chose simple pieces that are suitable for all.
one of the performers enjoying his performance
three engrossed performers2.12 Place
Place refers to how appropriate the chosen venue is to the festival. Another facilitating component of place is the distribution of event products and how they are sold to customer. The chosen venue for Kalaa Utsavam is the esplanade. This venue is appropriate to this festival, since the esplanade is known for being a stage for all performing arts. This will mean that the people at the esplanade are probably more appreciative of arts, and thus, will be interested in the festival’s performances. As I went for the complimentary programme, no tickets were needed. However, this festival has other programmes that required tickets, and for these, the distributor is Sistic. Sistic has been in the ticketing industry for many years, and thus has the all the experience needed to run the ticketing services smoothly. Therefore, it is definitely wise to engage Sistic as the official distributor.
Place refers to how appropriate the chosen venue is to the festival. Another facilitating component of place is the distribution of event products and how they are sold to customer. The chosen venue for Kalaa Utsavam is the esplanade. This venue is appropriate to this festival, since the esplanade is known for being a stage for all performing arts. This will mean that the people at the esplanade are probably more appreciative of arts, and thus, will be interested in the festival’s performances. As I went for the complimentary programme, no tickets were needed. However, this festival has other programmes that required tickets, and for these, the distributor is Sistic. Sistic has been in the ticketing industry for many years, and thus has the all the experience needed to run the ticketing services smoothly. Therefore, it is definitely wise to engage Sistic as the official distributor.
the esplanade2.13 Partnerships
Partnership is an important aspect of festivals and events. “Partnerships are critical in attracting the resources to plan, manage and evaluate the event’s marketing strategy.” This means that without partners, it is very unlikely that a festival can run smoothly, especially if it is a big one. Usually, one or more of the partners will be government agencies. There are several partners involved in Kalaa Utsavam. The first is of course, the participating venue, the Esplanade. Other partners include Western Union, Mirchi taste of India, Vasantham and Teamwork Productions. These different partners support the festival in different ways. For example, Vasantham is the official advertising channel for the festival. All of these partners do play a part, be it big or small. Without these partners, problems like cash flow or lack of resources may surface. Thus, Kalaa Utsavam did a good job in sourcing for partners for their events.
Partnership is an important aspect of festivals and events. “Partnerships are critical in attracting the resources to plan, manage and evaluate the event’s marketing strategy.” This means that without partners, it is very unlikely that a festival can run smoothly, especially if it is a big one. Usually, one or more of the partners will be government agencies. There are several partners involved in Kalaa Utsavam. The first is of course, the participating venue, the Esplanade. Other partners include Western Union, Mirchi taste of India, Vasantham and Teamwork Productions. These different partners support the festival in different ways. For example, Vasantham is the official advertising channel for the festival. All of these partners do play a part, be it big or small. Without these partners, problems like cash flow or lack of resources may surface. Thus, Kalaa Utsavam did a good job in sourcing for partners for their events.
partners of Kalaa Utsavam2.14 Promotion
Promotion is important. Only with promotion will the public then be able to know of the festival. Promotion refers to the full range of ‘communication mix’ including advertising, sales promotions and public relations.Promotions should not be a one-off effort, but requires ongoing management and relationship building. The promotion aspect of Kalaa Utsavam is lacking. The scale of the promotion was a small one, with only one television channel (Vasantham) advertising the event. Also, other forms of promotion for the festival were very limited. There was only a small paragraph on the internet in the esplanade’s webpage, some banners located near the esplanade itself and a short paragraph on a uniquely Singapore brochure- Events and Festivals 2008 that introduces the festival. Even so, the messages brought across by these means of promotion were very vague. For example, in the esplanade website, there was only a brief introduction of the festival. There were no other websites for the event. This small coverage of advertising will not see much effect, and may hit the festival adversely. It is definitely important that the programme lined up for the festival is interesting and appealing, but if the programme is not advertised widely, the public may not even have heard of the festival before. This will result in a white elephant situation, with money and effort pumped into the festival, but no returns or responses. The festival should have been publicized in a wider context, with the usage of radio stations and moving media. ( ie: advertisements on transports) This way, publicity of this festival will reach more people. I also feel that there should be an official website for the festival, instead of it just being a page on the esplanade website. More television channels could be used, so as to enlarge the scope of potential audiences, instead of just keeping it to the Indian community. To make the festival programmes, especially the ticketed ones, more attractive, there could have been sales promotions in line with their target market for the ticketed performances, for example, student or senior citizens’ special prices, family deals or even early bird discounts.
Promotion is important. Only with promotion will the public then be able to know of the festival. Promotion refers to the full range of ‘communication mix’ including advertising, sales promotions and public relations.Promotions should not be a one-off effort, but requires ongoing management and relationship building. The promotion aspect of Kalaa Utsavam is lacking. The scale of the promotion was a small one, with only one television channel (Vasantham) advertising the event. Also, other forms of promotion for the festival were very limited. There was only a small paragraph on the internet in the esplanade’s webpage, some banners located near the esplanade itself and a short paragraph on a uniquely Singapore brochure- Events and Festivals 2008 that introduces the festival. Even so, the messages brought across by these means of promotion were very vague. For example, in the esplanade website, there was only a brief introduction of the festival. There were no other websites for the event. This small coverage of advertising will not see much effect, and may hit the festival adversely. It is definitely important that the programme lined up for the festival is interesting and appealing, but if the programme is not advertised widely, the public may not even have heard of the festival before. This will result in a white elephant situation, with money and effort pumped into the festival, but no returns or responses. The festival should have been publicized in a wider context, with the usage of radio stations and moving media. ( ie: advertisements on transports) This way, publicity of this festival will reach more people. I also feel that there should be an official website for the festival, instead of it just being a page on the esplanade website. More television channels could be used, so as to enlarge the scope of potential audiences, instead of just keeping it to the Indian community. To make the festival programmes, especially the ticketed ones, more attractive, there could have been sales promotions in line with their target market for the ticketed performances, for example, student or senior citizens’ special prices, family deals or even early bird discounts.
2.15 Programming
A programme decision includes what to put in and what to not. The programme determines the response and the repeat audiences for the festival. Thus, a good programme is essential. This festival is unique, as its programmes are split into different days and price categories. The idea of splitting the programmes into different time slots is a good one, as people will be able to choose programmes that they are interested in. This way, the festival can use the different programmes to target different market segments. For example, on the 12th and 13th of November, there was a special performance called “Wedding Album”. For this specific programme, the target market will probably be couples. This will be a more efficient way to achieve targeted benefits of repeat audiences and good reviews.
The performance that I went to was clearly targeted at the public, who may or may not be just passing by. Thus, to cater to these people, the performance should be interesting, especially in its first few minutes. Only then can they ensure that audiences will stay for more. The performance did so exactly. After introducing the performers, the emcee began to introduce the instruments. These instruments were new to most of the audiences. Thus, people stayed on to watch and were anticipating to hear the instruments being played. This is the success of the product. As much as the performers could start playing beautiful melodies, audiences will not be interested if they were just walking by since they do not even understand the music. Thus, the organizers chose to first capture the attention of the audiences by enticing them with the novelty of the instruments before starting to play them. This programme line up proved to be successful as it did catch many of the audience’s attention.
Banner showing programmes available2.16 People
The sixth ‘P’, people, views the festival from an audience’s point of view. The interactions between customers with the setting and staff constitute a large part of the event experience.In the case of Kalaa Utsavam, the staff did not interact with the audiences in any way, and the setting was a traditional stage and floor. This was one of the areas that Kalaa Utsavam could have done much better. There was no interaction at all throughout the session. It was a pity as I felt it was a very good programme to be interactive. Some of the ways that I can think of for them to be interactive includes allowing the audience to try the instruments, inviting people from the audience to play a part in playing the melody together with the band, or even allow photo taking together with the performers in their costumes and instruments. These are some ideas that the organizers could have used to get the audiences more involved.
the distance between performers and audience*tradition stage and floor arrangement*
2.17 Packaging and Distribution
Packaging a product means to combine a few products together, bundling it to become a package. “Many festivals fail to tap into packaging opportunities that can be effective means of better positioning the festival in its current markets and attracting tourists.”Kalaa Utsavam is one such festival. There was no bundling of any products. This made the festival less attractive, and in the end, not managing to maximise the number of visitors to the festival. “In the performing arts and sport, special package deals for existing subscribers or members represent another viable marketing use for the package concept.” This statement is exactly my suggestion. To attract more people, the festival could have worked with tour operators to create packages that include tickets to one or more of the programmes of Kalaa Utsavam. This way, the festival can widen its scope of audiences, and attract more tourists as well.
2.18 Pricing
Kalaa Utsavam has two different types of programmes. One is the ticketed programme, and the other, the open programme that is free of charge. Personally, I feel that there were too many free of charge programmes.
Even when a programme is free of charge, there is still “costs to the producer.” Examples of such costs are rental of venue, performers’ fees, sound system etc. With so many free of charge programmes, it is harder for the festival to match the cost with the revenue, much less to earn a profit. It is only possible to do free of charge programmes if the organizers are confident that the ticketed performances can gain the revenue that can match the cost. However, in Kalaa Utsavam’s case, the ticketed performances were not broadly advertised. Thus, they will already be suffering from a lack of customers buying the tickets for ticketed performance. To make things worse, there were so many free of charge programmes. If one can easily catch free of charge programmes, it will be unlikely that they will want to pay for ticketed programmes, unless they are really interested. This way, Kalaa Utsavam will always be revolving around the same group of audiences, with minimal introduction of new audiences. The festival will then find it hard to match its cost with its revenue, and in the long run, should there be a lack of partners, the festival may not even be able to run. Thus, I feel that Kalaa Utsavam should re evaluate their pricing system by reducing the number of free of charged programmes, and promoting their ticketed performance to gain the revenue that they require.
a banner informing that there will be free programmes throghout the festival3. Tourism Roles and Economic Value of Kalaa Utsavam
There are 5 tourism and economic roles that a festival can achieve. They are, place marketing, tourist attraction, image maker, catalyst and animator.
3.1 Place Marketing
Place marketing refers to how a festival creates a positive image of the country that it is held. Furthermore, it also involves improving of the quality of life and attracting residents and investors. In the case of Kalaa Utsavam, the festival did contribute to place marketing. Singapore is aspiring to be an “art hub of Asia”. With Kalaa Utsavam, it will definitely enhance the image that Singapore is focusing on developing the arena of performing arts. When tourists and investors hear of the festival, they will be further convinced that Singapore is serious in being an “art hub of Asia.” This is linked to the second factor of place marketing, which is how the festival improves the quality of life and attracts residents as well as investors. Since investors are convinced that Singapore is serious in being an “art hub of Asia,” they will be more willing to invest in the arts sector in Singapore as they see a future in this particular segment. Zooming into a smaller scale, investors will also be willing to invest in other upcoming Indian festivals as they have witnessed the success of this year’s. Also, the glory of holding the Indian Festival in the Esplanade will make the lives of the many Indians better. Along with the Indian Festival more people appreciating Indian arts and the community can look forward to a better understanding of the Indian population, and thus taking racial harmony in Singapore to a higher level. Therefore, Kalaa Utsavam did play a part in place marketing.
There are 5 tourism and economic roles that a festival can achieve. They are, place marketing, tourist attraction, image maker, catalyst and animator.
3.1 Place Marketing
Place marketing refers to how a festival creates a positive image of the country that it is held. Furthermore, it also involves improving of the quality of life and attracting residents and investors. In the case of Kalaa Utsavam, the festival did contribute to place marketing. Singapore is aspiring to be an “art hub of Asia”. With Kalaa Utsavam, it will definitely enhance the image that Singapore is focusing on developing the arena of performing arts. When tourists and investors hear of the festival, they will be further convinced that Singapore is serious in being an “art hub of Asia.” This is linked to the second factor of place marketing, which is how the festival improves the quality of life and attracts residents as well as investors. Since investors are convinced that Singapore is serious in being an “art hub of Asia,” they will be more willing to invest in the arts sector in Singapore as they see a future in this particular segment. Zooming into a smaller scale, investors will also be willing to invest in other upcoming Indian festivals as they have witnessed the success of this year’s. Also, the glory of holding the Indian Festival in the Esplanade will make the lives of the many Indians better. Along with the Indian Festival more people appreciating Indian arts and the community can look forward to a better understanding of the Indian population, and thus taking racial harmony in Singapore to a higher level. Therefore, Kalaa Utsavam did play a part in place marketing.
3.2 Tourist Attraction
Tourist attraction refers to the extent in which the festival can attract quality tourists, and increasing their expenditure as well as length of stay. Kalaa Utsavam did fulfil most of the factors mentioned above. Kalaa Utsavam, which is an arts festival, will definitely attract more tourists who are appreciative of the performing arts. With Singapore aiming to be a hub for performing arts, these tourists attracted to the festival can be said to be quality tourists. This is because, in future, should there be other performing arts performances, these tourists who are appreciative of arts will be contributing to the total receipts. Kalaa Utsavam also can achieve the factor on increasing the length of stay of the tourists. With different programmes held on different days, there is a huge possibility that tourists who are interested in Indian arts will extend their stay in Singapore to attend the next few performances. However, Kalaa Utsavam did not manage to increase much expenditure of these tourists. With many free performances and lack of items for sale, it almost does not increase their expenditure at all. The only amount that can be accounted for is the tickets sold for the charged performance. However, having said that, it is also important to not neglect the fact that whilst tourists watch the performances, they may have purchased food and beverages to go along with the performance. This too does increase tourists’ expenditures, but more could have been done. Souvenirs bearing the Indian Festival’s logo could have been sold to boost sales. Examples of these items include caps, water bottles, t shirts, keychains and many more. There could also be charged photo taking sessions with the performers and their instruments. If the capital allows, the organizers could even prepare a few different traditional costumes worn by the Indians and loan them with a charge for photo taking. These are some ways that could have helped in increasing the expenditures of tourists.
Tourist attraction refers to the extent in which the festival can attract quality tourists, and increasing their expenditure as well as length of stay. Kalaa Utsavam did fulfil most of the factors mentioned above. Kalaa Utsavam, which is an arts festival, will definitely attract more tourists who are appreciative of the performing arts. With Singapore aiming to be a hub for performing arts, these tourists attracted to the festival can be said to be quality tourists. This is because, in future, should there be other performing arts performances, these tourists who are appreciative of arts will be contributing to the total receipts. Kalaa Utsavam also can achieve the factor on increasing the length of stay of the tourists. With different programmes held on different days, there is a huge possibility that tourists who are interested in Indian arts will extend their stay in Singapore to attend the next few performances. However, Kalaa Utsavam did not manage to increase much expenditure of these tourists. With many free performances and lack of items for sale, it almost does not increase their expenditure at all. The only amount that can be accounted for is the tickets sold for the charged performance. However, having said that, it is also important to not neglect the fact that whilst tourists watch the performances, they may have purchased food and beverages to go along with the performance. This too does increase tourists’ expenditures, but more could have been done. Souvenirs bearing the Indian Festival’s logo could have been sold to boost sales. Examples of these items include caps, water bottles, t shirts, keychains and many more. There could also be charged photo taking sessions with the performers and their instruments. If the capital allows, the organizers could even prepare a few different traditional costumes worn by the Indians and loan them with a charge for photo taking. These are some ways that could have helped in increasing the expenditures of tourists.
Audiences with a few foreigners in the background 3.3 Image Maker
Image maker means to create and enhance an attraction, as well as combat negative imagery. As the Esplanade in Singapore is known for being a top performing arts centre, having the festival held right inside it will enhance this image. Also, in my perspective, having the Indian Festival held inside the esplanade also creates a positive image, that not only does this stage of performing arts support high end international performers who are famous; it also supports local productions and participate in racial harmony. Indians may be a smaller population in Singapore, but their festival too was held in a prestigious venue, thanks to the support of the Esplanade. The esplanade, to many people, seems to be a prestigious place that not everyone can enter. Many of the people who attend performances fret about dress codes and what not to do. This image was created because many prestigious performances have been held in the esplanade. However, this is not the aim of the esplanade. A simple give away is the dress code for attending performances. “Esplanade has no formal dress code; however we do advise you to dress warmly when attending performances in the indoor venues.” This was taken from the official esplanade website. It is obvious that there are many wrong perceptions of the esplanade regarding. As much as it has the facilities to hold many grand events and performances, it is not restricted to just that. The Indian festival is by no means comparable to other bigger events that are larger in scale and more popular when it comes to cash involved. However, it is still a performing art, and what more, a celebration of one of Singapore’s races. Thus, Kalaa Utsavam helps to combat this negative imagery that the Esplanade is only for prestigious and high end performances.
Image maker means to create and enhance an attraction, as well as combat negative imagery. As the Esplanade in Singapore is known for being a top performing arts centre, having the festival held right inside it will enhance this image. Also, in my perspective, having the Indian Festival held inside the esplanade also creates a positive image, that not only does this stage of performing arts support high end international performers who are famous; it also supports local productions and participate in racial harmony. Indians may be a smaller population in Singapore, but their festival too was held in a prestigious venue, thanks to the support of the Esplanade. The esplanade, to many people, seems to be a prestigious place that not everyone can enter. Many of the people who attend performances fret about dress codes and what not to do. This image was created because many prestigious performances have been held in the esplanade. However, this is not the aim of the esplanade. A simple give away is the dress code for attending performances. “Esplanade has no formal dress code; however we do advise you to dress warmly when attending performances in the indoor venues.” This was taken from the official esplanade website. It is obvious that there are many wrong perceptions of the esplanade regarding. As much as it has the facilities to hold many grand events and performances, it is not restricted to just that. The Indian festival is by no means comparable to other bigger events that are larger in scale and more popular when it comes to cash involved. However, it is still a performing art, and what more, a celebration of one of Singapore’s races. Thus, Kalaa Utsavam helps to combat this negative imagery that the Esplanade is only for prestigious and high end performances.
Performers in their traditional Indian costumes3.4 Catalyst
Catalyst refers to how well a festival can stimulate infrastructure, assist urban renewal, stimulate business and trade as well as support other attractions. Kalaa Utsavam uses percussion instruments like the tabla, Mridangam, dhol and gatam. These instruments require a different type of sound system and for the ticketed programmes which are held inside the theatres of the esplanade, the infrastructure has to be one that is able to let audiences sitting at the different segments be able to hear the instruments play. Having the festival held at the esplanade, it will also support the attractions around it. Tourists who are in the esplanade for the festival will also likely visit the areas around it, for example, the Merlion.
3.5 Animator
A festival is an animator if it encourages first and repeat visits at facilities, resorts or attractions. In my perspective, Kalaa Utsavam does not play a big part in encouraging first visits, but definitely plays a part in encouraging repeat visits to the esplanade. The reason why I do not see Kalaa Utsavam as a festival that encourages first visit is because there was not much promotion as mentioned earlier. Thus, not many people will visit the esplanade because of the festival. Instead, they probably were at the esplanade for another performance, and happened to pass by banners or the public performance, and thus got to know of this festival. However, having said that, I also do not deny the fact that the little promotion made could have attracted some of the visitors who were first timers to the esplanade to watch the performances. On the other hand, Kalaa Utsavam definitely plays a part in encouraging repeat visits to the esplanade. After the success of a performance, or festival, in the case of Kalaa Utsavam, people will want to visit the place for more. Moreover, banners in the esplanade will inform potential audiences of other performances. Thus, it will definitely encourage repeat visits to the esplanade.
Catalyst refers to how well a festival can stimulate infrastructure, assist urban renewal, stimulate business and trade as well as support other attractions. Kalaa Utsavam uses percussion instruments like the tabla, Mridangam, dhol and gatam. These instruments require a different type of sound system and for the ticketed programmes which are held inside the theatres of the esplanade, the infrastructure has to be one that is able to let audiences sitting at the different segments be able to hear the instruments play. Having the festival held at the esplanade, it will also support the attractions around it. Tourists who are in the esplanade for the festival will also likely visit the areas around it, for example, the Merlion.
3.5 Animator
A festival is an animator if it encourages first and repeat visits at facilities, resorts or attractions. In my perspective, Kalaa Utsavam does not play a big part in encouraging first visits, but definitely plays a part in encouraging repeat visits to the esplanade. The reason why I do not see Kalaa Utsavam as a festival that encourages first visit is because there was not much promotion as mentioned earlier. Thus, not many people will visit the esplanade because of the festival. Instead, they probably were at the esplanade for another performance, and happened to pass by banners or the public performance, and thus got to know of this festival. However, having said that, I also do not deny the fact that the little promotion made could have attracted some of the visitors who were first timers to the esplanade to watch the performances. On the other hand, Kalaa Utsavam definitely plays a part in encouraging repeat visits to the esplanade. After the success of a performance, or festival, in the case of Kalaa Utsavam, people will want to visit the place for more. Moreover, banners in the esplanade will inform potential audiences of other performances. Thus, it will definitely encourage repeat visits to the esplanade.
3.6 Economic Role
There is no major connections between the country's economy and Kalaa Utsavam- Indian Festival of Arts, except for the revenue generated by the sales of tickets. However, should the festival tap into packaging oportunities in future, for example: bundling the tickets for performances together with a tour package, it will slowly contribute to a larger portion of the economy.
4. Conclusion
To conclude, although Kalaa Utsavam is an example of a festival that is along the right track of strategic marketing, there is still much room for improvements. If the Indian festival remains as it is, it will only be able to attract repeat audiences, passer-bys, and a small number of first time visitors who are genuinely interested. Thus, it should focus more on some of their flaws, for example, promotion, to increase the number of audiences and the scale of the festival as a whole. Having said that, I cannot deny that there are still has tourism roles and economic values of Kalaa Utsavam. Overall, I feel that the marketing mix was definitely effective in contributing to the success of Kalaa Utsavam. As analysed, Kalaa Utsavam used product, place, partnerships and programming to their advantage. However, promotion, people, packaging and distribution and price were not fully utilsed.
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